Star Gate

Chapter 679: The Hour Arrives (III)

“Then I shall retire for the rest of the night,” Hou Xiaochen ended the conversation. “Don’t be too distracted with being happy. You used to prepare a good meal the night before a big operation. Why isn’t there one tonight?”

Manager Yu blinked. That was right! I forgot! Li Hao had flexed his muscles and swept through their enemies as soon as he came back. Although it wasn’t much to kill a Nova—it was a feat that the director could easily accomplish, I’m still happy that he’s come back...

Very well then.

“Then I’ll make the meal. Just wait for a little while, director!” The woman rose to her feet.

“Go on!” Hou Xiaochen nodded, waiting for the feast to come.

Manager Yu almost asked if she should set a place for Li Hao, but ultimately decided not to voice the question. The director seemed a bit off lately, so she should refrain from saying so.

......

The backyard.

Large sums of nobles drooped in the stench around them. Yellow Dragon and the rest had gone into hiding, the deputy ministers had run off, Zhou Chao was dead...

It was a big impact to morale, particularly as it was time to vote. They needed to choose one hundred people! Although no one felt that they would truly die since there was plenty of resistance outside, what if... they really did die?

Who wasn’t afraid of death?

“I do not approve of this kind of voting!” someone shrieked. “This kind of voting isn’t fair! I think it needs to be made anonymously to prevent retribution! Please say something, Miss Mu. Is an open vote fair?”

The nobles were due to cast their votes from a list of names that greatly decreased the range of consideration. Their families outside had produced a list of three hundred for those inside to choose from. People like Mu Xiaorong were certainly not on the list since it was the result of discussions between the noble families. A variety of compromises had gone into creating the list. Who would dare put a legitimate daughter of a minister on it?

With the preliminary work done, the actual one hundred would be chosen by those inside. Words of bracing comfort were spoken, emphasizing that it was just a formality, that it was all the same. They wouldn’t let Li Hao actually succeed.

But... those on the list were afraid all the same, particularly as someone had proposed an open vote. A name would be read off the vote. Those who agreed that they be part of the final one hundred would raise their hand. Wasn’t this a proposal that would blatantly give offense?

Who would actually follow the spirit of the vote? It would shelter those from larger families and bring down misfortune on those from smaller families!

Mu Xiaorong frowned, also finding an open vote to be inappropriate as it would cause certain friction.

“Anonymous is good.” She nodded. “We’re just going through the motions, so there’s no need to be too worried.”

The noble who’d made the suggestion heaved a sigh of relief. A minor character like him would easily make the final cut. Anonymous voting was good. People might not even know his name because he was so insignificant. Perhaps they’d want the ones from the larger families to die and clear the way!

Reality was this practical at times!

People wouldn’t dare cast their votes if their voting record would be made known, but they wanted nothing more than the deaths of their powerful rivals. Only those at the top like Mu Xiaorong were kept off the list. If someone like her was on it, she would be guaranteed the highest number of votes.

Someone stiffened as the conversation continued and an increasing number of looks turned outward. Li Hao was here!

The young man calmly walked in and looked at the crowd. “Is the list ready?”

Mu Xiaorong’s expression shifted and she rose. “It’s almost ready.”

“Hurry up.” Li Hao randomly grabbed a person. “Give me the list of three hundred names you received! I’ll make a roll call and put down the one hundred with the highest votes.”

“Commander Li, we’ve just come to an internal decision...” Mu Xiaorong hastily said.

“What I say goes.” Li Hao stared her down. “I’ll put you on the list if you say another word!”

She frowned, but said nothing else. It’s just a formality, just a formality. There’s nothing to be afraid of. And yet, she was still uneasy.

The man that Li Hao had stopped quickly took out a list of names. Li Hao scanned it, finding it quite interesting. Each name also came with information about their family, faction, title, and government appointments. It was all clearly laid out!

Even the families were divided into Nova and Solar factions. There were also those connected to bigger families, such as vassals of the Lius or Chens from the nine ministries...

It was a complicated web of relationships that stretched between the three hundred. There were strong nobles and there were weak nobles. How did the son of a centurion at the Ministry of Armed Forces have the money to cavort on Four Seas Island?

Li Hao paused at that particular name, finding it odd. A centurion... was a very lowly ranked position. It didn’t even count as a noble in this day and age. Centurions were neither bestowed with titles or wielded actual power. Did they count as nobles?

How could a minor centurion’s son go to a place that splashed around money? Perhaps he’d been present in the capacity of a servant?

Li Hao was unsatisfied after he scanned the list. It was all a bunch of fringe characters, but he didn’t say anything. “Where’s the evidence?”

Everyone looked at Mu Xiaorong. The girl woman nervous when Li Hao looked her way. “I... have it... but we need to decide on the final list first...”

“Give it here!” Li Hao sharpened his gaze at her.

Fearful, Mu Xiaorong doggedly repeated, “We need to confirm the final list first. I’ll give the evidence to you when we have our one hundred...”

“One!”

“I...”

“Two!”

A thick sheaf of papers materialized in Mu Xiaorong’s hands. Li Hao immediately yanked it from her and started dragging through it, ignoring her furious glare.

“Wu Yu, son of Wu Hao, deputy commissioner of the ninth section of the eastern division under the Ministry of Administration...” The young man quickly scanned Wu Yu’s identity. The subject’s crimes were listed next.

“Wu Yu raped and killed a young girl in the year 1721 of the Star Era. He was discovered when he disposed of the body and killed an eyewitness. He later used the crime of stealing classified information and colluding with Celestial to arrest the girl’s parents when they filed a report. They were held at the Ministry of the Judiciary and died in the dungeons three months later...”

Li Hao read on a bit more. This Wu Yu seemed to have a distinct taste. His cases were all like this, related to young girls. Some died, some survived. Those who didn’t raise a fuss usually lived, but any who filed a police report or sought him out died. It wasn’t just his victims who died, but the entire family that was dragged in.

Hence, his victims filed reports at the beginning, but as time went on, no one sought out the authorities anymore. If one wanted to file a case, one either went to the Ministry of the Judiciary or the Inspectorate. However, both institutions resulted in the same outcome. There was no trouble if a report was not filed, but once it went on Wu Yu’s record, then the victim’s entire family would soon disappear.

The deputy commissioner was one of the divisions under the Ministry of Administration, which made him only the equivalent of a low rank chief commissioner at the Inspectorate. Li Hao reached that position a long time ago, as had Chen Jin and the rest. Wu Yu’s identity wasn’t the loftiest and he’d come about his position only through his family.

In reality, he was an idle loafer if he didn’t rely on his father’s background. But here, Wu Yu seemed to be able to do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.

How interesting!

Li Hao smiled as he read the information, a smile without any hint of warmth to it. He turned to the assembly. “Who’s Wu Yu?”

He didn’t expect to see a weak and scrawny young man with a pale countenance. Wu Yu was less than thirty years old and nervously raised his arm, appearing quite pitiful. “Commander Li, that’s me...”

“Not bad!” Li Hao inclined his head with a smile. Having a record in 1721 meant that he started his deeds nine years ago. He was only twenty years old then.

Wu Yu didn’t know if this was a compliment or meant something else. It couldn’t really be a compliment... could it?

Li Hao ignored them and continued reading. He perused the names one by one. Wu Yu wasn’t the most wicked among them. He was small fry compared to some of the others. These people didn’t have the loftiest positions or authority, but each new name outdid the rest that came before it when it came to villainy.

A ranking officer of the Ministry of Armed Forces once led his army of one thousand soldiers to exterminate a trading company that secretly supported the three great organizations. He killed everyone in the trading company, roughly one thousand in total.

And yet, the material in Li Hao’s hands indicated that there was no collusion. The trading company had been destroyed because its leader had unexpectedly found a gold level origin weapon. News about the weapon had leaked somehow, spelling doom for the trading company.

After that, the officer auctioned off the origin weapon instead of keeping it for himself. He handed in seventy percent of the profits, keeping only thirty for himself. Hence, that reprieved him from punishment.

All of that was clearly detailed too, making Li Hao curious about the people who’d collated this evidence and material. Were they crazy, or did they think that Li Hao wouldn’t have a chance to read it? Or perhaps they thought he wouldn’t page through all of it, or that there was no chance of it leaking.

“Where is Zheng Liang of the Ministry of Armed Forces?”

A middle-aged man with some authority around him sheepishly raised his hand.

A ranking officer! Li Hao took a quick scan and found him to be the equivalent of an initial Solar. This meant that he didn’t command a regular army, but troops of elites. It was too rare for a ranking officer to have the strength of a Solar. He was one of the higher ranked ones on this list.

“You’re not bad either!” Li Hao smiled.

Zheng Liang narrowed his eyes instead of responding. He was quite curious what was recorded in those files. They’d been given to only one person—Mu Xiaorong. The rest of them didn’t even have the right to read them.

Li Hao quickly scanned through the material. There wasn’t that much for three hundred people, most of it was just simple introductions. There weren’t many details as it was approximately one page dedicated to one person. His mind intent was so strong that he finished in roughly half an hour.