Chapter 345
"You injure the players before starting the match so you can control it, is that it?"
"Although I bet on Maria to win, to be fair, this is just too rigged."
Big Mouth Mob looked embarrassed and was still trying his best to salvage the company's image, but to no avail.
The camera on the big screen at the stadium is currently following the Lucky Knight the entire time.
He walked to the edge of the arena, jumped up to a platform four or five meters high, which drew gasps of surprise.
It's quite impressive to be able to do this without a running start or jet propulsion.
Shi Lei walked to the commentary booth, waved to Big Mouth Mob body was curled up and tucked in, signaling him to move aside, and then picked up the microphone.
His voice instantly resounded throughout the entire arena.
"Originally, I didn't want things to be like this, but the Commercial Union has gone too far. I think everyone in the audience here has the right to know the 'truth'."
Since the Bright Knight announced their withdrawal from the competition, their spokesperson has repeatedly invited me to meet, saying that I could make a lot of money by cooperating with them to fix matches.
I asked a question that I was very concerned about: were they planning to push Maria to win the championship?
The spokesperson confirmed this, but stated there was no collaboration with Maria. They were merely leveraging the Nearl Family's background, using her as a tool to attract traffic and generate revenue.
Shi Lei mentioned Maria here in order to clear her of the charge of match-fixing.
When the Commercial Union is universally condemned, this young Knight will inevitably suffer some consequences.
Seeing the Lucky Knight publicly betray him, Mackey had a bad feeling. He picked up his phone and called the staff at the scene, wanting to order them to turn off their microphones. But suddenly everything went black, and he fainted.
After clearing Maria of any involvement, Shi Lei continued speaking into the microphone:
"Haven't you noticed that there are a lot of players who were disqualified for not showing up in this year's Knight Competition?"
They colluded with an assassin organization called the Armored Unarmored Alliance, specializing in assassinating or drugging players. They'd done this frequently before, to manipulate matches.
As far as I know, the Commercial Union and the Armored Unarmored Alliance have been colluding for many years. The reason for the increased activity this year is due to internal strife between them.
If any viewers have access to relevant intelligence, they can look into it. Recently, many business owners have died suddenly, allegedly due to internal power struggles and elimination.
The spokesperson contacted me yesterday, trying to get me to lose to Maria in the finals. They promised me company shares afterward. I refused; I never expected them to resort to such underhanded tactics!
At this point, Shi Lei held up the black Originium crystal, wanting the camera to get a clearer view.
"If it weren't for the finals today, I might not even be able to step onto the arena. I simply can't tolerate such vicious tactics. Do you think there's any point in continuing this competition?"
This kind of lie, which is nine parts truth and one part falsehood, is the hardest to expose.
Because the parts that need to be verified are often those where no third party is present or that are inconvenient to disclose, this gives Shi Lei a great deal of room to maneuver.
For example, the claim of match-fixing is not just spreading rumors. The Commercial Union has colluded with the Armored Unarmored Alliance in the past and has indeed secretly dealt with many Competitive Knights to influence the outcome of matches.
Shi Lei first raised a question, saying that many players didn't appear in this year's Knight Competition. He then suddenly changed the subject, emphasizing that the Commercial Union had 'previously' engaged in match-fixing.
He didn't say 'this year's' competition was being fixed, but the human brain's language logic automatically fills in the missing information. It's assumed that this year's Knight Competition was also being fixed.
The revelation of this content, which aligned with the public's expectations, immediately caused an uproar.
Even before the start of the special tournament, many spectators had already noticed signs of match-fixing.
However, they are of low status and have no right to comment, even if they feel there is a problem.
As the competition progressed, the signs of match-fixing became increasingly obvious. The frequent absences of players from the matches raised serious suspicions.
Shi Lei added fuel to the fire in their hearts, making the flames of suspicion burn even brighter:
"Think about the prediction contests you participate in. Don't you often lose more than you win? Have you ever wondered why this is? Why are you always so badly hurt by upsets?"
The reason why market manipulators can make money is because they have analysts and more inside data. However, in the current context, this statement sounds extremely inflammatory.
Anger spread through the crowd. Shouts and boos filled the entire arena.
Shi Lei's question caused a stir.
This provided an outlet for the psychological frustration of most viewers who lost money.
"Tsk, I knew it. It wasn't that my analysis was inadequate; it was that they were pulling the strings behind the scenes."
"Damn it, the Commercial Union is a real scoundrel!"
In a stadium packed with 50,000 people, only about 10,000 were swayed. But the audience watching on television and radio numbered in the tens of thousands.
They will feel angry and humiliated. They will lose trust in the Commercial Union and remember that their hard-earned wages have all gone into the pockets of capitalists.
A feeling of frustration welled up inside me, as if it were about to burst forth at any moment.
"The Competitive Knight are innocent; the real culprits are the Commercial Union's behind-the-scenes bosses! This kind of competition, which is completely unfair, is better off not happening at all."
Anyone willing to come with me to the Commercial Union building to get a refund and demand an explanation?
These viewers didn't have the guts to demand an explanation, but they did have the guts to follow behind and ask for a refund.
And it's huge!
This is a matter of personal interest, and we must make the boss behind the scenes return all the money he has earned!
"Anyone who's willing, come along!"
As Shi Lei put down the microphone and walked through the aisle, countless audience members responded. They were like streams flowing into the ocean, their shouts deafening.
Security personnel attempted to maintain order, but the angry wave easily breached their defenses.
The situation was completely out of control.
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414 Silver Spear Pegasus 3K
July 18, 10:52 AM
Commercial Union Headquarters Building, 11F.
Spokesperson Zoe sat at her desk, reviewing data brought to her by her assistant. The coffee in her cup wasn't steaming; it looked like it had been sitting there for a while.
"Ring ring ring".
The shrill ringing of the bell shattered the silence.
Zoe grabbed the microphone, tilted her head, and held it between her neck and ear:
"Hello?"
"Lady Zoe, something terrible has happened! Our outposts in the wasteland have discovered more than forty Campaign Knight entering the territory of Cavaleria."
"What?"
Campaign Knight differ from Competitive Knight; they are soldiers serving on the border between Kazimierz and Ursus.
In terms of actual combat skill, the two sides are worlds apart. Any active -Campaign Knight could easily take on Azure Gold Rank of the Armored Unarmored Alliance. If there are three or more of them, they could be considered a tactical squad.
More than forty people showed up at once, that's outrageous!
"Why are there so many Campaign Knights in the Grand Knight Territory? What are they trying to do? Where are the people responsible for monitoring the Campaign Knight? Why didn't they give us a warning beforehand?"
"Lady Zoe, a warning has been issued. They were 573 kilometers away from the Grand Knight Territory last night, but they suddenly appeared in the city at noon today. Their speed is simply too fast."
Zoe frowned, feeling that something was missing:
"It's definitely abnormally fast. Could it be that the Supervision Committee secretly mobilized another Campaign Knight behind the back of the Commercial Union? No, that's not right. That's impossible. Could it be..."
Thinking of this, her blue eyes widened. She immediately ended the call and dialed the number of the deputy judge of the National Assembly.
After three beeps, the call connected. But strangely, no one spoke on the other end of the line.
"Lord Duke? I apologize for disturbing you, but there is indeed a very important matter at the moment. A group of Campaign Knight have entered the Grand Knight Territory without permission, which has violated the Second Law of the National Assembly..."
Before Zoe could finish speaking, a deep, unfamiliar male voice interrupted:
"The former National Assembly deputy judge you are looking for, Duke, is suspected of multiple crimes including bribery, involvement in illegal trade, murder, and dereliction of duty, and has been detained in accordance with the law."
This answer surprised her so much that she fell silent.
"..."
Do you have any further questions?
"Uh, no. Sorry to bother you, sir."
Zoe hung up the phone and stroked her chin thoughtfully.
These guys didn't arrest anyone earlier or later, but waited until the Campaign Knight arrived before making their move. It seems like they had planned this all along, clearing the way for their smooth entry into the city.
What else could possibly be worth the Campaign Knight to come to Cavaleria?
Gradually, an answer came to mind.
She quickly dialed her assistant's number and gave the instructions:
"Find out who won the 24th Knight Competition. I need the results immediately!"
July 18, 10:54 AM
Countless people left the arena under Shi Lei's leadership. They exited from different places and eventually converged at one point.
But their progress came to a halt at the street corner.
A large troop of Knight clad in silver armor arrived from a distant border fortress. They carried the earthy scent of their long journey.
Also present was the Grand Knight Commander, the leader of the Supervision Committee — Iolete Russell.
An elderly female Knight with a kind smile, holding a longsword, looked quite heroic.
The leading Campaign Knight bowed to her with great respect.
"I have met Grandmaster Iolete."
"Long time no see, Lem. I know you've been traveling all night, but unfortunately there's no time to rest now."
Lyme clutched his heart with his right hand, his gaze resolute:
"Grandmaster, we don't need to rest. Cleansing Kazimierz is our top priority."
Iolete smiled, her gaze inadvertently glancing at Shi Lei before she looked away and said:
"Lem, even after joining Silver Spear Pegasus, you're still so impatient. Now pick a few efficient Campaign Knight and head to the headquarters of the Commercial Union. Find out who their boss is and bring them to the Supervision Committee to report. If they resist, you know what to do."
"Yes, Grandmaster Iolete!"
Lyme readily agreed, bowing his head as he said:
"I heard that Margaret has returned to the Grand Knight Territory and is once again standing on the hypocritical arena. Knight Competition are pure blasphemy, the root of all evil in Kazimierz. Our people are losing their reverence because of it, and noble virtues have become a ridiculous joke. If time permits, may I request to see her?"
Iolete grinned and answered:
"Lyme, your information is too outdated. Margaret announced her withdrawal from the competition a few days ago."
"What? Has she come to her senses?"
"Perhaps, but there are certain things I cannot reveal, so I will not go into details. There is a Knight who is willing to stand up and change the status quo in Kazimierz, and he is over there right now."
Lyme followed the directions and looked into the distance.
He was a man wearing a mask, whose race could not be determined by his physical appearance. To his surprise, he couldn't see through the man's true nature at all.
"Grandmaster Iolete, and who is this?"
"You can think of him as a distinguished guest who is doing a good deed. Although we haven't fought directly, his strength is by no means inferior to mine. I know you like to spar with strong opponents, but this person is absolutely out of the question. If we displease him, it will be a huge loss for Kazimierz."
Lem glanced at it with a complicated expression and replied:
"Grandmaster Iolete, I am not the same person I was back then. I can still distinguish what is important and what is not."
Because the audience dared not approach, Shi Lei led them around to the right of the street. Iolete watched this scene calmly, then suddenly felt a pang of sadness.
"It's a pity that the cancer in Kazimierz needs to be cured by outsiders. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Sometimes the higher you stand, the more concerns you have. You can no longer act recklessly like you did when you were young."
I often wonder if we've been too hesitant. If we had made a decision sooner, perhaps Kazimierz wouldn't be in this situation today.
Lyme expressed his understanding and offered words of comfort:
"Grandmaster Iolete, you owe Kazimierz nothing; it is Kazimierz who owes you a great debt. Now we should look to the future, not dwell on the past."
During the 72 years that Knight Competition flourished, many promising young Campaign Knight grew up in this corrupt environment where values were severely distorted.