Neither Bagnell nor Xi Ping spoke. A decision of this magnitude was the boss's prerogative. It would determine the direction their group took from then on.
Everyone held their breath as they watched Chen Mu.
Tang Hanpei sipped his tea leisurely, unhurried and unruffled, looking more like an outsider than anyone else.
Chen Mu lowered his head and carefully weighed the gains and losses. About five minutes later, he finally looked up.
Everyone's eyes brightened. Even Tang Hanpei set down his teacup and turned his gaze toward Chen Mu, waiting for his answer.
"I'm sorry, but we won't participate directly in the fighting." Chen Mu's answer was very straightforward.
Behind him, Bagnell and Xi Ping both breathed sighs of relief. Beside them, Jiao Si finally relaxed his ramrod-straight back.
Tang Hanpei remained composed, a faint smile still on his face. "Won't you give it a little more thought, Mr. Cao?" he asked leisurely.
Chen Mu shook his head firmly. "I've already thought it through."
He truly had thought it through. If they joined the fighting, they would be branded with the Federation Comprehensive Academy's mark from then on. In essence, that was no different from joining the Federation Comprehensive Academy outright. And if the Federation Comprehensive Academy discovered that he was the one who had assassinated Zu Ning, it would mean that even his sole remaining escape route was gone.
Besides, he did not believe the Card Adepts under his command possessed much combat strength. With Tang Hanpei's power, how could he possibly need the tiny amount of fighting strength Chen Mu could offer?
"Heh, a Card Crafter capable of producing the Digital Series Cards is indeed no ordinary person. How could I force your hand?" Tang Hanpei's smile remained unchanged, yet everyone felt a chill in their hearts.
He