There was an obvious and insurmountable line between light and darkness. The ash between black and white could not be used as an excuse to absolve oneself of guilt. Even if the ash was so faint that it was almost invisible, it would still be black of varying degrees. How could it be white?
The talented, cold, proud, and cool Du Shaoqing had always thought so.
However, many years after he graduated from No.1 Academy, he had been in conflict, struggling, and silent in the military system. He had changed a lot. He understood that no matter how beautiful and beautiful a landscape painting was, it still needed the dirty natural pigments dug out from the dark mines to be painted. For the bright future of the federation, or rather, for mankind, he was willing to sacrifice a part of his moral principles.
Especially when a hidden and exciting trend of thought appeared in the Federation, and a trustworthy and excellent politician stood at the forefront of the trend, he was more and more sure that this sacrifice would be well rewarded. Therefore, he put all his energy and effort into the construction of the army, giving up worldly happiness such as family. Under the strong suppression of Zhong Shouhu in the West Woods, he still brought out the Iron Seventh Division, an iron army, and branded the entire Second Military Region with his deep personal brand.
The target of the Iron Blood Army was of course the people of the Empire, but for the future of the Federation, Du Shaoqing did not mind using this army to protect that big shot. In fact, in the past few years, his Iron Seventh Division had been cooperating with the relevant departments of the government to carry out some secret plans. His most loyal subordinate, Ximen Jin, was an important contact person for the Iron Seventh Division to cooperate with the relevant plans.
But what was the bottom line of sacrifice? How many flowers of evil would have to be burned to let the world regain the light of holiness? How many innocent people would have to die? But …
"Not including this."
Du Shaoqing looked at Ximen Jin in front of the table expressionlessly and said in an exceptionally calm tone, "The assassination of Zhong Huoyan at Mulu Manor, you said it was the work of the Special Task Force, so I did not continue to ask."
"In fact, you and I both know that Chen Yinchuan secretly entered the Lin family after graduating from No.1 Academy to carry out a secret government mission to infiltrate the seven great families. Without my order or yours, he would not have taken the risk of exposing his identity to launch this operation. "
"And this time," Du Shaoqing stood up after a moment of silence and said, "he shouldn't have died like this."
"This operation has been approved by the higher-ups." Ximen Jin lowered her head slightly and explained in a slightly hoarse voice, "Mr. Councilman … I am not willing to let you participate in these dirty matters, so I hid the specific plan from you."
"The last confirmed time was when you left Room 5460 last time?" Du Shaoqing raised his eyebrows slightly and said coldly, "Are you still my soldier?"
"I will always be the commander's soldier!" Ximen Jin suddenly raised her head, then standing straight, she replied loudly, "But I am even more unwilling to let teacher deal with this kind of difficult problem."
"Difficult problem?" Du Shaoqing suddenly smiled. His smile was full of indescribable bitterness. "This is not a problem. His death is like a slap to my face. It will hurt until the day I die."
"The final decision was made the day before Tiger returned to the West Woods." Ximen Jin's voice was hoarse as she explained, "This warlord will not give up his privileges as a noble family and join our camp. Also, in order to protect the interests of the Zhong family, the West Woods will not completely become a part of the Federation. In order to defeat the vicious enemy of the Empire, we must get rid of him. "
"This is not a personal grudge." He gritted his teeth and looked at his teacher who was deep in thought. His tone was urgent as he said, "This is for the Federation."
Du Shaoqing's usually emotionless eyes suddenly flashed with a trace of nostalgia. His thin lips opened slightly and he said slowly, "For the Federation … this is a very familiar phrase. Back then, in No.1 Academy, he liked to say this. At the time, I thought it was ridiculous. You will be a local tyrant in the West Woods. What right do you have to tarnish such a hot-blooded phrase?
"Now, he has really died for the Federation.
"You are in charge of this investigation, so no one will know the truth of the matter." Ximen Jin noticed that his teacher's mood was a bit strange at this time. His expression was gloomy as he said, "I am not fighting for anything for myself. It is just that if I am found, many people will suspect you."
For all the officers and soldiers of the Iron Seventh Division, their object of loyalty was the Federation. To be more specific, direct, and firm, it was their teacher Du Shaoqing. Even though Ximen Jin, who worked for some important people in the government, hid many things about Du Shaoqing, in fact, he still fanatically worshipped him. Everything he did pointed to the direction of creating a bright and open dance in the Federation. Under the leadership of his teacher, they would advance into the depths of the universe and conquer a large star region …
"I don't plan to expose this matter because too many people are involved. Once the truth is exposed, the West Woods will definitely be in chaos. The first civil war in the Federation may break out. When that time comes, how can the chaotic Federation defeat the Empire?"
Du Shaoqing said coldly, "I am not a perfect person with perfect morals. Whether it is the senator or you, you all want to put on a pair of white gloves for me, but the hands are already black and can never be clean again."
"I cannot bear the responsibility of starting a civil war in the Federation, and I am no longer a young man who can't sleep because of his conscience. I don't like Tiger Zhong even more, so it seems that I have no reason to continue investigating. "
Du Shaoqing slowly opened the drawer and then walked to the front of the table. Outside the window, the rain dripped. The light in the room was dim, and the smooth military uniform gradually changed color with his steps.
"But he shouldn't have died like this."
A strange flush flashed across Du Shaoqing's usually cold face. He stared at Ximen Jin in front of him and roared in a low voice, "He is a soldier of the Federation, a truly outstanding soldier of the Federation! He should've been killed on a real battlefield, or he could've been killed in the valiant civil war of the federation, but he shouldn't have been killed by the bullets of his comrades in the back because of a mistake that he hadn't committed yet!
A crisp spring sound rang out. Du Shaoqing raised the pistol and pointed it between Ximen Jin's brows. He said coldly, "Today, I'll kill you first to return him a life. In the future, when I capture the emperor of the Empire, I'll return him a life. At that time, we'll meet again in hell."
In the depths of the desk drawer behind him, that old-fashioned photo lay quietly. The back was facing up, and the front was kissing the dust.
Under the cold black barrel of the gun, Ximen Jin's face was pale, but he didn't move at all. He still stood extremely straight and didn't make any movements to dodge. Only his breathing became hurried.
Right at this moment, there was a knock on the door.
Knock, knock, knock. It was extremely stable.
Du Shaoqing's right hand, which was holding the gun steadily, stiffened slightly. This building was filled with his soldiers. Who was able to quietly come to his door in the middle of a rainy day?
The person outside the door didn't wait for the person inside to react. He pushed the door open naturally and entered. His slightly chubby body was wrapped in a raincoat, and the action of closing the door seemed to be somewhat strenuous.
This person took off the wet raincoat and threw it on the ground. He then took off the hat that was drenched in the rain and hung it on the clothes rack beside the door. He rubbed his hands lightly, turned around, looked at the two people in front of the table, and said with a smile, "It's said that autumn rain is cold, but it's still summer now. After being drenched in the rain, it's terrifyingly cold. What the hell is this weather?"
At this time, Du Shaoqing was still pointing the gun between Ximen Jin's eyebrows. Because of the arrival of this uninvited guest, he didn't pull the trigger, but his slightly stiff right arm was still raised horizontally. He didn't put it down.
Taking off the wet hat, it was white hair. This old man who entered Du Shaoqing's office like he was going home didn't seem to see the tense situation in the room, nor did he see the gun in the air.
He looked at Du Shaoqing and said with a hint of admonishment, "Being able to have such a subordinate who thinks for you in all aspects and doesn't even hide when facing your gun proves your ability to lead troops. Isn't it also your luck? You should cherish such a subordinate, and not die because of a moment of impulse and rare lack of calmness. Otherwise, in the future, you will definitely doubt yourself and feel sad like you are now. "
Du Shaoqing's eyes slightly lowered, but he still didn't put down the gun in his hand.
The old man with white hair ignored him and said calmly, "Let's start the meeting. Although I'm very unwilling to take over this work, since His Excellency the President asked me to handle all the specific matters of this investigation, I have to care about it."
Du Shaoqing's sword-like eyebrows slightly twitched, and blue veins appeared. He finally put down the gun in his hand and said in a heavy tone, "Yes, Mr. Vice President."
…
…
Vice President Byron of the Federation convened the first joint meeting of the joint investigation team of the attack on the Antique Bell. Because it was called at the last minute, the Director of the Investigation Department of the Federation and the officers of the other two departments couldn't attend in time. They just received a briefing after the meeting.
Very few people attended this joint meeting. Few people could imagine that the first meeting of the joint investigation team actually became a gathering of the culprits of this conspiracy. This was an absurd and extremely cold fact.
"The Association hasn't had a gathering for many years." Vice President Byron, who was sitting in the middle of the bench, said, "But I don't enjoy this kind of gathering, because I feel uneasy when I think that the Bureau of Proclamation may know every word we say."
In the dim room, a voice sounded, "Although Cui Judong had issued a warning in advance, we still didn't expect Xu Le's unexpected situation to happen. I'm really shocked that this person's Sequence authority is actually higher than Cui Judong's, and he can even make the Charter computer restart the investigation. "
Vice President Byron leaned forward slightly, and light and shadow interlaced on his old face. He said in a heavy voice, "Even if Xu Le has the First Sequence authority, according to the privacy protection regulations of citizens, he can't have access to certain content. How on earth did he bypass the regulations?"
"Cui Judong tried to find the reason before he was replaced, but he didn't find anything. Also, according to the information from the interrogation room, he was preparing to commit suicide. "
There was silence in the dim room. The person who was about to become the Director of the Bureau of Proclamation of the Federation, and in a sense, the most powerful man, didn't hesitate to commit suicide when facing the interrogation. This shocked everyone present.
"I strongly disagree with this. His position in the Bureau of Proclamation is very important to our plan. Although I admire his courage, this is not the best way to solve the problem."
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