Actually, Lin Zhongtian wasn't afraid of Xu Ke's public relations offensive. The main reason was that the words of Tang Yingchang and Wang Wu carried significant weight.

If it were only these two Innate Great Perfection experts raising questions, then there would be nothing to fear. But if these two experts could incite other Innate Great Perfection experts to question him together, that would be truly troublesome.

Just as Xu Ke had said, a group of venerable, highly respected seniors…

The consequences would be unimaginable. This is the power of connections! This is also why this situation feels so problematic.

"You... Fine. Very fine!" Lin Zhongtian's face flushed red with anger at Xu Ke's words.

Xu Ke replied nonchalantly, "You flatter me, Elder Lin. You're quite good yourself."

Infuriated by the blatant sarcasm, Lin Zhongtian scoffed, flicked his sleeve, and stormed out of the Tianhai Martial Alliance headquarters. He couldn't stay a moment longer.

Seeing this, Peng Hetong panicked. "Elder Lin, please don't leave!"

But Lin Zhongtian was already gone in a flash.

Peng Hetong scrambled after him. Before leaving, he shot a venomous look at Xu Ke and snapped, "Xu Ke, you've gone too far! Offending Elder Lin will bring Tianhai nothing but trouble!"

Xu Ke remained silent, but Tang Yingchang watched Peng Hetong with an imposing aura. Peng Hetong's own guilt made him avert his gaze, and he scurried out in a scramble.

Xu Ke could ignore Lin Zhongtian, and so could Yuan Shang, but he didn't dare to…

But just as he reached the doorway, Yuan Shang suddenly called out, "Stop!"

At Yuan Shang's command, Peng Hetong froze in his tracks. "What is it?!"

He was annoyed. Yuan Shang obviously needed something from him, yet he waited until I was already scrambling out the door to call me back. He was clearly trying to watch me make a fool of myself, making me waste my energy for nothing.

Yuan Shang scoffed, "What is it? It's time to hold you accountable, of course."

"My responsibility? What responsibility could I possibly have!" Hearing this, Peng Hetong exploded with fury. "You drove him away, and now you dare to hold me accountable?!"

"Who said anything about Lin Zhongtian?" Yuan Shang watched him with a cold gaze. "During the operation to arrest Ye Fan and Qiu Changyang, if you hadn't interfered, how would they have gotten the chance to escape by sea?"

Yuan Shang was finally settling the score. If Peng Hetong hadn't summoned them only to let them go, Ye Fan would never have had the chance to escape. If it weren't for Xu Ke's intelligence-gathering capabilities, Ye Fan would probably be sipping red wine with Wong Ting overseas in celebration by now.

Hearing this, cold sweat immediately beaded on Peng Hetong's forehead. He hadn't expected Yuan Shang to bring this up. He subconsciously glanced over at Xu Ke.

Xu Ke, for his part, wore the look of a complete bystander, showing no intention of getting involved.

Peng Hetong swallowed hard. "When did I interfere? I was just following procedure! You can ask anyone if you don't believe me."

"Ask anyone?" Yuan Shang said expressionlessly. "Do I need to ask anyone else? After listening to the recording Xu Ke provided, I know everything."

"A recording?!" With a guilty conscience, Peng Hetong's face drained of color. "What recording?"

A myriad of thoughts flooded his mind. Xu Ke's recording? What recording could Xu Ke have given him? It couldn't possibly be a recording of my conversation with the Ye Family, where we plotted against him, could it? But how could a recording like that have fallen into Xu Ke's hands…? No matter how capable Xu Ke is, there's no way he could have gotten a recording of my private conversation with the Ye Family, right? Wait a minute…

Peng Hetong suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

Xu Ke managed to get evidence of Ye Fan bribing the bank by using the "Ye Family mole" that even Ye Yunfeng couldn't find. If he could do that, then getting a recording of me talking to the Ye Family probably wouldn't be that hard for him, would it?!

Yuan Shang said indifferently, "You don't need to know what's on the recording. I'm already preparing to notify Alliance Leader Chen to return. You can figure out what to do about that."

Yuan Shang's confident, "I've got you," attitude was the last straw. Seeing his self-assured expression, as if he were just waiting for Chen Xiong's return to administer punishment, Peng Hetong began to tremble with fear.

He knows! Yuan Shang must have gotten evidence of my collusion with the Ye Family from Xu Ke! Otherwise, why would he be so confident?!

"You..." Peng Hetong hurried to Yuan Shang's side and lowered his voice into a desperate plea. "Vice Alliance Leader Yuan, give me a chance."

With things having reached this point, Peng Hetong had no choice but to beg for mercy.

"A chance?" Yuan Shang sneered, showing no intention of letting him off the hook. "I'm just following regulations. It's not my place to give you a chance."

"But..."

Peng Hetong's terror grew. According to the Martial Alliance's regulations, his actions—summoning Ye Fan and the others, then letting them go—were technically compliant. But if there was evidence he had maliciously exploited that rule to help Ye Fan escape, the nature of the offense would change entirely. He wouldn't just lose his position as Law Enforcement Hall Chief; he'd likely end up in prison with Chang Yi and Sun Luo!

His mind raced until a flash of inspiration struck. "Right! Vice Alliance Leader Yuan, this matter actually has nothing to do with anyone else. It was just me being derelict in my duties. I should have investigated more seriously, but I failed to do my part. How about this? According to the Martial Alliance's regulations, you should deduct one year of my salary and issue a major demerit! I won't trouble you to enforce it. I'll accept the punishment myself, right now!"

He'd found a loophole! If he confessed first and framed the incident as a dereliction of duty instead of collusion with the Ye Family, the punishment would be far less severe. That way, even when Chen Xiong returned, nothing could be changed. The only problem was, Yuan Shang might not agree to it.

As expected, Yuan Shang sneered. "What? You think you can escape the Martial Alliance's judgment just like that?"

Peng Hetong gritted his teeth. "Vice Alliance Leader Yuan, please have mercy! I'll never do it again. As long as you're willing to let me off the hook, I'll do whatever you ask in the future!"

For the sake of his career, Peng Hetong was ready to become Yuan Shang's man.

But just then, Xu Ke stepped forward. "Oh? So by your logic, since you only promised to cooperate with his *future* requests, you feel free to refuse what Vice Alliance Leader Yuan is asking of you now?"

Peng Hetong's expression soured. "Xu Ke, what the hell are you playing at?!"

This bastard is fanning the flames!

Yuan Shang, however, spoke calmly, "I advise you to fix your attitude. Xu Ke is the one who provided the recording. If he were to retract his evidence, not even Alliance Leader Chen could do anything to you. You'd better think carefully."

The implication was simple: if Peng Hetong wanted to save his career, he had to get on Xu Ke's good side.

Hearing this, Peng Hetong's face turned ashen. He gritted his teeth, bowed his head, and stammered, "M-Mister Xu, you were right to question me. My work was indeed inadequate. I admit I was wrong!"

As he spoke, his hand trembled while he retrieved a card from his pocket. He offered it to Xu Ke. "Mister Xu, this card holds some of my personal savings. I feel we're kindred spirits, and I'd be honored to befriend you, despite our age gap. Please, accept this small token as a meeting gift."

Xu Ke raised an eyebrow. "Does your meeting gift come with a PIN?"

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