"Shen Feng" was in high spirits. As soon as he entered the grand hall, he knew that all the important figures of Yuzhou were present. The banquet tonight was ostensibly a welcome reception, but in reality, it was a ceremony to solidify his identity as the City Lord. As long as the banquet proceeded smoothly, his position would be secured.
"After today, I will be the City Lord of Yuzhou. Let's see who dares to say I've achieved nothing and am just living off past glories! However, I won't be able to participate in combat matters anymore!" "Shen Feng" mused as he took the central seat in the hall, preparing to announce the start of the banquet.
The banquet followed Western customs. The hall was filled with tables, and round tables were laden with various delicacies. Drinks and beverages were plentiful, with wine and juice available for free flow. For those who didn't fancy wine, there was also baijiu or beer. Once Shen Feng finished his speech, the banquet would truly begin. There was a dance floor in the center for dancing, and people could mingle freely to foster camaraderie.
The people in the hall were waiting for "Shen Feng" to speak. In such a formal setting, the highest-ranking person had to speak first. Aside from "Shen Feng," no one else could overstep their bounds.
However, at this moment, Chang Jianyi and Chu Chaoyan walked in from the side. Externally, there was no change in their appearance, but those familiar with them noticed that their attire seemed amiss.
For a banquet, formal wear was generally expected, such as suits or Zhongshan suits. For women, evening gowns were most appropriate. Yet, Chang Jianyi and Chu Chaoyan were both dressed in casual wear, seemingly oblivious to the atmosphere.
Following behind Chang Jianyi and Chu Chaoyan were Luo Qing and Zhang Xixi. Luo Qing was no longer concealing himself; he wore a bulletproof vest and had a dagger and a pistol at his waist, ready for combat at any moment.
"Everyone, I've invited you here today because I have a few doubts that need clarification. You are all administrators of Yuzhou and our most trusted partners. I hope you can serve as witnesses!" Chang Jianyi said slowly.
As soon as she finished speaking, Yang Chang appeared with a group of people, directly blocking the hall's entrance. Guo Pinming also arrived with his men, surrounding the hall from all sides. Hundreds of people were completely encircled by fully armed soldiers.
"What does this mean? Is this a Hongmen Banquet?"
"Don't talk nonsense. How could the two ladies possibly make a move against us?"
"Exactly. We have been loyal and have done nothing wrong. The two ladies wouldn't punish us without reason!"
"If something happens to us, Yuzhou will surely descend into chaos."
After being surrounded, the banquet guests first panicked, then relaxed. They could clearly assess the situation and knew their safety was likely not in jeopardy. They just couldn't understand why Chang Jianyi would cause such a scene at this particular time. Wasn't this tarnishing the reputation of the City Lord who had just returned?
Wang Ao Ye sat in a corner, unconcerned by the unfolding events. He held a bent tube, with one end inserted into a wine glass and the other into a mask. This allowed him to drink while watching the show.
"Brother, which unit are you from? I haven't seen you before," someone at Wang Ao Ye's table inquired, seemingly having never encountered him.
Wang Ao Ye replied indifferently, "I'm not from Yuzhou. I'm a guest invited to the banquet. Don't mind me; I'll leave after dinner!"
The person looked at the mask and sunglasses on Wang Ao Ye's face and couldn't help but think, "If you're wearing a mask, how can you eat?"
Chang Jianyi walked to the center of the hall and addressed the commotion. "Please listen to me, everyone. This grand display today is nothing major. It's simply a matter of purging our ranks. We have a traitor among us!"
Her words immediately caused a stir in the hall, with everyone scrutinizing each other, seemingly trying to identify the hidden traitor.
Many eyes turned to the heavily disguised Wang Ao Ye. Several people began to suspect that this so-called traitor might be this individual who deliberately concealed his face, as his demeanor was the most suspicious.
Chang Jianyi didn't give the people below time to react. She continued, "Your spouses and children are currently attending a dinner party in the castle. I have already assigned Cao Fuelie and Lu Xian to protect them. They will have a very happy evening. And now, it's time to unmask the traitor, don't you agree?"
"That's right, apprehending the traitor is the most important task. We must eliminate the rot from within, otherwise, we cannot guarantee the purity of our organization!" Zhou Xiaoxiao took the lead in speaking.
Zhou Xiaoxiao was adept at showing loyalty and was an early advisor to Shen Feng. Seeing the current situation, he naturally stepped forward to rally support.
Yang Ye and Tu Xuhuai followed suit, expressing their support for Chang Jianyi's actions. The civilian staff, seeing that their three superiors had all expressed their stance, quickly echoed their sentiments.
On the military side, Lu Kaiyang and Cai He exchanged glances, both surprised by the turn of events. Li Xiang, standing beside them, whispered, "Show your support. Why are you still sitting there? It's time to take a stand. If you don't support them, your status will become that of a traitor!"
Lu Kaiyang and Cai He also reacted abruptly, standing up and saying, "We also support the Deputy City Lord's decision. We must unmask the traitor!"
At this point, there were still some who hadn't declared their stance, primarily the research personnel from the laboratory and Lin Yue and Qi Lingshan from the intelligence team. However, only a few of them were present at the banquet, and whether they declared their stance now had no impact.
A young researcher asked Professor Niu Baiye, "Dean, should we say something too?"
"Bang," Professor Niu slapped him unceremoniously and said to the young man, "You're in charge of experiments, why are you getting involved in this? Eat honestly, and you'll still get your benefits. You're trying to avoid trouble, and you want to jump into it?"
The young man finally realized that he was indeed involved in experiments, and meddling indiscriminately would only bring trouble upon himself.
Chang Jianyi, seeing that everyone in the hall had expressed their support, smiled with satisfaction. She then turned her head to look at "Shen Feng," who was seated at the head of the hall, and asked, "Now, what do you say? How should this matter be handled? 'Shen Feng'?"
"Shen Feng," seated in his position, was already drenched in sweat. He hadn't expected Chang Jianyi to orchestrate such a scheme at this critical juncture!
"We're asking you, why aren't you answering?" Chu Chaoyan also asked with a cold smile.
The imposter, seated on the throne, was already extremely uncomfortable. He could sense that the situation had changed but didn't know where the problem lay. He refused to believe that his identity had been exposed, attributing the situation to mere coincidence.
"Investigate, we must investigate! I despise traitors the most. If there is truly a traitor here, I will be the first to deal with him!" "Shen Feng," seated at the head of the hall, forced himself to say. He was still gambling, hoping there were other traitors in the hall and that he himself had not been exposed.
Chang Jianyi smiled, her smile filled with sarcasm. She then inquired, "'Shen Feng,' do you remember when you discovered you had gained your abilities?"
"Of course, I remember. It was after I was caught in the rain. I was protecting you and was drenched by the rain containing the virus, after which I gained my abilities!" "Shen Feng" quickly replied. He could easily answer such a simple question.
"He's lying!" Zhang Xixi declared at this moment, hiding behind Chu Chaoyan as she announced the answer.
The people in the hall were completely stunned by this turn of events. They had initially thought Chang Jianyi's actions tonight were targeting everyone present, and that perhaps there was a traitor among the hundreds of people. But now, it seemed the situation was not targeting everyone, but rather the City Lord Shen Feng, who had just returned!
The crowd exchanged confused glances, not daring to believe their eyes. In this situation, was the Deputy City Lord trying to usurp power?
Chu Chaoyan then posed another question, "It's alright if you don't remember this clearly. Let me ask you another question: when you left Yuzhou, I gave you a lot of gold. Where did that gold go?"
The imposter could no longer remain seated. Through their two questions, he knew his identity was likely suspected, and possibly exposed. However, with soldiers filling the hall, escape was impossible.
"I spent all the gold. After all, I was stranded in Southeast Asia and needed currency for transactions!" the imposter continued to answer.
"This is a lie!" Zhang Qianqian pointed out unceremoniously.
At this moment, Chang Haojie also approached and asked, "You are now a sixth-tier ability user, right? What is the name of your sixth skill?"
Upon hearing Chang Haojie's words, the imposter's eyes lit up. He said, "It seems you suspect my identity, but I can prove that I am the real Shen Feng! If you don't believe me, look!"
With that, "Shen Feng" instantly unleashed his abilities. A gust of wind suddenly appeared in the hall, blowing away many surrounding objects. He believed that as soon as he displayed his abilities, everything would be settled.
Seeing the City Lord finally unleash his powers, with strong winds howling through the hall, it seemed only the City Lord could achieve such a feat. At this point, it appeared the Deputy City Lord's suspicions were mistaken.
Chang Jianyi sneered and pointed to Yang Chang in the distance. "Yang Chang, you answer the first question. When did Shen Feng discover he was an ability user?"
Yang Chang, standing at the entrance of the hall, answered without hesitation, "It was more than a month after the end of the world. Before that, the City Lord was unaware he had gained abilities. It was only in a life-or-death situation that they fully erupted. In previous battles, the City Lord relied entirely on his physical prowess!"
Chang Jianyi then looked at Chu Chaoyan, who also stepped forward and said, "The gold I gave Shen Feng was all made into buttons. Moreover, he was not wearing a cape when he left. Now you say the gold was spent, and you are still wearing the cape that was featured in the news. I can only say that you are faking it!"
Chu Chaoyan knew very well that Shen Feng wore the cape to the stage for the award ceremony at that time because he was set up by Jin Ziju. Shen Feng did not actually like wearing fur. As for this imposter, he seemed to want to appear more authentic, so he dressed exactly like Shen Feng did a year ago when he received the award.
"My brother-in-law's sixth move is called 'Water Walking.' How about that? Didn't you get the information? You can't answer now, can you?" Chang Haojie also sneered. He had known this guy was an imposter from the beginning. Today, he had taken the imposter around Fengshen Palace, and through his demeanor and speech, he had confirmed it. Now, it was time to settle the score with the imposter, and he was getting excited.
At this point, the answers to three consecutive questions had been revealed, and everyone understood that the person seated at the head of the hall was an impostor. But his abilities were clearly controlling wind, so how could that be false?
"You suspect me? How ridiculous. I am the City Lord of Yuzhou, I am your husband. Are you rebelling now? This is utter lawlessness!" The imposter was completely panicked. Now, falling into madness, he wanted to make a final struggle.
However, this guy was subtly diverting attention. While speaking, he instantly unleashed his abilities. With the howling wind, chaos erupted in the hall. The strong wind constantly blew through the hall, making it impossible for ordinary people to open their eyes.
"Attack!" Chang Jianyi shouted urgently.