Chapter 310 Sudden Change in Situation
Noah's nerves were suddenly on edge, his gaze fixed on the third-floor balcony of the courtyard.
The people who had been standing there, members of the Respect Noah Pavilion, had all been replaced by men with black cloths covering their faces.
Two more dull thuds echoed.
On the stage, the five elders who had supported Ethan's succession trembled and collapsed one after another. Their eyes widened, and blood gushed from their necks, silencing them instantly. The metallic scent of blood filled the courtyard.
All of this happened in just a few seconds.
"What the hell is going on?!"
The people around the stage were shocked, unable to comprehend the sudden shift in the situation.
"Look up there!"
Someone pointed to the third-floor balcony.
Everyone looked up and gasped. The men with black cloths stood there, while the Respect Noah Pavilion members had vanished.
"Where did the Respect Noah Pavilion people go?"
"Is someone causing trouble?"
"How could this happen?" Billy's face was grim.
"I think there's a betrayal! Noah, we need to get out of here while we can!" Bodhi's face was dark as he looked at the men with black cloths. Daisy, beside him, was trembling with fear.
On the stage, Mason and Ethan's faces changed as they looked at the fallen elders and then at the men with black cloths.
"Otis, is this your doing?" Mason's voice was cold as he glared at Otis.
"That's right!" Otis stood up from his wooden chair, smiling coldly as he admitted it.
"Otis, you're betraying us!"
"Yeah, this is outrageous!" The crowd below the stage erupted in angry discussions, their expressions filled with grief and indignation.
"Silence!" Otis frowned, and a man with a large gold chain around his neck widened his eyes before collapsing to the ground, motionless.
Daisy jumped in fright, shocked by Otis's ruthlessness. Bodhi's face grew even darker.
The crowd below the stage fell silent, not daring to speak.
"Much better when it's quiet!" Otis grinned cruelly as he scanned the crowd. "From now on, unless I give you permission, you better not utter a single word."
The crowd shivered, their spines tingling with fear.
"Mason, I don't understand. How am I, Otis, any less qualified than this kid Ethan?" Otis's eyes were red with anger and jealousy as he looked at Mason.
"Otis, so you really intend to betray us." Mason sighed softly. "Those five elders were our comrades, who went through countless hardships with us. How could you do this to them? Doesn't your conscience hurt?"
"Why should my conscience hurt?" Otis shot back, his voice icy. "Those five idiots backed Ethan to be the leader. What good were they?"
"I'm deeply saddened," Mason said, looking Otis straight in the eye.
"Saddened? This is all because you want to hand over your position to Ethan!" Otis raged. "Experience-wise, Mason, I fought alongside you for decades! Ethan wasn't even born back then!"
"And when it comes to ability, Mason, you know it yourself. Who helped you build your empire? I, Otis, did at least thirty percent of the work!"
"And friendship? Mason, I considered you a friend. Without me, you wouldn't be alive today!"
"Experience, ability, friendship—how am I inferior to Ethan?" Otis's eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Mason, his heart brimming with anger, resentment, and bitterness.
"Otis, you do have more experience, ability, and friendship than Ethan," Mason sighed. "But there's one thing you lack."
"What?!" Otis demanded.
"Compassion and magnanimity," Mason said calmly.
"Compassion and magnanimity?" Otis was taken aback, then sneered. "Mason, are you out of your mind? Look at yourself. Your hands are stained with blood, and now you're talking to me about compassion and magnanimity?"
"The compassion and magnanimity I'm talking about aren't what you think," Mason shook his head. "Against enemies, we must be ruthless and decisive. But towards our own people, we need to be compassionate and forgiving."
He looked at the bodies of the five elders, his expression complex. "Those five elders were our friends, yet you killed them without hesitation. This shows how cruel you are, not even sparing your own people."
"It also shows that you're not fit to be a leader, which is why I didn't pass the position to you."
"To achieve great things, one must be ruthless. Only when everyone fears me will they obey me!" Otis's voice rose. "Mason, I'm done talking. Now, in front of everyone, announce that you're passing your position to me. If you do, I'll spare you and Ethan. If not, both of you will die!"
On the third-floor balcony, the men with black cloths pointed their weapons at Mason and Ethan. At Otis's command, they would strike.
Mason looked at the men with black cloths, feeling a deep sense of betrayal. He never expected to be betrayed by his most trusted friend.
"Ethan, it looks like today, both of us are going to die here," Mason said, smiling at Ethan.
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