Chapter 189

Chapter 189

"Four Academy Directors jointly submitted a petition to hold an inquiry meeting?"

Xue Ji pushed off the maintenance board and slid out from beneath a five-meter-tall robot.

"Yes, Niallo is waiting outside your office," Devalen said.

According to the new regulations, an inquiry meeting was mandatory—this was the authority Xue Ji had given his people, and also a safeguard to keep anyone from pulling something desperate.

Xue Ji walked into his office while looking over the files Niallo had sent: "When is it scheduled?"

"Three hours from now," Niallo said, following him in. "They’ve also brought in people from the Senate. Under the Empire’s supreme law, the Senate can step in and oversee the Academy in special circumstances." Without waiting for Xue Ji to ask, she continued, "When a new top chief takes over and makes big changes shortly after taking office, leaving a one-month inquiry period—that’s a situation where the Senate can step in."

"What about the motion for the inquiry?" Xue Ji flipped to the end of the document, only seeing the four directors' signatures.

"Williams said they'll present the motion publicly at the meeting. You don’t need to provide a written response, just an explanation or answer on the spot," Niallo said, worry flickering in her eyes. "There are only two days left in the one-month inquiry period. Choosing this time to call the meeting—I doubt they're up to any good."

Xue Ji let out a snort of laughter: "It would be strange if they did nothing. Go get ready. Tell them I'll be waiting for their big entrance."

Niallo hesitated. "Xue Ji..."

Devalen shifted in the corner, picking up on a change in the air.

"Hmm?"

"You know, you don't have to deal with Williams and the others through official meetings. Looking at past heads of the Joint Academy, none of them had a rocky relationship with the four directors. The Gamma-3 Zone chief is supreme, but the directors handle most of the projects and research. The chief gives orders, the directors execute them—they depend on each other, they're a team. That's always been the rule in Gamma-3. That's why when the zone was first set up, the four academies were built around Chinusta."

Xue Ji had stopped working the second she started talking, looking up at her.

Niallo bit her lip, looking nervous, but she pushed through to finish what she was saying.

As someone newly promoted, she didn't have to say stuff that was out of line. Hinting that Xue Ji should play nice with Williams and the others was the shortcut to securing his position. But Xue Ji was outnumbered and on his own, which put him at a disadvantage. Even if he had the upper hand for now, how could he hold out against those noble officials in the long run? Deep down, Niallo didn't want to see Xue Ji go down.

Xue Ji watched her for a moment, then broke into a smile: "Thanks for being straight with me, Niallo. In my homeland, there's an old saying: 'The tree that stands out in the forest gets blown down first.' That pretty much sums up what you're worried about. Trust me, I get that better than anyone, and I want Gamma-3 to be the way you described more than anyone. But there's another saying from my homeland: 'In that position, do that job.' Everything I do is what I'm supposed to do."

Niallo had never heard anyone put it like that before. She was both surprised and puzzled, her eyes flickering with obvious emotion.

"Besides, you said it yourself—I'm the chief, I'm above everyone. So they should listen to me and do what I say, not the other way around. If the directors' way of running things clashes with the chief's, then these people either change their tune, or," Xue Ji bit off the words slowly, "they get the hell out of their seats."

Niallo stared at him, stunned.

Xue Ji put a finger to his lips, smiling: "Just kidding." He lowered his hand, casually teasing, "They're so respected—how would I dare mess with them? Go get ready. If they show up early, keep them company for me."

Niallo couldn't say a word, turned, and walked out with unsteady steps in her heels.

The room went quiet for a moment.

"You were serious," Devalen suddenly said.

"Just scaring a young lady. Why would the Knight Commander take me seriously?" Xue Ji didn't look up.

"...Niallo is the same age as you."

Seeming to find the topic boring, Xue Ji didn't answer.

"Telling her all that—aren't you worried she'll go running to Williams and the others?" Devalen pressed on.

"She won't."

"Why?" Devalen was surprised. "You trust her that much?"

Xue Ji looked even more surprised, glanced up at him, and said after a pause: "Niallo has a younger sister. An Omega. Beautiful, gentle, top grades, chased by a lot of Alphas in school. Williams's nephew was one of them. He went after her hard, and when she turned him down, he almost forced himself on her, pushing her to the edge of dropping out. It only got sorted out when the school and the Omega Protection Association stepped in. She went back to school, but her rep never recovered. Williams's nephew, being from a noble family, got off scot-free. What do you think Niallo thinks about that?"

Devalen didn't answer—anyone could figure that out. He asked: "Was Niallo's sister in the same school as you?" Otherwise, how would he know so much?

"No," Xue Ji said. "Just happened to hear about it."

Devalen asked no more.

He lowered his head, starting to figure out how to write today's report on Xue Ji's actions.

*

The Senate inspector was a familiar face.

As soon as they met, Doniel grabbed Xue Ji's hand and shook it vigorously. "Since our parting at the palace, I haven't seen Chief Xue. Still as handsome and accomplished as ever, truly admirable."

Williams coughed dryly, his expression souring.

Doniel turned, saw him, and his smile brightened. Releasing Xue Ji's hand, he sidled over: "Ah, Director Williams, long time no see! You look younger every time... Director Geer, your reputation precedes you..."

He bustled around exchanging pleasantries, while Xue Ji had already taken his seat on stage. The Imperial Knight Commander stood behind him like a backdrop. Aliwen, growing increasingly impatient, silently cursed the Senate for sending such a buffoon.

"...Director Elara, what a coincidence—we just met yesterday..."

"Time's up," Aliwen cut in, barely suppressing his irritation. "Please take your seats. Senator, we'll trouble you to keep records."

"Of course, of course," Doniel replied readily. "I'll record every word, impartial and accurate."

By the time everyone was seated, five minutes had passed. Unlike Xue Ji's previous large assembly, this inquiry meeting included only key figures in Gamma-3—academy directors, lab heads, and institute chiefs.

Xue Ji swept his gaze across the room, quickly distinguishing who had orchestrated the meeting and who had been dragged in, still confused.

Aliwen sat at the front of the group. As the room fell silent, he said: "Chief Xue, you're a straightforward man, so I won't beat around the bush. Since you've promised that anyone can raise questions about Gamma-3's new rules and models, the other directors and I thought—rather than you handling them one by one—we'd gather everyone's questions for you to answer at once. We've invited a Senate colleague to witness, to prevent anyone from forgetting your answers today and causing trouble later."

The speech was impeccably polished, leaving no loopholes. Even Devalen couldn't help but glance sideways.

Xue Ji smirked: "If you have questions, feel free to speak up."

"Did you hear that?" Aliwen declared loudly. "Our Chief Xue is a busy man—rarely seen, either buried in research or meeting with His Majesty. It's a rare opportunity to sit here and discuss issues with everyone. Cherish it and speak your minds."

Devalen frowned inwardly, tightening his grip on his sword hilt.

Aliwen's sarcasm toward Xue Ji didn't bother him—Xue Ji could handle it himself. But mentioning His Majesty was another matter.

He glared coldly at Aliwen, who showed no fear, sitting back comfortably and watching the stage.

The attendees who were still in the dark exchanged glances and murmured among themselves. Soon, someone spoke up: "Chief Xue, we've used your new system—it's objective, fair, and transparent. But isn't it too focused on short-term output and rigid metrics? Scientific research is a nonlinear process. Many major discoveries come by chance, and failure is the norm—those failures are valuable experience. Did you consider that when designing the system?"

"So far, I haven't canceled any projects. Most of you are continuing your original work, and funding has been approved over the past month," Xue Ji said. "The system I designed never solely judges a project's short-term output. It evaluates whether there's new progress compared to the previous stage. Failure counts too. Even the short-term output metric was set based on your own needs."

The questioner interrupted: "We've never made output the main factor in our research."

"Never?" Xue Ji countered. "Then why are all your final results sold through bidding meetings?"

The man froze.

"Because you don't participate directly," Xue Ji said, glancing at Aliwen and the other three, whose faces had darkened. He added succinctly, "Next question."

The questions kept coming, but since they revolved around research itself, they weren't hard to answer.

"The new model certainly has its advantages, but it also restricts our scientific freedom to some extent. You're so sure—can you guarantee that some people aren't just catering to the program to secure funding, rather than pursuing genuine innovation?"

"If we were in a peaceful environment, I might create a free research environment for you like Merlian did, but unfortunately, we are not. As for the innovation you mentioned, I don't care. As long as it's practical, I'll allow it to exist."

"Every time we apply, we have to spend a lot of time on paperwork. Don't you think it adds unnecessary administrative burden? Everyone's time is precious, and research is a race against the clock."

"Not really. As long as you submit it, I can handle it. If you can't even be bothered to fill out a simple template, then the old model suits you better—just talk your way into funding. Sorry, but your beloved Williams just said I'm a busy man, and I don't have time to listen to your rambling."

"You set the rules, you wrote the system, and there's no committee. How do we know you're not treating the entire γ-3 zone as your personal pet project? What if, down the line, this model turns out to be unworkable and you change it again? What would we do then? We can't handle another round of this mess, and our research projects can't take the delay."

"For at least three years, this model won't change due to personal factors on my part."

"..."

Doniel's fingers were flying across the keyboard, totally into it. This was far more interesting than the Senate's top-down nonsense.

The one-sided Q&A lasted about an hour. As questions from the audience dwindled and some deliberately provocative ones were smoothly brushed off by Xue Ji, Arvin no longer seemed as cocky as he was at the start.

He had miscalculated one thing: most people in the γ-3 zone were honest researchers just doing their jobs. When their own projects hit a "crisis," their primary concern was certainly not anything else.

"Director Xue, you're also a frontline researcher," Arvin began. "You get our struggles, and the system you wrote must have considered every angle. But I'm curious about one thing: since you're also running a project, why haven't you applied for any funding in the past month? Is it because you, as Director, can allocate funds independently, or have you been too busy to conduct research?"

"My previous funding was still sufficient. I think Dean Ge'er knows that well," Xue Ji said lightly.

Arvin turned to the Dean of the Military Science Academy, who reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"Then what about the other project, RSP-BIO-PHE011, the one you just took over—a project way out of your field?" Arvin's gaze carried a barely perceptible chill. "You haven't applied for any funding for it this month. Does that mean you haven't conducted any research since transferring it from my lab? Director Xue, this doesn't match the new rules you've set. Don't you owe everyone an answer? Otherwise, how can you expect people to respect you?"

Here it comes.

Devalen's heart tightened.

This was the real purpose of Arvin Williams' inquiry today. If Xue Ji admitted to not conducting research, Arvin could use incompetence as a pretext to reclaim the project. If Xue Ji claimed he had conducted research, Arvin would push for proof to probe the project's progress. And since research would require some funding, and everyone had seen Xue Ji hadn't drawn from the pool, Arvin could accuse him of securing funds through separate channels, alleging that the advocate of the new model had special privileges. Xue Ji's hard-won credibility would collapse.

No matter how Xue Ji answered, Arvin had dug a trap for him. Devalen's mind raced, considering whether to summon someone to storm the venue and forcibly adjourn the meeting, when he heard Xue Ji snort with a laugh. "It seems Dean Williams is very concerned about the RSP-BIO-PHE011 project. But I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. Everything regarding my personal research project is classified."

A flicker of triumph crossed Arvin's face. "Director Xue's 'classified'—does that mean you don't want to say it, or you dare not say it?"

"You have no right to ask," Xue Ji replied without flinching. "Don't you remember? Researchers have the right to project confidentiality, covering all subordinates in rank."

Arvin's face stiffened. Having been in a high position for so long, he had indeed forgotten this long-standing rule.

"As for funding, when I need it, I'll draw from the system. Don't trouble yourself."

"Words are cheap. Once the new model is fully operational, none of us will have the authority to interfere with you. Then, how much funding you allocate for your project and how you do it will be entirely up to you. Who will take responsibility if something goes wrong?" Seeing Arvin at a loss, the Dean of the Military Science Academy finally spoke up to back him.

Xue Ji was about to respond when a powerful, resonant voice rang out from afar: "I will."

Xue Ji froze and looked toward the source. The young monarch strode in from the entrance of the venue. He wore a pure white high-collared uniform, with gold-threaded embroidery on the lapels and cuffs. A platinum falcon badge, wings spread as if to take flight, was pinned to his shoulder, trailing a long, dark red tassel. His sharply tailored trousers hugged his long legs, tucked into tall military boots, and his steps carried the crisp rustle of fabric, like a drawn blade.

His golden hair was tied in a low ponytail at the nape of his neck. His deep, handsome features exuded an unspoken authority, and his emerald eyes brewed a storm on the verge of breaking. The monarch strode down the central aisle, heading straight for Xue Ji.

Everyone in the venue was stunned by his sudden appearance, pausing for a few seconds before dropping to one knee in salute. Xue Ji only reacted after Devalen stepped aside to bow. He moved to the front of the stage and was about to kneel when a slender hand firmly supported him.

Xue Ji was taken aback again, for the young monarch's palm was scorching hot.

Asuer quickly released his hand, walked behind the stage, and sat down, gesturing for Xue Ji to sit beside him. Xue Ji complied. Devalen exchanged a glance with Serrick, who stood behind Asuer, and then took his position at Xue Ji's side and rear.

The attendees remained kneeling, shifting their orientation to follow the monarch's movements.

Asuer scanned the room and spoke: "I'll back Director Xue on everything from now on. Is that sufficient?"

The four deans, heads bowed, exchanged covert glances, inwardly lamenting in unison. Now that the monarch had left the palace, what else could they do?