96: Chapter 96 Each Performing Their Duties, Working Together

Lei Hu sat in the first seat on the left, still wearing his deep blue robe, his face expressionless.

Seeing Lin Ye enter, his gaze lingered on him for a moment before quickly shifting away.

Hall Master Han Lin, the Hall Master of Chijin Hall, sat in the second seat, wearing a dark red brocade robe and holding a folding fan, looking refined and easygoing.

Deacon Zhou of the Qingfeng Chamber of Commerce sat opposite Lei Hu, a smile hanging on his face as always.

The Black Stone Gang, Chijin Hall, and Qingfeng Chamber of Commerce—the representatives of the three major powers of Black Stone Town had all arrived.

When the crowd in the hall saw Mayor Wang and Lin Ye arriving together, they all stood up and cupped their fists, even Lei Hu being no exception, maintaining a respectful posture.

Mayor Wang waved his hand, signaling that there was no need for formalities.

“Lord Lin, please take the seat of honor!”

Mayor Wang made a welcoming gesture toward Lin Ye.

“No need.”

Lin Ye waved his hand and walked straight to the secondary seat next to the main seat and sat down.

This was the government office after all; as a member of the Demon Suppression Division, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to overstep his bounds.

Seeing this, Mayor Wang didn't say much and sat down in the main seat.

“Everyone, please be seated.”

Mayor Wang pressed his hands down toward the crowd.

Despite his timid appearance in front of Old Man Shen, he was actually the top official of Black Stone Town and possessed a certain air of authority.

Once everyone was seated, Mayor Wang spoke: “I have called you all here today to discuss a major matter. Lord Lin, please explain it in detail.”

Lin Ye did not stand on ceremony and recounted the situation of the large gathering of wild beasts on Heifeng Mountain, finally mentioning the tragedy of the beast tide from over a decade ago.

“Everyone, wild beasts do not gather for no reason. The only ones capable of driving so many beasts are the exotic beasts deep within Heifeng Mountain.”

“If we do not make preparations in advance, once the beast tide erupts, the tragedy of ten years ago will happen again!”

After saying this, Lin Ye sat back down.

Just then, Lei Hu smiled dismissively: “Lord Lin, you're concluding that a beast tide is about to erupt just because of a few groups of beasts you encountered on the road?”

“Isn't that a bit too arbitrary?”

“Maybe they're just coming down the mountain to forage for food?”

“If we're going to make such a fuss over such a small matter, then I'm afraid my Black Stone Gang won't be participating!”

Lin Ye glanced at him, his expression unreadable.

Lin Ye wasn't surprised at all by Lei Hu's deliberate antagonism.

After all, he had just demanded a hundred thousand taels and a base from him; it would be strange if the man gave him a friendly face.

However, this matter was of great importance, and Lin Ye had no interest in bickering with Lei Hu. He said seriously, “Gang Leader Lei, haven't you heard that it's better to be safe than sorry?”

“Besides, the people of Wang Family Village have lived at the foot of Heifeng Mountain for generations.”

“They know better than you whether there are many beasts on the mountain. In the past, they might not even see a few after a whole day of hunting, but now they appear in packs. Doesn't that prove something?”

“Or are you, Gang Leader Lei, opposing just for the sake of opposing, completely disregarding the safety of the people of Black Stone Town?”

Faced with such a heavy accusation, even Lei Hu couldn't quite handle it.

In the end, he could only let out a cold snort and stop talking.

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Mayor Wang smiled and smoothed things over: “Lord Lin, Gang Leader Lei, please prioritize the big picture.”

“Lord Lin is right about one thing: when it comes to a beast tide, it's better to be safe than sorry.”

“If a beast tide really occurs and we have no preparations at all, the consequences would be unimaginable.”

“I believe everyone here still vividly remembers the tragedy from over a decade ago.”

Hearing that Mayor Wang had already set the tone, and considering that Lin Ye still held the status of Guest Elder of Chijin Hall, Hall Master Han Lin immediately stood up to declare his stance: “My Chijin Hall is willing to fully cooperate with the government to actively prepare for the beast tide.”

“Whatever weapons or city defense equipment need to be forged, Lord Wang, just say the word.”

Deacon Zhou on the side also nodded seriously: “Although my Qingfeng Chamber of Commerce doesn't have many people, providing some funds and provisions for the government is no problem.”

At this moment, Lei Hu's expression was a bit unsightly.

As the largest power in Black Stone Town, the Black Stone Gang maintained several thousand members; they had both money and manpower.

Now that Chijin Hall and the Qingfeng Chamber of Commerce had taken the lead in declaring their stance, if he were to quit now, the Black Stone Gang's reputation would be ruined once word got out.

“My Black Stone Gang will also follow the government's deployment.”

“But let me put the ugly words first: if nothing happens in the end, how will this account be settled?”

As he spoke, he looked at Lin Ye, his meaning couldn't be simpler.

“If it turns out I was just being paranoid, I, Lin Ye, will personally compensate for the manpower and resources the Black Stone Gang provides. How about that?”

Although with Lin Ye's current status, he didn't need to guarantee anything to Lei Hu at all.

However, with a great enemy looming, the priority should be to unite all available forces and avoid escalating internal conflicts.

After all, if Lei Hu really refused to help, the government and the few hundred people from Chijin Hall alone wouldn't be able to stop an attack from tens of thousands of beasts.

From this point, one could see that there was a reason the Black Stone Gang could dominate Black Stone Town.

Even without the backing of the Five Tigers Sect, those thousands of gang members alone were enough to act with impunity in Black Stone Town.

Hearing Lin Ye's guarantee, Lei Hu smiled: “Fine, with those words from Lord Lin, I, Lei Hu, am reassured.”

Seeing that everyone had reached an agreement, Mayor Wang immediately stood up and announced: “Good, since no one has any objections, I will begin assigning tasks.”

“First, all parties are to immediately send people to Heifeng Mountain to investigate. You must ascertain the movements and approximate numbers of the beast groups.”

“Second, send people to notify all the villages along the way to have them move away as soon as possible.”

“Even if they can't make it to Black Stone Town in time, they must avoid the beast tide as much as possible.”

“Third, reinforce the city defenses.”

“The Black Stone Gang will provide the manpower, Chijin Hall will be responsible for forging city defense equipment, and the Qingfeng Chamber of Commerce will handle logistics and support.”

At this point, Mayor Wang looked at everyone present with a serious expression and spoke earnestly: “Everything depends on all of you.”

“We accept the command!”

Everyone cupped their fists in unison to accept the orders, then dispersed.

Soon, the news that a beast tide was about to erupt in Black Stone Town spread through every street and alley.

Aside from some initial panic, no major chaos occurred.

The next day, all parties received feedback from their scouting teams.

As it turned out, Lin Ye's deduction was correct; there was indeed a massive gathering of beasts deep within Heifeng Mountain, covering the hills and fields as far as the eye could see.

A conservative estimate put the number at no less than a hundred thousand!

This result gave everyone a fright.

Even Lei Hu, who had intended to do a half-hearted job, didn't dare to play any more tricks and began to seriously execute the orders issued by the government.

The reason their Black Stone Gang could lord it over Black Stone Town for so many years, besides having enough power and a deep background, was more importantly that they never dropped the ball when faced with major matters of right and wrong.

You could cause trouble however you wanted normally, but trying to play games of intrigue when facing a beast tide was undoubtedly seeking one's own death.