"I'm sorry, President..."

"It was my negligence that led to all of this, and I am willing to take full responsibility!"

Makino was filled with trepidation.

He was filled with remorse and lingering fear.

yes.

This woman almost succeeded.

If the chairman listens to his urging today and lets this woman live in the dungeon, and he considers Ah Hui his own brother.

Extracting intelligence would be as easy as turning one's hand.

What enabled the Dawn Society to rise from Linhai City?

It was Zhang Hao's strength alone. No, the main credit was actually the intelligence from his previous life. From the initial step-by-step planning to later using the zombie horde to nip the potential threat of One-Eyed in the bud.

Then they moved to Leizhou City.

Having resolved the initial crisis of marine life landing and averted the devastation of the meteorite catastrophe, the Dawn Society gradually rose to prominence with almost zero losses, becoming one of the leading organizations in the region.

And this crucial intelligence.

The Dawn Society's top brass now have a pretty good grasp of the situation.

These high-ranking officials are also well aware of the other super-sequence metals they will be targeting in the future. Once this woman with ulterior motives infiltrates the Dawn Society and obtains information about super-sequence metals...

How terrible would that be?

How is this any different from colluding with the enemy?

It would be a lie to say Zhang Hao wasn't angry. He looked at Ahui with a cold gaze and said, "You were indeed negligent, but it wasn't just you. Your brother Ahui... is also a complete idiot, blinded by lust and without a shred of common sense."

“You two can’t escape responsibility. If I hadn’t listened to Zhao Wu and tested you, you probably still wouldn’t have let it go until you got this woman out of the woods. You’re loyal to your brothers.”

"But can we live up to the expectations of the Dawn Society family?"

"I...I'm sorry," Makino said bitterly.

Seeing his boss in this state, Ah Hui knelt down and pleaded, "President, it's my fault. I was bewitched by this woman. Punish me alone, even if it means my death..."

"Do you even have the right to speak?"

He wasn't finished yet.

*Smack!*

Zhang Hao slapped him across the face.

Ahui coughed up blood and smashed through the security door.

He fell heavily into the villa's courtyard, completely listless and looking utterly miserable.

"Even now... do you still think you want to shoulder the burden alone?"

"Can you, Ahui, bear the responsibility for such a serious mistake alone? Please plead for Muye. If it weren't for the fact that you've followed me for so many years, I would have slapped you to death."

Zhang Hao looked at Mu Ye kneeling on the ground and said in an unquestionable tone: "Punishment is certain, and it will be severe. You, Mu Ye, will be removed from your position as deputy regimental commander and sent to a squad as an ordinary member."

"I will not allow you to be promoted for the time being. When I see that you are no longer making stupid mistakes, I will consider restoring you to your original position."

"Yes, Chairman."

Makino nodded.

"What about Ahui? What was his previous position?"

"He is the captain of my [Justice Legion], and his current strength is level five."

“Ahui is removed from his position as battalion commander and will never be promoted again. This kind of stupid person is not suitable for a high position. He can just be a lowly soldier by your side for the rest of his life. Do you have any complaints?”

"No."

"That's fine then, get out of here."

"Yes, Chairman."

Makino had no complaints whatsoever.

With a dejected Ah Hui, they walked down the mountaintop with a sense of melancholy.

Although I knew the chairman had promised to grant him power based on his performance, this incident still happened.

Anyone would feel uncomfortable in that situation.

It will be extremely difficult to regain the president's favor.

Even if he manages to squeeze into the upper echelons again, it will be very difficult to return to his former state; he can only say that he brought it on himself.

"..."

Inside the villa.

Fang Ping, Wu Yanfeng, and the others were dumbfounded.

I never imagined that such a simple mistake would cost me the position of deputy regimental commander.

And he was reduced to a lowly soldier?

Even the promotion channels have been blocked by the guild leader.

But doesn't this also prove the anger and dissatisfaction in the chairman's heart?

This is a case of making an example of someone.

Looking at the silent crowd, Zhang Hao said indifferently, "Mu Ye's biggest mistake was not using his position to try to get a woman, but trusting others without investigation."

“Ah Hui is his brother, so he can trust him. But what about that woman? He’s never even met her. How can he bail her out based on just a word from Ah Hui? This isn’t negligence; it’s stupidity. Everyone here holds a high position of power.”

"The lowest-ranking officer is the deputy commander, who can easily mobilize tens of thousands of people. There are also commanders who control tens of thousands of legion members, and commanders-in-chief who have the power to mobilize the five legions of the Dawn Society. I trust you, so I have given you this power."

"But these powers..."

"I hope you all cherish this opportunity. If you are so stupid that you can't even distinguish right from wrong and cause from effect, I suggest you give up this life. Don't think that Dawn can't function just because a few of you are gone."

"Of course... I will still show you some leniency since you have all followed me for so long. You can fight for power and profit, and you can use your positions to benefit yourselves, but you must not lose the big picture for small gains."

"Small mistakes can be tolerated, but big mistakes are unforgivable, understand?"

"Understood, Chairman."

Everyone nodded respectfully.

They all began to reflect on themselves.

It's normal to use power for personal gain, but to lose a hard-earned position for a trivial benefit... that would be a case of losing more than you gain.

Zhang Hao glanced around: "But this matter is not over yet. Ah Hui just said that this woman contacted him through a guard in the dungeon, but prisoners in the dungeon are normally allowed to contact the outside world."

"So this unknown guard also needs to be investigated. Zhao Wu, I'm giving you one day to resolve this matter. If you can't find this person within one day, then you will bear the responsibility."

"Yes, Chairman." Zhao Wu nodded solemnly.

"The Dawn Society has grown to a scale far exceeding any other force in the vicinity in less than two years. However, such rapid development inevitably leads to some loopholes. I hope that all the leaders and deputy leaders will carefully examine their respective legions."

Zhang Hao said calmly, "Check for omissions and fill gaps. Those bad apples should be removed and punished as appropriate... Don't show any mercy. This is for your own good and for the good of Dawn."