Metal Bat suddenly burst out laughing, slamming his bat heavily on the ground: "Good! Well said! Rookie, I was blind, I didn't see you clearly."
Tanktop Master's tense expression relaxed, and he looked at Allen thoughtfully: "So that's it. As expected of Mr. Allen."
Zombieman silently put out his cigarette, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Interesting."
Child Emperor pushed up his glasses, a hint of surprise flashing across his youthful face, followed by an approving smile: "Mr. Allen is indeed very thoughtful."
Zenil's face instantly turned ashen, and the image in the projection flickered slightly: "This... this..."
That damned Allen actually dared to use his apology to win people over, not only making the other S-Class Heroes admire him more, but also winning over the lower-ranked heroes. Although two hundred million wasn't much to him, Allen's move truly disgusted him.
"What?" Allen crossed his arms, his gaze sharp as a knife: "Didn't Mr. Zenil say he would compensate? Was he just all talk?"
Metal Bat, with his bat slung over his shoulder, grinned: "Hey, old man, you're not getting stingy with money, are you?"
Tanktop Master crossed his arms, his muscles bulging: "Mr. Zenil has always considered himself a philanthropist. He shouldn't refuse such a small request, right?"
Zombieman lit a cigarette, a meaningful smile appearing through the smoke: "It seems some people's true colors can't be hidden anymore."
Tatsumaki floated beside Allen, her green curly hair gently swaying, her small hand subtly tugging at Allen's sleeve, her eyes sparkling with pride. She hadn't expected Allen to retaliate in such a way, both protecting the interests of the lower-ranked heroes and delivering a harsh blow to Zenil's face.
As things stood, Zenil could only pretend to be generous: "Of course, no problem. Since that's the case, I should also make a gesture. I'm willing to donate another five hundred million, as a token of my sincerity."
As soon as Zenil finished speaking, the conference room erupted in an uproar, but not a single S-Class Hero expressed gratitude to him. After all, five hundred million was truly a drop in the bucket for Zenil, while Allen was known to not be wealthy, so the effect was naturally different.
"In that case, I will thank Mr. Zenil on behalf of the lower-ranked heroes for his contribution." Allen sat back down in his seat, his gaze sweeping over the high-ranking officials in the conference room, whose expressions varied.
He was naturally happy to stay in the Association, as this would allow him to better promote his own people and connect with more heroes.
Zenil secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this. He hadn't expected Allen to be so unyielding. If he really let the other party continue like this, his position would definitely be affected.
To avoid such incidents from happening again, Zenil planned to send Allen a gift after the meeting. Since he couldn't control him, he could only try to win him over first.
Tatsumaki's green curly hair fell slightly, and she tensed her body vigilantly. She noticed that Child Emperor was thoughtfully observing Allen, so she couldn't relax her guard yet.
Chairman Sitch wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: "Then, let's move on to the next agenda item..."
After the mid-meeting break, Tatsumaki, pulling Allen's sleeve, quickly walked out of the conference room. Her green curly hair swayed slightly due to the hurried movement, and her fingers unconsciously tightened, her knuckles turning white.
"Hey, Rookie." She lowered her voice, her green eyes scanning her surroundings vigilantly.
"That kid has been staring at us. He seems to be suspicious of you."
Allen followed her gaze and indeed found Child Emperor standing at the corner of the corridor, thoughtfully observing them. Noticing their gaze, Child Emperor pushed up his glasses and walked towards them.
"Mr. Allen, Senior Tatsumaki." Child Emperor's voice, though youthful, carried a maturity that belied his age.
"Could I have a word with you in private?"
Tatsumaki's green curly hair instantly bristled: "If you have something to say, say it here!"
Child Emperor's gaze lingered on Allen for a few seconds: "Regarding the Association's reform mentioned in the meeting just now, I have some thoughts I'd like to discuss with you."
Allen could feel Tatsumaki's hand, gripping his sleeve, tighten even more. He gently patted her hand: "It's alright, I'll be right back."
"Who said you could agree so casually?" Tatsumaki's ear tips turned slightly red, but her voice lowered: "I'm coming too!"
Child Emperor looked at Tatsumaki's unusual behavior, a hint of confusion flashing across his youthful face. He led the two to a small conference room, and after closing the door, he went straight to the point: "Mr. Allen, what are your thoughts on the current state of the Association?"
Allen noticed Tatsumaki floating beside him, green energy vaguely surrounding them, clearly as a precaution. He pondered for a moment: "Rotten roots need to be pulled out. If the blood of one conference room can buy a brighter future, I think nothing could be better."
Child Emperor was stunned after hearing this. He had originally been thinking about how to make Allen a bit more radical and persuade him to work together to reduce the power of sixty percent of the Hero Association's high-ranking officials, but it turned out the other party was even more radical than him.
"Mr. Allen." Child Emperor pushed up his glasses, a hint of shock flashing across his youthful face: "Are you saying you want to completely eliminate those corrupt high-ranking officials?"
"Wouldn't we be too radical?" He was a bit worried. Allen was truly too radical, and it would be better to persuade him to be a bit more conservative.
Tatsumaki tugged at Allen's sleeve and whispered into his ear: "Idiot! How can you say such things so casually! And in front of an outsider, no less."
Allen gently patted Tatsumaki, signaling her to calm down: "Since Child Emperor proactively sought us out to talk, he must have also seen the Association's problems."
Child Emperor's gaze darted between the two, finally nodding: "Indeed, I've been secretly investigating the corruption within the Association, but I've lacked sufficient power."
Tatsumaki stared at Child Emperor vigilantly: "Kid, what exactly do you want?"
"Senior Tatsumaki." Child Emperor looked directly into her eyes: "You should also be aware of how bad the Association's current situation is. Those high-ranking officials treat heroes as private bodyguards, and some even secretly collude with Monster."
"Shut up!" Tatsumaki's Psychokinesis suddenly erupted, shaking the surrounding air: "Don't spread such rumors without proof!"
Allen placed a hand on Tatsumaki's shoulder: "Calm down, he's not wrong."
A hint of panic flashed in Tatsumaki's green eyes, and she lowered her voice: "Rookie, are you crazy? If this kind of topic gets out, it will cause a huge storm. I won't go against the Hero Association for you."
"That's why I'm only telling you two." Child Emperor took out a tablet from his backpack.
"These are some of the pieces of evidence I've collected."
Allen took the tablet and quickly browsed the information on it, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper. Tatsumaki floated beside him, her green curly hair falling onto his shoulder, and she also leaned in to look.
"These..." Tatsumaki's voice trembled slightly: "Are they all true?"
Child Emperor nodded solemnly: "Absolutely. At least one-third of the high-ranking officials are involved in corruption and bribery, and some even secretly keep Monster as pets."
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