One thought leads to heaven; one thought leads to hell.
For Melina, this was a day she would never forget for the rest of her life.
The StarNet assessment, upon which she had staked her entire political career, seemed to be going very successfully. The performances of Lin Xiaohe and the examinees from the Fourth Star Ring were particularly dazzling.
These were undeniably solid political achievements!
What made her even more ecstatic was the official stamp of approval from Master Leander, certifying Lin Xiaohe as the youngest and most promising Stardust Plant Manipulator in the history of the Federation!
Although her son, Wesley, had offended Lin Xiaohe before, he had been quick to kneel and apologize, making him practically Lin Xiaohe’s number one fanboy!
Everything seemed so wonderful and prosperous.
But merciless fate, like a total scoundrel, always chooses your happiest moment to push you off a cliff.
“Is it only Gabriel who hasn’t woken up? Or are all the examinees still unconscious?”
Inside the Parliament Hall, Melina’s expression was dark and gloomy, her brow furrowed with barely contained agitation.
The Head of the Fourth Star Ring and the council members were all on their way.
The entire vicinity of the Parliament Hall had been cordoned off. Anyone who had recently entered or exited the building, whether staff or council members, had been detained.
All employees of the Fourth Star Ring branch of Hyperion Group, the company responsible for providing the full-body StarNet connection pods, had been taken to the detention center for questioning.
The officer in charge of the interrogation said coldly, “Through investigating your communication records, we’ve discovered some interesting details. Someone asked you to tamper with the connection pods.”
The branch manager of Hyperion Group broke out in a cold sweat. His heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly by a pair of giant hands, making it hard to breathe.
He licked his dry lips, a flicker of hesitation passing through his eyes.
Thinking of his lovely daughter, he took a deep breath and said, “That’s correct. That… esteemed individual did indeed instruct us to tamper with the pods.”
The officer pressed, “What did you do?!”
The manager gave a bitter smile. “What could we possibly dare to do? That person was targeting an examinee favored by Marshal Chu. If something really went wrong, that esteemed individual wouldn’t face any consequences, but we would be finished.”
“Besides, we’re just ordinary workers. We’re only doing this job to make a living. There’s no need for us to break the law and violate regulations.”
On this topic, the manager launched into a torrent of complaints. “Do you know how much a single connection pod costs? The Ministry of Education specified the Neuromancer model, which has a price tag of 120 million Star Coins per unit. According to the contract, if we cause a major incident, we have to pay double the cost in damages! We couldn’t afford that even if we sold our entire families!”
That esteemed individual simply had no regard for people’s lives. He only knew how to give orders without taking any responsibility for the aftermath. Who would dare to actually carry out such a task?!
The officer’s head was pounding from his rambling. He interrupted, “So, you did nothing?”
The manager lowered his head, looking guilty. “That person isn’t a fool. We just created a backdoor at the pod’s StarNet interface to placate him. But I swear to the heavens, we absolutely did not use that backdoor to do anything!”
They really had only used it to fool an idiot.
Thinking of his colleagues who had been arrested, the manager asked anxiously, “Officer, did something go wrong at the examination site?”
“Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t ask!”
The officer hurriedly uploaded the report. A whole host of political bigwigs were waiting for it.
At this moment, Melina was furious enough to kill someone.
It was that high-ranking figure again! Was there no end to this?!
“Send someone immediately to investigate that StarNet connection backdoor.”
The Head of the Fourth Star Ring rushed in. “A bunch of military academy chancellors and the Minister of Education have been calling me, asking if something went wrong in the StarNet examination field. Melina, I expect you to give me an explanation, and soon.”
Melina’s expression was icy. “All the examinees eliminated in the early stages have successfully regained consciousness and been examined; there’s no physical discomfort whatsoever. However, ever since Johansson left the Capital City area within the exam, every examinee eliminated since then has fallen into a coma.”
“What do the doctors say?”
“Their mental energies are completely chaotic, and they’ve lost all self-awareness. The doctors advise against removing them from the connection pods.”
The Head of the Fourth Star Ring let out a long sigh and said with deep meaning, “Melina, I’m about to be promoted to the Third Star Ring. I do not want any unexpected incidents.”
“I understand, Head. Based on the current investigation, it appears to be the work of Hyperion Group.”
“Truly… a contemptible bunch,” the Head of the Fourth Star Ring muttered. He made a private call, fury churning in his eyes.
…
In the First Star Ring, a handsome man was humming a tune, plucking at his Whale Song instrument, producing a lovely melody.
A smile played on his lips, and his eyes were filled with satisfaction.
He loved the Sea Song Star; it was his lucky star, always helping him get what he wanted.
Smack!
A hard slap landed on his face. He was about to flare up in anger but found himself staring into a pair of cold, emotionless eyes.
He pressed his lips together, his eyes full of resentment and unwillingness. Yet, swallowing his humiliation, he lowered his voice and muttered, “Father.”
The man standing opposite him looked down with a condescending gaze, his eyes freezing over with frost, showing not a trace of warmth toward him. “The incident at the examination site—was that your doing?”
He nodded slightly. “Yes, I did it.”
His father said nothing, merely extending one hand with the palm open.
“Father?! You would use the family discipline on me for the sake of some lowborn commoner?!” His eyes were filled with disbelief, his body trembling involuntarily out of conditioned reflex.
“Lin Xiaohe is no longer a commoner. She is now a Stardust Plant Manipulator and a student personally recognized by Marshal Chu.”
“So what?! Our family has Stardust Plant Manipulators too!”
The electrified whip struck him mercilessly. He lay on the floor convulsing, teeth clamped down on his lip, the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth.
He looked at his father with a mix of hatred and fear.
It was always like this. The way his father looked at him was as if he were staring at a piece of trash!
“Wipe that look of impotent rage off your face.” The man’s words were laced with ice, punctuated by another lash even sharper than the last.
“You’re always so foolish. If you couldn’t stand Lin Xiaohe, you shouldn’t have given her a chance to rise. In the Sixth Star Ring, getting rid of someone is easy! But since you chose to back down in the face of the ‘Central Military Academy Special Admissions’ title, you shouldn’t have continued picking a fight. You should have smiled and been her friend.”
The man set down the whip and rubbed his elegant wrist.
He looked down at his son lying on the ground like a beaten dog, sighing with pity. “Tsk, I hate to admit you’re my son. I told your mother long ago that naturally conceived children shouldn’t be kept; their genes are full of flaws.”
“Byard, if the Parliament traces this back to you, I expect you to step forward bravely. Do not affect the reputation of Hyperion Group.”
Byard laughed maniacally. He knew it; he was always the first one to be thrown away!
“Don’t worry, Father.”
The man gave him a rare approving look. “That’s a good boy. Now, tell Father, what did you do through that StarNet backdoor? It’s impressive technology; even the Federation’s Red Hat hacker team can’t crack it.”
Byard’s laughter froze on his face, his expression turning blank.
He hadn’t done anything. Wasn’t this matter entirely handled by the people from Hyperion Group?
He was only responsible for giving the order.
