Chapter 82: Being Hated by Yun Sheng Is Surprisingly Hard to Accept
"General Bai, I have no right to question the Tower’s regulations. But ’innocent until proven guilty’ is a fundamental principle of the Star Alliance’s judicial system. Surely that, at least, is legally binding?"
Si Jin’s gaze went past Luo Cheng and the two investigators, landing squarely on Bai Ye.
"If the Tower’s investigations are all this crude and simplistic, ignoring basic facts and forcibly taking away an innocent guide who clearly lacks the capability to commit a crime, all based on a single unaccounted-for time window...
...then, with all due respect, not only will this fail to convince the public, but it will also chill the hearts of all law-abiding citizens!"
He had directly escalated his defense of Yun Sheng into a challenge against the fairness of the Tower’s law enforcement, his words sharp and every sentence logical.
Luo Cheng and the two investigators froze at his righteous and stern questioning, subconsciously looking to Bai Ye for their next command.
"Dr. Lin Mo, you’re well-versed in the law. Very good. But there’s one thing you may have overlooked."
Bai Ye met Si Jin’s questioning gaze without a trace of anger, and even began to explain.
"Yun Sheng has already enrolled in the Tower’s Preparatory Guide training. This means that once she passes the final assessment, she will become a member of the Tower. She will have access to internal information and resources and will undertake various duties, such as assisting Sentinels.
For an ordinary citizen, ’innocent until proven guilty’ may apply. But for a preparatory member about to enter the Tower’s system... the Tower has both the responsibility and the authority to ensure that every new recruit has a clean background, a reliable stance, and poses absolutely no hidden risks.
Otherwise, allowing someone with questionable behavior to enter the Tower would be no different from planting a ticking time bomb. That would be irresponsible to the entire Tower, and indeed, to the security of the Star Alliance."
His words were cold and pragmatic, yet impossible to refute.
"So, Yun Sheng, the choice is yours. If you wish to continue the Preparatory Guide training and seek the opportunity to work for the Tower, you must cooperate with this investigation.
As long as you are truly innocent, I can guarantee that the entire process will strictly follow procedure. No one will give you a hard time.
Of course, if you’re unwilling, or you find this unacceptable... then you can also choose to forfeit your eligibility for the Preparatory Guide training.
Once you forfeit, you will be just an ordinary citizen, and I naturally won’t take you back to the Tower for a more thorough investigation!"
Bai Ye had laid a cruel and pragmatic choice bare before Yun Sheng.
Yun Sheng met his icy, seemingly emotionless gaze. Her expression darkened completely, and her fingers quietly clenched at her sides.
’She had no foundation on Capital Star and no ability to protect herself, which was why she had chosen to stay with the Lin Family, even knowing that Lin Hao and the others disliked her.
Joining the Tower’s training was her only current path to accessing resources, gaining power, and finding a possible way out.
If she gave up her Preparatory Guide eligibility... she could already foresee her situation becoming even more difficult.
Her desire to grow stronger and change the original owner’s fate would become even more remote!
Bai Ye... He was clearly targeting her weakness, using the very thing she desired most to force her into submission.’
A powerful wave of revulsion and anger surged through Yun Sheng. ’I hate this feeling of being manipulated and coerced, and I hate Bai Ye’s posture of feigned impartiality while cornering me at every step even more.’
Just then, she felt the muscles of the man in front of her—Si Jin—tense slightly. ’He seems to be about to say something more, or perhaps resist in a more drastic way...’
’But I know that at this critical juncture, any forceful opposition from Si Jin could make things worse.
It might even expose that there’s something unusual about Si Jin and make Bai Ye suspicious of his identity...’
Yun Sheng took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind, and took a small half-step forward.
She reached out and took hold of Si Jin’s clenched fist.
Si Jin’s body jolted, and he lowered his gaze to look at her.
"Lin Mo, don’t say any more."
Yun Sheng gave him a small smile, then her gaze swept over Luo Cheng and the others before finally settling on Bai Ye’s face.
"I haven’t done anything. I’m innocent. I’m willing to go back to the Tower with the investigation team to be questioned and tested."
Si Jin watched Yun Sheng’s straight back and her profile, pale beneath its feigned composure. He felt the cool touch of her hand and its subtle tremor, and the darkness churning in the depths of his eyes nearly overflowed.
In the end, however, he said nothing. He simply turned his hand and gripped hers tightly.
The pressure was immense, as if he were trying to transfer his strength to her, or perhaps suppress something within himself.
Their clasped hands were particularly jarring under everyone’s watchful eyes.
Bai Ye’s expression darkened slightly. Beneath Yun Sheng’s feigned composure, he saw not submission and acceptance, but intense anger, and even... disgust.
That disgust wasn’t aimed at the Tower’s procedures; it seemed to be directed straight at him.
In some corner of his heart, he was caught off guard by a strange but undeniable feeling of suffocation.
The feeling was abrupt and sharp, like the prick of a very fine needle—not painful, but carrying an indescribable sense of stagnation and discomfort.
’He had never cared what anyone thought of him. Whether it was awe, fear, worship, or hatred, it all felt like a light breeze on his face, unable to stir the slightest ripple within him.
But now, the mere realization that Yun Sheng might hate him had actually caused such an... inappropriate fluctuation in his emotions.
This feeling, for just a moment, left Bai Ye with a sense of helplessness that he himself hadn’t even recognized.’
But he was the Star Alliance War God, the supreme commander who was always calm and self-possessed, who acted according to rules and reason.
This inappropriate emotion was like a snowflake cast into a blazing fire, instantly erased by his formidable willpower, leaving no trace on his face.
"Then let’s go," Bai Ye said coolly.
Hearing this, Yun Sheng was about to let go of Si Jin’s hand, but instead of releasing it, he gripped it even tighter.
"Shengsheng," Si Jin said, first giving Yun Sheng a deep look before turning to Bai Ye. His tone was calm but held a hidden edge. "I’ll go with you."
Bai Ye’s gaze finally fell upon Si Jin’s face again, his eyes even colder and darker than before.
"Dr. Lin Mo, the Tower’s internal investigation area is off-limits to unauthorized personnel."
"I know." Si Jin met his gaze without backing down. "I won’t go inside. I’ll wait for Shengsheng in the Tower’s public waiting area. That doesn’t violate any regulations, does it?"
Yun Sheng’s heart seized when she heard him.
’Has he lost his mind?!
What is his identity? He’s an SSS-level Dark Sentinel, a man on the wanted lists of both the Tower and the military!
No matter how masterful his disguise is, what if something unexpected happens inside the Tower, or if he’s detected by some special device... The consequences would be unimaginable!’
Yun Sheng tugged sharply on Si Jin’s hand, pleading with her eyes for him not to take the risk.
But Si Jin just smiled, enveloping her hand more tightly in his own. The pressure was gentle yet firm.
She felt his resolve and determination, and in the end, she relented.
Bai Ye took in the brief, subtle interaction between the two.
That strange, stifling displeasure he had just forcibly suppressed in his heart instantly threatened to resurface, even clearer and more... irritating than before.