The United Kingdom, London, Freemason headquarters.

A high-level meeting within the Freemasons is about to be held.

At this time, dozens of members had already arrived.

They sat around a round table, whispering among themselves.

They are full members of the organization and hold high positions; they are the backbone of Freemasonry, including supervisors and officers.

Their ranks are divided into as many as thirty-three levels.

Of course, the higher the level, the fewer the number of people.

Even Mr. M's superior, Memphis, was just a low-ranking clerk and was not qualified to participate in such a meeting.

As for many public figures who are active outside, although many are considered to be Freemasons, they are actually just apprentices and not yet formal members.

Footsteps sounded; the president had arrived.

He went to the seat on the east side and pulled out the chair.

Everyone stood up, bowed to the president, and said, "Good afternoon, Your Excellency."

"Lord" is a respectful title used by Freemason members to address their leader.

The president nodded and greeted everyone with a smile, "Good afternoon, everyone! Please have a seat!"

After he finished speaking, he sat down, and the others followed suit.

A moment later, the president gently tapped a silver bell that was placed on the table.

"when--"

The scene immediately fell silent.

The president began calmly, "Now, let's have a meeting to summarize recent events, especially those concerning that Chinese man."

Everyone felt a chill; they knew that recruiting that Easterner into the association would definitely be a major topic of discussion.

Someone's going to be in trouble.

So, Bronson, the supervisor in charge of the matter, recounted the whole story from beginning to end.

He emphasized that while his subordinate M was indeed at fault, the Chinese man's tough attitude, refusal to cooperate, and ultimately hiring mercenaries to fight back was a great insult to the organization.

Although the organization suffered heavy losses in Madrid, with many of its key strongholds and forces killed and its goods stolen, resulting in losses of up to $84 million, this was only the physical loss. The greater loss came from the loss of morale.

He pointed out that this incident has had a significant negative impact on the organization.

After Supervisor Bronson finished speaking, he nodded to everyone and then fell silent.

"Let's all share our thoughts," the president said casually, flipping through the documents in his hand.

Upon hearing this, the sound of papers turning in the room subsided considerably.

Someone said, "There are several reasons for this failure. First, there was the problem with the person in charge. Second, there was the problem with that Chinese man, Chen Dong, who looked down on us. Third, there was the problem with information gathering."

Then, he elaborated on his point of view, which can be summarized as follows:

Mr. M behaved inappropriately and did not show any respect for Chen Dong.

But why was M able to be dispatched? This requires a thorough investigation.

However, one undeniable fact is that the organization's investigation into Chen Dong, a Chinese national, was far from sufficient. They lacked understanding of Chen's thoughts, perceptions, values, and attitude towards Freemasonry.

This incident reveals that Chen Dong has a misunderstanding of Freemasonry and displays contempt in his behavior.

He originally thought that Chen Dong was worth winning over, but now it seems that this is not the case.

Chen Dong possesses the arrogance and prejudice typical of Easterners, lacking even basic respect for Freemasonry. Even if the Freemasons were at fault first, Freemasonry itself should be treated as a god, not as a serious provocation.

As Bronson recounted his story, those present gradually came to believe that Chen Dong lacked basic respect for the organization, successfully igniting the anger of everyone present.

Someone said angrily:

"Therefore, what we need to do now is, firstly, punish those who fail to perform their duties, and secondly, severely punish Chen Dong."

Next, the group decided to impose penalties such as fines, demotions, and criminal punishments on the supervisors in charge of the matter, including Bronson, Memphis, and Mr. M.

After punishing their own members, they turned their attention to Chen Dong.

Supervisor Bronson spoke up: "First of all, it is no longer appropriate to recruit Chen Dong; he has become our enemy."

Another member said, "Yes, Chen Dong must be punished so that the outside world can see our reaction and maintain their fear of us. Otherwise, it could very well be the beginning of the organization's declining influence."

Make an example of someone!

"We must launch a full-scale attack on Chen Dong and let the outside world see the consequences of angering us."

At this point, a member raised a different opinion: "Actually, I think the reason Chen Dong dares to act so recklessly is because he must have the support of China. In this incident, China stood up for Chen Dong and protected him. In other words, we should be more wary of China as a country."

"That's right, we must face the problem of China squarely. This time, we can find a way to take it down!" someone agreed.

The president nodded: "That's right. Chen Dong and China are two sides of the same coin. To strike at Chen Dong, we must strike at China at the same time. China is the last stronghold we need to conquer."

Supervisor Bronson agreed: "Yes, they are both our enemies. We should take a two-pronged approach, attacking both at the same time, so that China is too busy to take care of itself."

“We can adopt a comprehensive approach, striking from all sides rather than focusing on one aspect. In other words, we can combine this with a grand strategy to reap the benefits of the Asia-Pacific region.”

"The best way is to sow discord between Chen Dong and China."

"Simple. While striking, we can throw out a bait to force China to abandon Chen Dong and stop providing him with protection."

"Good, this is a good idea. It's like killing someone by destroying their spirit! Without China's protection, Chen Dong will be unable to move an inch."

"That's not all. We should use the Chen Dong incident as a breakthrough to dig a trap for the Chinese leadership. As long as China backs down and hands over Chen Dong, and we then spread the word, the outcome will be self-evident..."

Another person immediately chimed in: "That's right, it will lose the hearts of the people and collapse without a fight!"

The chairman nodded in agreement: "Okay, let's do it that way! We have so many chips on our hands, it's time to use them. Tell me, where exactly do we start?"

Just now, Supervisor Bronson was racking his brains when suddenly, a thought seemed to light up his eyes. "China has a large population and is dependent on external food supplies. We can create a food crisis and then put pressure on China."

His proposal was endorsed by the chairman: "Indeed, the food issue has always been a major problem. If this weapon is used properly, it can produce unexpected results."

Everyone praised it.

The chairman continued, "Furthermore, the crackdown on Chen Dong should be comprehensive, including his businesses, his personal life, and his social connections. You will be in charge of this matter."

Bronson immediately replied, "Yes, Chairman, I will take care of it!"

The issue of food, which affects millions of ordinary people, was thus resolved in just a few words from these people.

The suffering and happiness of ordinary people are not within the considerations of these people.

......