Chapter 396: In the Teeth of the Storm

"What shares?"

Tianxuan knew she shouldn't stop and look back, but she couldn't resist turning to Yan Jing's smiling face.

"Stocks, of course. Playing the market. Don't you trade?"

Yan Jing's smile didn't waver.

Tianxuan glanced warily down the street. Noticing a few passersby casting looks their way, she forced a smile. "I wouldn't know. I have no need for such things."

"Is that so? What a shame."

"I thought you'd definitely buy in," Yan Jing said, smiling, "especially with Nuochen Biotech's stock plunging so drastically."

More and more pedestrians were starting to notice them. A human suddenly appearing on the street at a time like this was bound to put anyone on high alert.

Tianxuan swept a dark look around and pulled her sun hat lower over her face. Stepping closer to Yan Jing, she lowered her voice. "Let's talk somewhere else. You don't want to expose yourself here, do you? After all, you're a hunted rat right now."

"A hunted rat? That isn't what you told me a few days ago, Ms. Tianxuan."

Yan Jing dipped his head and murmured, "Just the other day, you said I was special."

"You are strong, but you've already done enough to draw out the Seventh Ranks. Don't you get it? You've taken this game too far."

Tianxuan spoke with an icy tone, a complete departure from her earlier demeanor. "I don't know where you're getting your information, but as far as I'm concerned, all I have to do is scream for help, and every eye here will be on you."

"A human holding a Heavenly Kingdom council member hostage—how do you think that will play out?"

she added softly.

Yan Jing chuckled. "So you had this planned all along? Miss Tianxuan, here I thought your words on the balcony were a heartfelt confession. Ah, I'm genuinely a bit heartbroken."

Dropping all pretense, Tianxuan lowered her voice. "I've changed my mind. You're attending this trial with me."

She didn't dare let Yan Jing out of her sight anymore. After just a few days apart, he had already figured out her true motives; it was terrifying to imagine what he might do if left to his own devices.

"Looks like I have no choice."

Yan Jing offered a smiling shrug, and the two walked into the courthouse together.

When questioned by the guards, Tianxuan claimed Yan Jing was her bodyguard.

After taking his seat, Yan Jing scanned the room. The major factions present were mostly clear this time.

Zeng Qing and Mao Si, Zeng Ru and a masked man, Crocodile and Papa Rat, himself and Tianxuan, and finally, the Anthill residents.

Who could have imagined that so many people would be gathered inside this small courtroom?

"Why do it this way?"

Yan Jing asked quietly.

"What?"

Tianxuan hadn't been paying close attention. She was busy using her Information Component to notify Kaiyang that her cover was blown.

Yan Jing had to be dealt with. He was her biggest liability right now. Her strategy all along had been to buy the dip rather than short the stock—shorting might have been more convenient, but the risk of exposure was far too great.

(Shorting: borrowing shares from a brokerage or third party to sell them immediately, then buying them back after the price drops to return them. The mechanism is somewhat more complex than buying the dip.)

Very few people would dare short a corporate giant.

Buying the dip, on the other hand, was something everyone did. The moment one of these corporate giants faced a catastrophic scandal, everyone would rush in to buy. The only difference was that the masses never knew the right timing, while she did.

It was the only way she could keep her identity safely hidden.

She had participated in so many trials and legislative hearings.

On the surface, the anomaly seemed to be the Anthill residents winning their court cases. In reality, her true targets had always been the instances where a corporate giant's stock crashed, only to swiftly rebound.

"I said, what do you need all that money for?" Yan Jing repeated, noticing her distraction.

Tianxuan finally snapped out of it. "Because money is useful, of course," she replied coldly.

"This is the Peace Heavenly Kingdom. In a peaceful place, money is a weapon."

Yan Jing considered this. "So all that talk about helping the Anthill residents was a lie?"

"Of course not," Tianxuan said. "Like I told you last time, this is a necessary sacrifice."

"Think about it. Why are these giants so arrogant? Why can they oppress the Anthill residents? Because they have money. If I want to overthrow them, I have to become just as wealthy as they are."

Her tone was perfectly natural, identical to when she had first explained it to him. She wasn't the least bit flustered by Yan Jing piercing her facade.

"Sound logic."

Yan Jing nodded and fell silent.

The second trial officially began.

Only this time, the atmosphere in the room was completely different.

The previously haughty lawyers for Nuochen Biotech were deathly pale, and the factory manager's hands trembled uncontrollably.

On the opposing side, the otter next to Crocodile had been replaced by an elderly Smart Seed, who was looking quite ruddy and spirited.

Even the judge on the bench had completely flipped his attitude during the cross-examinations.

The only oddity was the sharp-suited Crocodile. Despite his impending victory, he showed no signs of excitement. Instead, his face was locked in a stiff, serious scowl.

"Nuochen Biotech! In light of the evidence presented by the opposing counsel, do you admit to the criminal charges?!"

The judge slammed his gavel down, eyes wide with fury. It sounded less like an inquiry and more like an outright threat—a stark contrast to his previous demeanor.

"I—we—we—"

The lawyer raised his head and looked at the bench. Unlike the previous session, rows of cameras were flashing continuously, blinding him.

Trembling from head to toe, he finally mustered his courage and shouted, "We—we admit to the crimes—but!"

His voice suddenly pitched into a scream. He lunged toward the cameras and roared right into the lenses, "But it was all done on the orders of Executive Director Zeng Qing!!!"

His words hit the courtroom like a bomb, detonating the gallery into an uproar.

"Wait, did he say Zeng Qing?"

"But I thought all these factories with the exposed dark rooms were built during Zeng Ru's tenure?"

"Yeah, did he misspeak?"

The reporters shouldering the cameras were completely thrown off.

They covered corporate news constantly, which naturally included executive transitions. Hearing the lawyer specifically name Zeng Qing left them all baffled.

The judge, however, remained perfectly calm, as if he had anticipated this all along. "Did you misspeak?" he asked mildly.

"No, it's the truth!"

The lawyer spoke with absolute conviction. "Your Honor! It is true that Director Zeng Ru was the executive director when those factories were built, but in reality, Zeng Qing's infiltration of power had already reached a terrifying degree. She bribed countless people into backing the proposal, effectively forcing Director Zeng Ru out!"

"We have already gathered detailed witness testimonies and physical evidence. The chief culprit behind all of this is her!"

"Zeng Qing!"

The lawyer jabbed a finger toward a corner of the gallery and shouted viciously.