Chapter 546: Chaotic Meeting

The lights in the medical area were on.

Jiang Yuan sat at the edge of the treatment table, his combat suit not yet changed, and a crust had formed over the blood on his chest.

The medical staff cut the fabric, used tweezers to pull out the broken glass, and then pressed a hemostatic patch onto it.

He made no sound.

Pain was a minor issue.

What truly lodged in his chest was the scene at the Zijinshan Club.

The Shadow Legion knelt.

It wasn't defeat.

It wasn't being scattered.

It was kneeling.

Those soldiers who broke out of the Weird Domain, those shadows he had gradually subjugated, suppressed, and reshaped, had no right even to lift their heads before the Seven-Eyed Crown.

Jiang Yuan stared at the torn Black Card in his palm, his fingertips slowly rubbing its surface.

He was calculating.

If Zhou Ping had tried to kill them then, how many seconds could he have lasted?

The answer was unsightly.

Qin Zhixia sat on another treatment chair, her mechanical prosthetic arm disassembled, while several engineers gathered around the interface for debugging.

The dark‑red Rules lingered in the prosthetic joints, causing the transmission signals to be intermittent.

Each rotation of the motor sent a very real pain through the severed limb.

She clenched her jaw tightly.

It wasn't because of pain.

It was because of Chen Huaiyuan's mouth before he died.

Begging for mercy, selling teammates, confessing, donating assets.

Each sentence was uglier than a forensic report.

Qin Zhixia had seen many scoundrels before, but Chen Huaiyuan was different.

He was a meritorious figure.

His photograph hung on the memorial wall.

During the new agent onboarding training, the instructor still used him as an example.

For humanity, bearing darkness.

Now it seemed the burden had indeed been taken on, and what was carried were entirely other people's lives.

Liang Wen lay on the sickbed, half his face pressed against gauze, his black windcoat tossed by the nurse into a contamination bag.

He reached out to touch his hairstyle, but the nurse slapped his hand back.

"Don't move."

He inhaled, forcibly suppressing the urge.

"Nurse sister, my hair affects frontline morale."

The nurse didn't even glance at him.

"Move again, and I'll shave it all off."

Liang Wen shut his mouth on the spot.

Su Ming leaned against the wall, his cuffs rolled up to his elbows, the Time Marrow Worm's pattern not yet fully faded.

He didn't smile.

He wasn't in the mood for that today.

He opened the terminal, the screen filled with red data.

Seven-Eyed Crown avatar.

Locust Tree Ditch.

Chen Huaiyuan.

Zhou Ping.

Each entry was climbing upward.

The public wasn't just watching for gossip.

They were looking for someone who could vent their anger.

This trend was dangerous.

Worse still, Zhou Ping's chosen target was too precise.

One slash would hit the Federation's most sensitive spot.

Jiang Yuan looked up.

"How's the public opinion?"

Su Ming passed the terminal over.

"It's rotten through."

Liang Wen raised his hand on the sickbed.

"To put it plainly, Zhou Ping lifted the lid of the cesspit."

Qin Zhixia lifted her eyes to look at him.

Liang Wen obediently lowered his hand.

"I'm muting my mic."

Outside the medical area door, a secretary hurried in.

"Jiang Team, Qin Team, Su Team, Liang Team, the director summons the supreme meeting."

The engineer looked up.

"Qin Team's prosthetic hasn't finished calibrating."

Qin Zhixia stood up, took the coat and draped it over them.

"It won't affect the meeting."

Jiang Yuan also stood up.

The medical staff became anxious.

"Your chest is still seeping blood."

Jiang Yuan put the cracked Black Card back into the Card Bag.

"The venue isn't as dangerous as the club."

Liang Wen sprang up from the bed, about to strike a pose, but the wound in his waist and abdomen tugged, and he sat back down.

"Hiss, I, the lord, request to go into battle seated in a wheelchair."

The nurse pushed the wheelchair over.

"Sit properly."

Liang Wen was silent for two seconds.

"This mount doesn't match the Dark-Blooded King."

Su Ming nudged him from the side.

"Don't be picky."

Fifteen minutes later.

The General Command Center conference room.

People filled both sides of the long table.

Technology Department, Operations Department, Review Department, temporary representative of the advisory group, and the Alliance Liaison Officer.

The screen still displayed the footage of Chen Huaiyuan after being shot.

The blood has been pixelated, but it's of little use.

What should have been seen, the entire internet has seen.

A White-Haired Senior Executive slammed the table and stood up.

"This is not a trial!"

"This is a public execution!"

"If Zhou Ping can kill Chen Huaiyuan today, tomorrow he can kill any rogue!"

"He tramples the Federation's face on the ground!"

"If we don't suppress even people like this, what will those outside think? They'll believe that as long as they hold public opinion, they can bypass the law, bypass the Investigation Bureau, bypass all procedures!"

Another military representative spoke up.

"I support forced removal."

"Deploy the containment vault's resources, mobilize three S-Class Combat Power units, and globally lock onto the Vengeance Base."

"It must be quick."

"Delay a day, and the belief in the Seven-Eyed Crown rises by a day."

Someone added coldly.

"Now online there are already people shouting 'Long live Zhou Ping!'"

"If we delay further, he'll no longer be a wanted criminal, but a folk emperor."

The pressure in the conference room pushed downwards.

The conservatives fear not Zhou Ping's killing.

It's that Zhou Ping killed the right person.

A vigilante who kills the right target is harder to handle than a madman.

Because the masses will find reasons for him.

They'll wash his hands.

They'll enshrine his knife.

L sat in the corner, the gaze behind the black‑rimmed glasses fixed on the screen.

She tapped the keyboard a few times.

The hologram unfolded.

Large portions of the Federation map turned red.

North America, the outer perimeter of Dongdao quarantine zone, Bu Lie Dian new branch, southern front line, red dots densely scattered.

L spoke.

"Data synchronization complete."

"Across the whole network, related discussion volume increased 3,400 times within seven hours."

"The Seven-Eyed Crown pattern's propagation count exceeded 600 million."

"Civilian tips, dark‑web donations, anonymous resources converging, have formed twelve funding streams."

The head of the Technology Department felt a tightness in his throat.

"Twelve streams?"

L nodded.

"Two have already been intercepted. The remaining ten bypassed the regular financial system and mixed into the Weird transaction market."

"Conclusion."

She paused for half a beat.

"Forceful suppression, the probability of public opinion backfiring exceeds eighty‑one percent."

The White-Haired Senior Executive became angry.

"You, a technician, only look at data and ignore order?"

L looked up.

"Data is the physical‑examination report of order."

The conference room fell quiet for a moment.

Liang Wen, seated in a wheelchair, couldn't hold back.

"Easy to scold."

Su Ming pressed the wheelchair armrest.

"Shut up."

Someone couldn't help but curse.

"Absurd!"

"Do we have to watch him continue the trial?"

The head of the Review Department spoke up.

"The problem is that Chen Huaiyuan is not an isolated case."

"The Special Advisory Group has already sealed twenty‑six abnormal files, seven of which involve lives."

"If Zhou Ping dares to open the second session, he can open the third."

"If the target of the third trial is still a real criminal, how do we fight?"

The conservative representative sneered.

"According to you, the Investigation Bureau might as well give Zhou Ping a posting?"

Liang Wen raised his hand weakly.

"Then his rank must be higher than mine, right? After all, he brings his own traffic."

Qin Zhixia turned her head.

"Liang Wen."

"Received, mute."

The Senior Executives' argument grew sharper.

Someone wants to fight.

Someone wants to investigate.

Someone fears the Federation's prestige collapsing.

Someone fears a civil war starting early.

Lord Wei, seated at the head, kept his eyes closed.

The teacup before him did not move.

The elder remained silent; even as others argued, they dared not pierce the final layer of paper.

At this moment, Jiang Yuan spoke up.

He placed only a Black Card on the table.

"In the club, I can't even generate a complete field."

"Zhou Ping didn't launch an offensive; he only let the Seven‑Eyed Crown suppress. The four of us plus the entire Shadow legion were all restrained."

He looked at the White‑Haired Senior Executive.

"If we force an attack, I will die."

"Qin Team will die."

"Su Ming will die."

"Liang Wen will most likely die as well."

Liang Wen raised his hand.

"Hey, why is it a high probability when it comes to me? I find that rather disrespectful."

Su Ming's face was expressionless.

"Because you have a hard destiny."

Liang Wen was satisfied.

"This explanation works."

Jiang Yuan's rhythm was not interrupted.

"Zhou Ping is not an ordinary S Ji."

"The Seven‑Eyed Crown is specifically designed to suppress the Deceptive system."

"The more we rely on Fierce Ghost power, the faster we kneel."

He pointed at Zhou Ping on the screen.

"Given that the Sin Crown was facilitated by a deity, the behind‑the‑scenes deity deployed this thing not to let Zhou Ping kill a few worthless people."

"It is to make the Federation and the lower strata fire at each other."

"If we attack Zhou Ping, the public will side with him."

"Zhou Ping's expansion will make everyone in the Deceptive system feel insecure."

The last human faction is tearing itself apart.

This is the script.

In the meeting room someone whispered: "If we don't fight, how will the Federation save face?"

Qin Zhixia took over the conversation.

Face isn't propped up by people like Chen Huaiyuan.

That senior executive looked at her.

Qin Team, watch your position.

Qin Zhixia placed her mechanical prosthetic arm on the table, metal fingers pressing on Chen Huaiyuan's file.

My position is clear.

The 63 lives in Locust Tree Ditch need a formal result.

The Special Advisory Team needs to be investigated.

Zhou Ping also needs to be arrested.

But the order cannot be wrong.

She paused.

First cut away the rotten flesh, then arrest the person wielding the knife.

The conservative faction representative slammed the table.

Absurd!

This is bowing to the thugs!

Su Ming raised his eyes.

Not bowing.

It's not sticking your head out for someone to chop.

That person's chest heaved with anger.

Su Ming, cut the snide remarks here.

Su Ming put away the terminal.

I'm already quite sunny.

Liang Wen turned his head to look at him.

Brother, what's your misunderstanding about sunshine?

No one laughed.

But the tense atmosphere eased a little.

Jiang Yuan stepped forward.

I'm not speaking for Zhou Ping.

The knife he let loose will cut the wrong person.

Sooner or later.

When that day comes, I'll arrest him myself.

He looked at the whole venue.

But today, those most eager to start war, have they considered one thing?

How many files does Zhou Ping still have?

Will his next trial be broadcast while you all support the strong attack?

Several senior executives' faces stiffened.

This sentence hit the most realistic spot.

Zhou Ping's victory lies here.

He's not just capable of killing.

He can also expose.

Killing is fear.

Exposure is death by a thousand cuts.

In the conservative faction, some started avoiding the screen.

They're not all clean.

In this era, who hasn't signed a few shameful documents?

The difference is just whether they've been exposed.

Jiang Yuan saw these reactions.

His chest wound started bleeding again, but he didn't retreat.

What Jiang Yuan wants is not to win the argument.

It's to pull the meeting out of emotion.

If it's later, once the strong attack order is given, the Investigation Bureau will be led by the nose by the gods.

That would be the real loss.

The white-haired senior executive gritted his teeth.

Then what do you suggest we do?

Investigate ourselves?

Make all black files public?

Then let Zhou Ping continue to harvest public opinion from the moral high ground?

"Jiang Yuan, you are a warrior, not a politician."

Jiang Yuan answered quickly.

"So I only talk about the battlefield."

"If we start a civil war now, we are very likely to lose."

"And losing would be ugly."

The meeting room erupted in argument again.

"One side cursed Zhou Ping as a cancer of order."

"One side said we cannot hand a knife to the gods."

"One side demanded we first purge the interior."

"One side worried that purging would trigger a system collapse."

The topic went round and round, with nobody willing to yield.

Everyone's gaze eventually fell back to the head seat.

Duke Wei sat with eyes closed.

His white-and-gray hair looked somewhat dim under the light.

The tea on the table had long gone cold.

The old man never spoke.

But as long as he sat there, the meeting could not be dismissed.

Jiang Yuan also looked toward Duke Wei.

He knew very well that only one person could truly make the final call.

Qin Zhixia's mechanical prosthetic arm rested on the tabletop.

Su Ming shut down the terminal.

Liang Wen also put aside his joking attitude, sat in his wheelchair, and uncharacteristically behaved himself.

Along both sides of the long table, all arguments gradually died down.

Duke Wei finally opened his eyes.

Those old eyes were no longer cloudy.

He raised his hand, and his knuckles tapped twice on the table.

Thud.

Thud.

The meeting room fell completely silent.

Duke Wei spoke.

"Have you argued enough?"

Nobody replied.

The old man sat up a little straighter; his voice wasn't loud, yet it pressed everyone into their chairs.

"Enough arguing; I'll speak now." Duke Wei did not rush to issue an order.