Fang Hong glanced at the person and touched his Rocket Fist.

The Vice-Chairman of Rain Listener, also with a face of discomfort, said coldly, "What are you trying to do now, Zhang Leng? I've already warned you once."

"Don't be hasty, Vice-Chairman," the Combat Wizard named Zhang Leng frowned as well, "I am not here to cause trouble for your precious guests, but for something else. I just want to ask one question, why can't we contact the guild headquarters anymore?"

Fang Hong was slightly startled by these words.

It could be a big or a small issue if a squad from the guild couldn't contact headquarters, like what was happening with the Tabopolis Knights Order inside the Dolifen Fantasy.

However, under normal circumstances, even if there was a problem with the communicator, there would still be other means of communication, such as the virtual community. After all, what happened with the Tabopolis Oak Knights Order was an isolated case.

The Vice-Chairman's eyebrows furrowed, and his voice grew more severe, "Who told you, Zhang Leng, what right do you have to ask this question? You don't have the authority. Who leaked it to you?"

"So you've known about this all along, haven't you, Vice-Chairman?" Zhang Leng replied coldly. "Don't worry about how I found out about this, you just need to answer yes or no. What are you plotting by keeping all of us in the dark?"

Fang Hong and Tianlan looked at each other.

As natives, Hilveld and Atira might not fully understand, but the two of them, a stowaway and a trainee, had pretty much grasped the conversation.

And they had also gained a huge amount of information from it.

Usually, the activities of the guild's squads outside are kept highly confidential, on one hand, sometimes involving trade secrets or contractual agreements.

On the other hand, it's also a measure to guard against sabotage by hostile guilds and competitors.

In such cases, the squad's communications are strictly controlled, and most people's communicators are put into a forced silent mode, just like the communication status Fang Hong had noticed with Red Leaf and Wu Di earlier for this reason.

And only a select few with the authority can contact the guild headquarters during exploration and operations, which is why this Vice-Chairman of Rain Listener seemed both shocked and angry.

However, if the Combat Wizard named Zhang Leng wasn't lying, then there was even deeper implication here, a Vice-Chairman choosing to hide the news from everyone when unable to contact the guild headquarters.

If this wasn't a double-blind arrangement for the highest level of security by the guild itself, then the amount of information implied was too significant.

Fang Hong suddenly remembered that this team even included the Elite Brigade of Rain Listener.

This made him feel that something was seriously wrong.

Since the Stargate Era, Fang Hong had never heard of a Vice-Chairman taking half the guild and the guild's brigade in defection, was he going to witness it firsthand today?

But that would be too outrageous.

This kind of thing could only happen within the power organizations of the natives, because Summoners have a dual identity in reality and in the New World. Unless the top echelon of the guild really had made themselves hated by everyone to the extent that people lost faith, based on the values of a typical Summoner, it was almost impossible for them to make such a choice just to follow a person.

They couldn't possibly be coerced either, because with the modern guild's flat management approach, there's no issue with failing to explain one's stance. Furthermore, there is the Summoners System and the virtual community—how could a defector leave with the majority of the guild, unless kicking these people out one by one?

But that would be pointless.

Not to mention, aside from the Free Guild, most Summoners in Eteliria have real-world backgrounds; defections in the game, apart from taking away a few individuals, have almost no effect on the operation of the club and, moreover, would result in harsh sanctions from the Super Competitive League.

Fang Hong felt that no sane person would make such an outrageous decision...

While explaining to Atira and Hilveld in a low voice, he looked toward the Vice-Chairman, curious to see how he would explain himself.

Yet by this time, he still thought that this matter didn't concern him much. It was just an internal affair of Rain Listener.

To his surprise, the Vice-Chairman actually hesitated, and his tone softened considerably, "This was arranged by the club. All of us in the management know what's going on. Don't stir up trouble without cause, Zhang Leng."

"Hmph," Zhang Leng sneered, glancing at Fang Hong before replying, "Vice-Chairman, when do you plan to stop lying? The club's community can no longer be logged into. Are you trying to say this is just a trivial matter? The club's arrangement? Unfortunately, I've heard some other news—"

"Shut up, Zhang Leng!"

The Vice-Chairman's face suddenly changed, and he interjected sharply.

This sudden outburst startled Fang Hong, who stared in some bewilderment at the two parties, just in time to see the Combat War Mage shrug:

"Why won't you let me speak, Vice-Chairman? What exactly has the club done? The authorities said they have all fled because of their crimes, leaving us alone in Eteliria. I heard the military is already involved, but you've kept all of us in the dark. What's your motive?"

"Don't think we don't know. What does it mean for you to bring out three training camps and the Storm Brigade this time? We need an explanation," Zhang Leng looked at him, enunciating every word, "What are you really trying to do, respected Lord Vice-Chairman?"

His words fell among the crowd like a rolling thunder.

Fang Hong's mouth opened wide, and he couldn't help but swear silently. What kind of development was this? How did the military get involved too?

Was there ever going to be an end to this?

...

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