Chapter 135 Betrayal (【Pointing at the Sun】Hall Master adds)
This is the territory of the General Affairs Department's spies. Ordinary General Affairs Department employees will not come here.

Wang Hao only knew about this place not long ago.

The spy who had just come out, after seeing clearly that the person approaching was Wang Hao, still did not move away, but exchanged commands with him in detail before letting him pass.

As a spy, he had naturally seen that it was Wang Hao a long time ago. However, just because a person looks like Wang Hao does not mean that he is Wang Hao.

Among the enemies faced by the General Affairs Department's spies, there have been people who have mastered the art of transformation.

That's why he stopped Wang Hao and gave the command.

Not only passwords, but there will be other inspection procedures as Wang Hao goes deeper.

It's not that they are too cautious, but the last suicide of the Fatui Major made the General Affairs Department's spies lose face, so they are so alert.

After several more strict inspections, even No. 3 was forced out of the shadows by some means of inspection;

After repeated inspections, Wang Hao entered the interior.

"How's the interrogation going?" Wang Hao pulled over a General Affairs Department spy and asked.

The spy was not angry when Wang Hao stopped him. Instead, he answered directly, "They are from the Tenth Company of Fatui. The leader is still asking for details."

"Huh? Ye Lan is back?" Wang Hao's eyes lit up.

Ye Lan is the professional when it comes to interrogation, so it would be best if she could help.

"Well, the big sister just came back last night and took over the interrogation today." The spy replied.

"Thanks. I'll go take a look."

After saying thank you, Wang Hao walked towards the interrogation room.

As soon as I got closer, I heard a shrill cry and Ye Lan's questioning: "Where is your contact book with Northland Bank? Tell me."

Wang Hao paused.
The Northland Bank and these fools still have a contact book,

Tsk tsk tsk, Ye Lan really understands these people, but Wang Hao doesn’t know this information.

"Oh, kill me, kill me."

"Hahaha, don't even think about it. We will never betray Her Majesty the Queen."

"For the Queen's noble dream!"

'...'

The Fatui in the interrogation room wailed and shouted certain words.

"Oh, for the Queen?"

There was sarcasm in Ye Lan's voice.

"You probably don't know yet, but your actions have been reported to the Northland Bank. Winter has already cut ties with you. In the Fatui's army, the Tenth Company...tsk tsk tsk, there is no such number anymore."

She has never had a good impression of the Fatui, for no other reason than that too many of her comrades died at the hands of these Fatui.

Although the Tenth Company is not Pantalone's people, in Ye Lan's opinion, they are all the same.

"..."

The Fatui responded to Ye Lan with silence.

There was anger and sorrow in their eyes.

As fools, they did not doubt Ye Lan's words at all.
Because that’s the choice Solstice will make.

Zhidong cannot be hostile to Liyue.

Therefore, once any participant who takes actions detrimental to Liyue is discovered, Zhidong will inevitably cut them off.

Although they knew it, how could these fools not be sad when they heard that their numbers were gone?

If they were removed from the list, they could tolerate it, but their numbers were cancelled...

This means that not only will they lose their identities, but their predecessors, the former members of the 10th Company, will also lose their glory.

Even though they have retired or even sacrificed their lives, they can no longer be proud of the 10th Company.

Because... the 10th Company is gone.

As a semi-military organization, the Fatui attaches no different importance to numbers than a normal military.

Canceling a number is more painful than death.

"For...the Queen's noble dream!"

The captain, whose tendons in his hands and feet were cut, roared and was about to do something.
However, Ye Lan was faster.

Countless silk threads intertwined and tied him up tightly. There were even silk threads on his mouth, which dislocated his jaw.

"Want to commit suicide? Ridiculous."

Ye Lan snorted disdainfully and looked at the other fools: "You don't need to betray the Queen. It is the Northland Bank that has brought you to this point. As long as you hand over the contact book between you and the Northland Bank, everything will be fine. The world is big, don't you want to go around and see it?"

"Perhaps, you still have family in Zhidong. Don't you want to go back and see them? If you are worried that your identity will be exposed and cause misfortune to your family, we can also help you forge new identities. As Fatui you will die, but as a businessman, adventurer, or even a painter or writer you will come back to life..."

Ye Lan tempted the fools little by little,

She is more than just a temptation, the threads under her control are like sharp knives, cutting the skin of these fools.

On one side is painful punishment, and on the other side is a seemingly bright future.

So how to choose?
The captain of the 10th Company, whose jaw was dislocated, struggled, as if telling his men not to surrender.

"Don't disturb me." Ye Lan glanced at him, and the silk thread gradually gathered and hung him in the air.

The captain of the 10th Company was hung in the air, twisting like a maggot.

The other Fatui were a little sad. Their company captain was also a real warrior, but now he was suffering such torture.

No, not just their captain, but themselves.

The silk threads controlled by Ye Lan passed through their bodies, leaving traces of blood.
Not deep, but it really hurts.

Ye Lan gave them medicine in advance. It was a therapeutic medicine, but the cost was that their sense of touch would become more sensitive.

Treating and punishing at the same time can be considered a reasonable use.

Wang Hao stood outside the window and watched Ye Lan's interrogation, and suddenly he could feel the suppressed pain in Ye Lan's heart.

Yes, he empathized with Ye Lan.

Every death of a comrade left a scar in Ye Lan's heart.

Beneath her cold appearance, she must have a broken heart.

As for the fools, it's so funny. They are the enemy. Which good person would empathize with the enemy?

Wang Hao felt that Ye Lan was not cruel enough. He should smash the bones of these people bit by bit, crush their flesh and blood, and finally scatter their ashes.

This is how I feel relieved.

However, Ye Lan is a professional after all, and Wang Hao will not give blind orders.

After watching for a while, Wang Hao turned and left.
He didn't intend to disturb Ye Lan's interest.
I also believe that some of these fools will speak up under Ye Lan's interrogation.

If they were to interrogate each other collectively now, perhaps they could encourage each other, but if they were to interrogate each other separately later...

I believe good news will come soon.

Just as Wang Hao expected,
That evening, a copy of the interrogation materials was delivered to him.
"Lord Ye Lan has gone to get their contact book. After the public trial, he will take action against the Northland Bank." A spy under Ye Lan's command handed the thing to Wang Hao and mentioned the Northland Bank.

Wang Hao hesitated: "Can we defeat the Northland Bank with just a contact book?"

The spy didn't hesitate at all: "No, but it's enough for them to pay a huge price."

A single contact book is not powerful enough to bring down the Northland Bank.

But if it is to bring down some people in the Northland Bank, then it is still possible.

"Okay, if you need help, just ask."

Judging from what the other party said, Ye Lan should have a special plan, so Wang Hao didn't say anything more.

The spy smiled and said, "I'll tell the big sister."

After saying this, he left the orphanage.

……

Liyue·Crimson Cloud Slope

In a tavern,

"How about it, Mr. Andre, do you want to cooperate with me?"

In the box, Ye Lan crossed her legs and looked at the man in front of her with indifference.

This winter man is none other than Andre, the manager of Northland Bank.

Looking at the contact book that Ye Lan had thrown on the table, and the Fatui logo clearly visible on it,

Andre looked a little gloomy.
He had taken everything into account, except for the fact that Ivan and the 10th Company would leave behind such evidence.

He never expected that this woman would come to him with evidence.

"You think I'll cooperate with you?"

Andre had a cold face and wandering eyes. He didn't want to look at Ye Lan's oppressive gaze.

"Haha, Mr. Andre, you don't have a choice, do you?"

Ye Lan was smiling, but her expression was very cold. The way she looked at Andre was like a beast looking at its prey.

In Ye Lan's eyes, Andre was her sure winner.

"Life or death, you always have to make a choice."

As she spoke, she pointed at the contact book on the table.

The meaning is simple, if you don’t do things for me, I will kill you.

Andre was a little angry, but more afraid.
He knew that Ye Lan really dared to kill him. After all, the private struggle between Pantalone and Ye Lan was already very fierce. Killing a manager of the Northland Bank was not a pressure at all for Ye Lan.

Silent,

Seeing the coldness on Ye Lan's face becoming more and more serious,
Andre said dryly: "What do you want me to do?"

His voice was hoarse, like a field exposed to the sun, and full of despair.

He gave in.

As a person who truly wants to make progress,
Andre felt that he was not that loyal.

In the face of death, he chose to continue living in wealth and glory.

Seeing Andre's relenting, Ye Lan's cold expression eased a little: "It's simple, I need an obedient Northland Bank..."

"I can't do that. You think too highly of me. My power comes from Executive Officer Pantalone. He is the real controller of Northland Bank."

Andre almost jumped up before Ye Lan finished speaking.

An obedient Northland Bank, this is really a great self-esteem,
Even though he has some say in Northland Bank now, the real person in charge of Northland Bank is only Pantalone.

"Don't get excited, Mr. Andre. As a spy, being overly excited will only expose you faster."

Ye Lan didn't mind Andre interrupting her. She had enough patience for a Fatui who was willing to be an undercover agent for her.

"I'm not a spy..." Andre was about to retort, but soon realized his current situation.

Well, he wasn't originally a spy, but now he seems to be.

What’s even more frustrating is that he seems to have become Ye Lan’s spy.

After a moment of frustration, Andre calmed down and said, "If you want me to work for you, at least give me something I can accomplish."

"Of course, Mr. Andre, please let me finish."

Ye Lan is very gentle now, and there is no trace of the coldness she had just now.

"An obedient Northern Bank means a Northern Bank that obeys Liyue's rules, not the words of an individual."

"As far as I know, the financial management of the Northland Bank is still mainly managed by Mr. Ivan. Although you compete with him, you are no match for him in terms of finance."

"Although Northland Bank is not just a bank, finance is still its main business. If you can't surpass them in this aspect, you will never be able to defeat Mr. Ivan."

"Well, this may be one of the reasons why you pushed him to contact those families. You knew you couldn't win professionally, so you wanted to use us to get rid of him."

Ye Lan spoke word by word, her eyes fixed on Andre.

Andre's expression changed. He didn't expect that Ye Lan had already found out that he was the mastermind behind the scenes.

"So, what do you want to say?"

Avoiding Ye Lan's suggestive words, Andre asked directly.

"Look, you're in a hurry."

Ye Lan smiled and continued,

"According to your plan, we will get rid of Ivan, and you will have a chance to take over. But have you ever thought about what would happen if Pantalone transferred a new vice president from somewhere else? The Northland Bank should not lack a vice president."

According to Andrei's plan, the General Affairs Department would get rid of Ivan, who had connections with the big families, and then he could take over as the bank president.

But he seemed to have forgotten that the Northern Bank in Liyue was just a branch. The real Northern Bank spanned across many countries and had a huge talent pool.
If Ivan was eliminated, Pantalone could easily transfer another person from somewhere else.

And the chances of this are very high.

After all, Pantarone would surely have been able to tell that Andre was not financially competent enough to be vice president.

After hearing what Ye Lan said, Andre realized that he seemed to have been thinking too well.

"...Tell me your plan and I'll cooperate." Andre was now lying down.

"It's very simple. Ivan is doomed to die in this incident. Pantalone is no longer in Liyue. After Ivan dies, you are the only one who can make the decision."

"You will come forward and negotiate with the General Affairs Department to give up some of your interests in exchange for the continued operation of Northland Bank."

"Don't worry, we won't be too greedy. The only interests you need to give up are those wealthy families' properties that were previously taken over by the North Country Bank. Those should have been confiscated. If you give them up, Pantalone won't doubt you in the future."

Ye Lan said.

The Northland Bank is too big to be killed in one go, and the Fatui's art of cutting is too strong. Oftentimes, some evidence can only identify an individual and is difficult to link to the Northland Bank.

Neither Ningguang nor Ye Lan thought of killing Beiguo Bank, that was impossible.

In addition, the Northern Bank also has a large amount of savings from the people of Liyue (the Northern Bank previously attracted a large amount of savings with high interest rates).
For the sake of the savings of the people of Liyue, we cannot simply destroy the Bank of the North.

That's why Ye Lan found Andre and wanted to cooperate with him.

If the second-in-command of the Northern Bank in Liyue is her man, then the next action will be a great advantage.

"It's a good plan, but...what about my benefits?"

Andre has accepted his identity as a traitor.
Oh, no, it's a spy identity.

Ye Lan's plan is very good, it can help Liyue gain a lot of benefits.

But one bad thing is that Andre doesn't seem to have gained anything.

To calm Liyue's anger towards the Northern Bank was what he had to do.
After he has reaped a huge amount of profits, Pantalone may not doubt him, but he will not use him either.

Don't forget, Andre's goal is to become the president of the bank.
If he hadn't betrayed, he wouldn't have been able to become the bank president.

After the betrayal, he still couldn't become the president.
Then wouldn't his betrayal be in vain?

"Don't worry, we will release some 'high-quality' assets and do some mortgage exchanges with you to increase your performance."

Ye Lan was going to mortgage high-quality assets to the Northland Bank, and she did not lie about this.

For example, camps in the wild, inns along the trade roads,

These are all good places to get information and spread the news.
The Fools will definitely like it and are willing to pay a high price for it.

As for Ye Lan, once the Fatui captured these places, they would definitely use them.

Then these intelligence points are right under Ye Lan's nose.

The mortgagee got the money.
The Fatui took the stronghold.

Ye Lan also kept an eye on the Fatui.

Well, win-win-win.

"In addition, if Pantarone sends people from other places, we will also target them."

"After all this, you are the only person he can use in Liyue."

"If you still can't get promoted, then you can't blame me."

Ye Lan's words were,

Andre's eyes lit up.

The opportunity for advancement seemed to be right in front of him.

What Ye Lan said really makes sense.

If Pantalone is the only person he can use in Liyue, then can he not be the vice president?

Even if he cannot become the vice president, no one in the Northland Bank (Liyue) can compete with him for power.

He is a spy of Liyue. If anyone competes with him for power, he will simply sell out the other person and let the people from the General Affairs Department kill him.

The more Andre thought about it, the more it made sense.
What is he still doing with the Fatui?
They're not on the same track.

"Okay, I understand. I'll do as you say. Next, I'll cut Ivan off as quickly as possible, and then... you guys kill him."

Andre's face was already full of smiles.

As long as he can be the bank president, it doesn't matter who he helps to be the president.

"Then it will be a pleasure to work together."

Ye Lan also smiled, then stood up.
"We will take action in three days. In five days, there will be a public trial at Yujingtai. I hope... Mr. Andre can attend."

public trial?

Before Andre could react, Ye Lan left.

Andre was left alone in silence.

Without Ye Lan here, his face was not as happy as before.

As a member of the Fatui, he understood how harshly the Fatui treated traitors.

"You still have to leave some room for retreat."

Andre thought to himself.

the other side,
Leave the pub,

A spy appeared beside Ye Lan.

"Big sister, do you really believe this person?"

The spy did not have a good impression of Andre. After all, no one likes a traitor.

Ye Lan shook her head: "How is that possible? However, he is still useful now, so let's keep him for now."

If Andre can sell out the Northland Bank for profit and his life, then he can also sell out Ye Lan and others for the same.

A traitor, once he betrays, will never be trusted again.

Therefore, Ye Lan couldn't completely trust Andre.

"Don't cancel the surveillance on him, increase it."

"Okay, I understand, big sister."

(End of this chapter)