Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1159 - 1152: Advance by Retreating

Chapter 1159: Chapter 1152: Advance by Retreating

"What does that mean?" Li Si asked.

"You’ll find out soon enough," Wang Xu replied with a secretive smile.

The two boarded the Omnidirectional Elevator, descending directly from the high building to the ground, and then proceeded straight to the door. Next, they seamlessly climbed onto a waiting driverless car and headed straight for the Otherworld Gate.

It had to be said that on Earth, especially at the highly automated Shenghua Academy, life was very comfortable. Surrounded by service robots that relied on artificial intelligence to provide services, the majority of low-end labor was contracted out to these mechanical servants.

However, as officials at the Office, Wang Xu and Li Si clearly didn’t have many opportunities to enjoy such automated services, as they had to return to the underdeveloped Otherworld.

Back in the office, Wang Xu asked Li Si to call Luo’er. Seeing him enter the office, Wang Xu clapped his hands and said with a smile, "Congratulations, Captain Luo, on your glorious dismissal. May I ask how you’re feeling about this?"

"Very proud, very honored," Luo’er shrugged nonchalantly.

"You might be relaxed now, but today we got a half-dead dressing down from the people sent down from above," Wang Xu sighed.

"Let them come to me then!" Luo’er declared without fear.

"You really are like a calf not afraid of tigers," Wang Xu said with a wry smile, shaking his head before continuing, "General Lin said that you’ve been dismissed. He remarked that you’re indeed not quite cut out for this kind of work; if you were to command troops again, you’d stir up even more trouble. Do you have any objections or unhappiness about this?"

"No objections," Luo’er paused and then asked, "Was my dismissal to save face for the higher-ups?"

"You’re quite self-aware, aren’t you," Wang Xu chuckled. Heaving a deep sigh, he then composed himself and said seriously to Luo’er, "Well done!"

"Thanks," Luo’er nodded in response.

"Now that you’re dismissed, do you have anything particular in mind that you want to do? Are you planning to stay and keep yourself busy, or are you going to enjoy your vacation?" Wang Xu inquired.

"You know my personality, I can’t sit still," Luo’er remarked.

"Okay then," Wang Xu nodded and after a moment of contemplation added, "You... go and help Li Si out, see if there’s anything you can do on his end. Start with some ordinary tasks for now, and don’t cause another sensation."

"What do you mean by sensation?" Luo’er probed cautiously.

"If you want to do something out of line, consult with us first. Together we’ll try to minimize the big problems, dissolve the small ones, and avoid blowing up a simple matter into a headline again, you’re also aware that not everything in Lipei is managed directly by our headquarters," Wang Xu said.

"I’ve got it," Luo’er nodded in acknowledgment.

"Got it, got it, you’ve never thought about consulting me about anything," Wang Xu suddenly complained.

"Are you mad?" Luo’er asked.

"What do you think?" Wang Xu countered.

"Alright then, next time I get into trouble, I’ll consult with you first," Luo’er suggested.

"You get into trouble and you still want to consult with me!" Wang Xu glared at him but couldn’t help laughing.

"Heh heh..." Luo’er also laughed along.

"Anyway," Wang Xu said seriously after the laughter subsided, "take it easy while you’re in Lipei. If it really comes down to it, I’ll assign some task to get you guys out, and spare you the trouble from those with ill intentions."

"Hmm, then I’ll be going," Luo’er nodded and said.

"Go ahead!" Wang Xu nodded, watching Luo’er leave with a sly smile on his face.

After sending Luo’er away, Wang Xu called for Li Si and said to him, "Li Si, prepare for a new challenge. Are you mentally ready?"

"What challenge?" Li Si asked, widening his eyes.

"You’ll know in a few days," Wang Xu said with a smile.

The day after Luo’er’s dismissal, almost all members of the Mobile Troop heard about it. It immediately stirred intense public outrage, with many freed tenants and slaves standing up to protest as well.

They believed that Luo’er’s actions had liberated slaves and tenants, eliminating the feudal exploitative class. He deserved rewards rather than punishment, so they were extremely dissatisfied with the decision.

The Office’s building was surrounded by Mobile Troop members, impenetrable as water. Even the square where Luo’er had spoken was filled with citizens sitting in silent protest. The situation grew so mighty that even the construction projects of Lipei had to be halted.

Li Si was overwhelmed by these issues, finally understanding what Wang Xu had meant by a challenge. But by now, Wang Xu had already returned to Earth in advance, leaving him alone to face the enraged masses.

"Everyone, listen to me. Luo’er is only temporarily suspended pending investigation. He’s not been dismissed. Don’t believe the rumors; there’s no such thing as him being fired!" Li Si earnestly tried to reassure the crowd.

"We’ve all heard that Captain Luo’er was demoted and punished for what happened that day. What did he do wrong? Does the High Command also want to associate with the feudal exploitative class?" came an angry voice from the crowd.

"We stand firmly with the people and staunchly oppose the decayed feudal exploitative class. Don’t be swayed by every whisper—there’s no truth in this," Li Si continued to plead with the crowd.

On the other hand, Wang Xu wasn’t fleeing; he had the foresight to stand by on Earth. When the situation in Lipei escalated, he instantly informed Lin Wei of the news, who immediately notified the higher-ups.

Lin Wei had anticipated such an issue from the start, which is why he insisted on Luo’er’s demotion. The aim was to use public opinion from the lower levels to compel the high-ups to pay attention to the matter, rather than succumbing to compromiser’s rumors, and to effect a significant resolution regarding Luo’er.

He had foreseen the immense public outrage Luo’er’s dismissal would provoke, yet he proceeded anyway. Other than pressuring the higher-ups, it was more about amassing political capital for Luo’er.

If Luo’er were not penalized in this incident, his political capital accumulation would be limited to this. Now that his dismissal caused intense dissatisfaction among the lower echelons of the military and civilians, it invisibly increased his prestige and also made the higher-ups take notice of him, undoubtedly a two-fold strategy.

As for Luo’er, Lin Wei had always held a sense of guilt and thus had always intended to groom him as his successor. Being a hybrid of Elf and Earth human, no one was more suited for the role than him.

The headquarters’ approach to resolving this discontent was also interesting. The idea was to have Li Si pacify the lower levels, report up the chain without any intermediate action, and toss the problem to the higher-ups, forcing a decision to acknowledge there was no controversy in Luo’er’s actions.

Of course, Lin Wei had his own reasons for dismissing Luo’er. Luo’er’s overstepping this time undoubtedly provided Lin Wei with room to maneuver, but he couldn’t guarantee that Luo’er could continue to accumulate political capital if he caused trouble again.

So, to be cautious, dismissing Luo’er seemed like the most conservative approach, to prevent him from losing the capital he had built up in case of another misstep.

The pressure from Lipei’s lower-class citizens, the operations of headquarters, and General Zhang’s lobbying eventually forced the higher-ups to adjust their stance.

First, they acknowledged there was nothing wrong with Luo’er’s actions, and then they sent the same representative to Lipei to read their declaration of opposition against the feudal exploitative class from the same stage Luo’er had spoken on, expressing their firm stance against that class and refusing to cooperate with them.

Thus, the issue was temporarily brought to a close. The entire incident almost ended with a complete victory for Luo’er and headquarters, dashing the hopes of the landlord nobility to collaborate with headquarters.

Still, many at the lower levels remained dissatisfied because Luo’er was not reinstated from start to finish. They only saw him being penalized without restoration, failing to see the comprehensive victory achieved by Luo’er and the headquarters.

The High Command’s proclamation clearly stated that affairs in Lipei should and must be entirely under the jurisdiction of the headquarters, strictly forbidding other departments from excessive interference. Hence, in this incident, headquarters reclaimed almost-lost governance rights over Lipei.