Commentary

The development of the powerful ability [Path of Sinking] made all the Anomalies very happy.

With this ability, Chen Miemie's safety during the day would be greatly improved. After all, even the Clown couldn't get close to him, so it would be even harder for an ordinary [Mystery] tier 6.

The only problem with this ability was that Road Rage was one of the few things Chen Miemie couldn't carry around with him, which resulted in this ability having a territorial restriction.

After the meeting, everyone returned to their respective homes.

Dawn and Cassan took a sedan chair back the way they came.

After leaving the society's base, the two looked back from afar.

Looking at the mist-shrouded mountain range, for a moment, they couldn't tell if it was fog or a sea of clouds.

Perhaps, to the existing races, there was no difference between the two.

Chen Miemie returned to the city even faster than the others.

He himself wasn't in a hurry, but Baibai needed to rush back to the [Fat Orange Hotel] as soon as possible.

After the "Driver" brought back the news that Baibai had gained control of the hotel, the municipal government would definitely send someone into the hotel to negotiate with her right away.

After Baibai teleported directly into the hotel, she indeed received a message from Yarn Ball.

"A bureau chief from the municipal government came. I didn't let him in; he's still waiting outside."

"Let him in."

At the entrance of the [Fat Orange Hotel].

Bureau Chief Jia of the Sixiang City Intelligence Bureau was pacing back and forth not far away.

Suddenly, the hotel doors opened.

It was pitch black inside, like the gaping maw of an abyss ready to devour someone.

Chief Jia's heart pounded.

Although the "Driver" had brought back good news, setting aside whether the news was true or false, Chief Jia had been dealing with intelligence for years and had been exposed to too much of the dark side. He knew that this so-called "human consciousness entity," Baibai, was definitely not a kind soul.

Over the years, in order to help Baibai take control of the hotel, who knew how many death row inmates had been sent in to act as guests. Just the number Chief Jia knew of was over a thousand.

In Chief Jia's view, Baibai might have been great when she first entered the tiger's den alone, but after decades of imprisonment and slaughter, how could she still be human? Now that she had completely acquired an Anomaly's body, she had become an Anomaly herself, and one that deeply understood human nature at that.

If he went in now, and the negotiations didn't go smoothly, he might not be able to come out.

Unfortunately, he had no choice but to go in.

Not many people knew the secret of the [Fat Orange Hotel], and every one of them was a person of immense power. Among these people, Chief Jia had the lowest status; anyone lower wouldn't be qualified to go in and negotiate.

"It should be fine. After all, so many people were just released, and the eldest miss of the Mian family is fine too." Chief Jia hypnotized himself as he walked into the hotel entrance.

Baibai was still standing in her original position at the hotel front desk.

Chief Jia jogged a few steps and arrived in front of her. "Ms. Baibai, congratulations on your final victory. Whether for you or for Sixiang City, this is wonderful news."

Baibai glanced at him. "You come to congratulate me, and you come empty-handed?"

Baibai's tone wasn't exactly friendly, but Chief Jia felt relieved.

Having emotions, being able to communicate, and potentially having needs—this made her negotiable.

"Haha, you're right. I came in too much of a hurry. I'll definitely make up for it double tomorrow. Just to confirm, you have complete say over the [Fat Orange Hotel] from now on?"

"Yes."

"Then what about the original boss?"

"It's not dead. It's now my pet."

Baibai didn't lie at all; Yarn Ball had been her pet from the very beginning.

"Is it possible for it to challenge your position again in the future?"

"Impossible."

"Good. Then may I ask what you want?"

This was exactly what Baibai had been waiting for. "I have three demands."

"Please speak."

"First, I want the hotel's business to improve.

Second, anyone who enters the [Fat Orange Hotel], as long as they abide by the hotel's rules, will not be subject to the laws of Sixiang City.

Third, the hotel will introduce a new VIP card. Those who hold this card must be able to enjoy special privileges in Sixiang City. This needs to be publicly announced to the whole city so everyone knows."

Chief Jia listened quietly. He was already cursing in his head, but on the surface, he kept a smiling face, looking as if he completely agreed.

"I personally support this very much. Additionally, what kind of help can you provide to the city?"

"You all know that my danger level is 7. For tier 6 and below, whether it's an alien race or an Anomaly, as long as you can find a way to drive them into the hotel, I can take care of them.

Furthermore, in the event of major danger, the [Fat Orange Hotel] can provide asylum for a small number of important people."

"Thank you for your generosity."

After leaving the [Fat Orange Hotel], Chief Jia immediately returned to City Hall.

Within half an hour, a small conference room was filled with about a dozen people.

The attendees included:

The three bigwigs of the Triumvirate Council: Commander Sun, Dawn, and Director Deng.

Two high-ranking municipal officials, and the patriarchs of several powerful major families, such as Patriarch Mian, Jiang Li, and Yi Shuangzi.

Finally, there was a special person from the school, [Hundred Eyes] Fengling.

Once Commander Sun and the others were all present, he immediately started: "Little Jia, tell us the situation."

Chief Jia stood up.

"Our intelligence personnel infiltrated the hotel and learned that during the recent [Tomorrowless Day], the [Fat Orange Hotel] changed hands, and Baibai achieved final victory. I personally went in and confirmed it face-to-face with Ms. Baibai. The situation is true."

Hearing this, smiles appeared on the faces of everyone present.

For generations in Sixiang City, countless resources and manpower had been invested, and after decades of fear and anxiety, there were finally results. It was truly a joyous occasion.

After letting everyone digest the news for a moment, Chief Jia continued speaking, fully recounting Baibai's three demands and the assistance she could provide.

At this point, his job as the Intelligence Bureau Chief was considered complete.

The next decisions were for this group of people to make.

Commander Sun didn't state his position directly. "Ms. Baibai has made her demands. Everyone, please share your opinions."

Everyone present had their own thoughts, but no one spoke up.

Those who could hold power were all sly foxes; none of them were reckless youths.

Seeing that no one was speaking, Commander Sun had to call on someone. "Patriarch Mian, your daughter just safely left the [Fat Orange Hotel]. You should understand some of the situation. What is your opinion?"

Patriarch Mian was Mian Ruyan's father. His name was Mian Zhiyao, and he looked very quiet and gentle. He wasn't involved in politics but walked the path of a Mystic. He publicly claimed to be a [Mystery] tier 4 and rarely took action, so his true strength was unknown.

Wearing a pair of glasses, Mian Zhiyao directly tore off the fig leaf that had always been there.

"None of these three demands are simple.

I'll just talk about the first one. Ms. Baibai wants the hotel's business to improve. Who here doesn't know that staying at the [Fat Orange Hotel] means death?

An Anomaly, even with a human consciousness, will still passively kill people. Is Sixiang City supposed to endlessly send people in to die?"

Jiang Li cursed inwardly: Old fox.

Dawn remained expressionless, but inwardly she was amused: This is the game of power. Each one is better at acting than the last.

It wasn't just Dawn and Jiang Li; no one present was fooled.

Why was everyone so clear that Mian Zhiyao was acting, knowing he was deliberately saying the opposite of what he meant?

The reason was simple.

His daughter had inexplicably run into the [Fat Orange Hotel] and stayed for a whole day without losing a single hair. When she came out, while others were still in shock, the eldest Miss Mian was glowing with health. What did this mean?

It meant that his Mian family had a good relationship with Baibai.

Now that Baibai had successfully gained power, the Mian family was undoubtedly an ally and a potential beneficiary. How could they possibly disagree?

Obviously, Mian Zhiyao was saying this on purpose.

On the surface, he seemed to be opposing it, but in reality, he was forcing everyone present to justify the "hotel eating people" incident, ensuring that no one could ever use it against them in the future.

As for whether everyone would be willing to justify the "hotel eating people" incident—was there even a need to ask?

The people here were politicians, not champions of justice. They had been doing this for decades, and no one had ever objected. Now that there was clearly a Tier 7 powerhouse to latch onto, opposing it would mean standing against everyone else.

Sure enough, Chief Sun represented the consensus of the crowd and defined the matter in two sentences:

"They were all death row inmates, and they died for a purpose. This is a tactical strategy that has been in place for generations; there is no need to discuss it further.

Previously, we suppressed the hotel's business to weaken the orange cat of the [Fat Orange Hotel]. But now that Ms. Baibai has taken over, she is an unsung hero who has sacrificed for us for decades. She is one of our own, and we should allow her to regain her strength."

And so, the first demand was passed just like that.

"President Dawn, you represent the entire secret society alliance of the mystic side. What are your thoughts?" Chief Sun looked at the young [President].

Dawn, the President of the Sixiang City Alliance, one of the Big Three [Presidents], and a member of [Everlasting Moon], didn't beat around the bush and spoke very concisely:

"I agree with the second demand."