Chapter 693

Outside the Ashcroft Group headquarters, a crowd surged.

Reporters swarmed the entrance, armed with cameras and microphones, their faces alight with excitement. Inside the conference room, every seat was taken. Media personnel with invitations occupied the prime spots, while those without jostled outside, craning their necks for a glimpse.

Among the journalists who had slipped in, some quickly set up their equipment and began a live broadcast.

"Viewers, I'm here live in front of the Ashcroft Group headquarters building. As you know, a week ago, the Sterling Family's eldest daughter, Evelyn Ross, publicly defended a person accused of espionage, sparking major controversy. Internal sources at Ashcroft Group later claimed she had been expelled from the family. Today, the head of Ashcroft Group, Mr. Valentine, will personally hold a press conference to formally address this matter. Let's wait and see!"

The incident's heat had never cooled, and Evelyn Ross was a perennial fixture on trending topics.

The number of viewers in the live stream skyrocketed instantly.

Comments flooded in like a tidal wave.

"Isn't today's meeting just to announce they're cutting ties with that Evelyn Ross?"

"I heard this Miss Evelyn was only recently acknowledged by Mr. Valentine, having grown up outside the family. Did she get too big for her britches the moment she returned to high society? Has she forgotten her own name?"

"If this keeps up, she'll think she can walk on water."

"Patriotism is the bottom line! We absolutely cannot tolerate this kind of behavior!"

"Judging by Ashcroft Group's setup, that's almost certainly it."

"Where is that Evelyn Ross? Why hasn't she shown up yet?"

"Would she dare come? She'd be drowned in spit if she did!"

"..."

The screen was filled with similar remarks.

At the Cortez Sect.

Sect Leader Joseph Cortez held his phone, his face darkening as he read the barrage of negative comments.

He abruptly stood up from his armchair and roared at those below, "Summon every disciple currently at the sect!"

Standing nearby, Ethan Valentine was stunned. "Summon them for what?"

Joseph Cortez snorted coldly. "Just do as I say! No backtalk!"

"Yes, yes, sir."

Ethan Valentine turned and left. Shortly after, over three hundred disciples of the Cortez Sect who remained in New York, except for a few on missions, stood assembled on the training ground—three hundred and twenty in total.

Ethan reported, "Sect Leader, everyone is present. What are your orders?"

Joseph Cortez's expression was solemn. His gaze swept across the crowd, his voice booming. "I've called you here today for one thing only—to seek justice for your First Senior Sister!"

Ethan Valentine was the first to respond. "Good! Sect Leader, tell us, where do we seek it? Is it at the Ashcroft Group?"

He asked with some hesitation.

He and Spencer Valentine had witnessed it with their own eyes that day—Mr. Valentine and the Sect Leader were fiercely protective of their First Senior Sister. It couldn't be them.

But wasn't today's Ashcroft Group press conference also for Third Uncle to publicly acknowledge their senior sister's identity?

Unless... someone was secretly causing trouble and had offended their senior sister?

The disciples below exchanged confused glances, not understanding.

Just then, Joseph Cortez barked sharply, "Now, listen to my command! Attention!"

All disciples instantly straightened their backs, standing ramrod straight, afraid to lag behind and even more afraid of the cane their Sect Leader always carried landing on them.

"Horse stance! Begin!"

Everyone: "???"

Weren't they supposed to seek justice? What was the point of horse stances?

Before they could figure it out, they saw Joseph Cortez pull out his own phone. "Everyone, take out your phones!"

A group of disciples, holding perfect horse stances, bewilderedly pulled out their phones.

Joseph Cortez quickly sent a live stream link to the group chat named "Cortez Sect - One Big Happy Family."

"Alright! Now, everyone open this link, enter the live stream, and for me—praise her!"

Everyone: "???"

Joseph Cortez gritted his teeth. "A bunch of ignorant rabble, daring to sling mud at my disciple! We'll drown them out! Everyone, get moving! Each of you post one thousand positive comments! Each comment must be no fewer than fifteen characters! Anyone who doesn't post enough will hold this horse stance here until the end of time!"

The Cortez Sect disciples were collectively dumbfounded.

One thousand?

And fifteen characters each?

That would take forever!

Their mouths twitched, but they didn't dare disobey the Sect Leader's order. They could only hold their trembling horse stances while miserably clutching their phones, beginning to type frantically.

Soon, the wind in the live stream's comment section began to shift.

"The Sterling Family's eldest daughter is peerlessly elegant and magnificent. How dare you slander her!"

"Miss Evelyn possesses extraordinary ability, so her character must be flawless! There must be more to this story!"

"I believe Miss Evelyn isn't that kind of person! Waiting for the truth to come out!"

"Ahhh Miss Evelyn is so beautiful and kind-hearted ahhhh!"

"I had two meat buns and a bowl of porridge for breakfast today. So tasty."

Joseph Cortez paced among the disciples, hands behind his back, inspecting. Seeing the last comment, he smacked the disciple on the back of the head. "I told you to praise your First Senior Sister! Are you reciting a menu?! This one doesn't count! Do it again!"

Then he saw another comment filled with nothing but "Ah." His mustache quivered with anger. "Do you have a stutter?! Stop padding the word count like some lazy online novelist! This one doesn't count either!"

The named disciples felt like crying.

Ethan Valentine watched his fellow disciples' expressions of utter despair. He felt they were about to shatter.

However, at that moment, one disciple suddenly stood up straight, his face filled with indignation as he looked at Joseph Cortez. "Sect Leader! Why should we sit here singing her praises? What she did—forget the Special Operations Division, even I find it shameful and disgraceful!"

As soon as these words were spoken, several other disciples chimed in.

"That's right! The first rule of our Cortez Sect is patriotism!"

"Defending a spy? What kind of First Senior Sister is that?!"

"We don't accept this!"

The atmosphere on the training ground instantly became tense.