Sixth Star Ring, Miluo Star.
Darcy was giving a work report to the commander of the Fifth Division: “We’re still engaged in small-scale skirmishes with the Empire along the front lines. There’s no sign of them launching a major offensive. But the mutated plant zone has been a bit active lately.”
“Have there been any casualties near the plant zone? Any signs of the mutated plants actively attacking?”
Darcy shook his head. “Not at the moment.”
The commander of the Fifth Division waved his hand dismissively. “Then ignore them for now. By the way, the military has issued a notice. Make sure you and your people get it signed as soon as possible.”
Darcy frowned, his eyes filled with displeasure. He asked bluntly, “Is this voluntary or mandatory? What are they up to this time? Voting for some councilor again?”
He was almost sick of it. They pulled stunts like this several times every year. What did they take the soldiers for? Robots without their own thoughts?
Darcy decided that the moment he walked out of the meeting room, he would toss this matter to the back of his mind.
The commander said calmly, “It’s a petition. It demands that the Ministry of Security hold a public trial for Lin Xiaohe’s alleged murder of Chu Huaizhi.”
Wha—what?!
Lin Xiaohe? Chu Huaizhi? Murder?
How do those three words even go together?
Darcy’s eyes widened, his face full of confusion as he looked at the commander. “Sir, you’re not kidding me, are you?”
“It’s absolutely true. Lin Xiaohe has already been detained by the Ministry of Security. Time is life, so you…”
Before the commander could finish his sentence, Darcy shot out of the room like a gust of wind, hopped into a hover vehicle, and drew a beautiful arc at the gate of the division headquarters. In the blink of an eye, he had vanished over the horizon.
Communication between Miluo Star and the outside world was poor. The outside world had already been in an uproar over this for some time, but the Federation soldiers on Miluo Star were completely in the dark.
When Darcy broke the news to the troops, the camp nearly exploded.
“Damn it, they’re just envious and jealous! They can’t stand the fact that our Sixth Star Ring is about to produce a shining new star!”
Alan was so angry his hair seemed to stand on end. “This is absolutely a frame-up! We’ve spent so much time with Lin Xiaohe. She’s just a simple, warm-hearted, responsible, and powerful young soldier! There’s no way she would try to murder Marshal Chu.”
Marshal Chu had many enemies scattered across the entire galaxy, but Lin Xiaohe was definitely not one of them.
Everyone rushed to sign the petition, strongly demanding that Darcy personally deliver it to a space communication ship and then on to the military region!
Acting even faster than the Federation soldiers on Miluo Star were those on Gonggong Star.
Back in the arena, the special forces team members and several hundred examinees whom Lin Xiaohe had rescued had all joined the Star Lily Party.
They were among the first to get the news.
Special forces team captain Barnet initiated a petition directly from the grassroots soldiers, demanding a public trial in the Lin Xiaohe case.
Lin Xiaohe’s heroic bearing in the Grand Canyon had deeply impressed all the Federation soldiers on Gonggong Star.
They not only signed their names on the petition but also publicly shared their views on the StarNet and in various public spaces.
[“Lin Xiaohe, the hero who single-handedly faced hundreds of thousands of Imperial troops and held the Grand Canyon—if she can be convicted of treason, how many people in the entire Federation could still claim to be innocent?”]
[“Even if she really is guilty, she should be tried by the Sixth Star Ring Military Court! Lin Xiaohe is not only a student at the Central School but also a captain in the Sixth Star Ring Reconnaissance Battalion.”]
[“That’s right. We must not let a guilty person go free, but we also must not allow people with ulterior motives to persecute Federation soldiers and heroes who have rendered meritorious service to the Federation on trumped-up charges!”]
Examinees like Corrie and Hallet, along with others, organized demonstrations at their respective universities under the banner of “Upholding Fairness and Justice in Federal Law.”
For a time, the Lin Xiaohe case became the hottest topic on the Fifth Star Ring.
There were supporters and opponents, and the two sides argued fiercely on the StarNet.
These arguments generated even more buzz, keeping the Lin Xiaohe case at the top of the trending charts.
In addition to these grassroots actions, some people who had long held grievances against the Ministry of Security were quietly fanning the flames behind the scenes.
Melina appealed to the governor of the Fourth Star Ring with reason and self-interest, finally persuading him to take the lead in bringing up the matter at the Star Ring Governors’ Conference.
The governor of the Sixth Star Ring naturally sided with Lin Xiaohe.
Lin Xiaohe was, in a sense, a very important icon for the Sixth Star Ring. If she were convicted of treason, it would tarnish the Sixth Star Ring’s image to some extent.
As for the governor of the Fifth Star Ring, he chose to support Lin Xiaohe as a matter of course.
After all, Lin Xiaohe’s image loomed large in the hearts of Federation soldiers on the Fifth Star Ring; she was practically the ultimate idol for the younger generation.
Because of Lin Xiaohe’s meteoric rise, the enlistment rate among young people on the Fifth Star Ring had increased by a full five percentage points!
Thus, at the Star Ring Governors’ Conference, half of the governors strongly demanded a public trial for Lin Xiaohe, while the governor of the First Star Ring abstained. The other two voted against it.
Based on the principle of majority rule, the proposal to “publicly try the Lin Xiaohe case” was passed.
Nuwa submitted the resolution to the Ministry of Security.
The white-haired old man received Nuwa’s notification. The corners of his mouth turned down in disdain as he scoffed, “Motion denied! Utterly nonsensical. They don’t know their place. Just who do they think they are, interfering with our Ministry of Security!”
Nuwa added: “The Federal Military strongly demands that the jurisdiction for trying the Lin Xiaohe case be transferred to a military court.”
The victim was Marshal Chu, a military representative. The suspect was Captain Lin Xiaohe, a military officer.
The Federal Military’s request was entirely reasonable, proper, and lawful.
A flicker of gravity passed through the white-haired old man’s eyes. The Ministry of Security could afford to ignore the Federal Government, the Federal Military, or any single party.
But if those two forces combined, even the arrogantly unbridled Ministry of Security would have to think twice.
“Has she still not relented?”
The subordinate shook his head solemnly. “No.”
He had never seen anyone with such a tough will. She had endured all kinds of torture and still refused to confess.
Most people, after the first three rounds of torture, would confess to whatever crimes the Ministry of Security wanted, just to die quickly and end their suffering.
Lin Xiaohe was different.
Everyone could see she was in agony, but she simply would not confess.
The wildly fluctuating lines on the energy monitor, like a raging mountain range, were her silent defiance.
The white-haired old man walked to the front of her cell, his eyes dark and somber as he looked at the figure inside.
To be precise, the creature inside no longer resembled a human form.
Her flesh had almost been blasted into a mist of blood.
Doudou stretched itself to the utmost, its brown roots twisting into two strands, desperately trying to hold together the surrounding flesh and blood, barely forming the shape of two legs.
Its branches extended upward, connecting with Fanfan’s branches and leaves, together constructing the semblance of a torso.
Fanfan, like it was doing the splits, divided its roots into two parts, becoming Lin Xiaohe’s arms.
At the point where they connected, Xiao Hong tightly pulled the two together with its vines and roots.
In the left chest area, where the heart beat, Tiantian desperately guarded a heart fragment the size of a fingernail.
At the location of the brain, there was only a tattered little leaf, and beneath the leaf lay a small red beetle.
It constantly absorbed the surrounding blood mist and rampaging psychic energy. Its red shell grew ever more vibrant, with a faint green light swirling across it.
The white-haired old man glanced down at his communicator, his eyes thick with darkness. Looking at the writhing mass of flesh and blood, he asked coldly, “Can she still survive?”
Lin Xiaohe: No pain inflicted upon me will ever defeat me; it will only make me stronger!
