Chapter 647

Deputy Director Wright was momentarily stunned.

He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, someone abruptly stood up beside him.

That person's face was livid, his eyes bloodshot.

"Deputy Director Wright!" His voice was hoarse, almost squeezed from his throat. "The rules cannot be broken!"

He suddenly turned his head, glaring fiercely at Grace.

"My parents... were both physicists, scientists." He bit out each word with heavy emphasis. "The year I was seven, they were assassinated by foreign spies. Killed in our home. Blood splattered across the wall."

The conference room fell instantly silent.

Only his ragged breathing could be heard.

"I joined the Special Operations Division to protect our nation's talent." His eyes reddened. "I swore I would never let such a tragedy repeat. But..."

He suddenly laughed.

The laugh was shrill, laced with thick mockery.

"The man I respected most, Benjamin Wright." He stared at Grace, enunciating each word. "He actually helped Nathaniel Wright. That traitor! That scum who fled the country with core technology!"

"Does he know that when Nathaniel Wright left back then, our chip project stalled for five years! Five years! In those five years, foreign technology advanced by leaps and bounds. And us? We were stuck in place!"

"He helped Nathaniel Wright gain a foothold abroad, helped that traitor launder his identity, helped him start a company overseas... Hah, what a colossal joke."

He took a step forward, almost pressing into Grace's face.

"So," his voice was icy, "you, the spy's daughter, should bear our wrath. Besides, Benjamin Wright hid it so well. Who knows if you're the little spy he trained?"

He turned to face Deputy Director Wright.

"The rules cannot be broken. All procedures must be followed. And—" He paused, his tone resolute. "Grace Lorenz must be permanently expelled from the Special Operations Division!"

Deputy Director Wright fell silent.

He lowered his eyes, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

Another person stood up.

A middle-aged woman with short hair and sharp eyes.

"The day the Special Operations Division was founded, we all took an oath." Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear. "The thing we would hate most in this life is a traitor to the nation. What Benjamin Wright did, how is it any different from being a traitor?"

She looked around the room.

"Our Special Operations Division has always had a hard time holding its head up internationally. Why? Because other countries all know that within our leadership, there's an 'old nice guy' who helped a traitor!"

"Disgraceful." She spat out the word.

"Utterly disgraceful!"

"He must be severely punished!"

"Grace cannot stay! Benjamin Wright certainly cannot stay!"

"Deputy Director Wright, Benjamin Wright has been suppressing you for years, hasn't he? Just to monopolize power and line his own pockets! Thinking about it now, it's laughable to the extreme!"

"The higher-ups confined him here for us to handle ourselves. In my opinion, we should drag him out today, in front of everyone, and kick him out of the Special Operations Division!"

"Agreed!"

"Support!"

The crowd was incensed.

Grace stood in the center, her face pale.

She bit her lip and suddenly spoke.

"Grandfather... is eighty years old." Her voice trembled. "I will bear all the punishment. I beg you... please spare Grandfather."

Her eyes reddened as she looked at the familiar yet strange faces around her.

She could understand their anger.

But... that was her grandfather.

She could choose the nation over her grandfather if forced.

But she couldn't stand by and watch her grandfather be humiliated.

Yet her words were like a spark landing in a barrel of oil.

"You're still speaking up for him?!" A young agent suddenly stood up, pointing at her. "Grace, you've disappointed us too much!"

"Exactly! As a member of the Special Operations Division, what should your attitude be towards a spy? What is this attitude of yours?!"

"Your grandfather is a traitor, and you still defend him? Then what are you?!"

Grace was stunned.

She opened her mouth. "Grandfather isn't that kind of person... There must be some misunderstanding..."

Before she could finish.

A glass cup was hurled at her.

Thud!

The cup hit her shoulder, tea splashing all over her.

Grace shuddered, looking up.

The one who threw the cup was an older agent, usually always smiling, but now his face was filled with rage.

"Misunderstanding?" He sneered. "He did such things, and we didn't notice. You, his granddaughter living with him every day, didn't notice? The dirty money he took, haven't you spent any of it?"

Grace immediately shook her head. "I haven't!"

"Of course you don't need to spend it!" The older agent scoffed. "Your Lorenz family has been wealthy for generations, enough for you to squander for lifetimes. But without those billions of dollars, could you live so lavishly? Buying whatever you want, traveling abroad whenever you please... Isn't it because you have dirty money in hand, so you're not worried?"

The logic was flawed.

But at this moment, no one cared about logic.

The Lorenz family was indeed wealthy, with ancestral assets enough for a comfortable life. The other agents, relying on their meager salaries, lived frugally.

Resentment towards the wealthy was ignited at this moment.

"We all serve the country, so why can your Lorenz family live in luxury?!"

"Exactly! Deputy Director Wright, everyone's here today. Bring Benjamin Wright out! Let grandfather and granddaughter face judgment together!"

"Oppose traitors! Boycott spies!"

"You must give us an explanation!"

Evelyn stood in the corner, her brow tightly furrowed.

She looked at Deputy Director Wright.

Old Mr. Wright was elderly, he couldn't withstand this kind of ordeal...

But Deputy Director Wright's expression had already darkened.

Infected by the crowd's emotions, fury churned in his chest.

"Fine." He suddenly slammed the table. "Today, in front of everyone, we will judge our own 'insider'!"

He looked at the two guards by the door.

"Go." His voice was cold. "Bring Benjamin Wright here."

Evelyn's heart sank.

It's over.