Full-Time Public Enemy-Chapter 638 - 490: The Inevitable Battle

Charles slapped the table and stood up first. "I'm going with you!"

"I'm going too!"

"I'm going too..."

Nearly all the young team members stood up. These past few days had been incredibly frustrating for them, especially for Charles. He had eagerly volunteered to be the lead combatant in the "meeting" with the Independent Operation Brigade, only to be utterly defeated in the first match, losing the most crucial Capital Star region!

Gong Shuxu's office door opened, and he stood at the entrance, knocking forcefully on the door frame. "Calm down!"

"What good does this chaos do?" Gong Shuxu, mature and steady, sought to cool the young people's tempers. "The Director-General and Qing Ruyan arranged this for our benefit."

"This is a long battle; immediate success or failure need not be taken to heart. As long as we don't make mistakes, victory will eventually be ours!"

Gong Shuxu subtly pointed out that Ding Zhou was certainly no match for Aviloya, and victory would come sooner or later.

But Chen Gu shook his head slightly. "Senior, I cannot agree with you this time. Time is of the essence, and I may never learn in this lifetime to rely on others to restore the dignity I myself lost."

Gong Shuxu frowned. "But Gao Deng, he..."

Chen Gu chuckled. "Right, he's at the Seventh Energy Level, and I'm not certain of victory either."

Gong Shuxu initially wanted to persuade him but then realized the implication in Chen Gu's words. "You... how confident are you?"

Chen Gu spread his hands. "I don't know. But I do know that if I don't fight this battle, the whole brigade won't be able to hold their heads up in the Directorate—I can't sleep or eat in peace!"

Without saying more, he turned and left.

It was only a few steps to the Independent Operation Brigade's headquarters. In that short amount of time, Chen Gu even managed to post a message on the internal network: "Chen Gu challenges the Independent Operation Brigade! Hammering Ground Nine. Observers welcome to learn from each other and promote mutual improvement!"

The first person to see this message was a logistics officer who had partied too hard the night before and arrived at work yawning. He had just brewed a cup of strong tea and taken a sip in front of his screen when this bombshell popped up, prompting him to blurt out, "FUCK!"

Soon, the entire internal network exploded. Everyone knew that Chen Gu and Gao Deng hadn't fought in the last "meeting" due to the rules. Now, three days later, Chen Gu had taken the initiative to challenge them and regain face for the Special Operation Brigade.

Look at this message—it sounded so polite, talking about "promoting mutual learning." But it was obvious that after stewing for three days, he'd seized the first opportunity to go on the offensive.

The Special Operation Brigade had a brilliant track record, amassing a considerable following within the Directorate. Their followers, who already favored them, had been frustrated these past few days. Seeing this development led to a series of cheers, with comments streaming beneath Chen Gu's post:

"I'll be there from the nineteenth floor right away!"

"I'll be there from the third sub-level immediately!"

"Wait for me, I'm buying a ship ticket to go back now!"

"To the person above, don't even bother coming back. I'm already here; I'll stream it live for you."

...

But many of Chen Gu's calm supporters worried privately. Can Chen Gu actually pull this off? A Fifth Energy Level challenging a Seventh Energy Level? It's insane!

It wasn't long before a group of supporters of the newly promoted Deputy Director-General Ding Zhou, who subscribed to the "strength-is-everything" philosophy, emerged:

"He's out of touch and just asking for humiliation."

HMPH. "A Fifth Energy Level, volunteering to be humiliated by a Seventh Energy Level. Why bother? Is he trying to get himself shamed?"

A series of mocking comments drew the ire of Chen Gu's supporters, but despite their angry tirades, they couldn't find any arguments to refute the opposition.

Even though they would all go to support Chen Gu, they each felt a heavy sense of dread about the outcome of the challenge and were somewhat pessimistic.

...

When Qing Ruyan received Chen Gu's call, she knew that with his temperament, things were about to go south. She immediately got up to find the Director-General.

As soon as she entered, Aviloya threw the message down with a cold expression.

Qing Ruyan covered her face with her hand. "Director, what do we do now?"

Only a few days ago, in front of Rainbow, Aviloya had acknowledged Chen Gu's strength. But now, she wished she could grab the little rascal herself, pull out her colossal war sword, and give him a good thrashing with one hundred and eighty strokes on his backside.

"Dammit, causing trouble!" Aviloya already had a comprehensive plan for this power struggle. From her perspective, the successes and failures of subordinates like the Special Operation Brigade were trivial in the grand scheme of things. Consequently, she naturally couldn't understand the frustration of Chen Gu and his comrades.

In her eyes, Chen Gu was like that Monkey King—skilled and capable, but troublesome and always stirring up problems.

Qing Ruyan tried to plead for her friend. "But the Special Operation Brigade is directly under you. Gao Deng is at the Seventh Energy Level. If something unexpected happens, Chen Gu could..."

Aviloya waved her hand dismissively. "If he's brave enough to start trouble, he has to be capable of settling it. You may leave."

With no other choice, Qing Ruyan left, only to see Rainbow leaning against the wall outside the door with a smile. "Let's go. We might as well enjoy the spectacle."

Qing Ruyan asked blankly, "Where to?"

"Hammering Ground Nine, of course."

Qing Ruyan was thrilled. The Director-General might not care, but Senior Rainbow did! She was an Eighth Energy Level; Chen Gu's safety would at least be guaranteed!

"Sure thing!" she replied loudly.

People from all over the Directorate were heading to Hammering Ground Nine, while Chen Gu was actually still at the doorway of the Independent Operation Brigade.