—Honor and justice are two entirely unrelated concepts.
Ke Yiyi was under unprecedented pressure. For the first time, she realized the immense psychological toll of overstepping boundaries—this was her first time crossing a line she shouldn’t have, and she would undoubtedly pay the price.
Li Subai would not allow her to take the girl, not even out of the residential area. The other party wasn’t resorting to force, merely using their body to obstruct.
Gan Lan, gripping her wrapped long staff, followed closely behind Ke Yiyi. Her weapon held an advantage in this situation; Vega’s regulations prohibited the open display of bladed weapons. Though they weren’t currently on Vega territory, its people still adhered to this principle. Under these circumstances, Gan Lan possessed a distinct edge, as a long staff could be used for combat whether wrapped or not.
Ke Yiyi wished to avoid conflict with Xuanji Star, but she couldn’t dismiss the possibility of them forcibly seizing the girl. In her impulsive desire to take the girl, she had overlooked the fact that this was still Xuanji Star territory, and the other party was a citizen of Xuanji Star. For now, until Lan Xifang arrived, she could only proceed cautiously, one step at a time.
She regretted her impulsiveness, feeling she had acted without proper thought. If it were merely her own consequences, she would accept any punishment without evasion or shirking responsibility. However, the current situation threatened to implicate others.
In the distance, several observers from other Academies of Sciences had appeared at some point. They stood watching, clearly unwilling to get involved but keen to see how the situation would unfold. Though they were all observers, they ultimately belonged to different academies, making their detached observation quite normal.
“May I ask what’s happening?”
Ke Yiyi turned at the sound, seeing a Xuanji Star officer enter from beyond the wall to inquire. Li Subai quickly went to greet and respond to them.
Li Subai spoke with remarkable objectivity, clarity, and neutrality, devoid of emotion or bias. She neither deliberately lowered nor raised her voice, even recounting her previous words verbatim to the officer. Ke Yiyi, for her part, omitted some details, only mentioning the girl’s abuse, choosing not to delve too deeply into the matter to prevent further trauma to the child.
Ke Yiyi noticed that the officer also wore an observer’s badge, displaying an observer number but no name, just like her own. In the conference room earlier, with the Xuanji Star contingent seated at the front, she hadn’t paid much attention to this individual. Now, with the officer standing before her, she couldn’t recall their identity. If it were the observer who had ridden in their vehicle earlier, perhaps she could have tried to reason with them.
‘No, regardless of whether it’s someone I’ve met before or not, they are ultimately from Xuanji Star and will always side with Xuanji Star.’
“It’s all a misunderstanding.”
‘Hmm?’
Ke Yiyi looked at the officer, bewildered, the words from their mouth making her wonder if she had misheard.
“Observer 71 harbored no ill intent. Did she not state earlier that she mistakenly believed a boy had been abducted, prompting her to break in through the window to rescue him? One must remember that this area currently belongs to Xuanji Star territory, and while she is not a Xuanji Star member, she bravely acted to save someone. Although it ultimately proved to be a false alarm, it clearly demonstrates that Observer 71 is a person of integrity, filled with righteousness, who cannot bear to see the populace suffer even the slightest harm.”
The officer turned to the assembled Security Bureau personnel and continued.
“If she truly intended malice, why would she enter the house to save someone?”
Li Subai harbored doubts. The officer’s words, in truth, contained many loopholes. For instance, Observer 71 could have easily fabricated those statements to deceive their side, yet the officer chose to believe her completely. Li Subai wondered what his true intentions were—was he trying to save face for the other party?
Maintaining an impassive expression, she waited for the person before her to continue.
“As for her intention to take this Xuanji Star citizen away, it stems entirely from her innate sense of justice. She believes this Xuanji Star citizen has been subjected to unfair treatment on our Xuanji Star territory and has resolved to seek justice for them. This profound sense of justice compelled her to transcend territorial boundaries and even matters of identity and origin. No one should make things difficult for her.”
The officer turned to Ke Yiyi, their gaze resolute. Ke Yiyi felt a strange sense of familiarity with him, yet she couldn’t quite place who he was.
“Observer 71, I wish to express my gratitude to you. You were willing to defy regulations to uphold justice for a Xuanji Star citizen with no kin or connections. Such fearless dedication to justice is truly worthy of emulation.”
Ke Yiyi was momentarily stunned. She had clearly violated regulations, yet the officer spoke as if she had acted with noble righteousness. This turn of events was completely contrary to her expectations, leaving her momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
“Observer 71, the captain just informed me that you described this Xuanji Star citizen as having suffered disrespectful treatment from her relatives. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“Then this matter absolutely cannot be dropped. Xuanji Star will certainly see that this Xuanji Star citizen receives justice. We cannot allow her relatives to act recklessly and must show no leniency whatsoever towards such cases.”
“But she previously said she had approached you multiple times, yet you took no action.”
“Observer 71, this was merely an isolated incident, a dereliction of duty by certain irresponsible individuals, by no means a widespread phenomenon. I fully understand your urgent desire to seek justice for this Xuanji Star citizen, but taking her away isn’t necessarily the only solution. We could revoke her father’s custody and entrust her to another family for proper care. This, too, would be an appropriate course of action.”
Seeing the officer speak so earnestly and offer a concrete solution, Ke Yiyi’s unease immediately subsided considerably. It seemed she had been impulsive earlier; such matters could, in fact, be resolved by directly reporting them to Xuanji Star. She shouldn’t have been so rash. Since the other party was willing to address the issue, perhaps…
“Shell City’s Light, don’t fall for Xuanji Star’s trick! These people may speak righteously, but if you hand this little girl over to them, once we’re gone, do you honestly think they’ll treat kindly a child who exposed their secrets to outsiders?”
Amidst a grating noise, Cui Wei, carrying a gas tank, clambered over the wall. He tilted his head, eyeing the officer before him, then shifted his gaze to Ke Yiyi.
“Keeping family scandals private—that’s one of the foremost dregs among the nine-thousand-year-old culture of the Blaze Clan, inherited by Xuanji Star.”
Interrupted by Cui Wei, Ke Yiyi suddenly felt her perspective was incomplete, leaving her unsure how to proceed.
“Observer 71, may I have a word with you, perhaps a little further away?”
The officer gestured beyond the wall, indicating that Ke Yiyi should step outside with him to speak.
Ke Yiyi glanced at the girl, uncertain whether she should go out.
“Shell City’s Light, go on, don’t worry! With me here, even if Xuanji Star wants to snatch the girl, they’ll have to contend with the hundred pounds of explosives in my hand first.”
At his words, a chill ran through Ke Yiyi. She stared in astonishment at the gas tank in Cui Wei’s hand.
‘Inside… it’s not just liquefied gas?’
Although she found the Polaris people unreliable, at this moment, it seemed she had no choice but to trust them.
Xuanji Star likely just didn’t want the Polaris contingent present, which was why the officer wished to negotiate with her outside.
Understanding this, Ke Yiyi followed the officer out.
She had a vague sense that this officer was familiar, yet she couldn’t pinpoint why.
The two walked along the wall for nearly a hundred meters until they were out of earshot. The officer then removed his cap, pushing back the hair from his forehead to reveal a scar that slanted across his eyelid.
Without the brim’s shadow, Ke Yiyi clearly saw his face.
Her eyes widened, gazing in disbelief at the sight before her.
“Man… Big Brother Man?”
“Long time no see, Little Ke. You still remember me!”
Ke Yiyi closed her eyes for a moment, her heart pounding with a speed that refused to settle. She had never imagined he was still alive. After their separation in Yingzhou during the World War, she had, for a time, refused to accept the truth, firmly believing he must still be alive. But as time passed, she had gradually lost hope. Who could have known he would now be standing right before her?
Opening her eyes, she confirmed this was no illusion, and she studied him carefully.
“How are you here?”
“That’s what I wanted to ask you.”
Man Huai Zhi scrutinized Ke Yiyi, his gaze finally settling on the observer badge pinned to her chest. Besides the observer team’s emblem, it also bore Vega’s symbol.
“Though I should have realized it long ago, I still didn’t want to believe it until I saw it with my own eyes.”
Noticing Man Huai Zhi’s gaze, Ke Yiyi shifted her eyes to his epaulets.
They were in the style of the Blood-soaked Army, and his rank was Junior Colonel (Xuanji Star did not use the term ‘Major’).
“How did you join Xuanji Star?”
“An accident, but that’s not important. I’m truly happy to see you. I remember how you used to follow me around, calling me ‘Big Brother,’ ‘Big Brother.’ Now you’ve become your own person, haven’t you!”
“Big Brother Man…”
Ke Yiyi looked into his kind eyes, momentarily unable to voice the words she wanted to say. She gritted her teeth, finally speaking.
“You called me out here to discuss the girl, didn’t you?”
“Yes, Little Ke. You violated the observation team’s regulations. This is an internal matter for Xuanji Star; you shouldn’t have gotten involved.”
“Yes, but that girl suffered greatly at the hands of her father! We shouldn’t just stand by and…”
“I know.”
Man Huai Zhi interrupted her, speaking earnestly.
“You’re still as full of justice as you used to be, and that’s precisely what I admire about you. There are bad apples everywhere in this world, but they are merely isolated cases. I will find a new family to rehome her. If you can’t trust others, surely you can trust me?”
“I…”
“Furthermore, if you entrust her to me, it will both calm this situation and protect yourself. More importantly, the girl will receive protection, and justice will be served, won’t it?”
“Mm.”
Ke Yiyi was at a loss for how to refute him. She felt Man Huai Zhi’s words indeed made sense. Her own safety was secondary; the primary concern was that the girl could be saved.
“You see, this way the matter can be perfectly resolved, achieving the best of both worlds. You wouldn’t want to embarrass Vega, would you? Even if you don’t consider others, you should at least consider yourself! You’ll be punished by Vega for violating regulations! How could I stand by and watch you be punished? When we return shortly, we’ll handle this matter using the method I proposed.”
Man Huai Zhi walked shoulder to shoulder with Ke Yiyi, staring at the back of her neck as he spoke thoughtfully.
“You’ve simply been in Vega for too long. They must have depicted Xuanji Star as bloodthirsty murderers over there, but that’s incorrect. Only Polaris acts that way. We, Xuanji Star, are an Academy of Sciences that values reason and upholds great righteousness. We protect the innocent and will never condone evil.”
“But during the World War, you killed so many people from Vega…”
“That’s incorrect, Little Ke. As I said, there are bad apples everywhere, and Xuanji Star is no exception. Our original intention was to establish a united, prosperous, and flourishing era on the Eastern Continent. It was merely a small faction of ill-intentioned troublemakers who indiscriminately killed the innocent, damaging Xuanji Star’s image. Coupled with unscrupulous media sensationalizing for attention and those Academies of Sciences hostile to us deliberately slandering our name, this is what left the world with a false impression. The vast majority of people in Xuanji Star are good. We cannot elevate the despicable actions of a small few to represent the entire group. When your mind is assaulted by deliberately filtered and recontextualized information, you should seriously consider: what is it that you truly desire in your heart?”
Ke Yiyi looked at Man Huai Zhi with uncertainty, but seeing the righteous conviction in his eyes, her doubts significantly lessened. Man Huai Zhi never lied, so perhaps it was true, as he claimed, that most people in Xuanji Star were good, and only a small group’s actions had tarnished the entire collective.
She vaguely felt his words held merit, yet something still felt amiss, and though she wanted to argue, she didn’t know how.
As for what she truly desired in her heart?
She glanced sideways at Man Huai Zhi, feeling that what she truly desired was simply to walk side-by-side with the person she had longed for, just like this.