The group quickly arrived in front of Zhao Yuan.
Wu Yan glanced at Wang Lei and his two cronies. "Changed your pants already? You guys are pretty quick."
Hearing this, a flash of resentment passed through the eyes of Wang Lei and his friends.
After glaring at Wu Yan, Wang Lei turned to a chubby man with glasses and said, "Minister Shen, these are the two who beat us up! You have to stand up for us!"
"Don't worry, I'll make sure you get justice." Minister Shen nodded, then turned his gaze to Zhao Yuan and Wu Yan. In a grave tone, he said, "We're from the Student Council's Disciplinary Committee. Someone reported you two for fighting and bullying fellow students on campus. You'll have to come with us to the committee office. After you've confessed your crimes and accepted your punishment, we'll let your academic advisor come and get you."
"On what grounds?" Wu Yan flared up, hearing this Minister Shen convicting him and Zhao Yuan without even getting the facts straight.
Minister Shen's face darkened. "On what grounds? On the grounds that you hit someone! Haven't you read the school rules? Fighting and bullying are severely punished!"
Wu Yan laughed in fury. "That's ridiculous! We didn't hit anyone! You didn't even investigate, you just took the word of these three bastards. This is a complete joke!"
"It's not your place to tell the Disciplinary Committee how to do its job!" Minister Shen was now furious as well. He ordered the committee members beside him, "What are you standing around for? Seize them and drag them back!"
At this, even the onlookers couldn't stand it anymore and began to speak up in testimony and condemnation.
"I can testify that they didn't hit anyone!"
"I saw the whole thing clearly. It was those three who were trying to start a fight, but before anything happened, they got so scared they pissed themselves!"
"So what if you're the Student Council? Does that mean the Disciplinary Committee can do whatever it wants? You're going to arrest and punish people without even figuring out what happened? This is outrageous!"
Minister Shen's expression turned incredibly ugly. He swept his gaze over the crowd and roared, "All of you, shut up! Anyone else who keeps blabbering will be considered their accomplice and will be taken back for punishment too!"
Zhao Yuan's eyebrow twitched. He was certain that this Minister Shen from the Disciplinary Committee was here simply to back up Wang Lei and his cronies and help them get revenge.
'How shameless!'
Zhao Yuan gritted his teeth in anger, his mind racing to find a countermeasure.
'Fighting back is not an option; that would just be playing right into their hands. But I can't just surrender, either! Not only can I not surrender, but I have to teach this scumbag who helps the wicked a lesson he'll never forget!'
'I've got it! The Enchanting Talisman!' Zhao Yuan suddenly remembered the Talisman he had drawn that afternoon. It was perfect for this situation.
His right hand shot into his pocket, closing around the Enchanting Talisman. His lips moved slightly as he recited the Spell. Specks of golden light bloomed from the talisman paper, but since it was still in his pocket, no one noticed the strange phenomenon.
The moment the Spell was finished, the Enchanting Talisman vanished into thin air. At the same time, Minister Shen's pupils dilated, and he began to shout, "I'm the head of the Disciplinary Committee! I can punish whoever I want to punish! You losers think you can stop me? What a joke! I'll be honest with you, I know these two didn't start a fight, but who cares? Wang Lei and his buddies have a grudge against them, and I took their money, so of course I'm going to help them get even!"
These words immediately caused an uproar.
No one had expected Minister Shen to be so arrogant as to openly admit that he had taken a bribe.
The smiles on the faces of Wang Lei and his friends froze instantly.
'How could he say that? In front of so many people! Has Minister Shen lost his mind?'
If they could turn back time, the three of them would have definitely clamped a hand over Minister Shen's mouth.
But Minister Shen's shocking revelations weren't over. He continued, "As long as the price is right, I can do more than just back you up. Even if you break every rule in the book, I can guarantee you'll be fine. I can even get you a spot in the Student Council to pad your resume! As for those who don't know how to suck up and pay their respects, hmph, I have a thousand ways to make their lives a living hell..."
Under the influence of the Enchanting Talisman, Minister Shen rapidly rattled off several instances of him taking bribes, abusing his authority, and bending the rules for personal gain. The crowd, filled with righteous indignation, surged forward and surrounded him. Seeing that things had gone south, Wang Lei and his friends tried to run, but they were trapped in the crowd and couldn't escape.
Many students took out their phones, recorded Minister Shen's words, and posted them to the school forums, triggering an even bigger sensation.
Furious students flooded the school forums with posts condemning Minister Shen's vile behavior. Some of his past victims and others with inside knowledge also came forward to expose even more of his crimes. The impact of this incident was so great and its nature so foul that it quickly caught the attention of the school administration. The principal, absolutely livid, immediately ordered a strict and thorough investigation. Soon, after Minister Shen's various crimes were confirmed to be true, West Hua Medical University announced his punishment: he was stripped of his position and expelled from the university. As for Wang Lei and his two friends, they were also expelled for bribing an official to retaliate against fellow students, an act which had severe and egregious consequences.
Of course, back at the scene, Minister Shen and the trio had no idea that they were already finished.
A dozen or so seconds passed quickly. The Enchanting Talisman's effect wore off, and Minister Shen awoke from his trance. Oblivious to what had just happened, he saw the large crowd of students glaring at him. His face darkened and he snapped, "What are you all crowding around for? Are you trying to obstruct the Disciplinary Committee from carrying out its duties? Disperse immediately!"
Seeing Minister Shen still putting on airs, the hot-headed students, their Blood Qi surging, couldn't hold back any longer. It's unknown who yelled "Beat his ass!" but the entire crowd surged forward, pinning Minister Shen down and beating him senseless. Wang Lei and his friends were caught in the crossfire, taking plenty of punches and kicks themselves, and their miserable cries were pitiful to hear.
Minister Shen and the trio exerted a tremendous effort to break free from the crowd, fleeing in a panicked scramble. However, the angry students had no intention of letting them go and chased after them, hitting them as they ran.
"Serves them right!" Wu Yan laughed heartily at the scene, but at the same time, he was a little puzzled. "What was up with that Minister Shen? Why would he so brazenly confess to all the bad things he's done? Wasn't he the least bit afraid of being punished?"
Zhao Yuan just smiled without a word, marveling to himself. 'The power of this Enchanting Talisman is truly something else!'
"Let's go. Back to the dorm."
After calling out to his friend, Zhao Yuan turned to leave.
Just then, Lin Xue caught a glimpse of his departing figure out of the corner of her eye, and her body suddenly shuddered.