Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 244 Official Opinions and Pursuing the Truth

In the conference room.

The lecturers and counselors of all courses were present; it was a large conference.

Once everyone was present, Dean Zhou Qinfeng said with a serious expression, "This morning, the authorities gave their opinion on how to handle Shen Yun and the other four. They will proceed according to existing legal procedures. The four will most likely be prosecuted for excessive self-defense, while Shen Yun will be prosecuted for intentional injury in addition to excessive self-defense."

Everyone in the conference room looked surprised upon hearing the result.

Everyone had suspected that the self-defense was excessive, but no one expected that Shen Yun would be convicted of intentional injury.

"Dean, this isn't right! If it's considered intentional injury, given the multiple deaths, Shen Yun would be guilty of intentional homicide and would be sentenced to death!"

One lecturer said emotionally that Shen Yun was one of his favorite students and he found it hard to accept this outcome.

The other lecturers also spoke up.

"How could there be intentional injury? Wasn't it found out that those ordinary people started it?"

"Isn't a conviction for excessive self-defense enough?"

"Could it be that the authorities are doing this to quell public opinion...?"

Faced with a chorus of questions, Zhou Qinfeng continued, "The official reason given is that some of the people killed by Shen Yun were not armed. They were just standing near the armed man when they were killed by the spread of the lethal mental energy artifact. As the owner of the artifact, Shen Yun knew that his artifact had the property of spreading."

"This……"

The earlier critics were speechless for a moment.

Upon hearing this, Guan Tong recalled the state of the corpses she had witnessed at the scene.

Judging from the wounds on those people, Shen Yun did indeed use an area-of-effect weapon, killing them all at once.

As the owner of the item, Shen Yun must be very familiar with its effects.

"Dean, are we really going to sit idly by and watch an outstanding student be sentenced to death? Shen Yun made a mistake, but it doesn't warrant the death penalty!"

“Using that prop under such tense circumstances is understandable; I think it was for emergency avoidance.”

“Shen Yun is very popular among the students. If he is sentenced to death, the students will not accept it.”

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, determined not to let Shen Yun be sentenced to death.

Zhou Qinfeng said in a deep voice, "How could I not want to save our students? It's just that the authorities have already made their decision. What they sent us, supposedly, was a handling opinion, but it's really just a notification. Can we change it?"

The group looked at each other, speechless and silent.

Although this college has its own unique characteristics, it is essentially an officially established "department." This can be seen from the fact that students are assigned official duties after graduation.

As a department, the college cannot be above the official legal department. Zhou Qinfeng was even well aware that if they, the faculty and staff, publicly opposed the official handling of Shen Yun, they would definitely face very serious consequences.

Guan Tong remained silent at this moment because she knew that no matter how much the lecturers argued, it wouldn't make a difference.

Everything in the academy was built with special government funding. It's completely impossible to eat their food and then try to smash it.

Moreover, the public outcry triggered by this case is too great. If not handled properly, it could very well lead to more incidents of ordinary people and those who have achieved spiritual enlightenment harming each other...

Now, the faculty and staff all know that Shen Yun's conviction is probably irreversible.

Unless the authorities completely reverse course, abandon their previous propaganda, and fully shift towards the Ascended system, completely abandoning ordinary people, there is little room for maneuver in this matter.

But with the current population ratio of 7:1, who has the courage and determination to give up the "7" in front?
Not to mention that as the rules continue to evolve, current Ascended Ones may become ordinary people in the future. Many Ascended Ones with low mental power limits will choose to side with ordinary people in this matter, considering their own future.

"Then... Dean, what if the students find out and disagree, and cause trouble?"

“We will handle this strictly in accordance with the college’s regulations,” Zhou Qinfeng said. “This is also one of the main purposes of my meeting today. In addition to informing you of the proposed handling, we also want to unify everyone’s thinking.”

"If students cause trouble later, no faculty or staff member may support them; otherwise, they will be expelled. This includes students; if anyone goes too far, they will also be expelled according to the college rules."

There was silence in the conference room.

Many teachers have become more obedient; they don't want to be fired.

In today's world, the academy is almost the safest and most comfortable place they can stay; nowhere else can compare after they leave.

"Furthermore, the official statement also said that this matter will be handled quickly. A court hearing will be held in three days, and relevant personnel from the college will be required to attend."

As Zhou Qinfeng spoke, he looked at the people present.

“As the dean, I will definitely go. Also, Teacher Guan and Teacher Chen, you two should also go, and of course, Counselor Fang, you should also go and provide relevant testimony.”

Guan Tong and Teacher Chen are involved in this case, so they definitely have to go. Fang Qian, as the intelligence provider who "intercepted" the students' exchanges on the mental network, will also have to go.

"Um..." Fang Qian asked at this moment, "Dean, my testimony has no evidence whatsoever, is that acceptable?"

"Yes. Conversations on mind networks are impossible to preserve as evidence, so how can a court use them?"

"If we only consider one side of the story, then it's a case of each side having its own version of the truth."

“I don’t know either,” Zhou Qinfeng shook his head. “We’ll see how the court explains it. Also, this case is attracting a lot of attention, so there will probably be a lot of people attending the hearing. Everyone should be prepared.”

After the meeting, Teacher Chen stopped Guan Tong and went over the events of that day with him to make sure he didn't say anything wrong later.

Then she went to find Fang Qian to check things out, because Guan Tong had gone to Cangying Ridge to find Shen Yun and the others, while Teacher Chen had gone back to the academy to get information from Fang Qian.

"She's probably in for a tough time now," Teacher Chen told Guan Tong before she left. "Once she's in court, Fang Qian's presence in the students' mental networks will be exposed, and the students will all find out."

Guan Tong nodded.

He knew from the beginning that this matter would inevitably be exposed; it was only a matter of time. Whoever became the "infiltrator" was destined to take the blame.

Teacher Chen said worriedly, "If the students vent their anger on her, the dean might make her leave the school to quell the situation..." "If I were her, I wouldn't have taken this job in the first place," Guan Tong said. "Even if I left now, I would tell the students before I left that this was the dean's idea, so that he wouldn't have a good time either. I would probably complain to the authorities."

"Teacher Guan, you..."

Teacher Chen was at a loss for words.

Guan Tong shrugged: "Whoever makes things difficult for me, I certainly won't let them have an easy time either. Of course, this is Fang Qian's business, and how she handles it is none of my concern. I still have to go teach my students, so I'll take my leave now."

As Teacher Chen watched Guan Tong leave, she couldn't help but think to herself, "What exactly did Teacher Guan do before...?"

……

"Snapped!"

Ye Lianka unleashed a powerful punch, carrying concentrated mental energy, striking Guan Tong's defensive palm.

The clash of mental forces between the two sides in attack and defense generated a violent energy impact that even produced a buzzing sound, like the vibration of energy.

"call……"

After throwing that punch, Yelena's mental energy was almost completely used up. She was panting, her hands supporting her upper thighs.

Guan Tong nodded in satisfaction: "You've done very well in using your mental power for attacks. Next time we'll switch to a different approach."

"Change mode?"

“Next time I attack, you defend,” Guan Tong said. “Constantly mobilizing mental energy to protect your body is the key to advancement. When you reach the pinnacle, you can create a 360-degree mental shield in an instant.”

Ye Lianka's heart skipped a beat, and she looked at Guan Tong: "Teacher, can you do it?"

Guan Tong shook her head: "I can't do that either. The only one I know that can do it is Shi Jingyi."

Upon hearing Shi Jingyi's name, Ye Lianka asked, "Will she return to the academy to teach later?"

"Of course, I'm just a temporary replacement. She should be back before the New Year, and then you can continue to consult with her."

"...It's probably too late. I'll be leaving the academy and returning home before October."

"October ago? It's already the end of August. Are you leaving after another month?"

Yelena nodded.

"No wonder you're in such a hurry."

Guan Tong hadn't known before that Ye Lianka would only be staying at the academy for such a short time. Now it seems that if she leaves before October, it will be too late if she doesn't intensify her training.

Thinking of what had happened before, Yelena said earnestly, "Teacher Guan, I'm really sorry that you were threatened with death and that it disrupted your normal life."

"No need, I've already taken care of him."

"..."

Ye Lianka was slightly taken aback; she hadn't expected Guan Tong to admit it so readily.

The missing Sisian assassins sent by his brother were actually dealt with by him.

"However, Stasia, since you've brought this up, I do have something to tell you beforehand."

Yelena listened silently. From Guan Tong's expression, she could tell that these words were probably quite unusual.

“I will not let your brother go.” Guan Tong said directly, “Sending someone to commit murder is not the point; the person who sends the murderer is the real culprit.”

Ye Lianka's eyes widened; she hadn't expected Guan Tong to say that.

She wanted to stop him almost immediately, because given her brother's status, it was definitely not someone a college teacher could afford to offend!

"Teacher, about this matter—"

"I don't know how close you siblings are, but people always have to bear the consequences of their actions."

Guan Tong seemed to understand what Ye Lianka wanted to say, and his expression became somewhat indifferent.

"You don't need to tell me how prominent your identities are, or what the consequences will be if you offend your brother... For me, it doesn't matter whether I can afford to offend him or not. I've offended plenty of big shots, and I don't need your brother."

"..."

After the training session, Yelena returned to her residence.

Seeing that her expression was not right, Si Gaoqin asked, "Your Highness, is something wrong?"

"Your judgment is correct; the assassin was indeed executed by Guan Tong."

Sigorgyn exclaimed in surprise, "He actually told you, Princess?"

In her opinion, even if Guan Tong did it, he was unlikely to tell anyone.

"He also told me to hold the person who sent the order, my brother, accountable."

"...It's alright, Your Highness. I know what you're worried about, but once he learns your true identities in the future, he will definitely give up on this idea."

Does it really happen?

Although Ye Lianka had only known Guan Tong for a short time, she always felt that the latter was not the kind of person who would go against her words and actions.

“Don’t forget you’ll be going back in less than a month,” Sigqin said. “North Star Academy is just a stop on your long journey of self-improvement; don’t overthink it.”

"...Well, I understand."

(End of this chapter)