Chapter 236: Today's Main Course—

Chen Ling nodded slightly and walked inside.

The participants of this banquet were all figures familiar to Chen Ling: the prosecutor, the defense lawyer, the nine reporters who sat in the opposite public gallery that day, and... Chen Ling's gaze fell on a short, dark, and shifty-eyed old man wearing a gray cotton coat.

And the traitor of the Third District, the witness Old Man Ding.

At this moment, Old Man Ding was standing at the edge of the stage, his narrow eyes staring straight at the beautiful woman in the dress playing the violin. His gaze was like a filthy, obscene boning knife, peeling from the snow-white skin she had exposed to the places covered by the fabric...

He held a red wine glass in one hand, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth, seemingly very intoxicated.

Chen Ling recognized him. He was an ordinary resident of a street next to Frost Street. He didn't have a proper job on weekdays and relied on his wife working in a factory to support the family. He was the object of gossip and criticism by the old ladies at the street corner all year round.

Chen Ling remembered that when he saved him, he was following a group of refugees, groaning and looking like he was about to die. Chen Ling, who was trying to gather enough audience members at the time, didn't think much and pulled him onto the train directly. He didn't expect that this Old Man Ding, after entering Aurora City, would become the only traitor of the Third District...

"How is it, beautiful?" Prosecutor Fang Lichang walked to Old Man Ding's side and said lightly.

"Beautiful, beautiful!" Old Man Ding pursed his lips. "In our Third District, you can't see such a good-looking girl... Aurora City is really good, like heaven."

Feeling Old Man Ding's naked lust, Fang Lichang frowned involuntarily. He finally understood why others didn't want to get close to this Old Man Ding. Staying with someone like him simply lowered his own status.

Fang Lichang glanced at him. "Beautiful women are everywhere, but Bach's 'Air on the G String' is not something you can hear in a countryside place like the seven major districts..."

"The Prosecutor is right, I've never even heard of this thing in the Third District, it's really stylish!" Old Man Ding clapped his hands repeatedly, flattering him clumsily, but his gaze didn't intend to leave those white legs at all.

Fang Lichang took a deep breath, thinking that this guy was an important witness after the trial started, and tried to be as calm as possible:

"As long as you perform well in court, money will naturally not be less for you. When the time comes, you can have as many women as you want..."

"I want her! I want her!!" Old Man Ding was suddenly excited, pointing at the beautiful woman on the stage. "I want her to... uh, I want her to teach me that whatever tune, I want to learn the violin!"

Fang Lichang's face turned iron-blue, and he turned and left without a word. He really didn't want to say another half-sentence to this lecherous pig.

Seeing Fang Lichang leave, Old Man Ding scratched his forehead, which didn't have many hairs left, and turned to continue staring at the beautiful woman playing the violin on the stage. Just then, a voice came from behind him.

"Mr. Ding, I'm very curious."

Old Man Ding looked back and found it was a young reporter in a coffee-colored jacket.

"Curious about what?"

"If I remember correctly, if it weren't for the defendant Han Meng guarding the city gate with his life, you wouldn't have been able to enter Aurora City at all." Chen Ling said slowly. "You are now testifying falsely in court, doesn't your conscience hurt?"

"Conscience? How much is that thing worth? Can it help me marry a wife and learn the violin?" Old Man Ding sneered. "I didn't beg that Han Meng to help me open the gate, he wanted to do it himself, what does it have to do with me?"

Deep in Chen Ling's eyes, a flash of cold murderous intent flickered.

Immediately after, this murderous intent turned into a smile. He looked at Old Man Ding with a smile, as if a spring breeze was blowing on his face.

"Okay, I understand."

Chen Ling turned and left.

"Zhuo Shuqing, have you finished your draft?" A reporter called out to Chen Ling. Several of them, small-time reporters, were huddled together, as if chatting enthusiastically about something.

"I arrived a bit late today, I haven't finished it yet."

"We have all completed our first drafts and handed them to the prosecutor to read. Your speed is too slow." Another reporter teased. "Attacking [Spade 6] is big news. If you miss it, you'll be so angry you'll be pounding your bed in the middle of the night."

Chen Ling raised an eyebrow, and a thought quickly surged into his mind. "Having said that, have you ever seen a real [Spade 6]?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the reporters and the defense attorney chatting with them froze in place.

"How could anyone have seen him... It’s hard to say if such a person even exists within the Twilight Society, right?" one reporter said, lost in thought. "I reckon that since a [Heart 6] appeared a while back, that person just took the opportunity to pick a [Spade 6] persona to bluff everyone. Who could have actually seen him?"

"As for [Spade 6], I have heard some rumors."

"Oh?"

Reporters are curious by nature. Once Chen Ling said this, everyone immediately became interested. "What kind of rumors?"

"Legend has it that this [Spade 6] is ever-changing. Sometimes he’s an old man, sometimes a child, sometimes a beautiful woman..."

Catching the words "beautiful woman," Old Man Ding’s ears perked up, and he immediately turned and leaned in.

"What beautiful woman?"

Seeing Old Man Ding get involved, the others looked somewhat disgusted, but they couldn't say much. One reporter asked skeptically, "Wait, doesn't that sound a bit like that [Heart 6]? Isn't it said that he also has the ability to change?"

"It’s different. This [Spade 6] seems to have no physical form; he’s like a ghost that can possess people," Chen Ling said, lowering his voice. "Rumor has it that his personality is incredibly cruel and he holds grudges... Almost everyone who has seen him has been tortured to death."

"A ghost? Is it really that eerie?"

"Aren't all the people in the Twilight Society that eerie? This is actually on the milder side..."

"That makes sense. That [Heart 6] who burned himself to death was even more eerie. I was at the scene at the time, and that smile before he died... it was truly bone-chilling."

“……”

The reporters began to chime in one after another. Old Man Ding listened for a long time, and realizing there was no news about a beautiful woman, he could only return to the area below the stage, feeling listless...

Just then, the violin music ended, and Prosecutor Fang Lichang walked slowly onto the stage.

Everyone tactfully quieted down.

"I have read all of your news drafts. They are very well written."

Fang Lichang’s voice echoed through the banquet hall. As he began to speak, seven or eight waiters pushed food carts to the area below the stage. Silver metal covers hid steaming dishes, and everyone’s eyes immediately lit up.

"...To thank you all for your cooperation, the Star Chamber of Commerce and I have specially hosted this banquet. We’ve invited the best chefs in Aurora City to prepare some top-tier dishes for you. Once you’ve had enough to drink, feel free to have a taste..."

"This banquet serves as an early celebration of our success. I wish you all a smooth rise to power and the fulfillment of all your wishes in Aurora City."

As Fang Lichang finished speaking, he raised his glass high. The crowd below followed suit, raising their glasses and downing the wine in one gulp.

After a few glasses of red wine, Fang Lichang’s cheeks were slightly flushed. He was in a great mood, so he waved his hand and said to the waiters below:

"Let’s eat!"

The bright lights shone on the metal covers of the food carts, their smooth surfaces reflecting the expectant gazes of the crowd. As the waiters slowly lifted the metal covers, the sound of people swallowing their saliva could be heard all around.

But the next moment, everyone froze in place.

Instead of any delicious food, the exquisite and clean plates were piled high with mountains of playing cards...

Today’s main course—[Spade 6].