Chapter 119: Chapter 30: Evidence
As the impeachment process was passed, a link popped up in front of many hunters and guild staff from Crimson No.2. Clicking on the link would allow them to enter the virtual trial court of the impeachment assembly.
How could one not participate in such an exciting event?
The hunters in the guild hall quickly found places to sit, and those still in exoskeletons simply stood where they were, using the suspension system inside the exoskeleton to make themselves feel as if they were lying on a bed. When no better place could be found, they sat directly on the floor.
Reality quickly became quiet, while the virtual space instantly turned exceptionally noisy.
"What’s going on? What’s going on?"
"Impeaching the president? Which genius did this?"
"Chen Shan, You Yifeng, Helena Sheffield, wow, seeing such masters exchange blows, even dying would be worth the ticket price!"
"I firmly support the president! You traitorous scoundrels all deserve to die!"
Thousands of hunters gathered together, and even without physical collisions, where character models could overlap, they still crowded around the courtroom, packed like sardines.
Countless noisy voices mixed together, causing headaches.
Fortunately, the head of examinations at the Hunters’ Guild headquarters soon connected to the courtroom, pressed the mute button, and everyone lost the ability to speak.
"Damn it!"
Many hunters cursed aloud in reality.
The examiner raised their hand to point in the virtual space, and two rows of seats appeared in the courtroom. The three battle group leaders who impeached Daoist Li sat in one row, while Daoist Li enjoyed the other row on his own.
Seeing the images of You Yifeng and the other two appear opposite, Daoist Li squinted his eyes and let out a cold snort.
[Battle Group Leader You Yifeng of the Moonlit Glass Dance, Battle Group Leader Chen Shan of the Mountain and River Warband, Battle Group Leader Helena Sheffield of the Red Rose Warband, have you three initiated an impeachment against Crimson No.2 Hunter’s Guild President Daoist Li?]
The examiner was draped in a white robe with gold trim, and wore a golden mask on their face. Their voice was processed to sound neither male nor female.
"Yes!" / "Confirmed." / "That’s right, I impeached Daoist Li!"
The three battle group leaders spoke simultaneously.
[What is the reason?] asked the examiner.
Daoist Li sneered.
He didn’t know how Yan Luo persuaded these three to go against him, but he had already destroyed all evidence related to Li Xinyue. Even the involved party had been sent away; they couldn’t find any evidence against him!
The three battle group leaders exchanged glances and ultimately decided to let Chen Shan speak.
Chen Shan glanced at Daoist Li, whose face was adorned with a cold smile, then his lips tilted slightly upwards as he said loudly, "We impeach Daoist Li for corruption—he has long used the power of the presidency to seek benefits for himself and his backing, the Spiritual Spring Li Family!"
...Eh?
Daoist Li’s cold smile froze on his face, and cold sweat broke out on his body in the real world.
No, it’s not right... wasn’t it related to Li Xinyue?
The secretary standing in the audience silently sighed; it was indeed so.
Yan Luo wanted to take down the president, and he didn’t actually need to focus solely on Li Xinyue’s issue. He aimed to pull the president down from that position, using any means necessary.
The examiner withdrew their gaze from the three and looked toward Daoist Li, asking: [Daoist Li, do you have anything you wish to defend yourself with?]
"No, no, I haven’t!"
Daoist Li was sweating profusely; he could not admit to such things.
Once admitted, not only would his presidential position be lost, but even the Li Family would suffer.
From his reaction, it’s clear that he did commit such acts.
Or rather, Daoist Li was only doing what every Hunters’ Guild president has always done.
This was an unspoken rule that everyone acknowledged silently; regardless of who sat as the Hunters’ Guild president, they would seek benefits for themselves and their family.
But now, Chen Shan and the other two had broken this unspoken rule!
Daoist Li hadn’t realized they would dare be so bold. His teeth trembled, whether out of panic, fear, or anger, chattering against each other.
Being once a Sequence Three hunter, Daoist Li had a steely heart and quickly regained his composure.
At this moment, the examiner again looked toward Chen Shan and the others, [Evidence?]
Chen Shan and the others smiled in unison and said in one voice, "We have a witness."
[Who?]
"Yan Luo!" The three once again called out a name unanimously.
The examiner paused momentarily, searching the personnel list in this virtual space for ’Yan Luo.’
There was only one hunter named Yan Luo in Crimson No.2, so the examiner raised their hand to point, and a seat appeared in the empty space between Chen Shan’s side and Daoist Li’s side, with Yan Luo’s figure appearing there.
[Hunter Yan Luo, do you have evidence of Daoist Li’s corruption?] the examiner asked sternly.
Yan Luo first shook his head, correcting the examiner’s words: "It’s evidence of Daoist Li’s corruption and the seeking of benefits for his backing family."
His impeachment this time was not just to take Daoist Li down but also to prevent the Li Family from ever placing someone in the position of Crimson No.2’s Hunter’s Guild president again. Thus, he couldn’t just mention Daoist Li.
Yan Luo knew the examiner wanted to avoid implicating the Spiritual Spring Li Family, but Yan Luo intended to pursue it to the end.
The examiner fell silent once more, and after a few seconds, said softly: [What is your evidence?]
Yan Luo straightened his back, hands clasped behind him, and said earnestly, "I am a hunter of the Crimson No.2. Since becoming a hunter last June, I’ve been consigning materials acquired from the Abyss to the Crimson No.2 Hunter’s Guild. From last June to date, I’ve consigned a total of one thousand nine hundred and eighty-seven pieces of material."
As Yan Luo spoke these words, those around were already stirred up internally.
Who on earth would count the exact number of materials they had sold?
Moreover, Yan Luo typically hunted in the Abyss once a month, which meant in seven months he had obtained one thousand nine hundred and eighty-seven materials? An average of nearly three hundred pieces per Abyss hunt?
Fortunately, the courtroom had been muted by the examiner, so, except for Yan Luo, no one else could speak.
Yan Luo continued, "The total money earned from consigning materials can’t be disclosed, but I discovered that the selling price of each material was 3% to 5% lower than the corresponding manufacturer’s procurement price. For instance, I once sold a piece of source metal. At that time, the procurement prices of Tianyuan Steel, Chaoyang Heavy Industries, and Quail Alloys were 3.2 million, 3.18 million, and 3.21 million respectively, but the source metal consigned through Crimson No.2 Hunter’s Guild was sold for only 3.08 million. According to my tracking, the buyer of that source metal was Korol Mechanical Manufacturing. Among its board of directors, there’s a director who is the in-law of the current generation of Daoist Li from the Li Family, holding a 37% stake, having the largest say in Korol Mechanical."
"Source metal was not a unique case. There were one thousand six hundred and twenty-two materials with similar fates. I mentioned this material as an example because it is typical. After purchasing the source metal, Korol Mechanical did not use it in production. Instead, half a month later, Quail Alloys produced a batch of magic metals with the [Echoing] property. Therefore, I believe that Korol Mechanical chose to resell the source material acquired from Crimson No.2 Hunter’s Guild to Quail Alloys to earn the price difference."
Saying so, Yan Luo turned to the examiner, speaking calmly yet alarmingly: "I tracked all the materials’ paths; Examiner, please open the information interface, and I will forward all the information I’ve collected to you."
Madman!
Madman!!
Madman!!!
Madman!!!!
Madman!!!!!
Daoist Li stared blankly, his eyes fixed on Yan Luo, unable to say a word.
It felt as if something were clutching his neck, making it hard to catch breath or swallow, suffocating him nearly to madness.
In fact, Daoist Li wasn’t the only one with this feeling; most spectators felt a chill in their hearts.
Even the three battle group leaders standing aside couldn’t help but take a deep breath, looking at Yan Luo with eyes full of shock.
The examiner was plunged into prolonged silence.
[Yan Luo...]
The examiner intended to say something, but upon uttering the name, he forgot what he was going to say.
Yan Luo was unceremonious, his expression indifferent as he continued to urge, "Examiner, please open the information interface."
Just to hit the Spiritual Spring Li Family with one decisive strike, preventing them from ever recovering!