Origin Paradise!

Venus Ballroom.

Player Quan Dian's existence is truly outstanding.

The pinkish-purple suit with a heart-shaped cutout is clearly beyond the aesthetics of this era, deviating from the norm and achieving a certain kind of perversion.

The heads of various families were fairly familiar with this chief of the council's guard and a G5-level member, but most of the ladies attending the banquet looked on with astonishment.

Behind him, on the holographic projection of the banquet hall stage, the personal information of two thousand students was densely arranged.

Before leaving the Fortress Military Academy, the students will not be involved in mastering superpowers. Using the Awakening Potion requires undergoing the baptism of the remnant will of wild beasts. If they fail, they will fall into an irreversible depravity, with an overall mortality rate of over 50%.

Therefore, military academies focus their teaching on individual combat skills, such as the assembly and use of various firearms, survival and self-rescue in the field, maintenance and operation of electronic military equipment, and squad tactical execution plans, etc.

These two thousand cadets are important officer reserves for the fortress. After graduation, they will work in the Ninth Army, the Garrison Corps, the Security Bureau, the Investigation Corps, and various settlements, serving as part of the foundation of various forces.

"Hey! Look at this student Ai Liang, everyone! He's the fiercest tiger in the East District of the academy. He's first in the no-rules combat course, second in the close-range pistol rapid fire course, first in the 30-kilometer endurance race, and first in armored vehicle maintenance and driving. How powerful! How domineering! I think he could be the platoon leader of a regular assault platoon right now, charging forward without hesitation!"

"Wow! Tong Fei, the leader of the West Campus of the Academy, ranked first in the sand table regimental-level simulation war, second in the hostage rescue command class, and even achieved an unprecedented first place in the logistics material dispatch simulation. He has amazing wisdom!"

……

Quan Dian passionately introduced the various favorites to win the championship. Although no one knew what he was so passionate about, they still focused their attention on the best among the students.

At the long dining table, Mr. A casually picked up a glass of red wine and said, "The Academy Survival Competition is a warm-up for the Great Expedition. Unlike in the past, most of these students will be assigned to the conscription forces in various settlements to improve the combat effectiveness and basic skills of these rabble. After all, not all large settlements have regular troops like the ones in the park."

"So the expected intensity is beyond our imagination," Jiang He judged.

Mr. A nodded: "The fundamental purpose of this operation is to open up the tenth fortress. Not only us, but also the second fortress in the north of the Alliance will go all out."

On the stage projection, Quan Dian introduced Ai Yun, a genius girl from the Ai family, who ranked first in the mecha piloting class. This achievement alone made her stand out from the crowd.

Inside the banquet hall, the head of the Ai family, the commander of the First Army, and the head of the Tong family were having a very lively conversation. On the surface, the Ai family owns the Witel network, but behind the scenes, they pay more attention to military communication technology. The relationship between military industry, communications, and the military is inseparable.

After the presentation by Quan Dian, the guests began placing their bets.

The academy's survival competition consists of more than a dozen events and two stages. The first stage is a competition between events, and those who rank in the top ten can enter the second stage, forest survival.

A waiter and staff from the gambling organizer approached, and Mr. A unexpectedly placed a million bet on a handsome young man named Lin Ye.

“Mr. A, this guy’s grades are all below the passing level in every subject, what do you think…” The staff member was in a dilemma. This kind of bet, which was destined to fail, could very likely offend this high-ranking official.

Mr. A smiled and said, "Very good. You can make the decision for me now. If you intend to order me to choose someone, just say so."

The staff member, played by a guild player, appeared timid and hesitant, but inwardly he was cursing. If it weren't for the power imbalance, he would have slapped the other person across the face right now. As a player, he had little respect for these natives of another world.

"It won't happen again."

"Yes."

Jiang He also bet one million on Lin Ye. As long as Lin Ye could qualify for the top ten in the corresponding project, he would get five and a half million in pocket money. Of course, these were all minor matters. Mr. A's choice confirmed his previous guess: this guy knew about the existence of the Chosen One.

"Ok?"

As the staff and waiters left, Jiang He turned and looked back in the direction of a gaze.

At the end of the line of sight, a refined young man smiled and responded, raising his hand and slowly tracing it across his neck. A carved brooch symbolizing the organizer of the betting event hung on the chest of his suit.

[Level 21 Player - Shenxiaochen]

[Peak Creatures of the Bronze Age]

[Guild Leader of Xiaochen Guild]

Jiang He silently moved her lips.

The Youth Guild's face instantly darkened. He never expected this guy to be so rude. He was about to mouth a curse back when he realized the other person had already turned away.

“You beast of a password, turn your head back!”

The betting has ended.

Soft, melodious music immediately filled the banquet hall, the lights gradually dimmed, and couples began to dance, their bodies touching, creating an ambiguous atmosphere.

Mr. A accepted an invitation from a wealthy lady and said before leaving, "The suites downstairs are specially prepared for our VIPs."

In the upper levels of the fortress, there were quite a few couples who were only together in name. The head of the Tu family openly embraced the waist of a shy young girl, while Madam Tu...

"Madam, I cannot dance."

Jiang He politely declined.

"It's nothing." Madam Tu, who was only in her thirties, gently tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled softly. "Old Tu said that Mr. A intends to give you an important position. From now on, we'll be friends. He asked me to come and take care of you. This is your first time attending a banquet, isn't it?"

"It has nothing to do with how many times you've participated."

"Don't let my appearance fool you, I'm actually quite conservative."

"Madam is intelligent and virtuous; most people wouldn't be able to see that."

"No, not really. The atmosphere in the fortress is pretty good, isn't it?"

Yes, it's become so open that it makes me uncomfortable... Jiang He's expression remained unchanged as she sincerely said, "If the old cow eats all the tender grass, what will happen to the calves? Once the tender grass is eaten, it's no longer tender grass. Of course, it should be left for the calves that haven't eaten tender grass yet."

Madam Tu was initially bewildered, then her face flushed red with embarrassment, and she angrily slapped him.

Jiang He calmly reached out and pulled the snake's head off her neck.

"what!!"

Madam Tu withdrew her hand with lightning speed, letting out an unusually piercing shriek.

The loud noise threw the band into chaos; the rhythm was interrupted, and many men and women who were dancing staggered and fell.

The scene was chaotic.

Madam Tu collapsed to the ground, sobbing. This time she was truly "blushing with shame." Such rude behavior was extremely rare in the history of the fortress banquet.

Countless eyes turned to him, but Jiang He calmly raised his glass and drank.

Mr. A came over and had someone help Mrs. Tu away; she had already fainted.

"Why are you arguing with her?" Mr. A said with a smile. "With your looks, if it weren't for Madam Tu coming, you'd be in for a headache. Of course, you can relax now."

Jiang He remained silent. In the enemy-friend identification system of the Wild Hunt Armor, Madam Tu was a red target. When she let out a shriek, the first person to look at her was not the head of the Tu family, but Secretary-General Yin, who was currently in the center of the banquet.

Chapter 216 Conspiracy

The banquet ended at midnight.

The minor incident did not affect the symphony music playing downstairs in the banquet hall.

In a small reception room on the top floor of the hotel, Mr. A led a group of people in and went straight to the head seat. Compared to the grand banquet hall, this place was rather simple, with a few chairs separated by small tables as if that was all there was.

"There are signal jammers in the reception room, so please don't worry. Let's welcome our newest member, Mr. Jiang from the park."

A soft round of applause followed.

Mr. A handed over the park's advanced development order and then introduced it to someone.

"This is my old friend, Snakehead, the leader of the vassal town."

Snakehead looked to be in his mid-twenties, with a sinister look in his eyes. He simply nodded when introduced. As an elite who fought his way up from an ordinary vagrant to a G4-level leader, he possessed the strength of a top-tier superhuman.

"This is the head of the Tu family, whom you have met before. This is the second young master of the Tu family, the person in charge of the underground black market outside the wall."

The head of the Tu family was a little embarrassed at this moment. Although he didn't care about Madam Tu, she was still his wife in name only. On the other hand, the second young master of the Tu family, who was nearly thirty years old, had a hint of pleasure in his eyes.

"As for this one, the deputy director of the Security Agency, my right-hand man."

The woman in the red dress behind Mr. A nodded politely; she had previously served as the host of the Venus auction.

"I have complete trust in everyone who comes here."

Jiang He said calmly, "I don't remember when our relationship became this good."

Upon hearing this, the smuggler and the deputy director glared at him angrily.

Mr. A said dismissively, “You have no morals, so you won’t be prejudiced against our plans. You act recklessly at the Forgotten Life Hotel, and you have no sense of belonging to the fortress and the citizens. You are unwilling to give up the park, and you are obsessed with power. Most importantly, you are very powerful, and there are some things that can’t be done without you. We are all on the same side.”

Jiang He remained noncommittal.

Mr. A continued, “Only if I take office can you all go further. And the way to remove the governor is very simple: just kill the councilors and the army commanders who will be attending during the academy’s martial arts competition, and the council will remove me and the governor from their posts.”

The person primarily responsible for such a horrific incident in the fortress is the Consul, who oversees all affairs. The second person to suffer is the Director of Security, who had already faced immense pressure from the Speaker of Parliament due to the two previous attacks.

Mr. A produced a draft document and handed it out to everyone for review. The document was titled "Several Proposals Regarding the Establishment of District Councilors and the House of Representatives".

Jiang He quickly skimmed through the information; the general idea was to establish lower houses in the sixteen districts of the fortress to decide on regional affairs.

This will lead to a very serious problem: the balance of power between the three major factions within the fortress will be broken.

The House of Commons decides on regional affairs, which will lead to a precipitous decline in the power of the Council of Governors. By occupying the House of Commons, the established families of MPs in each district can transform into powerful regional warlords.

The lawmakers could not refuse this proposal, and it was not subject to their personal will; the interests of their families came first.

According to procedure, such reforms to the ruling hall must be proposed by the governor and then voted on by the fortress council before they can be passed, but no governor has ever proposed a similar bill before.

Because the Ninth Army will not allow it, the parliament's power will increase exponentially, and the army will eventually be reduced to a mere garrison corps.

Jiang He pondered. Mr. A was prepared to sell out the power of his own camp in order to gain the support of the powerful families and thus become the governor. The price for doing so was to become a half-puppet. It was an unscrupulous means. But shamelessness is invincible. As long as this guy was willing to be restricted in every way in the future, the success rate was indeed not small.

"We must accomplish two things: first, kill a sufficient number of members of parliament; second, kill the commander. Only if the Ninth Army is in chaos can the plan be passed."

Mr. A laughed and said, "I don't believe you have absolute loyalty to me. You're only following me for the food. In that case, fill your cheeks up."

"The vassal town, the underground black market, and a large gathering place for butchers were handed over to the smuggler, who was promoted to councilor."

“Gui Jianghe, the deputy director of the park, has been promoted to a councilor.”

"Hongxiu has been promoted to Director of the Security Bureau and to a member of parliament."

“Brother Tu and Nephew Tu can not only occupy a district in the House of Representatives, but if they want to continue to advance into the military industry, I can deal with the Tong family on their behalf. As for whether the prestige of leading this matter can make your family the leader of a powerful family, we’ll see.”

The door to the reception room was pushed open, and the commander of the army walked in alone.

Mr. A spread his hands and introduced, "Our new army group commander has arrived."

The army commander nodded to the crowd. The army group commander would be coming to the academy for a martial arts competition. If he could defeat his opponent and gain the support of the ruling hall and the parliament, he could take over the position.

"This is a rebellion," the head of the Tu family sighed.

“Success is change,” Mr. A said gently.

Jiang He remained silent. The situation had developed beyond expectations, but it was quite in line with his main mission. It was obviously unrealistic for Mr. A to control three council seats. He could only obtain these seats after he succeeded and made an exchange of benefits with the powerful families.

“The only problem is the Speaker’s attitude,” Jiang He said, squinting.

Mr. A glanced at the commander of the army and laughed, "Who do you think we're working for?"

Jiang He understood.

Parliament reclaimed the power of the ruling council. It would be difficult for a military commander to gain power through rebellion and he would need the support of the parliament to establish a firm foothold.

If successful, there will be no more talk of a triumvirate, and all power will be concentrated in the parliament. As the speaker of the parliament, he will naturally go from being a local tyrant to a real emperor, which indirectly confirms that only the chairman of the council, the speaker of the parliament's confidant, remained uninvolved in this rebellion.

Mr. A said, "If we fail, all of us here, including myself, will bear the consequences. I hope you are all aware of this."

"So the Great Expedition is to divert attention from internal conflicts?" Jiang He asked. If the operation succeeds and the proposal is passed, the powerful families will block the path to advancement. The Ninth Fortress is like a powder keg that will explode sooner or later. But if the Great Expedition can take Xidu, the conflicts will be greatly diverted during the construction and control process.

“You have a good political sense, but it’s not accurate. The Great Expedition came first, which led to this operation,” the commander said. “The Great Expedition was an Alliance order, and more than just Fortress Nine was deployed. It was imperative.”

As the small meeting drew to a close, everyone was digesting its contents. Success would bring benefits to everyone, while failure would lead to utter ruin. In that case, this small group would definitely not be able to withstand the fierce counterattack from the governor and commander, and the council speaker would certainly not lend a hand.

Mr. A stood up and raised his glass.

Let's raise a glass and wish for a bright future for us all.

Everyone clinked their glasses.

Jiang He silently handed over the wine glass. If he hadn't refused Madam Tu, he would be in bed right now, instead of plotting a rebellion with a few ambitious people.

Chapter 217 Competition

The next day, dark clouds filled the sky.

The Military Academy held a survival skills competition.

In front of the semi-circular open-air gradient venue, there is a lush forest covering a vast area. This is the largest green forest in the fortress, surrounded by winding rivers, resembling an island.

More than 100,000 citizens entered the venue to visit, and holographic projections were used to capture various aspects of the event from one hundred angles, presenting them to the audience in a screen-like format.

The 1st Regiment of the 1st Army of the 9th Army Group has been stationed on the island and is working with 3,000 agents from the Security Bureau to maintain order on site. The gambling activities of the Xiaochen Guild are also progressing rapidly. In recent days, more than 100 people have been imprisoned for illegal gambling.

The VIP seating area on the tenth step of the venue.