Bigwigs Tear into Each Other

"I refuse! This is an invasion of the Awakened's right to privacy!" Bai Xiaowen retorted immediately. "Article 1 of the Awakened Convention stipulates all the personal rights of Awakened, including the right to privacy from intrusion... Without evidence, the Awakened Association has no right to search."

The Jinghai City Awakened Association is a loose organization established by various guilds in Jinghai City under official guidance, and it does not belong to any law enforcement agency. If we have to talk about its political attributes, in the eyes of ordinary citizens, it is similar to a political party in another dimension.

The leaders of the association are basically the presidents of the various guilds in Jinghai City, and finally the commander of the Jinghai City Military Sub-district also serves as the president.

Of course, the status and role of the Awakened Association are far more important than the political harmony of another time and space.

In the event of a monster invasion, the Awakened Association will establish a temporary command center, mobilizing the forces of military Awakened members and civilian Awakened Guild to eliminate the monsters and save the base city.

Disputes between guilds will also be adjudicated by the association. If an awakened member violates the law, the association will urge their guild to take action. For serious crimes endangering public safety, the Awakened Association makes a decision.

However, the Awakened Association is still a loose alliance, not a powerful centralized body. It needs to operate within the framework of the Awakened Convention in order to gain the recognition of guilds large and small, as well as numerous Awakened individuals.

Therefore, the association itself cannot do anything that violates the Awakened Convention. This is also the source of Bai Xiaowen's confidence.

"Truly worthy of being the National Exam Top Scholar."

Seeing that he hadn't intimidated Bai Xiaowen, Xiang Tian nodded and smiled, "Anyway, this wasn't my idea, so let Old Fu worry about it. You sit down for a while, I'm going to a meeting."

"Oh, you're leaving already?"

Bai Xiaowen was somewhat surprised to see Xiang Tian turn and leave.

Actually, Bai Xiaowen wasn't that sensitive about the so-called inspection.

That high-level demon was clearly a creature beyond the level of a level 10 Awakened. The only thing that could arouse its interest was the Mysterious Eyeball in Bai Xiaowen's left eye... The priority of the Mysterious Eyeball was so high that even the prompts from the Spirit Realm Rules could not be discerned, causing them to become disordered. Looking at the entire Earth Plane, Bai Xiaowen did not think there was any spiritual energy device that could detect it.

As for the Black Soul Stone, it's exclusive equipment for Hero Class. Not only is it soul-bound and impossible to steal, but even if someone did manage to steal it, no one else could use it... That's the significance of the word "exclusive." Keeping it secret is good, but even if it's exposed, it won't have a significant impact.

As for other psionic items, including A-Tier Storage Space items and the like, they probably wouldn't amount to much in the eyes of Advanced Awakened or even higher-level Evolver.

Moreover, Bai Xiaowen needs to prove his innocence—if the investigation results are unclear, the idea that Bai Xiaowen possesses a "treasure coveted by high-level demons" will likely be accepted by many powerful figures.

Being targeted by a group of powerful individuals—like the three who severed the Flame Demon Arm —is not a good thing. Bai Xiaowen is still very weak and needs to develop steadily.

Bai Xiaowen's initial refusal to be examined was more of an act, a ploy to bargain and extract some conditions. She didn't expect Xiang Tian to act unpredictably and simply leave.

However, Xiang Tian's last words were a wake-up call for Bai Xiaowen.

"Now it seems that Xiang Tian wasn't the mastermind. The one who really wanted to use this as an excuse was probably that old Fu he mentioned. Unfortunately for him, that old bastard Fu miscalculated. Now I'm at the minor stage of the Golden Body Realm, I'm not afraid of you at all! Until things are cleared up, even if you let me go, I'm not leaving!"

Two peaked caps peeked out from the courtyard outside the corridor.

Bai Xiaowen moved a chair and sat in front of the interrogation room. Ignoring them, she immediately entered Meditation state to practice her Meditation Specialty.

Meanwhile, in the small conference room of the Jinghai City Awakened Association, a group of guild leaders were arguing fiercely.

"Bai Xiaowen is a hero! He killed a Boss Tier who invaded the city center! Without him, the citizens of the Redfire Square Shelter would have faced a huge crisis! Is this how you treat the Hero Tier of the base city?" Li Beihai slammed his fist on the table and roared.

Opposite Li Beihai, a thin, middle-aged man with a mustache also stood up and started arguing with Li Beihai: "Hero Tier or scourge? We don't even know if he attracted this attack! How many years has Jinghai City not seen something like this? Spatial Rift opened right into the city center!"

"Bullshit, Wu Chonglian, you're clearly just jealous that our Super God Guild has a Hero Class, so you're trying to suppress us in various ways!"

"Pah! You're treating trash like a treasure. What good are summoner-type Hero Class? They're nowhere near as good as the Elite Tier in our Jingwu Guild..."

"Alright, we're all leaders of the association, stop acting like shrewish women," said an elderly man in military uniform with white hair, sitting in the main seat on the north side. "Old Fu, you were the one who brought this up, why don't you give your opinion?"

The elderly man in military uniform sat Xiang Tian to the right, while to the left sat a slightly overweight man, about fifty years old, who was clearly Old Fu.

"Bai Xiaowen is highly suspected of endangering the safety of the base city. In order to protect the lives and property of the people of the base city, Bai Xiaowen himself must accept long-term supervision and a comprehensive investigation, and disclose all personal information such as attributes, equipment slots, skill slots, and Storage Space, and cooperate with a physical examination..." Vice President Fu Yiping said with a stern face, "Of course, if he is willing to voluntarily hand over dangerous items that attract high-level demons, he will not only be exempt from supervision, but will also receive commendation."

Wu Chonglian, the president of the Jingwu Guild, quickly said, "Our Jingwu Guild supports President Fu's wise decision."

Li Beihai's expression turned grim as he stared at Fu Yiping: "Chairman Fu, what evidence do you have to prove that Bai Xiaowen has endangered the security of the base city?"

Fu Yiping: "No, but all indications suggest that he is highly suspicious."

"So, without any evidence, the authorities are going to search an Awakened One and restrict their personal freedom?" Li Beihai sneered. "How about we hold a vote? Including the lowest-ranking Awakened Ones, let's see how many Awakened Ones support this resolution?"

Xiang Tian coughed and offered his opinion. "This kind of precedent is indeed difficult to set; it will make all the Awakened Ones feel insecure... If nothing is found, it will have a huge negative impact on the Association. Then... who will take responsibility?"

When the topic of taking responsibility came up, Wu Chonglian of the Jingwu Guild shut his mouth.

Fu Yiping frowned and said, "I'm also considering the safety of the people in the base city. We can't just hesitate because we're afraid of taking responsibility."

The elderly man in military uniform, sitting in the middle, said, "Where's Bai Xiaowen? Let him come over... I'd like to ask for his opinion."