Forge a path to success.

Chapter 394 Court Session

"I abandoned my journey and traveled thousands of miles to get here, and all I got was to fight a dead thing for such a difficult task?"

Over the communication channel, the mercenary complained vehemently. Chu Hengkong smiled and said, "So, are you interested in assassinating the city-state's chairman?"

What is the mass of the point mass?

"A public representative who is powerless to even kill a chicken."

"Not interested in."

Vilbert interrupted the communication: "Soon, there will be a massive melee with all forces involved. It's not too late to get to the front lines now."

“Oh? Vilbert Velus.” Shax chuckled. “Is that so? Congratulations on your revival. Sadists find it more enjoyable with loyal dogs, don’t they?”

"Ah Kong, are you sure he's a teammate now?"

"Don't worry, don't worry, we're very close now." Chu Hengkong instructed, "When you have time, you can go to the Third Meridian Sequence to pick up Gulibo. There are three Elemental Points 5 waiting to join the battle there."

"The world is going crazy faster and faster."

Shax sighed and cut off contact. It's said that the mercenary gunners made their mark on the Desperate Front during the Point 3 era, so returning to their old haunts probably wouldn't be too unfamiliar to them.

Elite prosecutors, accompanied by some members of the Divine Guard, arrived at the scene and took the seriously injured Guo Yutu into custody. These city-state elites wore complex expressions, because the arrest warrant was still in effect, and their duty at this moment remained "pursuing the wanted criminal."

Although Chu Hengkong and his group fought their way to Mansa Star Fortress and disrupted the sensationalist media programs, these were all "civilian" actions. The official stance wouldn't change because of public suspicion; as long as Parriman was Speaker, they would remain Jing Sha's enemies. Regardless of their thoughts, the Divine Guard members had no grounds to take action.

“There’s no point in making things difficult for these common soldiers.” Chu Hengkong stretched his shoulders. “Let’s meet up with Huaisu. They should be…”

“The Attorney General’s Office of Mansa Starburg,” Wilbert said. “Come on, it’s time to settle things with Parryman.”

·
The third line of command, the headquarters of the Divine Guard.

Li Ke stared intently at the water screen. The city-state's 24-hour broadcast had stopped, and the channels were now dominated by the Jing Sha independence promotional video, which she was already tired of seeing. She turned to her father and said, "This means Chu Hengkong and the others succeeded, right?"

“I don’t think anyone can stop them by force.” Trek closed his eyes to rest. “Pariman is oversimplifying things.”

"That bastard is really getting desperate! If he's determined to stall until the last day, we're in real trouble..."

“No, that’s not right.” Trek shook his finger. “Pariman’s timing and overall direction of action were both perfect. If this drags on, public opinion will gradually shift to our side, which is unacceptable to ‘Sole Love’. And we won’t let him continue like this. I’m afraid it won’t be long before Miss Vilbert devises an assassination plan. Once the Great Lily is studied and its breakthrough is achieved, infiltrating Mansa Star Castle will be a piece of cake.”

Lico drawled, "According to you, his strategy seems quite shrewd..."

"Don't underestimate the Speaker. He's always been very accurate in grasping the big picture. His weakness lies in his operational thinking," Trek said. "Ultimately, he's not a soldier and doesn't understand warfare. His approach to warfare, which revolves around public opinion, wanted posters, and the suppression of the sacred tree, is typical bureaucratic tactics. What general would put the outcome of a war on 'public opinion'? Treating war with a political game mentality makes defeat an inevitable outcome."

Lico didn't really understand her father's idea, after all, she knew nothing about warfare. She nodded in agreement and asked, "So, we've won a great victory?"

"Just one more step. If we don't defeat him within the rules, all of this is meaningless."

Trek touched the petition with tens of millions of signatures one last time, then patted the girl on the shoulder.

"Go run an errand for Dad; the real battle is about to begin."

“Okay, okay,” Lico nodded. Trek was a little surprised.

"What's wrong? You still have no fighting spirit at a time like this?"

"It's nothing... I'm just a little down." Lico scratched the back of her head. "The key to the outcome of the upcoming battles lies with Mr. Banningtik, Chu Hengkong, and you, Dad. There's nothing I can do to help you except by talking a few words. I'm sorry."

Trek chuckled, "You think you can be better than your old man at such a young age?"

"Can't I? Other people who are younger than me are so amazing..."

Trek reached out and patted his daughter's head. His smile was unusually gentle.

“You have to understand, Lico. The reason your old man has been able to hold on until now is because you and your mother have always believed in me and supported me…”

“Indeed, you are not the strongest fighter. But what you consider the ‘key to victory’ is the support of millions of citizens like you, which gives us the strength to step onto the battlefield. To me, you are the ‘key’ in my life.”

Lico slowly raised her eyebrows and smiled: "Oh!"

Lico disappeared, having been sent to Star Keep by him. With the Great Lily's secrets broken, his abilities were now functioning normally again. Trek suppressed his smile, quietly awaiting the summons from the Supreme Prosecutor's Office. He wondered if he should say something to his team, or perhaps prepare a prepared speech just in case. But after 20 years of uneventful life, he felt utterly calm, his mind blank.

The office door opened, and a plump middle-aged woman walked in. Trek was a little surprised.

"Madam, I'm still at work."

Mrs. Trek patted his cheek with a smile: "I'm here to cheer you on. Another war is brewing, isn't it?"

"Oh dear, it's been 20 years since I've been on the battlefield, and to be honest, I'm a little nervous. I'm worried that we'll be routed like we were at Jinghuajie's place..."

His wife encouraged him, "No problem, you've never lost a battle!"

·
Mansa Star Castle, the Speaker's residence.

Parriman shut down the water curtain and sat down in his office chair with his eyes closed. A mountain of documents piled up on his desk; a mountain of official business remained to be dealt with, and with the Upper House severely damaged and the captains of the Divine Guard imprisoned, the central command of the Jing Sha organization was nearly at a standstill. These documents were meaningless… or rather, even if everything went smoothly, they would lose their meaning in a few hours.

Despite numerous setbacks, the plan has finally progressed to this point. The three elements required for independence have been almost fully achieved.

The first element was the passage of the Independence Act, granting independence "procedural" legitimacy. It took him a full 20 years to achieve this, laying the foundation for independence. The second factor was the construction of urban defense systems, providing a viable institution for independence to continue. The Great Lily of Mansa Star Castle was destroyed shortly after its activation, but Guo Yutu's battles filled in the gaps in practical data. Thus, the second element was also achieved, albeit with great difficulty.

What remained was merely a symbolic third factor: the approval of the Thorn Tree. Press the button, pull the trigger, and officially initiate the independent procedure. This should have been the simplest step, yet he couldn't reach for that button. The enemy was too fast, and the city-wide manhunt had delayed things far less than he had anticipated.

They had initially thought the Allied forces would remain hidden until the storm passed and reinforcements from other Dust Isles arrived, then launch a coordinated attack from within. However, the enemy launched a reckless advance. Thus, the plan stalled just before the finish line, only one step away, yet unable to pull the final trigger.

"How much time did you originally intend to buy? One day? Three days? As long as the Divine Tree physically left the secret realm, victory could be declared. Unfortunately, you greatly underestimated their ability to act," Wang Quan laughed. "Now, thinking back to how you refused to sue for peace just half a day ago, don't you feel any regret?"

The assassin reappeared as a white-haired youth, lounging casually on the sofa like a sarcastic mocker. Parriman flipped through the files on the table and said, "You should know my true situation. Do you think I'd have any 'regret' feelings?"

“I misspoke. It doesn’t exist. The actions you’ve taken, your mission, the task you’ve been given… that’s the only meaning that has kept you alive to this day. No one can betray their own meaning.”

Parriman nodded and stood up from the table.

“Swear to me,” he said.

Wang Quan tilted his head with interest.

“Swear to me that you will not let the citizens of the City of Thorns die. If my mission fails, you will make them the darlings of the abyss rather than sacrifices for the ritual. If you win the final victory, you will let them live happily in ignorance under the light of the dark moon, far from suffering and death,” Parriman said quietly.

Wang Quan smiled and said, "What meaning do oaths have for people like us?"

“It’s meaningless,” Parriman said. “It’s just a way to hear a false promise that can reassure ‘Parriman’ before heading to the battlefield.”

Wang Quan stood up and bowed to him.

"Then I promise you, I will do everything in my power to protect this beautiful country, so that the people you love may become the fallen ones who are favored by God."

“That’s wonderful, thank you,” Parriman said. “When I am truly defeated, you will receive the key to the core of the Divine Tree.”

The final deal for a politician was over, and Parriman recalled for the first time the feelings he had when he first stepped onto the battlefield. Fear, panic, the desire to escape, the desire to go home, and never wanting to step into such a cruel world again for the rest of his life.

He smiled and stepped out of the mansion.

·
Mansa Starburg, the Supreme Prosecutor's Office. Banningtik, holding a quill pen, was slowly taking notes.

"Are you sure you have evidence that the Speaker instructed members of the City-State's 24-hour live broadcast team?"

“We controlled it using hypnosis,” Ji Huaisu said obediently.

"The methods of obtaining evidence still need to be considered, but based on the information we have now, you can be sure that you, Chu Hengkong, and Vilbert have been wrongly accused, is that right?"

“Yes, yes,” Van Der nodded frantically. “The Divine Guards suddenly stormed in, and we were terrified!”

"So you're heading to Fort Mansa..."

"I want to provide evidence for the first team and prove my innocence!" Ji Huaisu said emotionally.

"The violent clashes that occurred on the road were..."

"Self-defense arising from inducement in a state of excessive panic!" Van der Rohe exclaimed.

Banningtik finished writing with satisfaction, and with his divine power, he transformed the rough confession into a beautiful document.

“That’s enough as evidence,” he said. “And now, the guests have arrived.”

He left the interrogation room and arrived at the entrance of the prosecutor's office. Chu Hengkong and Violet were already there, and his loyal First Team members stood guard at the door, preventing any unauthorized personnel from entering. A white-haired girl was running quickly up the steps, holding a jade-green divine power crystal in her hand.

"Welcome, Miss Rick Trek. How may I help you with matters concerning the Mansassinburg High Attorney's Office?"

“Here are… the signatures of a total of 7100 million citizens, and a petition!” Lico said breathlessly.

Banningtik took the materials and conducted a routine review. They were flawless, with no errors in format. He nodded and said, "However, the city-state of Jingsha is currently in a state of war, and a revote on the bill requires the signatures of approximately 8000 million citizens. This number is still insufficient."

"You've got it wrong. I'm not requesting a re-sponsorship of the bill," Lico said earnestly. "The purpose of our petition is—"

"—A previously unsolved case will be re-examined."

An emotionless voice cut her off.

A blond man holding a cane is walking up the long staircase.

“In a state of war, the number of petitions required by the last article of the Constitution would need to be doubled. The number of petitions required for a revote would increase from 4000 million to 8000 million, and the number of petitions required for a retrial would increase from 2500 million to 5000 million. The current 7100 million petitions would be sufficient to meet the requirements even in a state of war.”

He spoke slowly and deliberately about the rules of the city-state.

"Miss Rick Trek filed the application as a 'family member of the suspect,' and there has only been one major unsolved case involving her family in the last hundred years. That was the trial of Mr. Jas Trek, the commander of the Thorn Sands Defense Force, for 'major strategic error' about 20 years ago."

"To reiterate the doubts surrounding the case, all those involved in the original case must temporarily vacate their current jobs and appear in court as powerless parties involved. This includes then-Judge Benningtick, defendant Just Trek, and..."

"The court clerk at the time was Zan van Pariman."

Parriman walked to the center of the prosecutor's office hall and stood before all his enemies.

“I’m right here,” he said. “Time is precious, let’s get started as soon as possible. Re-examine this 20-year-old case!”

(End of this chapter)