Most of the officials from the Ministry of Revenue were not martial artists. Sensing the aura emanating from the SHADOW brothers, they couldn’t help but shiver, instinctively retreating several meters away. Although a small portion of them were martial artists with decent skills, some even surpassing the SHADOW brothers in strength, they still dared not act recklessly. Because everyone knew who the master of SHADOW was. Even if they had ten times the courage, they wouldn’t dare to confront SHADOW head-on. Moreover, they had already heard that SHADOW never wrongfully targeted anyone. So, if SHADOW’s people had their eyes on Lord Valdez, it meant that Lord Valdez might have actually committed a crime.
“Do we still need to fight?”
In the parking lot, White Tiger looked at Marc Valdez and calmly spoke.
“What did Commander Gardner want from me?” Marc Valdez asked, suppressing the surging blood in his heart.
“Don’t you know why he wanted to meet you?” White Tiger’s lips curled slightly. “Before we arrived, you should have already received the message, right? Otherwise, why did you panic and try to run away?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was just out on official business!” Marc Valdez responded.
“Carrying a three-meter-long spear for official business? It seems like your job is even more dangerous than ours in the War Department!” White Tiger sneered. Then, his tone turned serious. “Alright, enough of the nonsense. If you don’t want to go on your own, I’ll assist you!”
As he finished speaking, his aura surged once again.
After exhaling a deep breath, Marc Valdez looked at White Tiger and said, “I’ll go with you.”
“Willing to go?” White Tiger squinted his eyes. “Please, then.”
Five minutes later, White Tiger and his group drove away.
Similar scenes were happening simultaneously in various locations in the capital. Several ministers from different government offices were being brought back to SHADOW one after another. Following that, the SHADOW and Central Sky Office brothers scattered throughout the city also took action, leading to the arrest of more than 200 people from different departments.
At four in the afternoon, the courtyard of SHADOW was filled with noise and a sea of people. Apart from the 200 or so individuals who were brought back, there were also crowds from various departments demanding justice. A preliminary estimate put the number at least around 20 to 30 thousand people.
The entire square was divided into three sections. In the middle were Billy and the others, with Billy seated beside a tea table and Bob and the rest standing around.
About thirty to forty meters away from them were the two to three hundred people who were brought back. Many of them had varying degrees of injuries. Among them were individuals with considerable cultivation, and initially, they were reluctant to cooperate, leading to conflicts in almost every area. Both SHADOW, Central Sky Office, and Special Patrol Squadron suffered casualties, but fortunately, due to their large numbers, not a single person escaped.
At this moment, many of them had panic-stricken expressions on their faces, fully aware of what awaited them next. When facing Commander Gardner, there was no trace of hope in their hearts. Apart from the 200 or so people, hundreds of SHADOW members formed a circle about a hundred meters away, surrounded by the crowd of people demanding justice from various departments.
To most people who were unaware of the truth, SHADOW’s actions today were considered excessive. Although SHADOW had the privilege of acting first and reporting later, they shouldn’t abuse it to such an extent. They were indiscriminately arresting people without distinguishing right from wrong. Did they really think they were above the law?
Furthermore, upon arriving at the scene, they discovered that among the people SHADOW had arrested today, it wasn’t just officials from their own departments. Almost 80 to 90 percent of the officials from other government offices in the capital had been captured, which gave them even more confidence to challenge SHADOW. Each of them wore an indignant expression on their faces, chattering and clamoring.
“Commander Gardner, why did you bring us to SHADOW? What is the purpose?”
In the middle section, a middle-aged man with a stubble looked at Billy and spoke loudly. This man was Denton Sarratt, the Minister of the Ministry of Works, who had been serving in the Ministry for ten years.
“You people from SHADOW are gone too far! Who gave you the authority to arbitrarily arrest people? Have you completely disregarded the law?”
“Why did you arrest Lord Sarratt? He holds the position of Minister, a crucial minister of the country. What right do you have to arrest him?”
“The nation has regulations that require formal documents from the Cabinet or the Hall.”
“Exactly, this is absolutely outrageous! Today, SHADOW, you must provide us with an explanation, otherwise, we will seek the intervention of the Prime Minister to ensure justice is served!”
A crowd of officials from the Ministry of Works shouted loudly from a hundred meters away.
“Do you want SHADOW to explain to you?” Night Orchid took a few steps forward and looked at the men with the loudest voices.
“Humph!” One of the curly-haired men snorted, “Even if you have privileges in SHADOW, you can’t disregard the rules like this, you…”
“Let them in!” Night Orchid turned to the two SHADOW brothers blocking the man’s path and spoke.
“Understood!” The two brothers nodded simultaneously and stepped aside, creating a pathway.
“I’ll go in if you want, I don’t believe you would dare to cause trouble in front of so many people!” The curly-haired man hesitated for a moment and then walked into the inner circle, followed closely by the other two.
“Brave of you!” Night Orchid smiled faintly at the three men. “Do you know that obstructing SHADOW’s investigation is considered an act of collusion?”
“Humph! Do you think we can be intimidated?” The tall man among the three snorted.
“Oh, is that so?” Night Orchid smiled again. “Then you better take a good look!”
After saying that, Night Orchid ignored the three men and turned to Denton Sarratt.
“Mr Sarratt, do you have any idea why SHADOW has come to find you?”
“You, a mere SHADOW Provincial Governor, don’t have the qualification to speak to me!” Denton Sarratt responded in a deep voice.
“Quite arrogant!” Bob chimed in coldly from the side. “Even at the brink of death, you still talk tough. I admire you!”
“Humph! If you have the guts, then execute me in front of everyone!” Denton Sarratt shouted loudly. “Otherwise, release me immediately. I have many official duties to attend to, and I don’t have time to waste with you here!”
“Night Orchid, present the evidence!” Billy lifted his teacup and took a sip.
“Alright!” Night Orchid took an electronic device from Brigham Bush and began to read aloud.
“Denton Sarratt, Minister of the Ministry of Works, has approved a total of ten projects with a combined value of three hundred billion, exceeding one hundred billion each, in the past five years.”
“These ten projects were awarded to six different types of companies.”
“Although these six companies appear to be different legal entities on the surface, the actual controlling person behind them is the same individual named Len Matthews.”
“Len Matthews is the chairman of a diversified conglomerate, and his wife, with the surname Hayes, is the cousin of the current head of the Hayes family!”
“And the Hayes family has intricate ties with Saint Sky Sword Pavilion, where the current Sect Master has the surname Hayes as well.”
“In other words, Len Matthews is the representative of Saint Sky Sword Pavilion in the secular world!”
Upon hearing this, the surrounding area erupted with commotion, and many people showed surprise on their faces.