The moment he heard this sentence, Zhuo Shuqing was stunned in place.
"What kind of joke are you making?" Zhuo Shuqing sneered. "The Stars Chamber of Commerce was razed to the ground? Lin Yan, have you not woken up yet?"
"Lin Yan! Are you sure?!"
Feng Man tightly gripped those few photos, her gaze looking at Chen Ling as if she wanted to swallow him alive.
"Editor-in-Chief Feng, do you really believe his nonsense?" Zhuo Shuqing's brows furrowed deeply. "Who in Aurora City could raze the Stars Chamber of Commerce to the ground? And even if someone really did it, the commotion would have long been known to everyone. How could it wait for him to write an article?"
Feng Man didn't speak, but just handed the photos in her hand to Zhuo Shuqing. The latter took them and glanced over them, and his body also trembled violently.
"Where did you get these photos? This... How is this possible?"
He saw that on these few photos, the devastated interior of the chamber of commerce was clearly captured: twisted buildings, bizarre trees, and corpses all over the ground... If it weren't for the fact that the Stars Chamber of Commerce logos could still be seen everywhere and that towering gate, Zhuo Shuqing almost couldn't recognize where this actually was.
When he went to the Stars Chamber of Commerce a week ago, it definitely wasn't like this there.
Zhuo Shuqing stared blankly at the photos in his hand, still unable to accept this fact now, motionless like a sculpture.
"If it's really as you said, why didn't you go to the Law Enforcers at the first instance?" Feng Man stared at Chen Ling, her gaze seemingly trying to see through him completely.
Chen Ling smiled and pushed his half-frame glasses, answering slowly:
"If everyone knew at the first instance, other large and small media would inevitably become our competitors, and we wouldn't have an advantage in news timeliness... Moreover, if it's something everyone knows, how can it be considered 'blockbuster news'?"
As soon as this sentence came out, the entire office quieted down.
Zhuo Shuqing's gaze toward Chen Ling was full of shock, while Feng Man on the side had a glint in her eyes, not knowing what she was thinking.
"Actually, I didn't notify the Law Enforcers because I just wanted to delay a bit of time for the newspaper office as much as possible, so I came over overnight last night to prepare the article... However, I didn't expect that even after a night passed, no one else had discovered it yet."
"It seems heaven is standing on the side of our Aurora Daily, isn't it?"
Chen Ling shrugged his shoulders.
Feng Man's gaze swept over that article once again. She took a deep breath, her tone unprecedentedly solemn. "Lin Yan, you should know what the consequences of falsely reporting news are, right?"
"Of course. I guarantee that everything in this article is true."
"Good. I will go stop the printing of today's newspaper right now... We, the Aurora Daily, are definitely taking this headline!" Feng Man walked out quickly.
"Wait! Editor-in-Chief Feng! Doesn't such a big matter need someone sent to verify it? What if this guy just fabricated it out of thin air? Wouldn't that be..." Zhuo Shuqing spoke anxiously.
"Verification is naturally necessary, but time is tight now. Let them do an expedited print first... If the verification is correct, distribute them immediately. If the content is fake, then call an emergency stop. I will take responsibility for any losses caused!"
"Then what about the Law Enforcers' side??"
Feng Man suddenly stopped in her tracks.
She stayed silent for a moment and spoke again: "I will send someone to notify them... but it will be half an hour later."
...
Outside Aurora City.
Bone-chilling cold winds swept across the desolate earth. The gray sky vault obscured the daylight. In this completely silent world, a piercing beam of light sped over from afar.
That was a train engraved with mysterious runes all over its body. Ancient and fine text wound around everywhere on the carriages like countless tiny crawling insects, emitting a faint light. These lights seemed to carry a certain holy Aura, silently dispelling the Calamities and erosion around... And below the train, the tracks cast from steel were also covered with these mysterious runes.
This was a train capable of traveling through the Gray World, connecting major human Realms. It was like blood vessels connecting various organs, linking humanity in disasters together.
And at this moment, within this incomparably precious train, a figure was sitting on a seat by the window, picking up a glass of red wine and taking a light sip...
"We should be arriving at Aurora City soon up ahead." Yan Shang's face was full of exhaustion.
"Running about outside for so long, I can finally go back and rest for a period of time... I wonder how that kid Xishou is managing the chamber of commerce?"
"The young master is intelligent and talented, down-to-earth and steady. Managing the chamber of commerce well is definitely not a problem." Beside Yan Shang, a Squinting Man smiled and spoke.
"Forget it, these few sons of mine all have the same virtue... unable to accomplish anything but good at ruining things. Expecting them to manage the chamber of commerce well is worse than expecting me to live twenty more years." Yan Shang snorted coldly. "The only one in this family with a bit of business talent was that nephew of mine. It's a pity..."
"A-Shan's death is indeed a pity." The Squinting Man stroked his chin, a look of reminiscence appearing in his eyes. "If it weren't for that Han Meng from District Three back then, there would still be someone in the chamber of commerce to share the burden for you now, and you wouldn't be this exhausted."
Yan Shang's brows furrowed slightly. The hand holding the red wine glass exerted force unconsciously, and after a moment, slowly relaxed...
"Forget it, let's not talk about this."
"The cooperation negotiations with the two major Realms this time went reasonably well. Within about fifteen days, we can transfer a portion of the assets outside Aurora City. Next, completing the coordination in this aspect will be the heavy-duty work of the Stars Chamber of Commerce."
"President, have you really thought it through?" The Squinting Man's expression gradually became solemn. "The cross-Realm transfer of assets is not easily done. Even if we can pay enough of a price to complete the transfer, the chamber of commerce's assets will shrink by at least four-fifths... Doing this is no different from completely abandoning our foundation in Aurora City."
"Of course I know what you're saying."
Yan Shang drank the red wine in his glass in one gulp, and then slowly placed it back on the table. "But if we don't leave... are we going to be buried along with Aurora City?"
"Could it be that the Lord of the Aurora's condition has really already..." The Squinting Man's brows knitted tightly.
Yan Shang didn't answer, but his silence already represented everything.