Chapter 171.1 – Key (14)

◎ S7 attended the trial with two family members ◎

Northern Base, 10:00 AM.

A highly anticipated trial is about to begin.

As the person involved was formerly the highest-ranking official in the Awakener Department and the crimes committed involved national secrets, only a very small number of people were allowed to participate. The media and reporters who entered went through layers of screening. In the spectator seats, officials dressed in suits sat upright, awakeners suppressing their awakened energy, and silent witnesses.

Before the formal start of the trial, two figures entered against the light.

Zhuang Qingyan wore an impeccably crafted light gray suit, his side profile tall and lean, outlining broad shoulders and long legs as he walked. Song Ke, on the other hand, had a much simpler attire, white T-shirt and shorts, with short hair neat and refreshing. The two uninvited guests walked in as if they owned the place.

“Is that Song Ke?” A special reporter in the media area covered his mouth and whispered to his colleague, “She looks quite approachable.”

“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” the colleague, a local, shook his head in disagreement, whispering with a hushed tone, “You know nothing about her brutality.”

“How brutal is she? I don’t believe it unless I see it myself.”

“Do you have the video of the armored sea turtle?”

“No, but I’ve heard of it. Isn’t it too exaggerated? How could a Level 5 ferocious beast be killed single-handedly?”

“…I’ll send it to you.” The colleague sighed deeply. The video was once so popular, but its popularity inexplicably plummeted after a couple of days, with no one interested anymore. Fortunately, he wisely saved a copy.

“Wow! Oh my god! I can’t believe it!” The reporter watched in awe, his words stumbling, “I was blind, she’s so amazing. Why is she here today? Does she have any friendship with He Qiuhong?”

“Quite the opposite,” the colleague wore a mysterious expression, “It’s more like having a grudge. I heard… not sure if it’s true, He Qiuhong kidnapped this person.”

“…?” The journalist gasped, his expression puzzled and blank. Kidnapping S7? This would be an explosive piece of news throughout the entire Alliance. Is He Qiuhong out of her mind?

As soon as the colleague’s words fell, the tall man with his hands in his pockets walked past them, casting a cool glance.

The journalist shivered and instinctively turned off the terminal playing the colorful video.

Members of V587 sitting in the front row turned their heads in pleasant surprise, their eyes assessing, as if saying: Captain, back to your usual self?

Song Ke made a “shush” gesture, playfully blinked, spun around to signify that she was unharmed, and sat next to Lu Xiaoyu. Lu Xiaoyu casually extended his hand, and Song Ke touched her pocket, handing him the terminal for the routine anti-intrusion check. Then, she leaned in and spoke softly to Lu Xiaoyu, their heads close together. From certain angles, their faces were very close, almost as if they were kissing.

Zhuang Qingyan stretched his arm lazily, resting it on the back of Song Ke’s chair, displaying both intimacy and possessiveness.

Sharing a terminal among the three had become a habit, and they didn’t think much of it. However, to others, it seemed somewhat scandalous.

The eyes of two journalists next door widened.

If they were from the “Crooked Anecdotes of Awakeners,” they would have already imagined a passionate and scandalous love affair based on S7’s gimmicks, ensuring tomorrow’s best-selling headline. However, they were from the “Northern Base Legal Daily,” an official and serious media outlet! The two exchanged glances and finally wrote down in a proper manner: “On [date], S7-level Awakener Song Ke attended the trial with two family members.”

Clang—

The passage door opened, and six solemn-faced judges were escorted in by the awakener guards. The chief judge in the center was a woman around forty, with a straight posture and deep eyes containing a glint of intelligence. As she scanned the spectator seats, people avoided her gaze, as if once seen by her, all secrets would be exposed.

Song Ke’s spirits lifted, sensing that this was a high-level awakener.

“Tian Wenli, A7-level Mental type, Ability: ‘Truth Reconstruction,’ can make time and space flow backward, replay scenes that have happened before, and… reveal the true psychological activities of the individuals involved,” Zhuang Qingyan explained in a low voice, pinching Song Ke’s ear. He was now a mobile central hub of resident information, knowing the background of every resident in the Northern Base.

Tian Wenli’s ability was somewhat similar to Bai Ruotong’s “Lie Detection,” but unlike Song Ke’s young senior sister, Tian Wenli, an experienced early awakener, had been working as a judge for over seventeen years, a bona fide expert in interrogation.

Back then, A-level Bai Ruotong couldn’t extract much information from S-level Zhuang Qingyan’s mouth, but today, A7-level Tian Wenli against B3-level He Qiuhong was almost a crushing blow.

“Now, the trial begins. Bring the defendant, He Qiuhong, into the courtroom,” Tian Wenli spoke in a deep voice after taking her seat.

The law enforcement officers brought He Qiuhong, whose hands and feet were bound by ability restraints, to the courtroom. After removing her high-ranking official uniform, she appeared frail, moving slowly. The deep lines on the sides of her cheeks had intensified, but her expression remained as calm as ever.

“Director He…” on the spectator seats, He Qiuhong’s administrative secretary couldn’t help muttering, quickly bowing her head amidst the surrounding glares. She was just a newly appointed insignificant figure, with little understanding of the crimes committed by her former superior. Her sigh at the imprisonment of her boss unexpectedly caused an uproar, and the secretary regretfully patted her mouth, not daring to speak further.

In the front row, Ye Zimei sat upright, her expression cold and concentrated. Today, she represented Ye Zheng and Bai Qi, witnessing He Qiuhong’s fate.

“He Qiuhong,” Tian Wenli, sitting in the center of the judge’s bench, used her awakened energy and her voice resonated throughout the venue. “You are accused of betrayal, treason, endangering national security, abuse of power, intentional murder, and a total of thirteen charges. Do you have any objections?”

“I have objections,” He Qiuhong’s expression was surprisingly calm. “I deny the unfounded accusations. I did not betray the Northern Base. Issuing the order for the residents of Qianzhan City to stay put was due to being controlled by an S-level parasite, not of my own volition.”

There was an uproar in the spectator seats, angrily cursing He Qiuhong for being defiant and refusing to confess even at the brink of death.

“Spectators, please maintain silence,” Tian Wenli knocked the gavel. “You deny intentionally plotting against General Ye Zheng, but the order to prevent the entry of Qianzhan City residents was issued when you were conscious.”

He Qiuhong hesitated for a moment and answered calmly, “I did it for the benefit of the Northern Base.”

Tian Wenli’s eyes were sharp, and she suddenly raised her voice, “Liar.”

“I request the use of ‘Truth Reconstruction.'”

“Approved,” the decision was made after consultation among the five judges.

Dong, dong—

Like the striking of a grand bell, He Qiuhong’s face showed pain, completely defenseless, her consciousness thoroughly swept away, and scenes from the past unfolded.

First was a cold voice, “Close all connection channels with Qianzhan City.”

Then came a mixture of contemptuous psychological activities, “Those ordinary people? Useless waste, not worth mourning. It’s their own bad luck.”

“Awakeners… forget it, a group of eliminated people with no strength. Just clean them up, and issue a recruitment notice after the crisis is over.”

The scene fell into complete silence; everyone was shocked by her disregard for life.

“Murderer! Despicable woman!” Suddenly, from the direction of the witness stand, a rotten egg flew towards He Qiuhong, landing at her feet.

“Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to decide our life and death? Who the hell do you think you are!”

The law enforcement officers hurriedly intervened to stop the disturbance. The enraged man, seemingly using an ability, threw another rotten egg out of thin air, and this time, he was fortunate enough to hit He Qiuhong’s face. A gray-green, foul-smelling liquid oozed down, creating a nauseating odor.

“Please have the witness temporarily leave the stand,” Tian Wenli raised her hand, signaling the officers to escort the man out. She then turned to the public and explained, “The witness lost his parents in the ferocious beast tide, and his emotions are quite intense. Please understand.”

Song Ke rested her chin on her hand, her lips slightly curled. She initially thought the chief judge, Tian Wenli, was impartial, but she could see clearly that Tian Wenli had noticed the witness reaching for the rotten egg, yet deliberately waited two seconds before intervening.

“He Qiuhong, you discriminate against ordinary people with an unequal perspective, causing a significant negative impact on the peace and stability of the Northern Base. The court has received additional information that former S4-level awakener Lei Zhao left for Tokushima with resentment due to your unreasonable arrangement for his family.”

The effect of “Truth Reconstruction” was still in place, and upon hearing Lei Zhao’s name, He Qiuhong’s pupils contracted slightly, uncontrollably recalling the past.

Lei Zhao grew up in the orphanage of the low-level district. His “family” consisted of disabled individuals. Because Lei Zhao was allowed to enter District B, He Qiuhong, following regulations, assigned him a residence without considering whether it was “appropriate.” The community was full of awakeners, and a culture of comparison thrived. Lei Zhao’s family suffered severe bullying, and he, busy with commissions, neglected them until incidents of self-harm forced him to wake up. Eventually, he left District B10.

Another S-level weapon-type awakener, the chief designer of the “Hell” firearms, also left the Northern Base for ideological differences. Before leaving, he expressed to his friend, “The original intention of designing the Hell firearms was to give ordinary people the ability to fight against zombies and ferocious beasts. If my weapons can only be provided to awakeners, I don’t know what purpose they serve anymore.”

His friend asked, “Where did you get this information, and who talked to you?”

The chief designer sighed, shook his head with a bitter smile, unwilling to say more.

A commotion spread through the spectator seats, with awakeners expressing their indignation. No wonder, all this time, the Northern Base had fewer top-level awakeners compared to other regions – turns out it was because of He Qiuhong, the troublemaker! Despite her lofty speeches about the importance of awakeners, in reality, she hadn’t accomplished anything substantial. Ultimately, it was all about maintaining her own rule and power.

He Qiuhong’s governing philosophy contradicted the entire Northern Base, and it’s no wonder that talented individuals found it difficult to stay! V587 members in their seats couldn’t help but smirk. He Qiuhong had offended more than just these S-level awakeners; they had three more in their team. If it weren’t for Ye Zheng’s strong retention efforts, they might have left in a fit of anger, just like Lei Zhao.