strokinit Chapter 119 Mobilization
Chapter 119 Mobilization
Chapter 119 Mobilization
Anthony remained expressionless and continued reading the remaining evidence in his steady tone, including details of several secret meetings and payments for bribes, leaving no detail out.
As the last syllable faded, the hall fell into a deathly silence once more, as if even the air itself had frozen.
The sorcerer stood trembling, the "shh" sound seeming to suck away all the air around him, leaving him suffocating in despair. He opened his mouth in vain, but could not utter a single decent syllable.
A deathly silence enveloped the hall, and all eyes were focused on Lin Qi.
They gathered around the "Mist Hanger," who had killed countless people.
Although they gathered here because of the name and promise of the "Mist Hangman," in reality, for most of them, until the moment the mask disappeared, the "Hangman" was still a legendary symbol, a terrifying ghost that wandered between wars and carried out their revenge.
Their perception of this title is absolute power, the thrill of revenge, and... ruthless slaughter.
What unsettled them at that moment was their lack of sufficient understanding of the person in front of them.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the executioner to deliver his final verdict.
But Lynch didn't speak; his gaze was fixed on the male wizard, as if it were a physical object.
The invisible pressure felt almost tangible, pressing down on the wizard's head.
Just as the poor fellow was about to break down, Lynch spoke, his voice eerily calm, as if the extreme pressure of that moment had never existed.
"Mr. G, I am very disappointed in you because you have tarnished our pure dreams." He pronounced the other person's code name accurately, each syllable clear and cold. "But you don't deserve to die. You were just temporarily captured by greed... so I will give you another chance."
The wizard, whom Lynch called Gruber, gasped for breath, as if a drowning man had grabbed a lifeline. He stared intently at Lynch, awaiting his judgment.
Lin Qi leaned back slightly, his fingers tapping lightly on the cold stone table.
He spoke, and every word he uttered clearly reached the ears of everyone in the hall.
"First, effective immediately, you are relieved of your duties at the Shita Chamber of Commerce and transferred from the organization's logistics support department."
Join Mr. A's combat unit. You will need to shed blood to wash away the stain you have etched on our dreams.
Mr. G's face beneath his robe had completely lost its color.
All combat missions of the First Order are undertaken by specialized combat units, whose core tasks are to escort the Stone Tower Merchant Guild's supplies or guard the guild's important locations.
As the chamber of commerce grew in size, the goods it transported were naturally of considerable value, attracting countless greedy and ill-intentioned glances along the way.
Therefore, all the wizards in the combat department are skilled in actual combat and train and prepare for battle all day long.
With his meager strength, once thrown into such a team, the gap between him and those real combatants would be worlds apart—it would be like sending himself, a lamb, into a pack of wolves.
"Second," Lynch's voice remained completely flat, "all the illegal profits you obtained through selling inferior goods, once calculated, you must return double. Not a single Galleon, not a single one less, directly to the deceived clients. Use your private treasury..."
"Use your salary, even sell your collection—I don't care how you raise the money, you only have one month."
Lin Qi looked at the standing wizard with a sincere gaze: "Mr. G, I hope you can settle this compensation payment in a timely manner."
Mr. G seemed to have all his bones removed, bowing his head deeply, his voice hoarse: "Yes, Your Excellency. Thank you for your forgiveness." Lynch waved his hand, and Andrew appeared behind the wizard with his men, taking his arm and dragging him to a corner of the hall—he was no longer qualified to sit at the stone table.
Lynch stopped looking at him, as if he had become an insignificant part of the past.
His gaze swept across the entire room again, and his sharp eyes made everyone who met his gaze instinctively straighten their backs.
Although Mr. G's life was spared, the severe punishment he received still put everyone on edge.
Lin Qi's voice rang out again, his tone serious.
"The cysts inside have been punished, but that's not why we're gathered here today," he said slowly.
"I have summoned you here today to inform you of a confirmed piece of news—Voldemort...has returned."
When Lynch uttered this news, the air in the entire hall seemed to be sucked out instantly. Even those who had experienced brutal war and harbored deep hatred for the Dark Lord still instinctively trembled upon hearing this name.
Some people suddenly covered their mouths, some gasped but found they could barely breathe, and many more people's faces instantly turned extremely solemn and pale.
Dead silence.
A deathly silence heavier and more oppressive than ever before.
A few seconds later, a chorus of whispers rose up, filled with disbelief and panic.
"This—this is impossible."
"The mysterious man—he's back?"
"...—We've returned!"
Lynch did not stop the brief commotion; he simply watched silently and waited.
As the murmurs subsided, all eyes turned to him once more.
Lin Qi looked puzzled. "Why do so many of you look so incredulous?"
"Did I remember wrong?"
"I remember it clearly! Every one of you was explicitly told when you joined: the war has never truly ended, and Voldemort is far from being completely eradicated!"
"The ultimate goal of the First Order, from day one, has been to eradicate that scourge and all his henchmen, and to create a completely new and better wizarding world!"
Lin Qi stood up, placed his hands on the stone table, leaned forward, and scanned everyone in the hall with piercing eyes.
"This is our chance!"
His voice was steady and firm, filled with undeniable power: "An opportunity to completely eliminate Voldemort and his Death Eaters!"
"
"We will show him, show all the pure-blood nobles, show the Ministry of Magic what true power and true order are! An order we create, one that can truly protect those who deserve protection and crush those who deserve crushing!"
"The old order cannot protect you! The Ministry of Magic's ostrich policy will only bring greater disaster! The arrogance and selfishness of pure-blood families will be a breeding ground for darkness! When the storm comes, who will protect the innocent, the non-pure-bloods, and all the wizards who refuse to kneel at the Dark Lord's feet?"
Lynch spread his arms wide: "Just us!"
After a brief silence—
"The First Order!" Reggie's hoarse voice echoed in the hall.
Like a chain reaction, the next second, all the members, including Gruber who had just been punished and whose face was ashen, seemed to have been injected with a powerful stimulant. They suddenly stood up, their emotions running high, and roared in unison:
"A wizard is a wizard!"
The roaring sound crashed against the walls of the cave, as if conveying this unwavering belief directly to the entire magical world.
Lin Qi looked at the power before him, driven and united by conviction, and slowly nodded.