Chapter 256: Chapter 122: Taking the Stand, Conviction_2 Chapter 256: Chapter 122: Taking the Stand, Conviction_2 “`
As for such a person, Xu Mo did not trust!
“What does he mean?” Leng Qiu asked beside him, her gaze turning colder, and she also felt that something was amiss.
Xu Mo looked at Leng Qiu and said, “He wants the teacher to sacrifice himself for his own gain.”
Leng Qiu’s heart skipped a beat, and her face grew extremely troubled.
“Teacher, Nan Mingyuan doesn’t belong to any faction but is a conspirator, an ambitious man.” Xu Mo looked at the elder and said, “Whoever stands in his way, he will eliminate.”
The elder closed his eyes.
The enemies of the past were enemies, but the enemies of now have become ‘one of our own’.
Moreover, it was the son of an old friend.
This felt bitter in his heart.
Nan Mingyuan had always given the impression of being pragmatic and modest, earnest in his work—who would have thought he was an ambitious man?
In contrast, Dean Nanming was imposing and authoritative, with Nan Mingyuan obedient to him.
Under such circumstances, Dean Nanming would never suspect that his own son was problematic.
If Dean Nanming knew the truth, what would he do?
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“Teacher, how will Nan Mingyuan deal with you?” Xu Mo asked.
“He will convict; first, he will use a gentle approach to stabilize the Academy Faction and the Military District, and then, take control of the Academy Faction, purge the Military District,” the elder said.
“When everything is settled, he will then make his move on me.”
Thus, he surmised that if Nan Mingyuan had a problem with him, he would come to him first.
Nan Mingyuan needed to stabilize the situation; he had to placate him, make him sacrifice himself.
Then, Nan Mingyuan could embark on his journey to power.
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And now, even if there were a falling out, would the Academy Faction still be the same as before?
Once adversaries were enemies, but now, those in control are our own people!
Xu Mo nodded; the teacher’s analysis largely matched the behavior of an ambitious man.
Nan Mingyuan claimed he would represent the interests of the Academy Faction, but in reality, he only represented his own interests.
Therefore, the relationship between the Li Family Youth and Nanming Huowu was also easy to understand!
Why wouldn’t the Li Family Youth help his ‘father-in-law’?
They were one of their own now.
Interests united.
I’m afraid only Dean Nanming was kept in the dark.
Following this, Nan Mingyuan became busy, maneuvering amongst the various forces of Steel Dome City.
Among them, the Academy Faction was the main focus.
Gradually, the entire Academy Faction became subtly different; no one contacted the Old Dean anymore, and there were no more reassurances.
Divide the Academy Faction.
Nan Mingyuan, calling himself the representative of the Academy Faction’s interest, and now sitting in the position of the mayor of Steel Dome City, henceforth, he could be the new leader of the Academy Faction.
One day, Nan Mingyuan announced that he would publicly reveal the investigation results about the Old Dean and Tantai.
In an instant, the attention of the entire city was captured.
Countless citizens of Steel Dome City stayed glued to the screen, watching the many media outlets outside the City Government buildings.
Nan Mingyuan’s figure appeared, walked out of the City Government building, stood at the forefront of the crowd, the center of attention.
As the new mayor, this would be the first major issue Nan Mingyuan dealt with.
Xu Mo and the others also watched the screen; he too wanted to see what outcome Nan Mingyuan would announce.
Standing before the cameras, Nan Mingyuan began to speak, “Not long ago, Steel Dome City went through a catastrophe, and during it, countless Heroes stepped forward to save the city.
The military, the academy, and all armed forces contributed their strength.”
“There was a time when we thought disasters were far away, but in fact, they can happen at any moment.
In such circumstances, only by being united can Steel Dome City protect itself and become stronger.”
“Therefore, the incidents that happened before are disappointing.
The forces tasked with defending Steel Dome City erupted in fight, and even nearly sparked a civil war.
This is not what I wanted to see, nor is it what all the citizens wished for.
What if disaster strikes again?”
Hearing Nan Mingyuan’s words, the populace fell into contemplation.
Indeed, if a civil war broke out and disaster struck, they would suffer the most.
“Thus, I will commit all my power to maintaining the unity of Steel Dome City and call upon everyone to set aside prejudices, for the sake of our city.”
Nan Mingyuan’s words were righteous and inspiring.
“`
Everyone seemed to be drawn in.
They had chosen the right person.
This was indeed what the Mayor of Steel Dome City should be doing.
Even the media conducting the interviews spontaneously applauded.
After a brief pause, Nan Mingyuan continued, “The investigation into the recent accident is complete.
I will stand on an absolutely impartial platform and announce the results of the proceedings.”
“Regarding the death of Dean Lin Qingze, there is no direct evidence to prove that it was orchestrated by the former mayor and the City Government.
Given the benefit of the doubt, however, following the conflict, Shen Han mobilized military forces to deal with the former Noah Academy’s assassins, triggering a large-scale conflict.
Shen Han bears certain responsibilities for this incident, therefore he resigned from the position of Mayor of Steel Dome City and will be permanently barred from public employment.”
“As for the Old Dean, the Old Dean is a hero of Steel Dome City and has made great contributions to the city.
However, even heroes cannot violate the law.
The Old Dean personally ordered the assassination of the former mayor’s secretary and used his influence to incite the Southwest Military District and the Academy Faction to participate in the conflict, leading to subsequent events.
Given that the Old Dean has stated he would take full responsibility for this matter, this time no actions will be taken against others.
Appreciative of the Old Dean’s past contributions to the city, the City Government has decided to deal with him leniently, sentencing him to one year of solitary confinement.”
Countless people watched the screen, speechless.
It seemed completely different from what they had imagined.
Nan Mingyuan showed no favoritism towards the Old Dean but administered ‘justice’.
Moreover, with what he had said earlier, the public didn’t know how to vent their frustration, and even those who supported the Old Dean seemed to find no reason to do so.
Nan Mingyuan did everything for the greater good, for the sake of the entire city.
What’s more, he still showed great respect for the Old Dean, sentencing him to only one year of solitary confinement.
Given the charges, a death sentence wouldn’t have been too much.
“Impressive,” Xu Mo murmured as she turned off the screen.
The Old Dean praised, and it wasn’t a hypocritical compliment.
Nan Mingyuan’s ‘tactics’ were impressive.
A storm had been diffused into nothingness.
The Academy Faction fell silent, and the public seemed willing to accept this ending.
The language repeatedly maintained respect for him, it was an amnesty, but in fact, all the blame had been pushed onto him.
All because of the suspicion over Lin Qingze’s death, a city-wide internal strife was stirred up.
Nanming, the old guy, had raised a ‘fine son’ indeed.
Xu Mo likewise felt impressed by such adept maneuvering.
The Academy Faction and the public seemed ready to accept it.
If they caused more trouble now, wouldn’t it just validate the charges, provoking a riot?
The image of a hero, thoroughly shattered.
Then they would turn on him en masse.
Moreover, causing trouble under these circumstances, they wouldn’t stand the slightest chance and would end in complete defeat.
The Old Dean’s Communicator vibrated frantically.
It was a call from Dean Nanming.
He didn’t answer it and shut off the Communicator.
Behind the Old Dean, the former members of Noah Academy were extremely angry.
They had been sold out.
And isolated.
It seemed everyone could accept it, sacrificing only the Old Dean, and for merely a year at that.
But after one year in jail, the Old Dean’s influence would be reduced to zero.
Apparently, this was the contingency plan.
Whether Shen Han succeeded or not, it didn’t matter.
Shen Han was destined to step down.
Nan Mingyuan was the man behind the scenes!
Everything had been laid out for this moment.
There was no turning back.
At that moment, a group of people came from outside and called out to the Old Dean, “Old Dean.”
They had come to ‘escort’ him.
“Get lost…” Leng Qiu stepped forward and cursed loudly.
“Come back,” called the Old Dean.
Leng Qiu looked at the Elder and said, “Teacher.”
“From today on, you’ll follow Xu Mo’s lead.
I forbid any rash actions,” the Elder told Leng Qiu.
Then, the Elder looked at Xu Mo and whispered, “I never intended to be a hero, nor do I care about so-called fame.
You don’t need to be burdened by it either.
Do whatever you want, but the primary condition is, ensure your own safety.
In the past, many people gave you special consideration because you were my disciple, but I believe in the future, Tan Taiming will be known for once being Xu Mo’s teacher.”
“Understood,” Xu Mo nodded.
The Elder smiled and walked forward.
He accepted the bet and his loss.
However, not having avenged an old friend was something he couldn’t come to terms with!