Back in the headquarters room.
Ye Cangtian began to ponder his next move.
As for Zhang Fan's fate, he had already reported to Nangong Mulan.
If Zhang Fan, as Xuan Siyi had said, intended to reveal secrets to save his life, then he was to be eliminated immediately; the Anti-Black Alliance would not tolerate any traitors.
However, if everything Xuan Siyi had fabricated and Zhang Fan harbored no intention of betrayal, then they were to do their best to rescue him.
Before he could devise a concrete plan, a knock sounded at his door.
A guard entered and approached Ye Cangtian, respectfully stating, "Lord Dawn, Lord Xingyuan requests your presence in the main hall."
Hmm?
Ye Cangtian paused, surprised. Things had been quite peaceful lately, so why would Xingyuan summon him without reason?
Pondering this, Ye Cangtian couldn't help but ask, "Do you know why Lord Xingyuan is looking for me?"
The guard shook his head, replying, "I'm not sure of the specifics, but I know Lord Xingyuan is not summoning you alone; there are three other Earth-level stewards."
"Alright, I understand. I'll get ready and be there shortly."
Ye Cangtian nodded in acknowledgment.
But a sense of unease stirred within him. Xingyuan rarely summoned four Earth-level experts simultaneously.
Had something happened?
With this thought, Ye Cangtian walked out of the room.
...
The Main Hall.
By the time Ye Cangtian arrived, Hong Mo and the others were already present.
Hong Mo's eyes flashed with a cold gaze towards the last arrival, Dawn, as if to say: Such airs, making everyone wait!
Sensing Hong Mo's stare, Ye Cangtian's lips curled slightly, choosing to ignore it with a smile.
"Alright, everyone is here."
"Hong Mo, you may speak now."
As soon as Ye Cangtian entered the hall, Xingyuan, seated at the head of the table, spoke.
At his words, Ye Cangtian's brows furrowed, and his gaze immediately shifted to Hong Mo, a sense of foreboding rising within him.
Not only him, but Huang Shan and Lü Luo also exchanged glances before turning their attention to Hong Mo.
"Reporting to Lord Xingyuan, I have just received intelligence."
"At the Jieyin City branch, Xuan Siyi, after immense effort, rescued Zhang Fan, an informant the Anti-Black Alliance had planted for many years."
"It is said that Zhang Fan, in order to save his life, is willing to confess everything, but this matter must be handled by an Earth-level steward..."
Feeling everyone's gaze, Hong Mo stepped forward and recounted the events.
As his voice fell, Huang Shan and Lü Luo looked towards Ye Cangtian. Since Hong Mo had already reported this to Xingyuan, it might disrupt Ye Cangtian's plans.
This scoundrel.
Ye Cangtian frowned slightly. Hong Mo, that scoundrel, probably knew that Xuan Siyi had informed all the Earth-level stewards separately.
Otherwise, Hong Mo wouldn't have reported this to Xingyuan.
After all, informing Xingyuan was tantamount to informing all the Earth-level stewards. If others knew, they might contend with him for this task.
But the situation had changed. With all Earth-level stewards aware of the matter, whether openly or in private, competition was inevitable. Thus, Hong Mo had chosen to act first.
After all, in a private competition, Hong Mo might not be a match for the other three Earth-level stewards.
Furthermore, by reporting this matter, he had subtly put in a good word for Xuan Siyi, essentially providing double insurance.
He was telling Xuan Siyi, who was miles away, that he had extended an olive branch.
If Xuan Siyi was sensible, he would hand Zhang Fan over to him, thus seamlessly becoming his subordinate.
Ye Cangtian was truly disgusted by Hong Mo's actions.
"Good, very good, truly excellent news!"
From his seat at the head of the table, Xingyuan burst into laughter upon hearing the news.
For a long time, the Anti-Black Alliance had been like slippery mudfish, difficult to catch and even harder to eliminate.
The reason was the sheer number of informants the Anti-Black Alliance had planted within the Dark Association.
As soon as the Dark Association's sweep forces were deployed, the Anti-Black Alliance operatives would have already vanished.
Now, they had finally captured an informant, and more importantly, this informant was willing to confess everything. This was truly rare.
Imagine, if they could screen all the informants within the Dark Association, even if not all were eliminated, it would at least disrupt the Anti-Black Alliance's information flow.
Then, defeating the Anti-Black Alliance would not be a difficult task.
"Lord Xingyuan, I am willing to go. I will definitely provide the Dark Association with a satisfactory answer."
As soon as Xingyuan's voice faded, Ye Cangtian stepped forward without hesitation, taking the matter upon himself.
He couldn't wait for Xingyuan's assignment; otherwise, he would be at a disadvantage.
"Heh, Dawn, shouldn't everything be a matter of first come, first served?"
"Since I brought this up first, it should be handed over to me to handle!"
"What do you mean by trying to interfere?"
As soon as Dawn finished speaking, Hong Mo shot him a cold glare and said with a sneer.
"Hong Mo, I have no intention of stealing your credit."
"I just think that while your strength is somewhat formidable, your temper is fiery, and your intellect might not be sufficient."
Ye Cangtian met Hong Mo's gaze fearlessly, speaking with disdain.
"What the hell do you mean?"
"Who are you calling lacking in intellect? I think you're looking for death!"
At these words, Hong Mo instantly erupted like a lit dynamite stick, roaring in anger.
Dawn's repeated defiance in front of everyone was something he could no longer tolerate.
"Heh, why so agitated?"
"Let me think, you must be thinking that this is merely an interrogation of Zhang Fan, obtaining secrets, and then taking corresponding actions. There's no difficulty, and it has nothing to do with intellect, right?"
Ye Cangtian's lips curved upwards as he watched Hong Mo, who was on the verge of attacking in his anger.
"This..."
His words caused Hong Mo's expression to fluctuate between gloom and clarity.
Truthfully, the moment he heard Dawn's insult, such a thought had indeed flashed through his mind.
Now that Dawn had accurately perceived his thoughts, he was left speechless, unable to say anything.
"Hmph, weren't you thinking just that?"
After a long silence, Hong Mo snorted coldly.
Although Dawn's accurate guess made him extremely uncomfortable, he reflected that besides this strategy, there seemed to be no other good solution. Could Dawn, with his current limited resources, pull off any clever schemes or stratagems?
"Heh, I said you're not smart, and you still don't admit it."
"Now that Zhang Fan is in our hands, if we leak the news that Zhang Fan is about to reveal secrets, what do you think will happen?"
Ye Cangtian glanced at Hong Mo dismissively, speaking teasingly.
Now, Hong Mo's initial report to Xingyuan would undoubtedly give him a significant advantage, and Xingyuan would most likely assign the task to Hong Mo.
Therefore, if he wanted to handle this matter, he had to present a viable plan.
And this plan had to be perceived by everyone as being sufficiently beneficial to the Dark Association.
"This..."
Upon hearing Dawn's words, Hong Mo's face darkened abruptly.
He had already envisioned the consequences of executing Dawn's plan.
It could be said that the Anti-Black Alliance feared the leakage of such secrets the most, as it would inevitably lead to immense losses.
Therefore, upon learning of Zhang Fan's whereabouts, the Anti-Black Alliance would undoubtedly go all out to rescue Zhang Fan, or to kill Zhang Fan.
Regardless of their choice, the Anti-Black Alliance would come to them, allowing the Dark Association to wait for them and annihilate the Anti-Black Alliance forces in one fell swoop.
Thus, in terms of their respective plans, Dawn's plan was clearly superior. Hong Mo was worried that Xingyuan would assign this matter to Dawn.
"Lord Xingyuan, I was the one who brought this up first. You can't show favoritism to Dawn again!"
Seeing Hong Mo's anxious demeanor, a hint of a smile flashed in Huang Shan and Lü Luo's eyes.
Hong Mo's disruption of the matter had ruined the plan they three had discussed. They had initially believed that this task was a sure bet for Hong Mo.
Now, it was essentially impossible to act covertly, and they would have to snatch the person from Hong Mo, greatly increasing the danger.
But now, it seemed that everything had taken a turn for the better. Ye Cangtian had, in essence, turned the tide.
He had presented a more perfect plan, instantly overshadowing Hong Mo.
Instead, Hong Mo had tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing the rice, and after reporting the matter, he was excluded, paving the way for Dawn.
Thinking of this, Lü Luo felt genuinely grateful to Hong Mo. As long as Hong Mo was not involved in this matter, the difficulty and risk of resolving it would decrease significantly.
"Huang Shan, Lü Luo, who do you think this matter should be assigned to?"
"Or do you yourselves wish to carry out this task?"
At this moment, Xingyuan's voice resounded.