The afternoon session went on just like the morning one, filled with endless bickering. The spokespeople for the Atavist families acted completely shameless. Whenever someone pointed out that a family member had committed a crime, they would immediately start listing all their past contributions. Getting these arrogant, elite clans to admit they were in the wrong was an impossible task.

Over at the roundtable for the high-ranking organization members, everyone looked relaxed. Given how things were playing out, the outcome was exactly as they had anticipated. The government would have to push past the families’ protests and strip away their privileges by force.

As time ticked away, the clock hit four-thirty in the afternoon. The arguing finally died down. The top leaders and their deputies were about to make their final decision.

A few organization leaders started chatting about other things.

“That new recruit at the Atavist Serum department, Tang Woxue, is really something. The results of the latest research experiments are very promising. A major breakthrough seems close.”

“Oh? No wonder he had the guts to target Long Jin and almost succeeded. He’s definitely a talent.”

“Heaven is still on our side. We lost Zhang Simiao, but now we have Tang Woxue.”

“Has anyone found out who leaked the termination command for the membrane-breaking machine yet? How is it still a mystery? You could count the number of people who knew it on one hand.”

“No one is admitting to being a traitor. Looks like we’ll have to play rough…”

Inside the Great Hall, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. No one spoke.

Half an hour later, Qiu Fa walked back in.

His presence clearly showed he was there to keep things in order, which meant the results were finally ready. And if Qiu Fa had to stand guard, it was definitely to stop the Atavist families from causing trouble.

It seemed the government was indeed going to ignore the families’ wishes and strip their privileges by force. Fine, then. Let’s see who would end up regretting this!

The elders of the Atavist families wore smug expressions, thinking along those lines.

After Qiu Fa took his post, the decision-makers filed back into the room.

“The Atavist Management Regulations are a set of laws established a thousand years ago, right after the Great Cosmic Convergence. It was a joint effort between ordinary humans and the ancestors of the Atavists, who worked together through immense hardship to rebuild our nation. Today, as their descendants, we wish to make revisions due to the changing times. This requires the utmost caution. Any adjustments must be made without shaking the foundation of our country or disrupting social stability.”

“Following our discussions throughout the day, we have gathered opinions from all sides. Regarding whether to revise the Atavist Management Regulations, we have reached the following decision.”

Everyone held their breath, their eyes glued to the spokesperson.

“First, out of respect for our Atavist representatives and the general public, we have decided that the Atavist Management Regulations will not be modified in any way.”

What?

Everyone was stunned.

Then the spokesperson continued, “The Atavist Management Regulations will remain unchanged, and all privileges will stay intact. However, the Atavists—especially the Atavist families—must bear the responsibility of keeping each other in check. If any family commits a crime like the Zhou family again, these regulations will be abolished without exception on the spot.”

The Atavist family members didn’t even have time to celebrate before their smiles froze, their faces turning pale.

“No way!”

“How can you do this? Why should we take the fall for someone else’s mistake?”

No one knew the true nature of these families better than they did. They might be able to control themselves, but they had absolutely zero confidence in their peers. The tragedy of the Zhou family had only forced some clans to hide their dirty laundry deeper. It certainly didn’t mean anyone in this room was actually clean.

Moreover, while they could band together for an event like this, they were far from a united front in daily life. The deep feuds between certain families could easily drive someone to drag everyone down with them. If a desperate rival decided to expose another clan’s secrets out of pure spite, everyone would end up with absolutely nothing.

This was a much worse deal than a direct revision! If that day came, the Atavist families would be entirely in the wrong, with no room left to complain or bargain.

And what if their own family happened to be the one that triggered the ban in the future? They would become public enemy number one among all Atavists. Their entire legacy would be ruined! How could they let that happen? Absolutely not!

“What a brilliant move,” an organization leader muttered after a brief silence.

“Yes. It shatters their united front and forces them into a state of mutual suspicion. Achieving our goal just got a lot easier.”

“But even if it’s a clever step, so what? There are so many privileges in those regulations. Stripping away the core ones is still going to be the hardest part.”

Seated at the head of the table, Madam President looked across the room, her gaze finding Jing Pei. Their eyes met.

“What do you think of our plan?” Madam President asked the very young girl sitting across from her in the private room earlier.

The girl had smiled. “It’s excellent. A great figure once said that if you find a room too dark and suggest opening a skylight, people will certainly refuse. But if you advocate for tearing off the roof instead, they will gladly let you have that skylight.”

“Exactly. So, faced with the terrifying prospect of losing everything, they will definitely choose to compromise and give up a few privileges. But the problem is, this trick only works once. How do we gently extract the most vital privilege after this?”

This was where they had slipped up. If the Bubble 109 crisis hadn’t happened, they would have cut out the core privilege without hesitation the moment the families agreed to revisions.

But what happened the night before set off a huge alarm. They realized a criminal organization lurking in the shadows was trying to drive a wedge between the government and the Atavist families. If they didn’t fix things quickly, something disastrous would happen before they got the chance.

Getting the families to agree to revisions was one thing, but stripping them of their core privilege was a different story entirely.

Thus, the government had to find a new way to achieve their goal while keeping the families calm, all in a very short window of time.

They even had to ask this extraordinary girl for advice.

“Are you asking me?” Jing Pei had replied. “But I’m also a member of an Atavist family. I find these privileges quite convenient to use myself.”

“Haha. Perhaps a leader shouldn’t say this, but my intuition has always been very sharp. I sense that you are someone unique, someone who brings good to this world. I felt the exact same way about Qiu Fa, which is why the very first thing I did after taking office was fight through every obstacle to get him out of prison. It proved to be the best decision I ever made.”

The lady raised an eyebrow, her expression elegant yet playful.

Jing Pei chuckled. “I see. Still, even if you put me on the same level as Director Qiu, I’m not giving out advice for free. I have a condition.”

“What condition?”

Jing Pei told her.

Madam President was stunned. She never expected that this was what the girl wanted.

---

When you advocate for tearing off the roof, people will agree to open a skylight.

In the end, the Atavist families chose to accept the reduction of their privileges. Yielding to their strong demands, the cooperative government agreed to let them change their minds.

Distracted all morning by the mysterious phone call from the previous night, Jiang Qing had only managed to calm down by afternoon. Now, he watched with cold detachment as the Atavist families argued with intense heat, trying to claim credit for themselves.

Arrogant and looking down on the world, they were actually the most disgusting, selfish, and vile creatures.

An unforgettable memory flashed in his mind: a distant crowd of onlookers, a man collapsed on the ground, and a child crying out for help that never came.

His fists clenched tight.

The government’s tactic was unexpected but logical. Yet, he believed it wouldn’t change much. As long as their core privileges remained untouched, the “glory” of the Atavist families would continue, like a few blocking stones in a flowing river.

“Now comes the final and most critical battle,” Chen Mo whispered.

Tang Qiaoqiao pouted. “My chair feels like it’s covered in needles. How much longer is this going to take?”

The most important rule in the Atavist Management Regulations was definitely Article One: “Only Atavists can manage Atavists.”

The scope of this rule was so broad that it essentially amounted to “the seller reserves all rights of interpretation.”

Because of this rule, all Atavist crimes had to be handled entirely by the Tribunal Division, from arresting suspects to collecting evidence. Since the Division was always short-staffed, there were plenty of loopholes to take advantage of.

Sometimes, even if a solid piece of evidence was found, if the investigator wasn’t an Atavist and any other Atavist objected, the evidence would be declared completely invalid under the rule.

During the recent incident with the Zhou family, Qiu Fa had requested assistance from the military. Under normal circumstances, other families could have used this rule to argue and stall. It was only because the timing and circumstances were so perfect that no one dared to pick a fight back then.

The other rules were merely financial perks, but this one was a literal get-out-of-jail-free card. For Atavists, making money was very easy, but facing criminal punishment was a different story. If push came to shove, the families would gladly surrender all other privileges just to keep this single rule.

On the other hand, the government could tolerate almost any other privilege, but this one they just couldn’t ignore anymore.

This rule was the root of endless hatred, leaving ordinary people to grieve their loved ones while criminals walked free despite clear evidence staring everyone in the face.

The proposal for the revision had been meticulously drafted and debated by the government’s think tank long before today.

“We have decided to revise Article One of the Atavist Management Regulations.”

Everyone’s worst fears came true.

“The number of Atavists is very small compared to ordinary humans, yet the destructive power of a single Atavist crime far exceeds anything a normal person can do. A single incident can easily result in dozens or hundreds of casualties, and in extreme cases, entire cities could be wiped out. Under these circumstances, this rule has prevented the Tribunal Division from receiving proper support, severely hindering law enforcement.

“However, we respect the Division’s authority and methods. Therefore, no external department may interfere with any of their enforcement decisions without the prior approval or request of the Division Director.

“Unless ordered directly by Madam President.”

This was actually a very moderate compromise that took multiple sides into account. Yet, for the Atavist families, it was still hard to swallow. Even if the government wouldn’t interfere lightly, they now possessed the official power to do so. Their absolute freedom had been trimmed.

Flames of anger and resentment sparked in their hearts, burning straight to their minds.

Before they could start yelling and arguing again, the spokesperson added, “Since this revision affects every Atavist in Hualan, we have decided to let all Atavist representatives present today vote on whether to pass it.”

Jiang Qing frowned.

“What?” Feng Yilian, who had been playing with his Rubik’s cube, snapped his head up.

Tang Qiaoqiao, who was so bored she had started braiding her twin tails, widened her eyes. What?

The expected debate never happened. The government had thrown another completely unexpected curveball.

“There are three hundred and thirteen Atavists attending today’s conference. You represent the collective will of every Atavist across the nation. Every vote cast today reflects that will, and we will respect the final outcome to determine the revision.”

The voting would begin right after dinner, marking the final recess of the day.

This sudden twist left the families too shocked to let their anger boil over. Many government officials were equally surprised, especially those from Division Nine, having never expected the decision-makers to put this to a vote.

“How is this any different from throwing a bone to a dog? Letting Atavists vote on their own privileges? Ha!”

“Exactly! We should have just made the executive decision. Why drag it out like this…”

“Who on earth came up with this brilliant idea?!”

Many officials had been kept in the dark, and they whispered anxiously among themselves over dinner.

“Even if we could limit them through other rules, nothing compares to Article One.”

“Isn’t this far too risky?”

Faced with the doubtful looks from her colleagues—looks that practically said we can’t believe you actually listened to her—Madam President tapped her fingers together gently. “She pointed out a massive blind spot we’ve ignored for a long time. I want to see if things will unfold exactly as she predicted.”

---

At the dinner tables, the family representatives dined and drank in high spirits. Even the Huang and Bai families were smiling and clinking glasses.

But Bai Xinran knew that centuries of blood feuds couldn’t be wiped away so easily. The moment an opportunity arose, neither side would hesitate to tear the other apart.

Sitting quietly, Bai Xinran chewed her food, finding it completely tasteless. She bit her lower lip. The words spoken during the meeting—the injury to that baby is merely the bitter fruit of your own actions—had pierced her heart.

Her marriage, her love, her child… everything was a bitter consequence. And this cycle wouldn’t end. As long as they kept planting the seeds of conflict, the bad fruit would keep growing. What kind of karma would her child face in the future?

If only someone had stepped in to stop it from the very beginning, would things have turned out differently?

The elders remained cheerful, completely oblivious to how distracted the younger generation was. Tang Qiaoqiao nearly stuffed rice up her nose, while Chen Mo and the others ate without appetite.

Normally, these matters had nothing to do with them. In the past, their voices carried no weight, and they had no say in any decisions. But now, every Atavist in attendance had a vote, meaning the youth held real power too.

When given a choice, they couldn’t help but think.

They thought of Zhou Qian, who was currently in prison—a close friend they all used to care for. The root of his misery was the absolute freedom granted to the strong, which led to the ruthless exploitation of the weak. Trapped within his family, he had been dragged down into the abyss, unable to save himself or his clan.

Tang Qiaoqiao thought of Wen Yuxian, her first love who had turned out to be a lie. If this rule had been changed long ago, and criminals faced rigorous, relentless pursuit, would the illegal Atavist serum organization have existed for so long? Would the tragedy of Zhang Simiao have ever happened?

Elsewhere, some of the independent representatives dined in silence, while others made hushed phone calls in quiet corners.

Dinner flew by in a tense, quiet haze.

As everyone gathered once more, the voting commenced.

“The vote will be cast anonymously, using physical ballots counted live on stage. Once you have written down your choice, please step forward and place your slip into the glass box.”

Each Atavist was handed a small white slip of paper, requiring only a simple “Yes” or “No”.

The soft scratching of pens echoed through the hall. Quite a few hands were slick with nervous sweat, barely able to hold their pens.

Gradually, the scratching stopped. Yet, no one wanted to be the first to walk up. After a long pause, someone finally stood up abruptly.

All heads turned. It was the eldest daughter of the Bai family, Bai Xinran.

Tang Qiaoqiao stood up immediately after her. Tossing her twin tails, she hurried down and stuffed her slip into the box as if it were a burning coal.

More and more people stood up, and the ballots in the glass box steadily piled up.

As the box filled, Madam President’s heart raced. She clenched her fists to hide her mounting anxiety. When Jing Pei walked down to cast her vote, their eyes met once more.

“Since direct government enforcement will spark a massive backlash from the families, why not let them decide for themselves?” the girl had told her in the restroom earlier.

“Let them decide? What do you mean?”

“The Atavist representatives here today—from the elite families, the mutual aid groups, the commercial guilds, the charities… they represent the collective will of every Atavist in the country. Why not let them vote? Why assume they are a single, monolithic entity?”

“But they stood completely united during the debates.”

“Perhaps some simply aren’t good with words. Perhaps some have no choice but to stay quiet to protect themselves. Perhaps others have too many worries, or simply never had a chance to speak. Each generation sees the world differently. Some will stay trapped in the past forever, but there will always be those who choose to break free and step into a new era.”

The Atavist families had been a thorn in the government’s side for generations. Every attempt to make progress had met with fierce resistance. Because these powerful clans dominated the spotlight, it was easy to overlook the scattered, independent Atavist groups.

These civil groups consisted of independent Atavists who refused to join the elite families. Though small individually, they had a decent collective size, and almost every independent Atavist joined a couple of these associations for support and community.

Yet, these groups rarely spoke up, making it seem as though they simply followed the families’ lead. Throughout the day’s debates, they had mostly remained silent, appearing to agree with whatever the great clans decided. It was easy to mistake them for a unified block.

Jing Pei’s words had been an eye-opener, but the President still had her doubts. By her calculations, of the three hundred and thirteen voters, only one hundred were independent representatives. The remaining two hundred and thirteen belonged entirely to the Atavist families. Even if every single independent representative voted “Yes”, they would still need fifty-seven more votes to pass the revision.

The final ballot dropped into the glass box, bringing the voting to a close.

A thick, tense silence settled over the entire hall.

Jing Pei licked her lips.

She didn’t know how the vote would turn out either. After all, this vote never happened in the original novel. In fact, there hadn’t even been such a long-winded conference. In the original story, after Bubble 109 collapsed, the sheer fury of the public forced the government to completely abolish the Atavist Management Regulations on the spot.

Through careful analysis of various details and her own writing tendencies, she knew this vote was a gamble worth taking. But would she win?

Chu Xusheng poured her some warm water from her pink thermos. Jing Pei took it with a smile. Noticing that Long Yiming was sweating from nerves, she gestured for Chu Xusheng to pour him a cup too.

Long Yiming was a Squib, not a true Atavist, so he didn’t have a vote.

Jiang Qing, another family member who lacked a vote, was much calmer. He believed he already knew the outcome. A mocking glint flashed in his eyes behind his glasses; he saw no reason to be nervous, given the relaxed, confident expressions of the family elders.

The counting began.

Two officials stepped up, one to tally and one to read the ballots. Jing Pei glanced at them and raised an eyebrow. These two were exactly the double agents Mo Weiwei had warned her about. Letting them count the votes was a recipe for disaster.

She quickly sent a text message to a number she had saved earlier.

Madam President received the message. Though surprised, she kept her expression neutral and spoke casually, “To ensure absolute fairness, let’s have Director Qiu and a representative from the Atavist families come up to oversee the count.”

The two officials froze, a trace of panic flitting through their eyes. With Qiu Fa watching them like a hawk, cold sweat began to bead on their foreheads. They didn’t dare to rig the votes. Besides, they probably didn’t need to. The outcome was a sure thing anyway, right?

The official pulled the first ballot from the box and opened it. “No.”

The other drew a tally mark on the board.

The second ballot: “No.”

The third: “No.”

When he opened the fourth, he froze for a second before reading, “Yes.”

“Which idiot got the choices mixed up? A ‘Yes’ means supporting the revision to Article One, and ‘No’ is against it!” someone muttered in annoyance.

But while they could dismiss a few stray ballots, they could no longer deny reality as more and more “Yes” votes appeared, keeping pace with the “No” tallies.

There were actually traitors among them, people who supported the government’s reforms. Why? The elders of the old era couldn’t comprehend it, feeling a deep sense of anger and frustration. Clenching their fists, they swept their gazes across the room, trying to identify the culprits. But because it was an anonymous vote and every slip was identical, it was impossible to tell unless someone confessed.

Soon, the “Yes” votes reached one hundred and twenty, while the “No” votes stood at one hundred and thirty-four.

Only a thin layer of ballots remained in the box.

The initial joy the leaders felt upon seeing the “Yes” count surpass one hundred—proving that even family members supported the reform—quickly turned back into raw tension.

The Atavist families were no longer at ease. Everyone grew extremely tense, and even Jiang Qing felt his nerves tighten without realizing it.

He never expected this. The “Yes” votes weren’t some pathetic, single-digit number; they had easily crossed the one hundred mark.

The independent representatives who voted “Yes” were also shocked. They had only voted to express their long-held anger and to support the government, fully expecting to lose because they were outnumbered. It was unbelievable—could there really be supporters among the elite families?

“Yes.”

“No.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

135 to 141.

141 to 147.

148 to 150.

156 to 156.

As the tension peaked, the score was tied. Only a single ballot remained in the box. The final vote would decide everything.

Every nerve in the room was stretched to its limit. The hall was dead silent. The official’s hand shook as he reached for the last slip.

Tang Qiaoqiao was so nervous she covered her face with her twin tails, buried her head on the table, her legs shaking with pure anxiety.

Opening the slip, the official’s lips trembled. Under the hawk-like gaze of Qiu Fa and the blood-red stare of the Feng Family Head, he finally rasped, “The final vote… is Yes.”

157 to 156.

Resting her chin on her clasped hands, Jing Pei let her lips curl into a triumphant, wild grin, like a high-stakes gambler who had just won it all.

Jiang Qing’s eyes widened, his expression freezing.

In a distant monitoring room, the high-ranking organization members lost their voices. The entire hall fell into stunned silence.

“Impossible!” an elder from an Atavist family roared, slamming his hand down so hard the desk shattered under a sudden surge of Atavist energy. “This is absurd! Do you really expect us to believe this? Someone rigged the vote!”

“Exactly! What a cowardly trick! Do you think we’re fools?”

“There’s definitely something wrong! We reject this result!”

Several hotheaded elders shouted, and one even lunged toward the stage, attempting to smash the ballot box. But in the next fraction of a second, he was sent flying back, crashing hard into the wall and sinking into the plaster. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his head slumping.

Qiu Fa stared coldly at the crowd.

An oppressive, terrifying pressure flooded the hall, instantly dousing the elders’ fury like ice water. Reclaiming some of their senses, they glared at Qiu Fa, their lips trembling in anger, but none dared to take another step forward.

“Shut up! Are you calling me blind?” The one who had overseen the count alongside Qiu Fa was the Feng Family Head, the leader of the top family among the Four Symbols. Accusing the government of rigging the vote under his watch was a direct insult to his strength and reputation.

“But the count makes no sense!” Suddenly realizing something, several elders shot dagger-like glares toward the independent Atavist groups who had sat quietly in the back. “It was you! You voted ‘Yes’?!”

If the government hadn’t rigged it, then the betrayal had come from within their ranks.

“Yes, we voted ‘Yes’,” one of the independent representatives spoke up calmly.

“Why?! Have you lost your minds?!”

“We voted, so what? It’s none of your business!” another stood up, shaking with emotion. “We aren’t your servants! Stop telling us what to do!”

“Heaven is fair, and that’s why we won!”

Their fierce response caught the Atavist families completely off guard. Despite being Atavists themselves, these independents showed an absolute hatred for the privileges. The government officials were equally astonished.

“The Atavist Management Regulations have only ever served your elite families. We don’t need them,” the calm voice added.

When the strong exploited the weak, they never felt the need to categorize their victims. Exploitation was exploitation, and cruelty was cruelty. It didn’t matter who they were, as long as they were weaker.

For years, these independent Atavists, who refused to pledge loyalty to the great clans, had faced endless bullying and harassment. Some families had even resorted to vile, disgusting methods just to steal their Atavist genes.

But they never had a voice or the courage to speak up before. Today was different. Backed by an anonymous vote and the government’s protection, they had won. The days of the Atavist families acting like gods were over.

“And you don’t need to be so angry at us. Even if all one hundred of us voted ‘Yes’, where did the other fifty-seven votes come from?”

That one sentence instantly put out the raging fire. The family elders froze, instinctively looking at their own family members beside them. They couldn’t believe their own kin had betrayed them.

Along with their anger, a deep sense of defeat and confusion settled over them.