Another group of members believed that continuing with this selfless strategy would only turn the service organization into a cash cow for others to exploit. They argued for a more forceful approach: given their strength, they should use it to seize leadership and lead other supernatural organizations as a powerful leader. When faced with fierce opposition, they would use force to silence dissent, even resorting to violence. In essence, this embodies the Chinese saying, "Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles."
The two sides argued incessantly, splitting into moderates and radicals. The moderates accused the radicals of using the Service Society's power to promote dictatorship and strongly opposed this approach. Their view was that the supernatural world needed guides, not dictatorial leaders. The Service Society only needed to play the role of guide; it shouldn't engage in dictatorial activities. The radicals, in turn, mocked the moderates as unprincipled pacifists. They argued that since they were stronger than others, they should stand up and take responsibility. As for those who opposed them, their goals were noble, and since those despicable individuals insisted on blocking the path of progress, they were perfectly capable of using drastic measures to remove these obstacles…
Old Xu smiled wryly, "And then, these arguments lasted for almost several years, finally leading to an internal split within the service organization. Some people announced their departure from the service organization and then established a new supernatural organization, which is... the current club!"
Chen Xiao sighed.
I had heard Lao Tian mention the split of the service association before, but Lao Tian's account wasn't as detailed as Xu Laotou's. Now I understand that this is how the split between the service association and the club came about.
only……
"Uncle Xu, you've told me so much. Are you perhaps affiliated with the club?" Chen Xiao guessed.
"No."
Old Xu gave a wry smile: "I'm neither from the service agency nor the club. Well, my actual identity is... a member of the council of the International Supernatural Abilities Alliance. I also serve as an executive member of the East Asian Business Department of the International Supernatural Abilities Alliance. In short, my role is the financial head of the alliance in East Asia, specifically responsible for doing business in the region and earning operating funds for the alliance. Hehe..."
Seeing Chen Xiao's surprised look, Old Man Xu laughed and said, "I am not a superhuman, nor are the eldest and second young masters. However, my joining this alliance was just a coincidence when I was young. But fundamentally, the fact that a non-superhuman like me could enter the superhuman world is all because of the important resolution passed after the service society established the alliance."
He paused, then chuckled, “Don’t let the title of ‘parliamentary member’ fool you. The Alliance’s organization is actually quite complex now. As of this year, there are hundreds of large and small supernatural ability organizations registered with the Alliance worldwide and officially recognized by the Alliance. This large number of members makes the Alliance’s affairs increasingly complicated. The Alliance’s headquarters are now in Zurich, Switzerland, and the joint council system is still in place, but it has become even more complex. The council has nearly two hundred members, and I’m just one in two hundred. The current council members include representatives of supernatural ability organizations, highly respected figures in the unorganized supernatural ability world, and some non-supernatural individuals like myself. Of course, non-supernatural individuals are still relatively few in the council. The reason I was able to become a council member is entirely because I’ve earned the Alliance ample funds through business and trade in East Asia over the years. Also, I’m Chinese, and the upper echelons of the council believe that having a Chinese member in the council is of positive significance for the development of supernatural ability organizations in this ancient Eastern country… so… hehe!”
Chen Xiao frowned and shook his head: "Why does it sound like a political group?"
Chapter 220 of the main text [A Twist of Fate]
“That’s how it is.” Old Xu’s smile was helpless, and his eyes now revealed an undisguised weariness: “The larger the alliance grows, the more each joint meeting has become a place for arguing over the years. People like me are just marginalized figures. Several large organizations and forces fight back and forth, and I’m too lazy to get involved. I’ve already missed three joint meetings a year. Rather than going to Zurich every year to watch those people argue, I’d rather stay in China and do business and make money.”
Chen Xiao gave him a look of understanding, but then frowned again: "Uncle Xu, why are you telling me about the International Superpower Alliance?"
Then a thought struck him, connecting it to what Old Tian had told him about the internal conflicts within the service organization, and what Old Xu had said—that the establishment of this international alliance had almost become the catalyst for the service organization's first major split. And then there was the question Old Xu had asked him as soon as he entered the study…
Chen Xiao's expression changed: "Could it be... that the service center has split up again?"
Old Xu glanced at Chen Xiao: "You reacted quickly; it seems you guessed it too."
"I still don't understand, even if the service company splits up again, what does it have to do with me?"
"The connection lies with Shi Gaofei," Old Xu sighed. He stood up, personally poured Chen Xiao a cup of tea, and placed it in front of him, his face filled with worry. "Although I haven't been back to Zurich for three years, I still have some old friends in the Alliance Joint Council, and I can get a lot of information in this circle. Recently, there have been a series of actions within the service organization, and from the information I've received, it seems to be another round of purges!"
Chen Xiao noticed that when Old Man Xu said the word "cleanup," his tone was very serious: "I just didn't expect that the internal conflict within the service center would be so intense, even someone like Shi Gaofei was affected!"
He shook his head as he spoke: "You don't understand. Shi Gaofei holds a lofty and transcendent position within the Service Society. Even in the entire international community of supernatural abilities, this wheelchair-bound freak is extremely famous. Over the years, almost half of the Service Society's technological research and development has been related to him. If such a person were to be purged, in my opinion, it would be tantamount to the Service Society destroying itself! Moreover, it seems... according to the intelligence I've received, a project that Shi Gaofei has been working on recently is related to you."
"You mean... the purification potion?" Chen Xiao sighed. "Uncle Xu, you know about this too?"
"I still have some connections, after all." Old Xu's expression grew increasingly grave. "The problem is... before Shi Gaofei was purged, he was working tirelessly on the reverse replication of the purification potion. But after his arrest, news came that he had escaped from the Service Society. Subsequently, all the research projects he led were frozen. The Service Society has submitted a notice to the Alliance, stating that any supernatural organization that dares to accept Shi Gaofei, this traitor, is tantamount to declaring war on the Service Society! The Service Society has always acted relatively mildly. Even if there are occasional instances of people leaving the organization, they mostly turn a blind eye. Otherwise, the three old monsters on Rotten End Street might not be living so carefree. Generally speaking, even if someone wants to leave the organization, the Service Society, for the sake of face, will usually give them a retirement. But this time, it seems they are really in a hurry. That notice has already been submitted to the Alliance and released. It's equivalent to an international supernatural community's number one wanted notice!!"
Although everyone knows that Shi Gaofei is a priceless treasure, and that obtaining him might mean acquiring a wealth of valuable, top-secret, cutting-edge technological achievements from the former chief research engineer of the service organization, the service organization's extremely firm stance this time deterred most organizations from even considering such a thing. After all, even if they obtained such a precious person and a ton of technology, the service organization might send someone to wipe them out before they could even digest it. After much deliberation, it seemed that only the club dared to accept Shi Gaofei. However, the club's attitude this time was also strange. They publicly declared that they would never accept Shi Gaofei, and I even heard rumors circulating within the club that they were going to send someone to kill him.
The current situation is quite interesting. The service agency is desperate to capture Shi Gaofei alive, while the club wants to kill him outright. This strange attitude has strained relations between the two sides again. The service agency accuses the club of interfering in their internal affairs. The club counters that Shi Gaofei has already been expelled from the service agency, and that their conflict with him is a personal matter…
After much thought, I've come to only one conclusion: the service agency wants to capture Shi Gaofei for their research on the purification potion! But the club wants to kill him—that's something I just can't understand. Logically, if the club also wanted the purification potion's research results, they should have done everything in their power to capture Shi Gaofei before the service agency, instead issuing a kill order. It's baffling.
Chen Xiao pursed her lips, saying nothing, but her mind was replaying the scene of her meeting with Shi Gaofei on Home Island. That wheelchair-bound guy, who spoke coldly and harshly, became fervent when discussing his research. Although the guy's attitude towards her was strange, Chen Xiao actually had a very good impression of him.
How could someone like that betray the Service Society? Judging from my brief interaction with him, Shi Gaofei seems to be a simple researcher who wholeheartedly loves the Service Society.
If it's about covering up hypocrisy, there seems to be no need to put on an act for an outsider like myself. "Another split. I wonder how many people are waiting to see the Service Society's downfall." Old Xu shook his head. "The Service Society's committee is already divided. Rumors are flying everywhere, and it's hard to tell which are true and which are false. And recently, the Service Society has gotten into a dispute with the Club, accusing the Club of attacking their branch in Africa. The Club has officially denied the accusation, and the Alliance Joint Meeting only made a resolution to mediate, but everyone knows that this so-called mediation is just a joke. When the two organizations are fighting, the Alliance is just a facade."
Whether to arrest or kill Shi Gaofei, if the real issue is the purification potion, then you become the key! Chen Xiao…has no one really been secretly contacting you lately?”
"No." Chen Xiao shook his head: "Uncle Xu, you mean..."
"What I mean is, if Skofei comes looking for you, don't have too much contact with him. He's in danger right now. Whether you protect him or cooperate with him, it's like offending both major organizations at once, and you absolutely can't do that!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao smiled and said, "I don't have a deep relationship with this Mr. Shi Gaofei. We only had a brief meeting at the service center headquarters on Jiayuan Island last time. Why would he come looking for me?"
Old Xu nodded: "I'm just reminding you that this matter is not simple. When two major organizations clash, outsiders who get involved will never have a good outcome."
He paused, his expression grave: "Besides, there's another matter... the maritime disaster you encountered at sea when you went to Japan! With such a major international incident, the media went crazy a few days ago. The disaster was supposedly caused by the Victoria being hijacked by terrorists, who sank the cruise ship, and all the survivors at sea witnessed..."
Chen Xiao smiled wryly; of course he knew what Old Man Xu meant.
On that occasion at sea, the superhumans who attacked the Victoria engaged in a fierce battle on board. Many tourists witnessed things they shouldn't have seen. Their own displayed abilities on the ship were nothing compared to the most troublesome aspect: the sea god had brought disaster upon them!
The thousands of tourists who fell into the sea, all in the lifeboats, witnessed the epic battle between the two S-class powerhouses, Poseidon and Peacock! With so many eyewitnesses, it's probably going to be very difficult for the authorities to suppress the matter!
Various rumors have circulated in the market, suggesting that the existence of superpowers has always been merely a legend for most people in this world. They may exist in movies and television, but they don't exist in real life.
This time, however, at sea, thousands of eyes witnessed two S-class superpowers, as if gods were fighting. The battle eclipsed the heavens and earth, the sun and moon lost their light; the scene was like something out of a movie. Afterwards, the authorities couldn't suppress it, and dozens of different rumors and versions have emerged.
Fortunately, so far, information about that incredible event at sea is limited to oral accounts from surviving witnesses, with no images or photographs available as evidence—after all, everyone was trying to escape at that time, and probably no one had the mind to take pictures with their phone or camera.
"These matters are a headache for governments around the world, as well as the Alliance headquarters... Heh, the Alliance headquarters has connections with officials in various countries around the world. After all, the existence of superpowered organizations has always been kept secret from the public, mainly out of fear of causing panic. The Alliance advocates the spirit of superpowers without borders. Although it has cooperated with some countries' officials, it has always tried to maintain independence and is unwilling to be controlled by any national power. But this incident has blown up too much. Sigh, calming the rumors among the public is secondary. The main problem is that, even now, the Alliance has sent out special investigators, but they still haven't found out which organization was responsible for this incident at sea! I heard that there are S-level powerhouses involved, and not just one. This news is quite astonishing. Organizations with S-level powerhouses are only likely to be service companies or clubs, but obviously neither of these organizations would commit such a horrific act. So, if a new, powerful superpowered organization has appeared in the world, it seems a bit illogical... The Alliance hasn't released any information yet."
Old Xu said gently, "Chen Xiao, there's another matter I've discussed with you today. I'd like you to recount the entire incident at sea. This is a mission assigned to me by the Alliance. After all, besides those terrorists, you were the only other person with superpowers on the ship, and you experienced the whole thing. We need you to provide detailed information about what happened. This is very important. The Alliance will definitely investigate such an outrageous act. Perhaps the information you provide can give us some clues."
Chen Xiao wouldn't refuse such a request. After thinking for a moment, he recounted his experiences on the Victoria over the past few days. However, when he mentioned being stranded on a desert island, he omitted the part about being captured by the sea god and the underground ruins of the prehistoric civilization.
During Chen Xiao's narration, Old Man Xu did not interrupt, but instead used a miniature recording device to record Chen Xiao's entire description.
After they finished speaking, it was almost eleven o'clock. Old Man Xu checked the time and said, "Alright, that's all for now. You... be careful these days."
Chen Xiao hesitated for a moment before recounting how the club's "white glove" had entrusted him with protecting Princess Chiyoko of the Japanese Imperial Family. He still trusted and respected the old man from the Xu family, so he said, "The club has promised not to cause me any trouble for a year. However... I still don't understand why those people attacked the Victoria, yet they didn't seem determined to kill that princess. In fact, if they were determined to kill someone on the ship, they could have concentrated their efforts on attacking the first-class cabins, but instead they went to such lengths to sink the ship... I just can't figure it out. Perhaps their goal wasn't to kill Chiyoko, but rather to deliberately create such a large international incident?"
Old Xu frowned, but he had no clue either. He said, "No matter what, this group has seriously crossed the line. They are extremely audacious and reckless, causing such a horrific incident. Many people died in this shipwreck... The Alliance has also made a decision to declare these people public enemies of the supernatural community. Once the investigation is completed, I'm afraid they will take immediate action."
However, Old Xu then added, "But... among these people, there's actually an S-rank expert. I'm afraid things won't be so easy to resolve. After all, an S-rank expert is like a nuclear weapon. An organization with an S-rank expert theoretically already has the ability to challenge large organizations like the Service Society or the Club. Ordinary organizations are no match for them. If this is investigated, the only ones capable of upholding justice are the Service Society and the Club... Alas, right now the two are fighting fiercely, and their own internal affairs are in complete chaos... It's worrying."