The hall fell silent again. Everyone understood that Caesar would definitely stand in opposition to Chu Zihang—they were arch-rivals. Arch-rivals meant that one’s misery brought the other joy, and if the Lionheart Society was eliminated, the Student Union would become the largest organization in the college, with Caesar possibly becoming the future leader of the Secret Party.
Caesar removed his noise-canceling headphones, adjusted his collar, stood up slowly, bowed slightly to the tenured professors, then nodded respectfully to both sides of the debate, like a performer about to sing. “Ladies and gentlemen, I, Caesar Gattuso, swear on my family name that everything I say here is true. Chu Zihang is the finest student in our college, a good friend to all of us. We are all deeply attracted by his charm. He is elegant, gentle, learned, and helpful—a graceful embodiment of every virtue…”
Listening to that beautiful baritone, Andrew felt his world collapsing. What was going on? Didn’t Caesar just swear on his family name? How could he then say such a blatantly shameless lie? The graceful embodiment of every virtue? Was this Chu Zihang? Or was this Siddhartha Gautama after becoming Buddha?
“Caesar doesn’t care much about his surname, just like he doesn’t care about his family,” Parsi whispered in his ear.
When it became clear that Caesar wasn’t being sarcastic and had no punchline, the applause was so thunderous that it seemed like it might lift the roof off. Caesar began to passionately talk about the stories of him and Chu Zihang working on papers together—helping each other, covering a sleeping classmate at the library late at night, sailing across the great lake while talking about their grand dreams of slaying dragons… Did it have to be so full of camaraderie? All the students were going wild. In Caesar Gattuso’s life, he had never been this humorous. Members of the Lionheart Society and the Student Union stood up and swapped seats—black and deep red sitting together.
They were no longer opponents; in front of the investigation team, they had become friends.
Lu Mingfei suddenly understood—this was the ultimate joke against the investigation team. Everyone in the audience had long reached a certain understanding. The division between black and red was merely a show they played; regarding the School Board, the entire college was united. Only he didn’t know. For the past few days, he’d been drinking cheap red wine, lost in thought, staying indoors, left behind by everyone.
Nono was no longer beside him. She was laughing loudly at Caesar’s joke, jumping up to hug him, surrounded by black and deep red.
Lu Mingfei also clapped along with everyone else—what else could he do? He should be happy, right? Now everyone was on the same side as him. Together, they had managed to give the investigation team a tough time. Even the tenured professors would have to consider the thoughts of the entire student body, right? The stoic senior brother would be spared.
But he was the fool. These people had planned it all along, and he was the only one left out. Just like many years ago, when he played the role of a small “i”… But the person who rescued him then was now hugging her boyfriend. She had become one of “them.”
The immense pressure from the crowd pushed him back step by step, until he was pressed against the wall, into a corner, as if being squeezed against the wall. No one noticed him—everyone was celebrating. Only one person’s gaze passed over the crowd, silently watching Lu Mingfei, though Lu Mingfei was unaware.
It was Chu Zihang, who had been keeping his head down but suddenly lifted it.
The doors of the hall were suddenly flung open, and a young member of the Execution Bureau rushed in.
“No one may intrude during the hearing!” King Solomon shouted.
“Hunter’s Market… latest bounty!” The young man panted heavily. “A dragon named Fenrisulfr… has awakened in Beijing, China… recruiting hunters to kill it… bounty of one billion… one billion US dollars!”
The hall fell into complete silence. King Solomon sat down heavily, stunned for a long time. This was truly a bomb—an informational bomb. Someone had posted such information on a public site like Hunter’s Market, meaning that the secret of the dragons, guarded by hybrids for thousands of years, was on the verge of exposure. Those roaming the site were not just hybrids.
Chu Zihang suddenly raised his hand, his voice cutting through the hall: “Professors, if there can be no conclusion to the hearing, I wish to prove myself through action. Under these circumstances, we will certainly send a representative to China. I have previously carried out missions in China with Lu Mingfei, and this time, I request to go with him. My actions will prove my lineage.”
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