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墨書 Inktalez
March 1st, City M Intermediate People's Court
In the solemn courtroom, a few scattered individuals occupied the spectator seats; they were all officers who had interacted with Jiang Yan. Besides them, there were reporters standing at the back or sitting at the edges of the spectator area.
However, the courtroom was surprisingly quiet. A cool breeze flowed in through the half-open window on the wall, and the light hanging from the ceiling gently swayed, causing even the shadows in the dimly lit seats to appear impatiently restless.
Some reporters could no longer wait and frequently glanced towards the large door at the back. The officers also occasionally took out their phones or looked at their watches, as it was already time for the hearing to begin.
In the courtroom, the presiding judge and the other judges whispered something to each other, while the gavel lay quietly on the table. As the perspective blurred, what gradually came into focus was the empty seat at the plaintiff's stand.
“Commander Ren hasn’t arrived; he must have given up.”
Instructor Zhang sent a message to Jiao An from his seat in the spectator area.
Sure enough, after about ten more minutes, the presiding judge announced: “Due to the plaintiff's failure to appear in court despite being summoned and without providing any valid reason for their absence, I hereby declare that it is assumed that the plaintiff has waived their litigation request and has forfeited their civil rights. This case will be processed as a withdrawal of lawsuit.”
“It’s done.” As the gavel struck, Instructor Zhang sent Jiao An the final result.
Instructor Zhang stood up and looked towards General Jiang Yan at the defendant's stand. General Jiang noticed Instructor Zhang, who was signaling him with his eyes, and nodded slightly before disappearing through a door beside the judge's bench with his guards.
“Thank you for your hard work, Instructor Zhang.” A few minutes later, Jiao An replied, “Just wait for the general to come out; your soldiers can rest assured, I’ve trained them well.”
“I’ve always believed in you, Jiao An.” After replying, Instructor Zhang walked out with other spectators.
M City Military Base Gym Training Room
“Hmph, I knew it.”
The barbell was being pushed up and down by Qin Weishan with one hand; his bare upper body displayed bulging muscles that flexed and relaxed with his powerful arm movements. “That guy was scared half to death by me; he got shot in the ear and now probably looks at his wife in bed thinking she’s trying to kill him. How could he dare to show up in court?”
An Xiaotian leaned against a nearby pillar, watching Qin Weishan lying on the ground lifting a barbell with one hand. He had been counting for over four minutes now. For them, given their current weightlifting equipment, it was no longer a matter of whether they could lift it but rather how long they could lift it and how many repetitions they could do.
“You can’t lift anymore,” An Xiaotian began to apply pressure verbally.
“Damn it, get lost,” Qin Weishan continued lifting as if he felt no pressure at all.
“You can’t lift anymore.”
“Get lost.”
“Can’t lift.”
“……”
"Alright, that's over six hundred. If you make me count again, I might fall asleep standing up."
Qin Weishan laughed a few times, then tossed the barbell away like a shot put. The large iron plates on either side hit the ground with a loud bang and rolled to An Xiaotian's feet. An Xiaotian kicked it lightly, tilting his head to look at the "160KG" marking on the plate, frowning slightly. "Come on, can you take better care of public facilities? Stop being so reckless."
"There's no damage," Qin Weishan said as he stood up and deliberately stepped on the spot where the plate had fallen. "It's your turn now."
"Forget it, forget it." An Xiaotian waved his hand and picked up the barbell to return it to its original place. It wasn't that An Xiaotian was afraid of failing to lift it; they had more important things to do.
After the court proceedings concluded, Instructor Zhang successfully met with General Jiang Yan. After exchanging pleasantries with several officers, they boarded the special vehicle back to the base together.
Meanwhile, at the base, confirming that General Jiang was safe and sound, Jiao An immediately began making arrangements at An Xiaotian's request. The hovercraft pilot had received orders for a 3 AM departure and was on standby; Liu Xuan contacted members of the Song Family to prepare for their arrival; Xu Yicheng and Chen Hao estimated the expected landing time while Xu Yicheng arranged his equipment for Chen Hao's research team since the logistics team needed to remain at the base after the Alliance moved out; Lu Sha and Qin Weishan were busy moving out furniture and personal gear; An Xiaotian boarded the vehicle with his gear, including his partner Fierce Eagle's armor, ready to handle any emergencies.
The warm sunlight at two in the afternoon poured through the car's front window, reflecting dim light off An Xiaotian's sunglasses as he adjusted their angle. In the lenses, he could see his own face.
This "move" was conducted entirely without the base's knowledge. The soldiers passing by had no idea what these four container trucks were for; they merely chatted about the mysterious large boxes being loaded into them.
"Boss, there's one more shipment to deliver before we head out. Just wait in the vehicle!" shouted a driver hired for the delivery from beside the last truck's tire.
"Alright, drive safely," Liu Xuan patted An Xiaotian on the back. "Remember to greet Mr. Song when you arrive; just tell them you're Liu Xuan's comrade, and they'll let you through."
"Got it." An Xiaotian climbed up into the vehicle and turned back with a smile. "I'm really curious how the richest family in the country will welcome us."
As they watched the transport convoy leave through the base gates, Liu Xuan quickly returned to the living quarters. The team had already agreed that whoever finished packing first would help General Jiang.
Without General Jiang, Liu Xuan felt that they would be like soldiers fleeing from battle.
"General? Are you there?" Liu Xuan knocked on the door. "It's Liu Xuan."
The remote sensing door unlocked from inside and opened automatically for Liu Xuan. He cautiously stepped inside but found General Jiang sitting on the sofa watching news reports about his case instead of packing as he had imagined.
"General, don't worry about that. Heaven sees all; I believe that a person as upright as you has nothing to fear from rumors—your innocence is clear for all to see," Liu Xuan reassured him.
General Jiang turned off his phone, flicked away a cigarette butt, and sighed. "I wish that were true, but there's always lingering fear. You can't imagine when human malice might consume you."
Liu Xuan clasped his hands in front of him and glanced around General Jiang's living room, trying to change the subject. "Well... let me help you pack up then; we have a 3 AM..."
"No."
General Jiang firmly grabbed Liu Xuan's elbow before he could take a step out. "You can go, but I must stay at the base."
"This..." Liu Xuan hesitated, unsure how people would view him and his companions if that were truly the case. "But those people want to oust you..."
General Jiang immediately waved his hand at Liu Xuan with a resolute look in his eyes that showed he had made up his mind.
"Our battlefield is different, Liu Xuan. If possible, please convey my words to all members of the alliance after you leave."
Liu Xuan's eyes were filled with reluctance and confusion, his lips trembling slightly because he truly wanted to persuade the General to change his mind. If they left, General Jiang might be left to fight alone in this treacherous political arena, facing a world driven by greed and power with nothing but his own pure righteousness. In the alliance, no one wished for him—this hero who had saved everyone’s lives, established the alliance single-handedly, and protected its secrets—to be dragged into the abyss by the countless hands of the secular world.
He was the spiritual leader beloved by all.
"In my life, I have served in the military and led troops; what scenes have I not witnessed, what people have I not met?" General Jiang walked over to the coffee table, lifted the lid of a teacup, and a fragrant steam wafted up, obscuring Liu Xuan's solemn face.
"Three years ago marked the beginning of Earth's fate, yet we humans were completely unaware. We have no right to be aware because we are merely creatures on this planet, not its rulers."
General Jiang sat down and gestured for Liu Xuan to come closer. Liu Xuan knew that the General must have thoughts about the fate of the world and that what he was about to say was likely meant for Nars as well. He slowly took a seat. General Jiang picked up the teapot and poured tea into Liu Xuan's cup. Liu Xuan hurriedly reached out to take the teapot but hesitated in mid-air and instead grasped the cup filled with tea.
"When he from within you came to Earth, I knew humanity was doomed. We are too naive; humanity should be one family but has become fragmented, waging wars for thousands of years. The emergence of Nars truly made me realize how foolish our human history has been."
General Jiang raised his teacup and took a small sip. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Liu Xuan's left eye had turned a moonlight color.
"Thoughts are always evolving, General," Nars spoke up. "Our internal civilization on the Moon also underwent division before achieving unity and ultimately entering cosmic society; it just wasn't perfect. Every civilization evolves under cosmic laws, including humanity. When a civilization is ready to enter cosmic society, there will always be Prophets who recognize their civilization's backwardness and flaws; this is quite normal. And congratulations, General, you are a Prophet of Earth civilization."
"But do we have the right or leverage to enter cosmic society and engage in dialogue with other civilizations?" General Jiang set down his teacup and asked. "I can't understand, Nars; there are always beings in the universe that are stronger than us and others that are weaker. So why do we need to maintain our existence? What is the meaning? Therefore..."
General Jiang looked at Nars and Liu Xuan.
"What is the meaning of existence for our enemies?"
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