"What's going on? Someone actually broke in here? Are the people outside all useless idiots?!"
"Why are there gunshots outside?"
"Cardias, I'm afraid you owe us an explanation."
Just as the entire conference hall began to descend into chaos, the guests with white handkerchiefs pinned to their chests all rose calmly. Whether they had been seated at the round table in the center of the room or standing and sitting around it, they all headed toward the direction Cardias had come from earlier.
The actions of this small group immediately drew everyone else's attention. However, as more and more soldiers entered behind Basak and gradually formed a semi-encirclement around the entire conference room, all those attending the meeting realized that something was wrong. One by one, they frowned and fell silent.
Those present all knew how to read the situation. Otherwise, they would never have been qualified to sit here. Watching person after person leave, they also realized that they had fallen into a conspiracy that had deceived them from the inside out.
Not all those leaving were so selfish. Some entered the side room alone, while others pulled along confused people who had not pinned white handkerchiefs to their chests. Cardias pretended not to see any of it, allowing them to bring their friends or business partners away. In any case, though there were not many people wearing white handkerchiefs, they had all definitely joined his camp. As for those they brought in, Cardias believed they would join as well.
Cardias remained seated at the head of the round table, while the dozen or so others also maintained their composure. Yet upon closer inspection, aside from two or three people wearing faint smiles, everyone else had restrained anger on their faces. The way they looked at Cardias was as