92: Section 92

"Father!" Charles said with a look of concern. "Many Upper Citizens witnessed Mark barging into the Hall of Dawn with their own eyes. I'm afraid this can no longer be kept quiet. Given the current situation, handling it privately would be inappropriate. I suggest convening the Court Council. This way, we can give Captain Mark a chance to defend himself while also providing an explanation to the people."

Morgan indeed wanted to handle it privately, but Charles had already calculated this far; the Court Council had to be held.

But Morgan still wanted to protect Mark, because he knew Mark's identity was special—he knew Mark was the hope of the Lighthouse.

The Lighthouse had been drifting in the sky for decades; there might not be another few decades left.

Morgan fell into a dilemma. His heart tightened, his vision went dark, and he nearly fainted.

"Father!" Charles rushed forward to support him and handed over a bottle of potion. "Your health is what matters most!"

...Chapter 94: What Mistake Did He Make?

Outside the Hall of Dawn.

Just as Mark and Ran Bing stepped out of the gate, soldiers from the City Defense Force surrounded them.

Senge, the City Defense Captain, approached with his men and said coldly, "Captain Mark, Adjutant Ran Bing, please come with us!"

Mark did not respond.

Senge continued, "Captain Mark, you must know very well why we are here. Please do not make this difficult for us!"

"Captain Senge! Did you also discover that someone was intentionally sabotaging the Hall of Dawn mission and come here to make an arrest?"

A voice rang out from behind Mark and Ran Bing.

Jing Yuan was seen leisurely walking out of the Hall of Dawn.

Seeing Jing Yuan, Senge asked in surprise, "Vice-Captain Jing Yuan, why are you at the Hall of Dawn?"

Jing Yuan stepped forward, blocking the way in front of Mark and Ran Bing, and said to Senge, "Why am I here? Naturally, I learned that someone was sabotaging the Hall of Dawn mission and came to stop them!"

Senge said coldly, "The City Defense Force protects the Lighthouse. Someone intruding into the Hall of Dawn falls under the jurisdiction of the City Defense Force. What does it have to do with you Wasteland Hunters?"

Jing Yuan shouted at Senge, "It is everyone's responsibility to protect the three great laws! Whether it has anything to do with us isn't for you, Senge, to decide!"

Outside the Hall of Dawn, a large number of Upper Citizens gathered around.

Being scolded by Jing Yuan in front of so many people, Senge felt he was losing face!

However, remembering his mission, Senge suppressed his anger and said to Jing Yuan, "Vice-Captain Jing Yuan, since you are also here to make an arrest, then you shall be the one to arrest Captain Mark!" As he spoke, Senge handed Jing Yuan a pair of handcuffs.

"Arrest Captain Mark?" Jing Yuan feigned a look of confusion, then said loudly, "Captain Senge, you must be mistaken! To arrest the person sabotaging the Breeding Mission, you should go to the Light and Shadow Society and arrest the Leader, Charles!"

Jing Yuan's voice was very loud; he wanted everyone present to hear.

Jing Yuan actually claimed that Leader Charles was sabotaging the Breeding Mission. The crowd, ignorant of the truth, could hardly believe it. How could that be possible!

"Jing Yuan! What nonsense are you talking!" Senge was also startled.

"Who is sabotaging the Breeding Mission? We, the Wasteland Hunters, are here to assist in the arrest!"

A voice rang out as Snow Peak led a group of Wasteland Hunters over in a grand procession.

Every Wasteland Hunter was holding a gun!

Even Jing Yuan hadn't expected this scene.

Mark whispered from the side, "Did you arrange this too?"

"Sort of!"

In the original plot, although everyone knew Mark had trashed the Hall of Dawn, they were all still waiting to see how Morgan would handle it.

But when Snow Peak and the others learned from Jing Yuan that this was a trap set by Charles to kill Mark...

Having experienced the death of Red Calyx, how could Snow Peak and the others accept Mark being killed?

So, after learning that Mark had barged into the Hall of Dawn, they came over directly with their men.

They had their own plans: if Morgan sentenced Mark to death, then it would be Morgan who died!

Seeing the Wasteland Hunters approaching with live ammunition, Senge said to Mark, "Captain Mark, are you planning a rebellion?"

"Senge!" Jing Yuan shouted angrily, "You can eat whatever you want, but you can't just say whatever you want! Didn't you hear what Snow Peak said? They are here to assist in the arrest!"

"Assist? Arresting whom?"

"Arresting whom? You're a City Defense Force captain and you don't even know who to arrest!" After scolding him, Jing Yuan shouted to the Upper Citizens below, "Leader of the Light and Shadow Society Charles has abused his authority and sabotaged the Hall of Dawn mission. Charles is the one who should be arrested!"

"Slandering the Leader is an even greater crime!"

"Whether it's slander or not, let's go before the Lord and let him decide!"

As he spoke, Jing Yuan led Mark and Ran Bing down the steps.

The City Defense Force raised their guns to aim, but the Wasteland Hunters pointed their guns right back at them.

Jing Yuan knew they wouldn't dare to fire.

The three of them moved forward, with the other Upper Citizens watching and gossiping.

Arriving before the central elevator, Jing Yuan whispered to Snow Peak, "Keep Senge down here."

Thus, Senge was unable to follow them up.

Outside the Central Hall, the three of them encountered Victor.

He seemed to have come here specifically to wait for them.

"Where is Senge?"

Jing Yuan and Mark ignored him completely and walked straight toward the Central Command Hall.

The news Victor had received was still "Mark barging into the Hall of Dawn."

Victor received no response, and since these two were tall and strong and he couldn't stop them, he could only follow them into the hall.

Inside the Central Command Hall, the heads of all the Lighthouse departments had already arrived.

Charles's preparations were very swift.

Charles stood beside Lord Morgan, looking down from above. He was very excited, as the trial of Mark was about to begin.

"General Victor!" Charles said loudly, "Captain Mark merely did a small, foolish thing; a fine of some contribution points will suffice. You've made such a big scene—do you really intend to punish him?"

Charles's act seemed to be defending Mark, but in reality, he was adding fuel to the fire, wanting to send Mark to his death.

Victor said with a serious face, "Mark helped a Dust Citizen with a heart transplant and sabotaged the Breeding Mission; these are all capital crimes that hinder gene optimization."

Upon hearing this, Jing Yuan thought, 'Oh crap, I actually forgot about Mark helping the Dust Citizen with the heart transplant.'

Alas! Mark's kindness had now become a sharp sword, ready to pierce his own body.

"According to the law, these are indeed capital crimes." Charles continued to pretend to make excuses for Mark. "But Captain Mark is no ordinary Upper Citizen; he is a Wilderness Hunter Commander who has performed great services for the Lighthouse, and he is the Lord-to-be. Shouldn't his case be handled as a special exception?"

Victor said with righteous indignation, "Then he should set an even better example!"

Charles gave a light laugh, walked down the steps, and entered the crowd.

"Then according to what you're saying, Captain Mark should be executed?"

"General? Can you use your brain? If Captain Mark is executed, will you go down to collect supplies?"

Charles walked up to Victor and suddenly raised his voice to question him, "Or, will you become the next Lord?"

Each of these sentences, which seemed to defend Mark, was actually pushing him into the abyss.

Jing Yuan watched Charles's performance from the side; everything he was saying now would later serve as evidence of his plotting against Mark.

"Hmph!"

Jing Yuan looked to the side; Dr. Gally, on the contrary, was the first to smile.

This woman had seen through the two of them playing a double act.

"Times are different now; we cannot afford to lose another Wilderness Hunter Commander! Back then, Mark's sister, Red Calyx, was executed for publicly violating the three great laws, causing the Lighthouse to lose an excellent Wilderness Hunter Commander." Charles wasn't even hinting anymore; he was openly telling everyone that Mark's family had a rebellious gene!

This boy's intentions were truly murderous!

Jing Yuan really couldn't take it anymore and said loudly, "Wait a moment! What are you all talking about?"

Jing Yuan's speech caused everyone to turn their gaze toward him.

Charles asked with a look of confusion, "Vice-Captain Jing Yuan, why are you here?"

Jing Yuan also smiled and said, "I'm also quite puzzled. What, is this the church of the Light and Shadow Society? The Leader is here talking eloquently—from what I hear, you seem to want to execute Captain Mark? Why? What mistake did he make?"

As soon as Jing Yuan said this, everyone's gazes turned surprised.

Violating the three great laws doesn't count as a mistake?

Chapter 95: Think About It, Why Ran Bing?

"Jing Yuan!" Lord Morgan spoke up, "We are discussing the matter of Captain Mark barging into the Hall of Dawn. It has nothing to do with you!"

"Captain Mark barging into the Hall of Dawn?" Jing Yuan smiled. "Who said that?"

Charles was stunned. Was Jing Yuan going to defend Mark?

Interesting!