Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups

East Capital, Central Business District, Global Finance Building.

On the thirty-sixth floor, the reflective marble floor mirrored the hurried figures of white-collar workers.

Everyone was clad in suits, walking briskly.

The air was filled with the aroma of coffee and the invisible pressure of the elite.

Suddenly, a slight commotion arose at the edge of the open-office area.

Employees unconsciously lifted their heads, their eyes converging on a point, expressions slightly bewildered.

They saw the company's chairman, the bald and portly man who was usually imposing and whose scolding was thunderous, at that moment resembling a newbie intern.

He carefully held a tray with both hands, on which rested three freshly brewed cups of top-grade Big Red Robe tea.

His waist slightly bent, face bearing a humble yet stiff smile.

First, he walked to the thick walnut door of the chairman's office and gently knocked with his elbow.

After receiving a low response from inside, he sidled the door open and respectfully delivered the tea inside.

A moment later, he backed out, taking care to gently close the door.

Throughout the process, not a surplus sound was made.

Having done all this, the bald old man straightened up, habitually adjusted his tie, and regained some semblance of the chairman's demeanor.

When his peripheral vision caught the employees who were secretly observing him, his brow furrowed into a knot instantaneously.

A scrutinizing gaze swiftly swept across the room.

In the office area, all heads instantly lowered.

Only the sound of keyboard typing remained.

Inside the luxurious office, there was silence.

An expensive rosewood executive desk had been roughly pushed to the corner.

In its place was an elegant and imposing set of black leather sofas.

Luo Lie sat in the main seat.

He did not look at the two standing beside him, his gaze penetrating the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, overlooking the steel jungle below.

Tall buildings stood like bamboo shoots, traffic flowed like weaving threads.

The entire city seemed like a vast, intricate chessboard, all visible to him.

Feng Jincai and Zhuo Feng stood at attention beside him, deliberately even slowing their breathing.

The air seemed to solidify, weighing heavily on their shoulders.

It had been two days since the disastrous end of the Demon Hunting Operation.

The East Capital Branch had suffered unprecedented damage.

Even more critical was that the Special Search Team had inexplicably obtained substantial leads, launching a city-wide sweep against the Noah Organization.

One base after another was raided, member after member lost contact.

The surviving cadre, including them, had no choice but to temporarily seek shelter in the relatively safe "White Gloves" company, avoiding the brunt.

This place was a legitimate enterprise of the Noah Organization, a taxpayer giant, lacking conclusive evidence and a search warrant, even the Special Search Team could not intrude.

Lengthy silence, like a boulder pressed against the minds of Feng Jincai and Zhuo Feng, nearly suffocated them.

Cold sweat had silently soaked Zhuo Feng's back.

He knew, as the individual responsible for intelligence, he absolutely could not shirk the blame for the failure of this operation.

Feng Jincai secretly glanced at him with the corner of his eye, his lips moved but he ultimately dared not speak.

In the end, Zhuo Feng could no longer withstand the stifling pressure, summoning courage, stepped forward, and deeply bowed his head.

"Minister Luo... Regarding the responsibility for the failure of this operation, it falls entirely on me alone."

"It was my intelligence work that had a major oversight, I..."

"Infallible?"

Luo Lie did not turn around, his low voice interrupted Zhuo Feng's confession:

"I recall, that was your original wording."

This understated remark struck Zhuo Feng's heart like a heavy blow, causing all subsequent words to choke up in his throat, his face instantly turning pale.

"Minister, this... this was indeed an unexpected event!"

Feng Jincai seeing this, hurriedly defended Zhuo Feng from the side, his voice carrying a tinge of urgency:

"No one could anticipate that the target would be so cunning, even able to use the Special Search Team's mad dogs against us, completely exceeding our plans."

Luo Lie finally slowly turned around, his deep gaze landing on the two.

There was no anger in his gaze, nor blame, only a profound silence.

Yet it was precisely this silence that instilled the greatest fear.

"Discuss the losses."

He asked softly, as though inquiring about the weather today.

Feng Jincai and Zhuo Feng exchanged a glance, their hearts slightly relieved but remaining cautious.

Minister Luo's willingness to listen to the report indicated there was still room to mend the situation.

Feng Jincai cleared his throat, cautiously answering:

"Minister, due to the sudden turn of events, the majority of members have switched to the highest emergency plan, entering silent mode, severing all routine contact..."

"Therefore, currently... we can only tally up a very preliminary general situation."

"Yes."

Zhuo Feng immediately picked up the conversation, actively contributing, though his voice sounded somewhat dry:

"Based on the piecemeal information gathered so far, at least eight cadre below level six have gone missing during retreat, with a high likelihood of being captured or... killed on the spot."

"The loss of regular members is preliminarily estimated to be over fifty."

At this point, Zhuo Feng's complexion became unusually solemn, he paused, seemingly organizing his words.

"The worst is... We have three level seven cadre confirmed to be killed last night."

Upon hearing this, Luo Lie's composed brow finally moved imperceptibly.