Horror Camgirl - Ch. 96: Best Newcomer Award
Meanwhile, the elevator emitted a crisp "ding" as the doors opened.
Outside stood a few ordinary guests, their faces filled with shock. As I stepped out, they hurriedly scattered, as if I were some ruthless Devil.
I pulled out my phone and called Hu Qingyu: "There are two assassins here; come handle it."
Hu Qingyu arrived quickly, with Jin Lingyu in tow. It was then I realized she was actually the head of the Chun City Division.
Apparently, I’m somewhat of a celebrity in the Southwest Region’s Special Department. Word of the assassination attempt spread, and many attendees came over to watch. The adult woman was taken away, and Jin Lingyu’s two subordinates examined the corpse of the young girl. They reported, “Chief, according to our database, she’s one of the most infamous assassins of the Killing Gate, codenamed the Undying Old Demon, and a top-tier psychic ability user.”
A psychic ability user?
The crowd showed astonished expressions. The two subordinates glanced at me and added, “She was also killed by psychic powers.”
The crowd was further stunned.
“Are you a psychic ability user?” Jin Lingyu asked, frowning.
“No,” I replied calmly, staring at her. Was it just a coincidence that after her earlier threat, I encountered an assassination attempt?
“Could this be the ‘divine sense’ of a cultivator?” Ma Wangjiang wondered aloud. “I’ve heard that cultivators can awaken divine sense, similar to psychic abilities, but this is the first time I’ve seen a first-grade cultivator with such strong psychic power.”
He smiled and turned to Hu Qingyu, “If I recall, that first-grade cultivator in your Mountain City Division hasn’t awakened divine sense yet, right?”
The Chun City head, a middle-aged woman, mused aloud, “Typically, only second-grade cultivators can awaken divine sense. To do so at the first grade requires extraordinary talent, with limitless potential for the future.”
Hu Qingyu interjected, “Everyone, this isn’t the time to discuss Madam Yuan’s talents. We’re here for our Special Department’s quarterly meeting, yet we’ve encountered Killing Gate assassins targeting one of our own. This is outrageous.”
He then turned toward the middle-aged woman, who solemnly said, “This is a failure on Chun City Division’s part. Rest assured, I will tighten security and ensure such incidents do not happen again.”
I coldly eyed Jin Lingyu, suspecting she might be the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.
As everyone dispersed, Xiao Lin insisted on tagging along with me wherever I went, claiming it was to protect my safety. I found it utterly exasperating.
I quickly bought some daily essentials and lost all interest in wandering around. The next morning, the quarterly meeting officially began, chaired by a special commissioner from the Capital City headquarters, named Fang.
I walked into the conference room with Hu Qingyu and noticed Shan City’s spot was at the far corner. Seating was arranged according to past performance and the division’s capabilities, and Shan City, having long been at the bottom, was always relegated to the corner.
As with government meetings, it started with lengthy speeches from the leaders. It reminded me of my school days, and I was practically dozing off.
After the speeches, each division gave reports. This part was slightly more interesting. As expected, Mountain City Division had the weakest performance and handled the fewest paranormal cases.
The third segment was awards recognition. The division with the best performance was Guicheng Division, while the worst was Chun City Division.
The announcement surprised everyone. In previous years, Mountain City was always at the bottom, yet this year, they had actually caught up?
The middle-aged female chief from Chun City looked visibly displeased.
Then came the individual awards—Best Contribution, Best Leadership—none of which had anything to do with Shan City, until the very last award.
“Now, we have the Best Newcomer Award,” Commissioner Fang announced into the microphone. “This year, several newcomers have joined across various divisions, but the one who performed the best, with the highest achievements, is none other than the field agent Yuan Junyao from Mountain City Division.”
Applause erupted, and Xiao Lin clapped with all her might. I walked up to the stage amidst unfriendly gazes from all around.
Commissioner Fang beamed at me warmly. “Young Yuan, keep up the hard work, and you have a bright future ahead.” He handed me a white jade trophy, a certificate, and a jade box.
Opening the jade box, my eyes lit up.
A century-old ginseng!
Previously uninterested, I immediately grasped his hand with shining eyes and said, “Rest assured, Commissioner, I will work hard and strive to win the Best Newcomer Award every year.”
A round of laughter followed from below, with Hu Qingyu and the others holding their foreheads in embarrassment. I was really making a scene.
Back at my seat, I couldn’t stop admiring the Centenary Ginseng in my hands, thrilled by this unexpected reward.
The next part was resource allocation. The Chun City chief immediately spoke up: “In Yun Province, there’s a mysterious Golden Gu Sect. Headquarters has ordered us to dismantle their branch in Chun City by the end of the year. If our resources are reduced, it might hinder our operation.”
She shot a hostile look at Hu Qingyu, adding, “Shan City has always been stable, with no evil sects around. What need do they have for so many resources? Especially since they even have an alchemist like Madam Yuan.”
Hu Qingyu sneered coldly, “Li Feng, stop making excuses. Last year, when I in Mountain City was set on eliminating that ruthless Ability User, Liu Peizhi, why didn’t you offer us some resources? He was a Level 3 Ice-type Ability User.”
Pausing for a moment, he added, “As for Madam Yuan’s situation—well, Minister Li, since your family is so wealthy, why not suggest the Special Department stop paying you a salary?”
Minister Li snorted, “The higher-ups have already decided that in the next two years, the focus in the Southwest Region is to eradicate the Golden Gu Sect. Are you going to defy their orders?”
Hu Qingyu was uncompromising. “Your Chun City is rich in resources. Losing this bit is nothing but a drop in the bucket for you. Besides, you knew the mission was to eliminate the Golden Gu Sect, yet you were slacking off in the third quarter. So, who’s really to blame?”
Mountain City Division had always been oppressed by other divisions. Whenever they were targeted, it was relentless. Naturally, Hu Qingyu had no intention of holding back either.
“Hu Qingyu, you’ve gone too far!” Li Feng slammed the table as he stood up.
Hu Qingyu also stood up in fury, “Li Feng, don’t act like a sore loser!”
Li Feng, a Level 3 peak Ice-type Ability User, was enraged. With a flick of his hand, six sharp ice spikes materialized in mid-air, shooting straight at Hu Qingyu.
Those around them were watching the drama unfold. Although Hu Qingyu was also at the peak of Level 3, his performance had never truly matched that level. During a friendly match in the Southwest Region’s martial arts competition earlier this year, Hu Qingyu was utterly defeated by Li Feng, which caused Mountain City Division to lose face for months.
Rumors had been circulating that Hu Qingyu was injured and had dropped in rank.
This was why the surrounding divisions dared to suppress Mountain City Division so boldly.
Ma Wangjiang stroked his chin, saying, “Looks like Hu Qingyu is going to embarrass himself again today.”
Hu Qingyu’s eyes turned cold, and with a surge of mental power, he shattered the six ice spikes into dust.
Li Feng was shocked. “You… how did you…?”
Hu Qingyu’s gaze was piercing. Lifting his chin, a torrent of overwhelming mental power surged toward Li Feng.
Li Feng’s face turned pale as he hurriedly retreated, but just then, a hand suddenly appeared, blocking the attack.
This powerful strike was effortlessly neutralized.
Commissioner Fang smiled warmly, “Come on, we’re all in the same department. Why get so tense? We’ll still need to work together on joint missions. It would be a shame if things escalated.”
I frowned slightly. Commissioner Fang hadn’t intervened when Li Feng attacked Hu Qingyu, but the moment Hu Qingyu retaliated, he stepped in. Clearly, he was siding with Li Feng.
Hu Qingyu shot him a glance and said, “Minister Li and I were just sparring. How could it damage our camaraderie? Isn’t that right, Minister Li?”
Li Feng’s face was ashen, but he forced a smile and said, “Minister Hu is right. It was just a friendly match between colleagues.”
Commissioner Fang, ever diplomatic, suggested, “Why don’t we stick to our usual practice of distributing resources based on performance? No objections, right?”
Li Feng remained silent, though a flash of hatred flickered in his eyes.
She cast a seemingly casual glance my way, sending a shiver down my spine as if I were being eyed by a venomous snake.
The meeting dragged on for the entire afternoon. That evening, a banquet was held. On the surface, everything appeared harmonious, but beneath it, hidden currents were churning.
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