"Yes, sir!" Wally nodded vigorously and then looked at the other side, speaking loudly.
"First, the Riley clan ordered an attack that wiped out all the members of the Dittman family, and after that, they killed the individuals they hired to carry out the attack to cover their tracks."
"Second, they conspired with members of Ink Pavilion, resulting in the deaths of four of our SHADOW operatives and the severe injury of our SHADOW Honorary Elder, Ebony Lord."
"Both of these offenses are grave crimes."
"Now, do you understand?" Billy looked at Ralph Riley and spoke calmly.
"So you are referring to this matter. I only heard about it last night!" Ralph Riley exhaled deeply and continued in a tone of sorrow.
"It's truly unfortunate for our family. All of this was the work of my wayward brother, Piers Riley, who acted behind our backs."
"Yesterday, upon learning the news, I considered sending someone to have him apprehended and send him to SHADOW, but then I heard that he had already met his fate, so I dropped the idea."
Being the head of a clan, Ralph easily distanced the Riley clan from the situation. To him, upon hearing the news of his younger brother's death, he had initially wanted to avenge him immediately. However, upon learning that Commander Gardner was personally handling the matter, he had a change of heart - considering the current strength of the Riley clan, he had no confidence in confronting the King of the West head-on. In fact, it was likely that no one within the region's clans dared to openly challenge him. Of course, taking covert actions behind the scenes was a different matter.
So, after careful consideration, Ralph had made the decision he was now presenting. In any case, Piers Riley was already dead for him. He could now shift all the blame onto Piers and deal with seeking revenge for him after this incident was over.
"Is that so?" After hearing Ralph's words, Billy's eyes narrowed slightly. "These two offenses are both significant. Just executing Piers Riley may not be enough."
"Commander Gardner..." Ralph began but was interrupted.
"Wally, tell him what the punishment is for both of these offenses combined." Billy raised his voice and said.
"According to SHADOW regulations, the punishment is to exterminate the clan." Wally replied loudly.
"Hmm?" Ralph frowned slightly, and after a brief pause, he looked at Billy. "Commander Gardner, isn't this a bit too hasty?"
"Hasty?" Billy responded coldly. "I'm afraid the charge of conspiring with Ink Pavilion alone is enough for exterminating the whole clan. If you don't believe me, do you want to call the capital and ask?"
Ralph Riley had been too optimistic, thinking that they could shift the blame onto a dead person to resolve the crisis. Even if Billy didn't exterminate their clan, he would certainly force Ralph Riley into a corner.
Ralph Riley let out a heavy breath, trying to control his emotions. "Commander Gardner, to express the apologies of the Riley clan, I am willing to offer 10 billion as compensation, and I hope you can show mercy."
"I seems like you are quite wealthy, casually offering 10 billion," Billy smiled faintly. "However, it's a pity that for such serious crimes, money won't be enough."
"Commander Gardner, please spare some leniency. Mr Riley has already made concessions. Shouldn't you also consider moderation?" At this moment, a middle-aged man by Ralph Riley's side spoke in a deep voice.
"Silence, you have no say here!" Frostblade interrupted with a cold snort.
"Insolent!" A bald man behind the middle-aged man angrily shouted, "Mr Newton is from the Capital Defense Bureau. Apologize now!"
"Is the Capital Defense Bureau that great?" Wally spoke in a low voice. "They have nothing better to do, always trying to meddle in everything. A bunch of parasites who don't know what they're doing."
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