Zhang Tao listened and furrowed his brows, looking at Zhang Yun with evident dissatisfaction.
Zhang Yun's face changed drastically, just as he was about to accuse Ye Chen of slandering him, to his surprise, Chen Ruxin stepped forward.
Chen Ruxin approached Zhang Tao and respectfully said, "Lord Zhang Tao, I am Chen Ruxin, the Alliance Leader of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, and I can testify that everything Ye Chen said is true. At that time, Zhang Yun approached me and asked me to send thirty people for a sacrifice, all for the sake of acquiring the treasures inside."
Zhang Tao didn't say anything in response, his expression was neutral, leaving one to wonder what he was thinking.
This clearly shows that Zhang Tao is a deeply thoughtful person.
Zhang Yun's mouth twitched, his expression stiff.
"But to talk about it, I have to thank you, Commander Zhang. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have acquired so many treasures, nor would I have made it to where I am today," Ye Chen said with a smile as he took out weapons like the Blood God Scythe and the Heaven-Slaying Short Sword.
Upon seeing so much epic equipment, Zhang Yun was instantly astonished.
To kill a person and then break their heart!
As the Commander of the Law Enforcement Alliance in the Aggregation District, he didn't even possess equipment as luxurious as Ye Chen's.
After a long while, Zhang Tao suddenly spoke, "Brother Ye Chen, would you mind coming inside for a chat?"
Ye Chen thought for a moment, then nodded and smiled, "Sure."
Zhang Tao made a gesture inviting him in.
Seeing this, Zhang Yun felt a sense of joy within him.
"Could it be, could it be that Senior Zhang Tao plans to trap a turtle in a jar? That is very likely; Ye Chen is so arrogant, doesn't he know the saying 'don't flaunt your wealth'? With so much equipment, who wouldn't be tempted?"
Zhang Yun thought of this and felt immensely pleased.
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out, and the five people looked down to see Tang Qiu waving both hands at them.
Tang Qiu was excited, continuously calling out.
Lin Nuoyi and Zhu Qiang greeted excitedly, and Tang Qiu glanced at the towering city wall, leaped up, and climbed up the wall.
As soon as she came up, the group shared an enthusiastic hug.
Ye Chen didn't let Yu Nian and the others follow him in, as he wasn't very familiar with Zhang Tao and couldn't guarantee anything unexpected wouldn't happen.
Ye Chen followed Zhang Tao and the others into a room.
Zhang Yun wanted to follow in but was stopped at the door by Zhang Tao.
After sitting down, Zhang Tao made small talk, "Brother Ye Chen, you're quite skilled and powerful! To single-handedly kill a Level 26 Lord-level monster, that's impressive!"
Ye Chen could hear the pleasantries, so he smiled and said, "It's just average, I was just lucky."
"Brother Ye Chen, you're so modest! Haha!"
Finally, Zhang Tao revealed his purpose, "I heard Brother Ye Chen was part of the Law Enforcement Alliance in the past?"
Ye Chen nodded affirmatively.
Zhang Tao observed Ye Chen's nonchalant demeanor without the slightest ripple, as if it were a trivial matter.
Inwardly, Zhang Tao's opinion of Ye Chen rose; such a young age with such mental fortitude was truly commendable.
"Why did you leave the Law Enforcement Alliance then? Was it because of that one incident?"
Ye Chen chuckled, "I had no choice, Zhang Yun gave us no way out. The day after we killed that Level 20 Lord-level monster, Zhang Yun put us on a wanted order, offering a bounty of 100,000 gold coins."
"100,000 gold coins!" Zhang Tao was taken aback.
100,000 gold coins aren't a small amount, even for him. He had only saved up 90,000 gold coins so far. Who wouldn't be tempted by this number?
"Actually, the higher-ups in the Law Enforcement Alliance are utterly corrupt, especially Zhang Yun's group, which has turned the Law Enforcement Alliance in the Aggregation District into a complete mess," Ye Chen said, showing some displeasure.
Zhang Tao could sense Ye Chen's dissatisfaction with the Law Enforcement Alliance from his words.
"Brother Ye Chen, what do you mean by this? From our headquarters' perspective, the Law Enforcement Alliance in the Aggregation District is quite good, with decent public order and impressive achievements. It is one of the top-performing branches among all the Law Enforcement Alliance divisions in the Seventh Region."
"Haha!" Upon hearing this, Ye Chen burst into laughter, "Good? You call this good? Haha, if the Law Enforcement Alliance in the Aggregation District is considered good, then there are no bad people in the world. Colluding with the dark forces is good? Allowing other forces to oppress ordinary people, treating them as slaves, is good? You really know how to joke!" Ye Chen directly retorted, showing no regard for Zhang Tao's face.
Zhang Tao's face grew a bit stiff. He stared at Ye Chen somewhat stunned but quickly recovered and said, "Please tell me more, Brother Ye Chen!"
"Hmph, your headquarters, being the highest department in the Seventh Region, doesn't care about the people below? The Cyan Alliance in Qing County monopolizes the entire Qing County, enslaving ordinary people to work day and night, feeding the dead to pets, capturing young girls as tools for making money. They turn over the production to the Law Enforcement Alliance in the Aggregation District for selling, and Zhang Yun takes a cut of the sales. Additionally, they have to pay a so-called protection fee every month."
"Even several alliances in the Aggregation District pay so-called tribute money to them. Lord Zhang Tao, as Zhang Yun's superior, you're probably not as wealthy as Zhang Yun, haha!"
Zhang Tao was speechless at Ye Chen's revelations; he indeed knew nothing about these affairs.
Zhu Jun angrily interjected, "Big brother, this Zhang Yun is detestable! He really deserves to die! Our Law Enforcement Alliance's reputation has been tarnished by people like him. Big brother, people like him must be punished, or they'll become a destructive force, eventually destroying the Law Enforcement Alliance! I say just kill him, set an example, and end it once and for all!"
Zhu Jun's temper was fiery, and he cursed directly.
Zhang Tao crossed his arms over his chest, leaned back in the chair, and lowered his head, pondering something.
After a brief moment, Zhang Tao spoke, "Brother Ye Chen, I've taken note of everything you said. I will definitely investigate this matter, and all Law Enforcement Alliance members involved in this, regardless of their rank, will be removed. I will conduct a thorough purge within the Law Enforcement Alliance in the Aggregation District, dealing with those who are harming the group with military justice, giving you an explanation!"
Zhang Tao spoke with sincere conviction.
Ye Chen waved his hand and smiled, "No, no, don't give me an explanation. I don't have that kind of influence or face. If there's an explanation, it should be given to the public."
Ye Chen distanced himself from the matter, indicating he didn't want to get involved.
Hearing Ye Chen's words and tone, Zhang Tao felt somewhat awkward. With Ye Chen saying this, some things Zhang Tao found difficult to bring up.
After a long silence, no one said a word.
Only then did Ye Chen speak, "Is there anything else? If not, I'll take my leave, my friends are still waiting for me."