Unspeakable bubbles

"The matter of that little girl has been in our hands ever since!"

“But we had only just received the report when that incident happened in Asuka City.”

Another congressman spoke up, tapping his fingers impatiently on the table: "Seven Rings Tower cannot shirk all responsibility just because it issued a report!"

"Your Excellency Fernand, I completely agree with your point of view."

Gulian nodded. "However, no one could have predicted what happened in Feiniao City. At least the Seven Ring Tower didn't withhold information."

"They alerted the Federation, but it was a little too late."

"Can we be certain that this was caused by that little girl?"

Edward, the most powerful of the six members of parliament, privately known as the 'First Member of Parliament', spoke up.

“Most likely,” Gulian said succinctly.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's deal with her right now!"

Congressman Fielding, who had a significant voice in the military, said urgently, "That little girl is terrifying. The Federation shouldn't have such an uncontrollable factor."

"Please calm down, Your Excellency Fielding."

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to deal with Bubble roughly. We need to be more gentle with that little girl.”

The youngest member of parliament, Shingo Fukai, who looked to be in his early thirties, expressed a different opinion.

As he spoke, he opened the thick black notebook and began his routine note-taking.

Before Fielding could speak after being refuted, the white-haired Hiroshi Fukuda said unhappily, "This is an important meeting concerning the stability of the Federation. Young man, don't say things without careful consideration."

Shingo Fukai smiled slightly and didn't respond to that.

“Shingo is not old, but he is also one of the six councilors. It is his basic right to express his own views.” Edward naturally supported his son-in-law.

"Heh heh." Seeing this, Hiroshi Fukuda just sneered.

"Gentlemen, we need to give the people an explanation as soon as possible; it's a matter of life and death!"

Fielding quickly said, "Not only are the number of protesters increasing, but if this continues... the army will be in trouble!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed.

"No matter what, we need to give an explanation after today's meeting!"

"The entire Federation is watching us. Now, let's put aside our past grievances and stand together!"

"I second that; maintaining stability is the most urgent task."

"However, how should we explain this? We can't just tell the truth, can we?"

Gulian frowned: "If someone said that some evil spirit had descended and devoured the entire city... everyone would go crazy."

"Of course, we need to give a reason that everyone can accept."

Edward pondered for a moment: "Flying Bird City has unfortunately been caught in a peculiar spatial storm..."

What do you all think of this statement?

“I’ve never heard of a space storm that only devours people.” Hiroshi Fukuda shook his head.

“This is easy to solve. We can just create some signs of destruction in Asuka City,” Fielding offered his solution.

“Unpredictable space storms can also cause widespread panic,” Gulian pointed out the inappropriateness.

"Then it becomes predictable!"

"Several research institutes had detected some unusual data before the incident."

Shingo Fukai made a pointed remark: "It's just that the decision-makers didn't take it to heart."

"This is an extremely irresponsible act, and whoever it is must be held accountable!" Fernand said righteously.

"..."

Hiroshi Fukuda's eyes widened. He saw that the other five people were staring at him expressionlessly, and it took him a while to react.

"You, you all conspired together to push me out to take the blame?!"

Section 288, Chapter 287: Exile

The State Federation has been in turmoil these past few days, with the Asuka City incident sending a wave of terror through the entire federation.

Today, everyone in Asuka City disappeared. Tomorrow, will it be my city's turn? Will it be my family and friends' turn? Will it be... my turn?

Mass protests have erupted in every city, and violent incidents have occurred frequently in recent days, with crime rates in major cities constantly hitting new highs.

The lawmakers reacted extremely quickly to this situation.

Councilmen Edward and Gulian appeared on various official channels to explain the truth behind the Asuka City incident—a terrible space storm claimed everyone's precious lives, for which they expressed their grief and regret.

Experts and professors from various fields also shared their experiences, emphasizing the low probability of space storms from different perspectives.

At the same time, experts have also clearly pointed out that such a terrible disaster could be predicted entirely through scientific means.

This terrifying space storm dates back to the Dark Ages, when many nations were torn apart because of it.

The Federation has never ignored it and has been actively searching for related equipment at various ruins from the beginning.

Fortunately, during an exploration ten years ago, the State Federation finally found a space storm probe.

God bless the Federation!

The explanations from experts and professors did not reassure people; instead, they made them even angrier.

Since it was a predictable disaster, why didn't the Federation have any countermeasures in place on the eve of the disaster?

Why wasn't the population relocated?

Countless people unfurled banners in front of the Capitol Building, demanding an explanation from the lawmakers.

At this critical juncture, three lawmakers, Fernand, Shingo Fukai, and Fielding, jointly issued a public condemnation of lawmaker Hiroshi Fukuda.

They condemned the veteran legislator for dereliction of duty, for concealing such a serious matter despite receiving warnings from experts before the disaster occurred!

Public opinion was in uproar, and in the blink of an eye, all the blame was directed at Hiroshi Fukuda.

Everyone hopes that this congressman can stand up and give an explanation to them, to the people who disappeared in Asuka City, and to the federal government!

However, Representative Hiroshi Fukuda's performance was extremely disappointing.

The old man remained silent, refusing all interviews and staying at home all day.

Public anger grew, and some people began attempting to break into the senator's home.

Although the man who had lost his mind was quickly subdued by the bodyguards, Representative Hiroshi Fukuda was clearly quite frightened.

Perhaps this incident greatly shocked Representative Hiroshi Fukuda, because today he finally stepped forward to face people's questions.

"Evacuating the population of a city is not a decision that can be made lightly; it will bring about many social problems!"

"Before this, no one knew whether that space storm detector was effective or not..."

Hiroshi Fukuda, who appeared on the screen, had sunken eyes, looked haggard, and spoke with a tone filled with... inexplicable anger.

"If it turns out that the machine was faulty, then the Federation, which made such a fuss, will become an international laughing stock."

"Therefore, after careful consideration, I decided to suppress this matter."

After saying this, Hiroshi Fukuda closed his eyes, his face contorted and his body trembling slightly.

Sure enough, after a brief silence, the senator was met with a barrage of accusations.

"Murderer! Murderer!"

"Those who neglect their duties are demons devoid of any humanity!"

"Step down! Fukuda the devil, step down!"

"Won't you have trouble sleeping at night? The spirits of Asuka City will come after you!"

The scene was chaotic, with many people throwing rotten eggs at him and some even trying to rush up and use violence.

"Calm down, everyone, don't act rashly!"

Special police officers maintaining order formed a human wall to stop people whose reason had been consumed by anger.

Inside the Seventh Ring Tower, everyone watched the live broadcast on TV, their expressions all strange.

"Councilor Fukuda, it's over." Someone shook their head and sighed.

"What a huge black pot! If this pot is pressed down, Futian will never be able to rise again!"

"How could he possibly take all the blame upon himself?"

Nishino Yoshimi asked doubtfully, "If it were me, I would never have taken on this task even if you beat me to death."

"Heh heh, of course he wanted to. He kept quiet at first, but after someone broke into his house, he suddenly wanted to come out and face the public?"

Kitajima Tsukasa shook his head repeatedly: "It's clear that Representative Fukuda couldn't say anything at first, and by the time public opinion took a sharp turn for the worse, it was too late to say anything."

"Besides, the fact that someone was allowed to break into his house is a clear warning."

"How high is the security level of a congressman's home address? Could any victim's family member just show up at his door?"

"The implication behind his words..."

Jane Brent retorted, "If you don't cooperate, we can have our men break into your house today, and you could die without even knowing why tomorrow!"

"..."

"A dignified member of parliament was completely powerless to fight back. It seems that money and power are all external things; one's own strength is the only thing that matters," Augustus said with a sigh.

"Come on."

Someone sneered, "If the five councilors join forces to get rid of you, Augustus, you'll be nothing more than a piece of meat on a chopping board."

"...That only means I'm not strong enough."

Augustus said calmly, "If I were a super strong person, would the councilors dare to manipulate me at will?"

"Hehe, you know what."

"Even with that little girl, the councilors were eager to get rid of her, weren't they? Why don't they seem afraid of anything?" a man sitting in the corner sneered.