Lei Hengbang opened the message. He felt his face flush with anger. His frustration grew with each word.
He turned his gaze to Lan Yiting. He had never imagined that the usually calm Director of Public Relations would turn against him. This time, she failed to stop the damaging news about him and his family.
The message, forwarded by Lei Tiandu, revealed that the Yinglong family’s reputation was being attacked.
Lei Hengbang quickly understood the issue. Lan Yiting had failed to control the spread of harmful news.
A new thought struck him. Did Qi Mu act strangely today because he saw the news about the Yinglong family and now thinks I killed Zhang Lian?
He thought about the earlier meeting. He realized the actions of the other eight titans had been unusual, except for Han Li. Han Li had acted normally.
Could it be that, apart from Han Li, the others believe I killed Zhang Lian? Lei Hengbang felt a surge of anger. The Kabas Empire has already issued a statement with holographic evidence, saying they killed Zhang Lian. Why are they blaming me?
He Tiezhu shouted, “This is bad! Over a million people are gathering in the central plaza, demanding that we, the nine titans, avenge Director Zhang Lian!”
This message came from He Tiezhu’s deputy.
He Tiezhu was the Director of Security, and his department was the first to notice and report the mass gathering.
Lei Hengbang quickly ordered the guards to open the meeting room’s holographic screen.
The screen showed a sea of people in the plaza. Countless civilians were holding signs and chanting, “Avenge Director Zhang! Attack the Kabas Empire!” Their shouts filled the air.
A news anchor on the screen said, “Director Zhang Lian was suddenly killed by the Kabas Empire. Now, over a million civilians have taken to the streets, hoping the ongoing meeting of the nine titans will offer a solution. Let’s connect to Base 1008 to get more details…”
The connection to dozens of Yinglong Pirate Group bases was soon established. Each base was flooded with hundreds of thousands, even millions, of people demanding justice for Zhang Lian.
The number of protesters was still growing.
Lei Hengbang felt cold sweat forming on his forehead. Fear began to creep in.
If he opposed taking action against the Kabas Empire, not only would the civilians turn against him, but the other titans might also start suspecting that he killed Zhang Lian.
“Humph! These people dare to disrupt our meeting! I’ll send the security forces to arrest them!” He Tiezhu said confidently.
He controlled hundreds of thousands of security forces. Dealing with civilians was easy for him.
At first, Lei Hengbang considered this suggestion. It seemed like a good idea. But then he dismissed it.
He wasn’t afraid of the civilians. He was afraid that the eight titans might believe he had killed Zhang Lian. That would be disastrous.
“Captain, let me send people to disperse them. They don’t have weapons. Even though there are many of them, it won’t matter. We can kill a few of them if needed!” He Tiezhu said carelessly.
“Shut up! Director He, those people outside are our fellow Panhua Tribe members. There aren’t many of us in the entire universe. Every one of them is valuable,” Qi Mu snapped at him.
“We can’t just kill them! If you think you’re so brave, why don’t you lead the security forces to fight the Kabas Empire instead of trying to show off against a group of ordinary people?”
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It was the first time anyone had seen Qi Mu so angry and direct.
He Tiezhu’s face turned pale with rage. He fell silent for a moment.
He had seen the civilians challenge the nine titans’ authority and feared that this might sway the meeting. If that happened, Zhang Gao’s foolish proposal to confront the Kabas Empire could gain support, threatening his own wealth and power. So, he had thought about using force to suppress the protesters.
Lei Hengbang saw Qi Mu’s reaction and realized that he could no longer trust him.
Today’s events made him realize that his position in the Yinglong Pirate Group was insecure. He would need outside support to strengthen his position.
But first, he had to calm the other titans. He wasn’t sure how many of them believed he killed Zhang Lian, but he needed to clear his name.
“Alright, we must consider the people’s voices, or we will lose our foundation. Let’s discuss how to retaliate against the Kabas Empire and avenge Director Zhang Lian!” Lei Hengbang shifted his stance.
“I disagree! Any retaliation against the Kabas Empire will bring disaster to the Yinglong Pirate Group!” He Tiezhu opposed firmly.
But none of the other eight titans supported him.
The room fell silent.
Zhang Gao felt frustrated. He had planned to confront the Yinglong Pirate Group headquarters, demanding more funds for his United Front Bureau. But now, an unexpected incident had ruined his opportunity. Even worse, Lei Hengbang had reversed his stance and was now planning to retaliate against the Kabas Empire.
Zhang Gao turned to Tong Hao for advice, but Tong Hao advised him to wait and observe.
Tong Hao wasn’t willing to let anyone disrupt the plan he had set in motion with Lan Yiting. He wasn’t going to let anyone spoil it!
Lei Hengbang was seething with anger. He cursed Lan Yiting and the Public Relations Bureau.
If Lan Yiting had blocked the rumors in the Yinglong community, Lei Hengbang wouldn’t be in such a vulnerable position.
Now, with the civilians gathering in the plaza, he didn’t know how many titans had fallen for the rumors.
If he didn’t clearly support retaliation against the Kabas Empire, it would be seen as confirmation that he had killed Zhang Lian.
That would be a disaster. If the nine titans split, everything would fall apart.
“Director Lan, why didn’t your Public Relations Bureau stop the spread of those messages?” Han Li asked, accusing her.
He had initially hoped to build a closer relationship with Lan Yiting, but now he realized she wasn’t on his side.
“Director Han, don’t forget that the Yinglong Pirate Group owes its success to the contributions of Panhua descendants from various countries. We’ve always promoted ourselves as a pirate group fighting for the equality and freedom of the Panhua people’s resurgence in the universe.
If we, the Public Relations Bureau, restrict information or prevent these people from expressing themselves, it goes against everything we stand for. If this gets out, we will lose the support of the Panhua descendants in the universe.
Do you understand how serious this is, Director Han and all the other leaders? 55% of our funding comes from them. 35% of our population is made up of Panhua descendants. If we lose their support, our strength will drop by at least 40%.
We will become a third-rate power in the Pirate Nebula. How can we lead the Panhua people to rise again? I, Lan Yiting, cannot take that risk. That’s why I didn’t stop the spread of the messages.
I believe that as long as we work for the benefit of the Panhua people, the freedom of speech in the Yinglong community will only strengthen our power.”
For the first time, Lan Yiting spoke with clarity and authority.
Han Li opened his mouth but couldn’t find a way to refute her.
He wasn’t foolish enough to oppose the values that the Yinglong Pirate Group promoted, even though he secretly disagreed with them.
“Humph! We’ll capture and secretly kill all those who dare oppose us. Let’s see who dares speak out again! My security forces can handle them. Director Lan, if your Public Relations Bureau doesn’t want to act, you can transfer control of the Yinglong community to me. I’ll deal with the troublemakers!” He Tiezhu growled.
“Heh,” Lan Yiting replied coldly.
“Enough, He Tiezhu,” Lei Hengbang interrupted him.
He didn’t want He Tiezhu to gain too much power, as it might threaten his own position.
He Tiezhu grunted in frustration. He didn’t want to provoke the Kabas Empire, but he wasn’t going to be nice anymore. He had shown his teeth.
Earlier, the vote was 5-4 against retaliation against the Kabas Empire.
Now, Lei Hengbang had switched sides and was planning retaliation.
If the Chiyou Fleet attacked the Kabas Empire, the Yinglong Pirate Group would suffer huge losses. They might even be expelled from the Pirate Nebula.
For He Tiezhu, whose power was mainly in the Pirate Nebula, this was unacceptable.
Lan Yiting watched as He Tiezhu’s expression grew increasingly bitter. She smiled coldly. When your power weakens, all the directors will turn against each other. That will be my chance to take over the Yinglong Pirate Group.
Shi Mo looked at Lan Yiting with newfound respect. He hadn’t expected her to be such an idealist. He couldn’t help but admire her a little.
“Alright, let’s come up with a plan. How should we retaliate against the Kabas Empire?” Lei Hengbang asked bluntly.