Chapter 436: Voting
Chen Ran saw the wooden splinters on the ground and frowned. He turned around, and it looked like he would clean the place up personally.
Wei Jingting coughed. “Wait. I have something to tell you.” His joking attitude was gone. He looked very serious.
“The night guardian has planted a spy among us,” Chen Ran said casually.
Wei Jingting grinned. “Xiao Ran Ran, you’re a worm in my stomach. You always know what I’m thinking.”
“They have to be prepared for you to come back so injured.” Chen Ran turned to Wei Jingting. “Do you suspect?”
“There are not that many people who can gain access to information on this level.” Wei Jingting turned his neck. He stared at Chen Ran strangely. He said slowly, “Only people on our level. If we want to, we should be able to pick out the mole quickly. That depends on Mr.”
Chen Ran asked, “Did they employ the same kind of weapon… to attack you?”
“Hmm.” Wei Jingting became serious again. “But they have gotten crazier. They have started Level A modification. They have them sign a blood contract on the white paper and then use the weapon to deal with us. It doesn't matter if they succeed or not. The consciousness behind the door will corrupt them. This is a suicidal attack.” Wei Jingting said, “Once it is awakened, they are not powerful enough to detain the taboo power.”
As if remembering something, Chen Ran turned to his teammate. An unknown emotion crossed his eyes. “You brought her out because…”
“My power is very important to our mission.” Wei Jingting turned to the ceiling. Ripples appeared in his eyes. “Someone has to… inherit my door.”After a long silence, Chen Ran asked, “Why her?”
“I don’t know. Probably her gaze. When she met me, she didn’t think about surviving. She only wanted to do one thing, and that was to pull me down into hell with her. Such a stubborn woman…” Wei Jingting laughed. Light appeared in his eyes. “Does she not remind you of us back then? We were tricked by the people with the promise of virtues. We could die for them, but what happened in the end?
“They betrayed us! Yes, they did!” Wei Jingting started to cry. “They turned us into monsters, but they refused to acknowledge us anymore…
“Everyone has to learn to pay for their deeds. They are the same.” Wei Jingting grinned. “They would never imagine the monster I’ve released from inside the door.”
Chen Ran’s face became weird when he remembered Wei Jingting’s description of Wu.
“You mean two monsters.”
A voice came from outside the door. Chen Ran and Wei Jingting turned to the door. A shadow stood there, as if waiting for a while already.
…
There was an empty rectangular room. The decoration was solemn. The room was massive. It was more than enough to fit several hundred people. The scent of ancient rot lingered there and wouldn’t leave.
This was a massive conference room. A pure black table was placed in the middle of the room. Tall-backed chairs were arranged on both sides of the table. The armrests were carved with strange, hypnotising patterns.
Candlesticks were placed on the table. The white candles burned eerily and spluttered sadly..
Like the candles, most of the people present were old with white hair. The faces under the black capes showed little sign of ageing. Most of them were over a hundred years old. Some had survived two world wars. They had many medals of glory. However, their eyes carried unusual light. Every one of them sat up straight. Massive muscles bulged under their capes. They did not appear old. If anything, they were in extremely good state.
The capes hid their weapons. There was a lot of cold steel. Some looked normal. Others had blood grooves on both sides. There were also strange-looking weapons, like giant guns, Persian knives and so on. The ivory hilt of the gun was heavily damaged. It was probably a relic from the Western era.
Every weapon came with its history and honour. Endless corruptions and controllers who lost control died around them. However, they and their owners could never see the light. They could only hide in the shadows.
They would retreat silently before the first ray of dawn. Their name was… the night guardian.
This was the highest meeting of the Night Guardian’s admin. There were not that many who were qualified to participate. There were twelve people present. They were the founders of Night Guardian. They came from the twelve families who founded this group.
A black gavel slammed into the table twice. The man at the end of the table raised his eyes. His voice was like a funeral bell. “We’ll start the voting now.”
A young man walked out of the dark. He had a nice suit, golden-rimmed glasses and a pure white tie. He carried a black wooden tray. He walked by the seats. Whenever he passed by a chair, he’d stop temporarily. Everyone looked serious.
Someone removed the ring on their left finger and placed it on the tray. The ring was huge. It had carvings and reliefs. It was printed with the family emblem. This meant that he had the power to represent his family and give the promise.
These creatures, who had survived for a century, hesitated. Someone rubbed their ring for a long time before shaking their head.
The young man nodded and walked away expressionlessly to the next person.
Eventually, he made a full round.
Everyone stared at the tray he held. A feeling similar to anxiety spread in the crowd. The deep gazes started to ripple. This result… would change many things. It was related to many lives.
Seven rings.
This meant that seven people agreed.
No, it was the seven families behind them.
The Elders had decided that the proposal could only carry on if it got the agreement from two-thirds of the members.
They were missing one vote.
Everyone turned to the man at the end of the table. He hadn’t voted.
Beads of sweat flowed down his sideburns. He rubbed the thick emerald ring on his pinkie finger. The atmosphere in the room froze.
Finally, he removed the ring and placed it heavily on the tray.