Players: All NPCs in the Sect Are Moles

[Regional Channel: Anhe City]

But in the public channel, it was a completely different scene.

The newly impeached [Kabuta Giant], now just a commoner, was spamming the chat with his wails.

[Kabuta Giant]: AHHHHH! My office! My cultivation bonus! My copper coins!

[Kabuta Giant]: Give me justice! These damn council members screwed me over! We all discussed it together, so why am I the only one taking the fall?! Are we teammates or not?!

Just as his crying reached its peak, the newly appointed council member, [I’m a Pauper], twisted the knife.

[I’m a Pauper]: @[Kabuta Giant], thanks for the official post, top bro! We may have never met, but I’ll carry on your legacy—and your stat bonus—and do a great job in this position! May good people have a peaceful life!

[Kabuta Giant]: PUH—!! (Spits a mouthful of old blood)

[Passerby A]: HAHAHAHA! I’m dying! The server’s first official to be impeached for "attempted corruption" has been born! He didn’t even get his hands on the money! That’s what you call an idiot tax!

[Salty Player]: @[I’m a Pauper], don’t get too cocky! I bet you won’t last long! How could a free lunch like this just fall into your lap? There’s got to be something shady going on! I demand a thorough investigation!

[Ah Qiang Who Wants to Be an Official]: I strongly suggest investigating all the city guards too! They’re definitely all corrupt! Kick them all out! Such a thankless job serving the people should be shouldered by me! I’m not afraid of hardship! Let me purify the officialdom of Anhe City! Of course, it would be even better if you just made me a council member!

[Waiting in Line]: Yes, yes, yes! Get them all out! Hurry! I’m ranked 50th for the city guard position. As long as the 40 ahead of me get removed, I can become a council member! Brothers, go ahead and "accidentally" make some mistakes to help me soar to the heavens!

Amidst the chaotic flood of messages in the channel, [Kabuta Giant]’s friend, [Old Three Next Door], sent him a private message, his tone sinister.

[Old Three Next Door]: Bro! Stop wailing. You’re just giving these bastards a show.

[Old Three Next Door]: Since they deliberately pushed you out to be the scapegoat, we’ll just keep an eye on those city guards and council members! We’ll watch them 24/7! The moment we find any dirt on them, we report them immediately! Besides, after you wait thirty days, you can apply to be a city guard again. How dare they mess with us! Let the reporting begin!

[Old Three Next Door]: As long as we take them all down one by one and free up their spots, we might even be able to snag a city guard position again! We’ll take back everything we lost!

...

[Anhe City Round Table Conference Hall]

The scene returns to the conference hall.

Around the round table, the chair that once belonged to [Kabuta Giant] was now empty. The remaining members looked at each other, the atmosphere suddenly becoming very delicate.

[Mojin Xiaowei] was the first to break the silence. He looked around innocently. "Sigh, I recall just now... who was it that was hyping him up the most? I think it was you, wasn’t it?"

[Light of the Righteous Path] immediately widened his eyes. "Nonsense! I was setting him up to fail! Ever heard of that? I couldn’t stand the sight of him. How could a degenerate like that, who just wants to slack off and play dirty, be allowed to remain in our sacred council?"

[Big Brother Leader] chimed in hastily, "Yes, yes, yes! That’s what I was thinking too! The only reason I went along with him was to inflate his ego and expose his true nature so we’d have an excuse to kick him out! It was a tactic! A purge!"

"That’s right! Me too!"

"Same here!"

The members exchanged glances, reaching a tacit understanding.

Just then, a flash of white light appeared. The newly appointed council member, [I’m a Pauper], teleported into the hall, materializing in the empty chair.

"Oh, the newbie’s here!"

[Light of the Righteous Path] immediately put on a warm, welcoming smile. "Welcome, welcome! So it’s Brother [I’m a Pauper]. You’re finally here! Now that you’re on the council, you’re one of us! Come on, are you interested in..."

However, as [I’m a Pauper] looked at their faces, all smiles like blooming chrysanthemums, he felt the hairs on his body stand on end.

He wasn’t an idiot. He’d just seen from the outside how [Kabuta Giant] had met his end, and now he was witnessing this group’s instant face-changing acting skills. ’This has to be a trap!’ he thought. ’It’s all traps!’

Faced with their attempts to cozy up to him, [I’m a Pauper] shot to his feet, a righteous and awe-inspiring expression on his face as he bellowed, "Everyone! Stop right there!"

"I joined this council to be fair and impartial! I became an official to serve the people of Anhe City!"

"Don’t you dare tell me about any of your shady business! I won’t listen! I won’t look! And I won’t do it!"

"Also, don’t even think about tricking me into being your scapegoat! If anyone dares to say anything out of line to me again, I’ll report you in a heartbeat!"

Watching this newcomer, who had immediately equipped himself with the "Incorruptible Official" shield, the remaining council members felt their lips twitch.

’Well,’ they thought, ’looks like this one won’t be an easy scapegoat. Who’s going to come up with some bug-exploiting ideas now? Our council desperately needs that kind of trailblazing talent!’

...

As one of the council members, [One Sword to Rule the World] had no interest in low-level corruption like farming copper coins, but that didn’t mean he was without desire.

He stared at his own attribute panel, his gaze locked on the line "Cultivation Speed +0.1%." For a player with no money who was single-mindedly pursuing a higher realm, he desperately wanted to double it.

But as he looked at the [City Information] panel, his brow furrowed.

[City: Anhe City]

[Nominal Allegiance]: Daqian Dynasty

[Current City Lord]: Zhao Decang

[Actual Controller]: The Su Family Immortal

[One Sword to Rule the World] stroked his chin. ’Even though the actual controller is Su Ling’er, the system still determines the "Nominal Allegiance" as Daqian, and the City Lord is still that Zhao Decang guy.’

’Is it because this NPC is still around? Or maybe we need some kind of abdication ceremony cutscene?’

...

As time went on, the reporting frenzy showed no signs of stopping.

Officials reported officials, commoners reported officials, officials reported commoners, and commoners reported commoners.

On the streets, every city guard would occasionally be trailed by a few players. These people did nothing but keep their [Screen Recording Function] active, monitoring the guards’ every move.

Corruption? ’Get out, I’ll take your spot!’ Slacking off? ’I don’t slack off, so this position should be mine!’ Not capable enough? ’If you’re not capable enough, you’re clearly not suited for the job. Why not hand it over to me!’

If a city guard dared to commit any infraction, a crowd would immediately pop out shouting, "Screenshot! Recorded! Abuse of power! This city guard spot is mine now!"

Some city guards who committed serious infractions were even reported until they got a red name status. They were then arrested by other city guards—who got credit for the arrest—locked up for nearly a month, and even permanently blacklisted from the Anhe City official system.

Caught in this web, council members, city guards, and common players alike were forced to become extremely cautious to protect their stat bonuses or copper coins, to avoid being pushed out, or to climb the ladder. But even so, there were always some daredevils or opportunists who continued to provide a steady supply of infractions and vacant positions.

...

[Pingyang City - Official Road]

The official road to Pingyang City was desolate.

[Jiang Stone] was traveling alone down that road, searching for clues about the [Bone-Breaking Lineage].

He walked for a long time, and the sky began to grow dark.

Ahead, by the side of the road, a tattered wine banner fluttered in the wind...