FT DR Chapter 85: Furious!

Chapter 85: Furious!

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

The amphibious starship slowly docked at the “Gateway of Tungusic,” and Mrs. Balon briskly walked out of the cabin, her expression as rigid as ever.

“Principal.” Hans had been waiting at the entrance, his face fraught with anxiety as he approached. “The Administrative Center just received a joint lawyer’s letter from Saint Martin and Aston. Dean Mu has entrusted them to file a lawsuit against the guide school…”

Mrs. Balon raised her hand slightly, indicating that she was aware, and asked, “How is Dean Mu himself?”

“He had a major hemorrhage, but the child was saved. However, he underwent sterilization surgery,” Hans said in a low voice. “He has applied for an assessment of his injuries, and the level set is likely to be high because Saint Martin has assessment qualifications, and they will definitely lean in his favor.” Showing the joint lawyer’s letter to her, he said, “I think we’re in trouble this time. I heard that the cabinet members visited him at the hospital and conveyed the president’s regards.”

Mrs. Balon scanned the lawyer’s letter silently. Hans waited for a moment, unable to bear it, and said, “Principal, this incident has been going on for some time. Shouldn’t we take proactive measures to avoid public condemnation? After all, we are carrying out official duties, and we did capture a guide. Dean Mu’s plight is deserving of sympathy, but he does have suspicions of harboring a guide…”

“I will handle it,” Mrs. Balon made a gesture to interrupt him and asked, “How is the new guide?”

“Medical Officer Luther has taken him to the hospital for examination,” Hans said. “The accompanying personnel said his emotions are okay, but he’s experiencing some deep-sea reactions.”

“Has the letter been sent to Commander Hannibal?”

“It’s been sent, but we haven’t received a response yet.”

“Take care of him,” Mrs. Balon handed the lawyer’s letter back to him. “The president’s starship will be arriving soon. Tell the Administrative Center to prepare, I’ll wait here to welcome the president.”

“The President is coming?” Hans was surprised. This new president was a celebrity of the guide school. During his time in NTU service, he had attended the graduation dance multiple times, harassing a large number of guides, and then leaving with a pat on the back, claiming to remain single. The former principal had listed him as one of the “most unwelcome people at the guide school,” almost engraving his name on the pillar of shame, strictly instructing anyone not to let him in to harm others.

But no one had expected him to become president, and as president, there was no one who could refuse him.

“Get people to prepare,” Mrs. Balon rubbed her temples. She guessed that the president would question her about Wu Chenghe’s situation, but she thought at most he would summon her to the official residence for a discussion. She had never imagined that he would set foot on Tungusic’s soil again for Wu Chenghe’s sake.

He even sent the Secretary of State to visit Mu… Mrs. Balon felt a headache coming on. Things seemed to be getting out of control.

Fifteen minutes later, the president’s official vehicle, the “Federal Number One,” docked at the underwater dock, and Jin Zhe walked into the Gateway of Tungusic under the protection of several secret service agents. Seeing Mrs. Balon, instead of shaking hands with her as usual, he simply nodded faintly.

“Mr. President,” Mrs. Balon nodded in greeting. “Welcome to the guide school. You haven’t been here for many years; I thought you wouldn’t set foot on Tungusic’s soil again.”

Jin Zhe’s lips curled slightly. As an old rogue who had “seduced” several guides but remained single to this day, he had long been blacklisted by the Tungusic Base. He hadn’t even received an inspection request from here when he took office as the next president.

Mrs. Balon was reminding him that he owed the guide school.

“I’ll come more often in the future.” However, Jin Zhe never followed others’ trains of thought. He sighed sincerely, “It seems I’ve shown too little concern for the guide school. Principal Balon seems to hold some grievances against me. It’s my negligence. I will pay more attention to your affairs in the future.”

Mrs. Balon froze. How did he manage to hear the sense of “grievance” in her words? She finally understood what it meant to be a politician. Nevertheless, improving relations with the guide school would be beneficial to her. So Mrs. Balon mustered a polite smile and said, “You are welcome to visit often. It is an honor for our school.”

The airship flew over half of the city and landed at the Administrative Center. The principal’s office was in the former control room of the “Tungusic,” which was very spacious. Jin Zhe sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the entire Tungusic Base.

“It’s magnificent. My ancestors served here for many years.” Jin Zhe sighed. “Humanity built such a large military base on an alien planet for the first time. They never thought it would become a restricted area for guides.”

“It’s the guide school, Mr. President,” Mrs. Balon corrected. “The term ‘restricted area’ was used fifty years ago.” She didn’t want the conversation to start with a tone unfavorable to the guide school.

“Oh, I see,” Jin Zhe said seemingly casually. “Fifty years have passed since the implementation of the Protection Law. At that time, there were only over four thousand guides left in the entire federation… So how many people are currently registered?”

“… Nearly six thousand,” Mrs. Balon said, her expression somewhat grim. As expected, Jin Zhe immediately frowned. “Fifty years have passed, and there has been an increase of less than two thousand. Aren’t we implementing the Protection Law? With such a large population in the federation and such a high birth rate, why hasn’t there been much improvement in the number of guides?”

Mrs. Balon’s forehead broke out in sweat. “The reasons are manifold. The influence of the old system is profound, and many people still refuse to give birth to babies with guide genes. The abortion rate is high. We have amended the laws several times, increased fines for abortions, and raised subsidies for newborns, but we still couldn’t curb this trend. There are also some secret organizations in the civilian population that provide refuge for guides, allowing them to evade our sight. We have proposed several times for the police and the military to investigate these organizations, but we have not yet received a clear response.”

“Hmm, you have indeed made a lot of efforts,” Jin Zhe first affirmed the work of the guide school, then turned the conversation. “But forgive me for speaking frankly, Principal Balon, from the perspective of an ordinary father, if my child had guide genes, I’m afraid I wouldn’t want her to be born into this world either. If I were a guide, I wouldn’t want to be sent to a place like Tungusic.”

“You can’t make such assumptions!” Mrs. Balon said firmly. “When individual wishes conflict with the interests of the federation, if everyone chooses individual wishes, what will the federation do? What will humanity do? Perish?”

“No,” Jin Zhe’s expression suddenly became extremely serious. His pitch-black eyes stared forcefully at Mrs. Balon, saying, “History has shown that what leads humanity to destruction is often laws that go against human nature, not the people who defy them! Principal Balon, nine hundred years ago, humanity destroyed the Earth with the decision to bio-engineer, forcing them to leave their homeland and settle here. A hundred years ago, humanity reduced the average lifespan to a hundred years because of the Massacre Act that exterminated guides.”

Mrs. Balon’s face turned very unpleasant. She took a deep breath and said, “Mr. President, we are the guide school, not the Supreme Court or the Congress. We strictly enforce all the laws established by the federation.”

“Yes,” Jin Zhe raised an eyebrow, leaned back in his chair, and said, “Then tell me, how do you execute this sacred law?” 

Mrs. Balon saw such an overbearing president for the first time. In the past, whether in public or private gatherings, Jin Zhe had always been mild-mannered, warm, and humble. Mr. Balon had complained many times that this president was too hard-nosed and unpredictable. Mrs. Balon had also been somewhat skeptical, but now… she realized she had been too naive. 

“Mr. President,” Mrs. Balon decided to speak candidly, “if you are criticizing me because of Dean Mu’s incident, I am deeply sorry. Yesterday’s incident was mishandled by me. When hunting the guide, I didn’t consider Dean Mu’s psychological endurance. Capturing his student in front of him caused him distress. The school has received a joint lawyer’s letter from Saint Martin and Aston, and I will apologize to him first thing and negotiate compensation.”

Jin Zhe’s hand rested on the armrest of the sofa, the veins on the back of his hand subtly bulging, yet his face maintained a stern expression. “So, are you saying that you planned this arrest in advance? Then please explain, why didn’t you consult with the college authorities first when you suspected a student to be a guide, instead of suddenly acting at the end-of-term meeting? Mrs. Balon, Aston is the highest academic institution in the federation. Why did you act so recklessly, arresting and injuring people at such a grand exchange event? What were you trying to prove? That the guide school is superior to the entire federal education system? Or that you don’t care about the Voyager Army?”

“No, no, I absolutely didn’t mean that, Mr. President.” Mrs. Balon was startled. 

Who would’ve thought that the initial target was actually Mu, the dean of the Medical School? How could she have possibly coordinated with him beforehand? But now, what was actually captured was Wu Chenghe, the foster student of the Voyager Army, Commander Hannibal’s eldest son! Mrs. Balon broke out in a cold sweat, realizing the magnitude of the mistake she made. The president didn’t come to Tungusic to question her because of his private friendship with Mu but because she challenged the authority of the Ministry of Education and the Voyager Army! 

The president, who had just taken office, definitely didn’t want to offend the powerful forces he was trying to win over for the sake of a guide school that had blacklisted him. So regardless of whichever side, even Saint Martin and Aston, if they protested, he would push her out, impartially pacifying the anger of the other party. Now, explaining the real reason would be futile and could only lead to worse consequences. 

After weighing her options, Mrs. Balon said, “I must be honest with you, Mr. President. Our initial target wasn’t Wu Chenghe, but another student. As you know, the Icarus butterfly guide’s concealment is very strong, and we didn’t notice him at all. The reason we acted during the end-of-term meeting is because we suspected that the guide had very strong mental powers, and only multiple guides working together could possibly force him to reveal himself. The end-of-term meeting was the only opportunity to gather guides into the Medical School.”

Jin Zhe listened to her explanation expressionlessly. “I understand. Your school has always operated like this, right? Discover a suspect, seal off the information, set a trap, and capture them. As for who the other party belongs to, who they are managed by, whether they are parents or children… none of these are within your consideration? So this time, the victim turned out to be Commander Hannibal’s son, purely unlucky to kick the iron plate, right?”

Mrs. Balon felt like the president’s brainwaves were completely out of sync with hers. She was explaining, yet all he seemed to infer was how arrogant and overbearing the guide school was…What was he trying to achieve?

“No wonder it took fifty years to increase the number of guides by only two thousand,” Jin Zhe said. “I always thought your job was too difficult, with too little power. But now, it seems quite the opposite. The federation has given you too much power, but your emotional intelligence is so low that it’s chilling, leading you further and further down the path of violating humanity!”

“You can’t say that!” Mrs. Balon’s face turned red. “Since the implementation of the Protection Law, we have been making efforts to change the situation of guides, providing them with the best education, the best care. We are paying for the consequences of the Massacre Act! Mr. President, what you are saying completely negates our achievements!”

“No, Principal Balon.” Jin Zhe knocked on the table, his eyes carrying a hint of fierceness. “It’s the Federation footing the bill for you! During the massacre period, the annual expenditure for Tungusic was less than ten million Federation credits, supporting four thousand guides. Now your annual budget is one hundred and forty million, not counting infrastructure, yet the number of guides has increased by less than two thousand! What’s even more terrifying is that I’ve been continuously funneling taxpayer money here, giving you the best resources, yet you’ve pushed the Federation into opposition with the guides! And now you’ve pushed it into opposition with the Voyager Army and the Ministry of Education!”

Mrs. Balon’s face turned pale, powerless to refute the President’s furious reprimand, but what could she do? Let Wu Chenghe go unchecked? Just because he was Hannibal’s son?

“I’m not here to blame you today, Mrs. Balon.” Jin Zhe lied with his eyes open after a round of merciless rebuke, then retracted the mafia-like aura from his body, saying, “The issue with the guides is a historical problem that every administration wants to solve, but the methods have become increasingly absurd. By my administration, we’ve veered dangerously far onto an anti-human path, even more perilous than the original massacre.”

Mrs. Balon was thoroughly confused, only able to listen blankly as he brainwashed her. Jin Zhe continued, “When the Protection Act was enacted, just after the massacre, the guides suddenly had a chance to regain their freedom. Even if it meant marrying strangers, they were very willing, and their families were very grateful to the Federation. But all these years later, the Protection Act remains at its initial stage, and officials, including you, still treat it as a pardon and charity for the guides. But the guides are not criminals, they don’t need pardons or pity, and one day they will realize and question why they should accept these ‘favors’ with chains!”

“We’ve been refining and amending, adding clauses. But with so few guides, what can we do? Can they survive if we release them?” Mrs. Balon said weakly.

Jin Zhe shook his head. “No, those amendments are just superficial, like if I dictate that I’ll beat you every day to let you eat, and then increase the amount of nutrients from five hundred grams to five hundred and fifty grams. Can I expect you to happily endure the beatings?”

Mrs. Balon’s mouth moved, but no words came out. Jin Zhe continued, “The Protection Act has been in effect for fifty years. The fact that the Federation spends so much money each year to change the guides’ situation, that so many people risk fines to abort each year, and that so many civil protection organizations are beloved, is enough to show how much this law has failed! Mrs. Balon, let me tell you, I intend to completely revise the Protection Act within my first term, and I hope you understand my decision.”

Mrs. Balon was completely shocked, looking at Jin Zhe’s sincere face, unsure whether she should show determination or immediately refute him—she was the principal of a guide school, she had absolute authority in amending the Protection Act, but could she entrust this authority to a president who had just taken office and was not even sure of reelection?

As she hesitated, unsure of how to respond, there was a knock on the door. Mrs. Balon breathed a sigh of relief. Normally, anyone who dared to interrupt her conversation with the president would be severely punished, but today she felt she must thank him! Because the president was too terrifying!

It was Hans who entered. His face was very serious. He greeted the president quietly, then leaned in to whisper to Mrs. Balon, “Principal, something must be reported to you immediately. The new guide has markings, he’s been marked!”

Mrs. Balon paled, Jin Zhe, sitting opposite her, suddenly narrowed his pupils. His right hand tightly gripped the armrest of the sofa. In the higher-dimensional space, his lion suddenly stood up, pacing restlessly at his feet, growling lowly. The long-feared event had finally occurred… Jin Zhe’s temple veins bulged, he had suspected that Wu Chenghe might be a guide to avoid tragedy, he had originally wanted to amend the Protection Act within his term, or let Jin Xuan earn the right to marry at NTU. As a president, he was confident that he could do either before Wu Chenghe’s four-year term ended.

He had also doubted their relationship. He felt that Jin Xuan couldn’t possibly not touch an eighteen-year-old guide, but Jin Xuan’s behavior was too unusual. Not only had he been avoiding information centers in Aston, he had also gone to the Voyager Army’s jurisdiction alone several times for missions. This was impossible for a marked sentinel because leaving their guide was as against their instincts as leaving food and water completely!

Even seasoned ninja turtles like Jin Zhe wouldn’t dare to mark Mu, who had been relying on him for thirty years, because he couldn’t guarantee that after marking, Mu would still tolerate working away from him at the medical school. He would probably become more and more dependent on him, wishing to tie him to his belt like other sentinels.

He speculated that if Wu Chenghe was indeed a guide, he must be under Mu’s protection, using drugs like Mu to block his own pheromones for a long time—the potions he obtained in the St. Martin’s Secret Room had proven to be guide pheromone inhibitors—so he could resist Jin Xuan’s possessiveness and allow Jin Xuan to readily go to the Tianque Spaceport for missions.

Well, he did underestimate his younger brother’s level of perversion. Jin Xuan, holding his head in distress, wondered how this little bastard managed to happily run hundreds of light-years away to kill and plunder after doing this and that to the child? Was he still a sentinel? Had he mutated genetically?

Jin Zhe wished he could immediately grab Jin Xuan and kick him a few times. While his brain was spinning rapidly, contemplating what the guide school would do after discovering a student had been marked, his eyes suddenly widened—”Severance”! If he remembered correctly, his former boss had passed such a secret provision before stepping down!

Jin Zhe’s heart pounded, cold sweat dripping down his back in an instant. Sure enough, the next second, he heard the person consulting Mrs. Balon, “Dr. Luther has already submitted an application for review to the administrative center. I propose to organize two people to talk to the new guide immediately. If the sentinel who marked him is not qualified, we must prepare to implement ‘Severance’.”

Now Jin Zhe’s mind was filled with just two words: “Mother-fucker.”

Like him, Mrs. Balon’s mind was also in chaos, or perhaps even more chaotic than his. She frowned and contemplated for a long time before whispering, “No, wait a little longer. Wait for Commander Hannibal’s response. His identity is special, and ‘Severance’ cannot be easily implemented. No, you still go and talk to him, first confirm who his sentinel is. If it’s someone from the Voyager Army, we can consider the qualification conditions.”

Although she hadn’t decided whether to side with the president, she was already scared by Jin Zhe’s words—Hannibal commanded over seventy percent of the Federation’s forces, even the president had to consider his opinions, let alone the guide school? She didn’t want to become the sinner of human division.

Hans left to fulfill his orders, and the office fell into silence. The President and the Principal were both deeply engrossed in their own thoughts, unable to utter a word.

After a while, Jin Zhe broke the silence, “I suggest immediately removing the ‘Severance’ provision.”

Mrs. Balon, already overwhelmed by his formidable presence, subconsciously nodded in agreement upon hearing his suggestion. Then, she hesitated, “Why? It can maximize the chances of military and political officials getting suitable mates and make marked guides ‘pure’.”

Jin Zhe nodded and asked, “As far as I know, this provision has been in place for five years, right? How many instances of ‘Severance’ have you had?”

Mrs. Balon pondered for a moment before replying, “Eight cases.”

“Why was it supplemented as a hidden provision?”

“Because of its danger,” Mrs. Balon replied. “If terrorist organizations gain access to this technology, the lives of many important figures will be threatened.”

“Oh,” Jin Zhe muttered, then continued, “Five years, eight cases. Principal Balon, from your personal perspective, is this business profitable?”

“What do you mean?” Mrs. Balon was puzzled.

Jin Zhe opened his personal terminal and scrolled through some budget accounts from five years ago, saying, “The data shows that you spent nearly eight million Federation credits on developing the ‘Severance’ device, and then in five years, you ‘saved’ eight guides for the Federation…”

“More accurately, seven,” Mrs. Balon reluctantly admitted, not wanting to mention this, but she couldn’t deceive the President. “One guide suffered from consciousness cloud injury, leading to severe depression and suicide.”

“Oh,” Jin Zhe’s temple veins bulged again, a scene flashed before his eyes of Jin Xuan and Wu Chenghe lying together in a pool of blood, and he almost bit his tongue. After a moment of thought, he said, “I completely fail to understand why you would resort to such a cruel provision. It puts thousands of military and political officials at risk of ‘Severance’ at any time and undermines the spirit of freedom, democracy, and independence, facing public scrutiny. And the result is only seven cases in five years! Principal Balon, this provision seriously threatens the security of the Federation. I suggest abolishing it immediately!”

Mrs. Balon dared not agree rashly; after all, ‘Severance’ technology was one of the guide school’s greatest research achievements. She hesitated, saying, “I will convene a meeting immediately…”

Jin Zhe suddenly interrupted, “Do you know about the ‘Black Pearl Case’?”

“Yes,” Mrs. Balon was already feeling a bit dizzy from his talk, “the tragic incident earlier this year. It’s said that no organization has claimed responsibility for it to this day.”

“The official announcement stated that the purpose of the terrorist organization behind this case was to rob a batch of enhancers developed by the St. Martin Research Center to enhance sentinels’ combat effectiveness,” Jin Zhe said solemnly, looking into Mrs. Balon’s eyes. “But that’s not the truth. Can you guess what the truth is?”

Mrs. Balon subconsciously asked, “What?”

“The truth is that the enhancer they developed is for guides,” Jin Zhe said. “I can’t tell you specifically what it’s for.” Well, he didn’t know himself. “But I can tell you that its lethality is far inferior to ‘Severance’. Principal Balon, it’s not that I doubt your ability to keep secrets, but in this world, there are no real secrets. One day, someone will know about this technology, and someone will try to get it from the guide school! With it, they can threaten the entire Federation!”

Mrs. Balon finally understood his meaning, her face turning pale. “You mean…”

“Neither you nor the guide school, nor even I as the President, can afford this risk,” Jin Zhe said earnestly. “So I suggest you immediately propose to repeal this provision and completely destroy the ‘Severance’ device. The Cabinet and I will fully support your proposal.”

Mrs. Balon’s eyes flickered uncertainly. After a long while, she nodded, “Okay, I will draft the application immediately.”

Jin Zhe relaxed visibly, and his lion let out a low growl, finally lying down at his feet.

At that moment, the door was knocked again, and Hans entered once more, but this time with an even more peculiar expression.

“Principal,” Hans bowed to Mrs. Balon and said, “We may not be able to perform ‘Severance’ on the new guide in the short term. Just confirmed news, he’s pregnant, six and a half weeks along, with fraternal twins. Dr. Luther conducted a screening on him, and neither of the fetuses has clear guide genes, but considering he is a latent guide himself, we can’t rule out the possibility of the children awakening as guides after birth.”

Mrs. Balon felt that under the President’s guidance, her nerves had become somewhat unable to cope with such frequent information bombardment. She mechanically uttered an “Okay,” and said, “I understand.”

Beside her, Jin Zhe sucked in a breath of cold air, his eyes almost popping out—damn, wasn’t this too fast? He was going to be an uncle just like that? His daughter was just born from his dad’s belly! Twins? Wasn’t that too awesome? God, you’re unfair. Why do I only have one with artificial insemination? Can’t we all just play happily together?!

Mrs. Balon thought for a moment, feeling that this was actually a good thing, and her complexion improved slightly. She instructed, “You personally arrange for him a comfortable dormitory and have Dr. Luther take care of his physical condition. Follow the highest standards for his diet and nutrition. As for the curriculum, it depends on his own wishes. Apart from the compulsory courses on etiquette, cultivation, and ideology, let him study whatever he likes.”

“Yes.”

“Oh, wait,” Jin Zhe stopped Hans as he was about to leave, “You said Wu Chenghe is pregnant?”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“I’ll go see him.” Jin Zhe stood up without hesitation and walked out, “I am really ashamed in front of His Excellency Commander. Hannibal entrusted that child to me, and I didn’t even know he was pregnant until now. It’s simply unacceptable!”

No one could stop His Excellency the President. Hans glanced at Mrs. Balon. Seeing that she had no objections, he respectfully said to Jin Zhe, “Please.”

 

The President, accompanied by the Special Agents, left the office with great momentum, while Mrs. Balon sat quietly in her office, recalling the conversation that had just felt like a bombardment. Suddenly, she had the feeling, Was the President waiting for such an opportunity all along? Was it just her imagination?

 

 

 

 

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