Chapter 418: Top Meeting
Inside a meeting room in an unknown location, a group of people had gathered around a rectangular conference table. A total of 10 people occupied the seats on each side of the conference table, with only the seat at the head of the table currently being unoccupied.
Judging from the conference room, which was extremely plain, whereby, despite the entire room being huge, only the conference table, the seats and the people sitting on them were within the room.
There were no accessories, potted plants or flowers, paintings and other decorations, leaving the conference room quite plain, especially with the white color painted on the walls of the conference room.
The conference from was well-lit by a bright chandelier that was located directly above the conference table. The other parts of the room were not as brightly lit, as the only source of light within the conference room was that single chandelier.
Something else that was quite noticeable was the fact that, in front of each person, there was a notebook and a pen. There were no electronics within the conference room.
Looking at the group that was sitting on the long sides of the conference table, it was easy to tell that none of them were simple people to deal with. Most of them looked like they had occupied positions of power for a long time, just by the way they carried themselves.
It was a mixture of men and women, but one thing they all had in common was that they were middle-aged. The youngest among them appeared to be in her late thirties, while the oldest seemed to be approaching his late forties.
Their attire varied. Some were dressed in formal business wear, others wore casual clothing, while two of them were dressed in military uniforms.
"Brown, I believe I told you that you don’t need to come to these meetings wearing that uniform. Do you know how disgusting it looks?" The silence in the conference room was broken by a man with a rough voice.
He had a balding head and a face covered in a thick beard. Dressed casually in a green vest and cargo pants, his huge build was impossible to ignore, with his muscles clearly visible beneath the tight vest he wore.
"If it weren’t for the fact that you’re so deeply involved in illegal activities, would you be so bothered by this uniform? Just admit it already. You’re afraid of the uniform because you understand what it represents," Brown responded with a sneer.
Like Gordon, the man who had spoken first, Brown also had a muscular build. Inside the conference room, the two of them could be considered giants, as they easily dwarfed the other attendees.
Brown was dressed in a military uniform, a careful blend of white, black, and blue. Of course, this wasn’t a field uniform. Instead, it was reserved for official meetings.
Moreover, only high-ranking officers were allowed to wear it.
It was obvious that Brown held an important position within the military, judging by the numerous badges decorating his uniform.
"Hmph! Afraid? I’ve never been afraid of anything or anyone. That word doesn’t exist in my dictionary. But regardless, that uniform disgusts me. In front of ordinary people, you pretend to be righteous. Yet in the shadows, aren’t you just like me? That uniform only shows what a hypocrite you are," Gordon retorted.
Brown’s expression changed the moment he heard those words. He remained silent, but the sudden change in his posture made it obvious that he was furious.
In his anger, Brown’s body suddenly began to bulge. Veins began popping up on his face, as his eyes began turning red.
Within just a moment, the atmosphere in the conference room shifted. The killing intent could be easily filled by the others sitting around the conference trouble, with some of them frowning.
None of the people within the conference room reacted to the sudden shift on Brown’s build. Instead, they were displeased by the fact that Brown and Gordon were having a conflict, when they were a lot of things that they could discuss.
Gordon was not the slightest bit intimidated by Brown’s transformation. Instead, he revealed a slight smile, as he contemptuous gazed at Brown, waiting for him to take action.
Clearly, he was provoking Brown, just waiting for him to take action. As for what exactly he was aiming for, it was hard to guess.
"Okay, let’s start the meeting." Suddenly, a gentle voice rang in the conference room. And in the next moment, the closed door of the conference room opened, as a lady walked into the room.
The lady was about 175 cm tall, with her dark Brown hair tied behind her. She seemed to be in her 30s in terms of appearance, and she was a mature beauty.
She was dressed in a tailored charcoal-black business suit that fit her perfectly, paired with a white dress shirt and a deep navy silk tie tucked neatly beneath the jacket.
A small silver ’World Council’ lapel pin rested on her left collar, while a silver wristwatch and simple stud earrings were the only accessories she wore. She completed the outfit with black leather heels that for some reason, did not make a sound even as she walked into the conference room.
The moment that they saw her, everyone reacted in the same way. There was a mix of respect and fear as they looked at her, and nobody dared to look down on her, despite how gentle she had spoken.
Even Brown, who seemed ready to start a fight, immediately cooled down. Several beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, as his body trembled slightly.
Everyone watched as the lady went ahead and took the seat at the head of the table.
It was only after she had sat down that Brown finally relaxed. It was as if he had just escaped death itself.
This lady, Amanda, she was the chairwoman of the organization that was formed by this group of 11 people.
Of course, while the organization itself was made up of 11 people, there were subordinates under these 11 people, which ended up expanding this organization.
Simply put, this organization, it had influence all over the world. If they wanted to accomplish something, it was not difficult at all. In fact, it could be easily completed, depending on the difficulty of the task, from within as fast as a few seconds, to just a day.
The moment that Amanda sat down, the conflict between Gordon and Brown was completely forgotten about. Instead, everyone focused on the reason why they had gathered here.
Upon seeing that everyone was paying attention to her, Amanda, having placed her notebook and pen in front of her, she finally began speaking.
"I believe that all of you have noticed that there is something unusual happening in the world in the past few months. We had already agreed that the activity of the mutants has to be restricted.
At the moment, the research on the mutation serums has yet to be completed. So unless we have fully completed the research, the presence of mutants cannot be revealed to the public.
But I believe that you have already heard of several cases where mutants are acting up. I believe that you all understand the regulation of the mutation serum, and why it was never supposed to be easily supplied to small forces.
I understand that the quality of the mutation serums that is found within those small forces is of low quality. But you should know, even a low level mutant is still a mutant.
When compared against ordinary humans, it is quite easy to be able to tell that there is something unusual about someone.
Now, I want us to discuss on how to deal with this. We cannot allow this to continue, as judging from the way that things are progressing, it is only just a matter of time before everything collapses." Amanda spoke in her usual gentle tone.
A few people within the conference room reacted to the words that Amanda had said. The guilty look in their eyes, despite them trying to hide, could be seen by several people.
Of course, while some of them panicked, there were others that were gloating. Clearly, they reveled in the misery of others.
There was quite an extended duration of silence, as nobody responded. After all, for everything that had happened, there was someone that was involved, and they were from within this conference room.
Seeing this, Amanda did not push. Instead, she just shook her head and gave a warning, "Since nobody is willing to speak up, then no problem. But you should remember, pay attention to what we say here. Once a decision is made here, make sure that you follow it.
If someone breaks the rules, you should already know about the consequences that will follow. I believe that I don’t need to state what the consequences will be."
There was yet another moment of silence, as the group of people around the conference table all nodded. As for those that had previously been panicking, they silently let out breath of relief.
"Okay, I believe that I was previously informed that there are a few things that need our attention. So, go ahead and bring them up, so that we can find solutions to the problems, and make decisions for some other situations." Amanda stated as she began writing something on her notebook.
"Allow me to speak. I have been paying attention to the issues related to technology. And recently, there is a small technological company that has caught my attention." A man with a medium build and a beer belly, seeming to be in his late 40s, spoke, immediately attracting the attention of everyone in the conference room.