Chapter 223: Returning President

The moment he heard this, Zhuo Shuqing froze.

"Are you kidding me?" Zhuo Shuqing scoffed. "The Starfall Merchant Guild leveled? Lin Yan, are you still dreaming?"

"Lin Yan! Are you sure?!"

Feng Man clutched the photos tightly, her gaze fixed on Chen Ling as if she wanted to swallow him whole.

"Editor-in-chief Feng, do you really believe his nonsense?" Zhuo Shuqing frowned deeply. "Who in Aurora City could level the Starfall Merchant Guild? Even if someone did, the commotion would have spread like wildfire and everyone would know about it by now. How could it wait for him to write an article?"

Feng Man remained silent, simply handing the photos to Zhuo Shuqing. He took them, glanced, and his body jolted.

"Where did you get these photos? This... how is this possible?"

The photos clearly depicted the devastated interior of the guild: twisted buildings, strange trees, and countless corpses scattered across the ground. Had it not been for the ubiquitous Starfall Merchant Guild emblems and the towering main gate, Zhuo Shuqing would hardly have recognized the place.

A week ago, when he visited the Starfall Merchant Guild, it certainly didn't look like this.

"The photos were taken, of course," Chen Ling said calmly. "Before this, I was investigating cases related to organ trafficking. Following the clues, I discovered that the Starfall Merchant Guild was a major suspect. Last night, I intended to sneak in under the cover of darkness, only to find the place already in this state..."

Zhuo Shuqing stared blankly at the photos in his hand, still unable to accept the reality, standing motionless like a statue.

"If what you say is true, why didn't you go to the law enforcement authorities immediately?" Feng Man scrutinized Chen Ling, her gaze seemingly trying to see through him completely.

Chen Ling smiled, adjusted his half-rimmed glasses, and slowly replied:

"If everyone knew immediately, other media outlets, big and small, would become our competitors, and we wouldn't have an advantage in breaking news timeliness. Besides, if everyone already knows about something, how can it be considered 'breaking news'?"

At his words, the entire office fell silent.

Zhuo Shuqing looked at Chen Ling with utter shock, while Feng Man's eyes gleamed beside him, her thoughts unknown.

"Actually, I didn't notify law enforcement because I wanted to buy as much time as possible for the newspaper. That's why I came over last night to prepare the article... I didn't expect that after a whole night, no one else had discovered it. It seems heaven is on the side of our 'Aurora Daily,' don't you think?"

Chen Ling shrugged.

Feng Man's gaze swept over the article again. She took a deep breath, her tone more solemn than ever. "Lin Yan, you know the consequences of false reporting, right?"

"Of course. I assure you, everything in this article is true."

"Alright, I'll go stop today's newspaper printing right now... This headline, our 'Aurora Daily' is taking it!" Feng Man walked briskly out.

"Wait! Editor-in-chief Feng! Shouldn't someone be sent to verify such a huge matter? What if this guy just made it all up, wouldn't that mean..." Zhuo Shuqing began anxiously.

"Of course, it needs verification, but time is short now. Let them rush the printing first. If it's verified as true, we'll distribute it immediately. If the content is false, we'll stop it urgently, and I'll bear the responsibility for any losses!"

"What about law enforcement??"

Feng Man suddenly stopped.

She paused for a moment, then spoke again: "I'll send someone to notify them... but only half an hour from now."

Outside Aurora City.

Biting winds swept across the desolate land. A grey sky obscured the sunlight. In this silent world, a dazzling beam of light sped from a distance.

It was a train entirely engraved with mysterious runes. Ancient and intricate characters, like countless tiny crawling insects, entwined themselves across the carriages, emitting a faint glow. These lights seemed to carry a sacred aura, silently dispelling the surrounding calamities and erosion. Beneath the train, the steel tracks were also covered in these mystical runes.

This was a train capable of traveling through the Grey Realm, connecting the major human domains, like blood vessels connecting various organs, linking humanity in times of disaster.

At this moment, inside this incredibly precious train, a figure sat by the window, raising a glass of red wine and taking a small sip.

"We should be nearing Aurora City soon," Yan Shang said, his face etched with weariness.

"After traveling for so long, I can finally go back and rest for a while... I wonder how that brat Xishou has been managing the guild?"

"The young master is intelligent and steady; managing the guild should be no problem," a man with narrowed eyes beside Yan Shang said with a smile.

"Forget it, all my sons are the same... more likely to mess things up than achieve anything. Expecting them to manage the guild is less reliable than me living another twenty years," Yan Shang snorted. "The only one in this family with any business talent was my nephew, unfortunately..."

"Asan's death was indeed a shame," the man with narrowed eyes said, stroking his chin, a reminiscent look in his eyes. "If it weren't for Han Meng from District Three back then, there would still be someone in the guild to help you, and you wouldn't be so exhausted."

Yan Shang's brows furrowed slightly. His hand tightened unconsciously around the wine glass, then slowly relaxed a moment later.

"Never mind, let's not talk about that."

"The cooperation talks with the two major domains went quite well. Within about fifteen days, we should be able to transfer some of our assets outside Aurora City. After that, completing this integration will be the Starfall Merchant Guild's main priority."

"President, are you truly decided?" The man with narrowed eyes grew more serious. "Cross-domain asset transfer is no simple feat. Even if we pay a sufficient price to complete the transfer, the guild's assets will shrink by at least four-fifths. Doing so would be tantamount to completely abandoning our foundation in Aurora City."

"Of course, I know all that you've said."

Yan Shang drained the red wine in his glass, then slowly placed it back on the table. "But if we don't leave... are we to be buried alongside Aurora City?"

"Is Lord Aurora's condition truly already..." The man with narrowed eyes frowned deeply.

Yan Shang did not reply, but his silence said it all.

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