Upon returning to Yuzhou, Shen Feng was met with a warm welcome. Everyone had heard about the battle at sea the previous month, where only a dozen or so people had survived. Each engagement with sea beasts was fraught with peril, yet Shen Feng had endured two meteor retrieval missions and returned successfully. His strength was undeniable, and with such a powerful City Lord, Yuzhou’s safety was assured.
However, Shen Feng’s return also stirred discontent among some. The reason was simple: on the global esper ranking, Shen Feng was still listed as third. This rank was deemed far too low, considering the City Lord’s formidable power, which they believed should place him first.
"Whoever made this esper ranking is out of their mind. Their judgment is too subjective," one person grumbled. "Our City Lord should be the strongest in the world, yet he's only third."
"Exactly! Look at this list; some minor figures are in the top ten, judged by some so-called combat achievements. It's too subjective, completely unreasonable."
The people of Yuzhou openly criticized the esper ranking, feeling it was unfair. Shen Feng, meanwhile, paid no mind to such matters. He understood that comparing the combat power of espers was incredibly difficult. Many espers possessed potent abilities that could be countered by seemingly weaker ones, making the strength hierarchy fluid. Truly selecting a single strongest esper was no easy feat.
The Headquarters, on the other hand, found themselves in an awkward predicament. The Heavenly Dragon Bureau, which they had supported, had been disbanded. Its core members had been jointly eliminated by Shen Feng of Yuzhou and Wang Ao Ye of the Southeast. The Chosen Bureau was now left with only two members. Gong Changfa, disheartened, decided to retire to a quiet place.
Ke Yiming and Yun Laizhe requested to be stationed in Jinling to guard the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Consequently, the Headquarters’ pool of available espers dwindled further.
Although the Headquarters had previously signed contracts with recruited espers, the contracts’ binding power was weak. For espers, contracts were little more than scraps of paper. If their families could be leveraged, it might provide some leverage, but many espers had no families, making restraint nearly impossible.
Thus, the Headquarters’ most pressing issue was a severe lack of usable espers. Xiao Sheng wished to re-establish the Esper Management Bureau but lacked esper-boosting potions. The Headquarters reluctantly used an evolution potion to create twenty esper potions for Xiao Sheng, who officially became the captain of the Esper Management Bureau. Qin Kewei, due to mismanagement, was demoted to a regular member.
The Headquarters did not wish to see any single entity become too dominant, as it would make checks and balances difficult. Therefore, someone from the Headquarters approached Gong Changfa.
"Gong Changfa, you've only faced one setback. You've experienced the disbandment of the Chosen Bureau before. At this juncture, the Headquarters still hopes you can shoulder the responsibility. If you wish to rebuild the Chosen Bureau, we have another evolution crystal you can use, allowing you to continue as captain," a Headquarters representative told Gong Changfa.
However, Gong Changfa remained resolute. "No, I am not a qualified captain. Furthermore, I do not wish to see another organization I helped build collapse. Please let someone else handle this. In any case, I will not be able to do it."
Gong Changfa’s stance was firm; he had decided to retire. No amount of persuasion from the Headquarters could change his mind. They eventually had to agree, but they still assigned Gong Changfa to guard the Northeast Plain, a vital granary for China, where his presence was deemed appropriate.
The Chosen Bureau was thoroughly disbanded, with no one remaining. However, the Headquarters required a new esper organization to counterbalance the Esper Management Bureau. Yet, they found themselves without any suitable candidates and began to fret.
To become a captain of an esper organization, one must first be an esper, preferably a powerful one. Ordinary individuals could not command respect from their subordinates. They also needed a sharp mind and a good grasp of the overall situation, and crucially, they had to be obedient. Such individuals were hard to find. After much deliberation, no suitable candidate emerged.
Around this time, Li Keyi also returned to Yanjing. Upon her arrival, she was immediately confronted. Even though Li Keyi had become a seventh-tier esper, she was still required to adhere to regulations. The Headquarters had previously ordered Li Keyi to mediate relations between the Headquarters and Yuzhou. Instead, Li Keyi had taken Shen Feng to sea, a direct defiance of orders. The Headquarters could not tolerate such behavior and immediately reprimanded Li Keyi for her lawlessness and unauthorized actions.
Fortunately, at this critical moment, Li Keyi produced an evolution crystal from her person and said, "Actually, I intended to make amends for my mistakes. This evolution crystal was hard-won during my time at sea. I wonder if this can compensate for my transgression?"
The Headquarters’ fleet expedition had yielded only two evolution crystals. Now, with Li Keyi voluntarily contributing one, the Headquarters, having obtained such a precious item, had no choice but to forgive her. As long as there were gains, everything could be smoothed over.
Thus, the Headquarters stated, "This must not happen again. For this incident, you simply need to submit a written self-criticism to your superiors. Additionally, the Headquarters is planning to form a new esper organization. Are you interested in taking on the role of captain?"
Li Keyi was now a seventh-tier esper, her strength undeniable. At this point, she might even be more powerful than Xiao Sheng. Moreover, she was intelligent and would undoubtedly be a qualified captain. Although she occasionally acted out of line, she was a native of Yanjing and considered reliable. Therefore, the Headquarters hoped Li Keyi would become the captain of the next organization. As for the research in the laboratory, Li Keyi was not the only researcher, and the laboratory would surely find a way.
However, Li Keyi refused without a second thought. "No, I have no such intentions. I would prefer to return to my laboratory. Autumn is only a few months away. You should focus on how to deal with the crisis of mutated birds."
Upon hearing Li Keyi's response, the Headquarters was helpless and had to search for other candidates. As a last resort, they decided to recruit new individuals as espers and then select the best performer among them to appoint as captain.
However, at this time, many people were unwilling to join the Headquarters’ esper organizations. It had become apparent that becoming an esper meant being dispatched on extremely dangerous missions, with a high risk of death. A simple calculation revealed that the Headquarters had lost over eighty espers, meaning each esper survived for little more than a year on average. In such circumstances, no one was willing to rush to their deaths.
Meanwhile, in Yuzhou, Shen Feng was questioned by Chang Jianyi and Chu Chaoyan. They had seen a picture circulating in Southeast Asia depicting Shen Feng and Li Keyi in an intimate embrace, and they needed to clarify the nature of their relationship.
Furthermore, Chu Chaoyan, holding their two-month-old daughter Shen Yishi, pressed Shen Feng: "Answer me in front of our child. What is your relationship with Li Keyi?"
"Just friends! If I'm lying, may lightning strike me. The origin of that picture is not what you imagine. Li Keyi had heatstroke, and I went to help her. That's all," Shen Feng quickly explained, though he felt a pang of guilt, unsure if divine retribution was a real possibility.
Chang Jianyi and Chu Chaoyan were skeptical but also noted that Shen Feng had not brought Li Keyi back, suggesting their relationship was not that close. After considering it, they decided further questioning would be futile and dropped the matter.
Shen Feng then changed the subject, taking Shen Yishi from Chu Chaoyan’s arms. He spoke softly, "Daddy's here. Did you miss Daddy?"
Shen Yishi, only two months old, had been with Chu Chaoyan recently and was wary of unfamiliar people. She immediately started to cry.
Chu Chaoyan quickly took the child back. "The baby is still young. Don't scare her. You can hold her after a few days when she's more familiar with you."
Shen Feng shrugged and said nothing. He turned to pick up Xiao Hu. The child could now speak, albeit in simple words, but could convey meaning. Seeing Shen Feng, Xiao Hu reached out for affection.
Just then, Wang Xiqiang ran over and earnestly said to Shen Feng, "Master, I think I might have awakened an ability."
Shen Feng was surprised by Wang Xiqiang's words and asked, "What kind of ability? Is it strong?"
Wang Xiqiang hesitated, noticing his two 'masters' present, and felt embarrassed to speak. He then said to Shen Feng, "It's inconvenient to say. Master, I can't explain it clearly right now. Let's go somewhere private to talk. It can't be discussed here."
Seeing Wang Xiqiang's caution, Shen Feng handed Xiao Hu to Chang Jianyi and followed Wang Xiqiang to a secluded room. Wang Xiqiang then lowered his pants and said, "Master, my ability is a bit strange. You'll understand when you see it."
Shen Feng was taken aback by Wang Xiqiang's action. He thought, "Could Wang Xiqiang's ability be related to body enhancement? Not just any part, but the corpus cavernosum?"
Theoretically, this was possible, but Shen Feng had never heard of it before and was unsure if it was true.
However, Shen Feng soon realized he had guessed wrong. Wang Xiqiang then urinated towards a corner of the wall, and small beads appeared on the ground. These beads were white. Upon seeing them, Shen Feng realized they were urea!
"Could he be a material-type esper? Manipulating not just any material, but specifically urea?" Shen Feng mused. If that were the case, the young man would be well-suited for a fertilizer factory.
Wang Xiqiang said pitifully, "Master, I discovered this after waking up this morning. I don't want this ability."