Chapter 323
"I don't think this is a good idea." Among the several voices of agreement, a sudden voice of opposition stood out.
Whether they had remained silent before or had already expressed their opinions, everyone's eyes fell on Alice, who was speaking.
Alice frankly stated, "Since the Class Monitor hasn't explicitly said which position belongs to whom—of course, I'm not targeting He Muzhi, I just think that before everything is decided, anyone has a chance for any position, right?"
After saying that, seeing that no one spoke, Alice sighed, "Fine, I'll be honest, I'm just not willing to accept this. Not only me, but the people behind me won't agree either. What I mean is, whether we form an alliance or go our separate ways, let's all rely on our own abilities, okay?"
With Alice opening the floodgates, those who had been silent until now began to speak.
"I think so too. Of course, I'm not targeting anyone, but we've come this far, and we both know a fair bit about each other's situation."
"That's right, everyone has their own difficulties, and many things are beyond our control."
"Then I'll be frank. I'm sorry, but I can't participate in what you're thinking. Not only can I not participate, but I'll also continue to do what I want to do. Of course, one thing at a time, and I hope it won't affect our relationship."
"I think this is a good idea." Constantly noticing the subtle glances from his classmates, He Muzhi knew very well that they wanted him to speak up, which was also a way of getting a guarantee from him that no matter what happened in the future, he would not hold a grudge.
Clearly, subconsciously, the students knew that their chances of winning weren't very high given the current situation, but they still didn't want to give up. After all, based on past experience, if he really took Patrick's position, his chances of re-election were very high, barring any major surprises. Compared to later on, their chances of winning now were much greater.
Upon finally hearing He Muzhi's statement, Alice and the others relaxed their slightly tense expressions.
Alice's tone was much more relaxed. "That's good. It's a deal. After the competition, we'll still be friends."
"Of course." He Muzhi smiled gently.
He Muzhi finished speaking, Sophia noticed the relieved expressions on the faces of many classmates. Having achieved her goal, she remained silent for a long time before finally speaking again, "Since everyone has decided so readily, let me make this clear first: exclude me from everything. After all, to be honest, I don't have a ticket right now. But my mom, my dad, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, and everyone else behind me—you can do whatever you want, it's up to you."
Previously, everyone had been keeping things bottled up, and with the prospect of leaving Clyus soon, no one spoke to each other even face to face. The chances of breaking the ice and clarifying things after everyone left were even smaller. Now that we've spoken frankly, no matter what we do in the future, everyone will feel much less burdened.
"Of course." Sophia hadn't forgotten the similarities between her current situation and He Muzhi's. "He Muzhi and I share the same sentiment."
"It's still a little different."
"Yeah, this is much harder than snatching it from He Muzhi."
Some Federation Ministry of National Defense are appointed by the president. The highest Federation Ministry of National Defense, similar to the system of mutual coercion between planetary Governors and Executive under Federation jurisdiction, is decided by a vote of all planetary Governors under Federation jurisdiction. This has resulted in a close relationship between planetary Governors and Federation Ministry of National Defense, while the relationship between the Federation President and the Executive of each planet is even closer. The checks and balances between the two sides are greater than their mutual binding.
This is why, while Greyliff was alive, he was able to restrain Patrick at every turn. But once Greyliff disappeared, under Qin Su's deliberate manipulation, by the time the others realized what was happening, Sophia had almost completely taken over everything that Greyliff had once owned.
"We're all human, so why is there such a big difference in our lives? Honestly, have you ever considered that they secretly bribed the Class Monitor behind our backs?"
"Is that thing on your neck a tumor or just a decoration? Our Class Monitor has never lacked anything, he doesn't seem like someone who can be bribed."
"Then what makes them so special? Putting aside ability, is it possible that the Class Monitor was chosen based on looks? I may not be as good-looking as you guys, but I'm not exactly ugly either."
"Are you kidding me? The Class Monitor couldn't possibly be that shallow!"
"Exactly, the Class Monitor is the type who doesn't care about ability at all."
"I couldn't find a reason why they were different from us, and I became withdrawn."
"It's better to be an emo together than to be one-man emo. Count me in, let's all condemn those who are better off than us!"
"You're too timid. Why don't you put the sack on it before you go out?"
"Great idea! If the Class Monitor that Jeffrey had secretly agreed to let others betray him to achieve their goals, he would also agree to let us beat him up."
"Why didn't you mention that I immediately turned against you as soon as things were over!"
"Go away, go away! Facts don't matter. We can say whatever we want!"
Once everyone started talking freely, they became bolder in their speech, openly and loudly chirping crickets all the way out, as if they were afraid that once they parted ways and were scattered to the four winds, they wouldn't even be able to chirp in front of their beloved cricketer anymore. They were too lazy to care about what others were saying, only caring about expressing their enjoyment. Their words changed from envy at the beginning to resentment and complaints later, and they went on to reveal the secrets of their classmates that they had investigated in private.
As arranged by Qin Su, He Muzhi, Sophia, and the others, who had a higher starting point than others from the beginning, listened quietly, trying to minimize their presence in front of their classmates who would get carried away and forget their feelings once they started cricketing.
Anyway, the classmates were just being sarcastic, but they didn't detect any hatred in their tone and didn't care. After all, not everyone can have such good luck, and anyone would be envied, which is normal.
Once back in the sunlight, He Muzhi and his group didn't linger. To maintain some mystery and keep the media waiting outside eagerly anticipating their arrival, they didn't go out again but boarded different Aircraft and headed to their respective Spaceship docking locations.
Previously, when various media outlets were broadcasting the footage in real time, people were saying things like "disgusting" and "Class 6 a bunch of lunatics." But when the live broadcast suddenly shut down, the media outlets panicked, and other Viewers who had lost their source of gossip were also unhappy. They stood outside, craning their necks, waiting for Class 6 come out again.
Unexpectedly, instead of waiting for the people from Class 6) to come out, they saw Aircraft entering from different directions one after another, and soon those Aircraft left in different directions.
Are the people from Class 6) inside?
"No way, they just abandoned us and left like that? Is this for real? They came all this way with such fanfare, then didn't even bother to give an interview before turning around and leaving? Do they look down on our popularity?"
Don't scare yourself, maybe it's not him...
The media and the Viewers were still arguing and looking up at the departing Aircraft when, less than two minutes later, a mechanical broadcast came into their ears.
"Dear visitors, the Setini Palace will reopen in five minutes. Please do not crowd; queue at the entrance to scan your ID and proceed in an orderly fashion. Thank you for your cooperation."
Before hearing the broadcast, the various media outlets, who were desperate for traffic every day, still held a sliver of hope. But now, upon hearing it, their hopes were dashed, and curses poured in.
" (Class 6 came, but now they've reopened it. Isn't that obvious?" Sun Chengyi said indignantly. " (Class 6) Those guys really left! They didn't even say hello to us? They really don't respect us. When I get back, I'm going to... no, I think we should write something like this right now! Let them know that offending the media has no good consequences!"
The cursing quieted down after Sun Chengyi's words, and everyone stopped paying attention to the sarcastic remarks from Class 6. They all looked at Sun Chengyi with indescribable expressions.
Sun Chengyi's silent colleagues kept their distance from him to avoid getting blood on them when Class 6) made their move.
Sun Chengyi: "?"
"No, what do you mean?"
" (Class 6 are all crazy. What couldn't you have done? Why did you have to provoke them? You're just asking for trouble... No, this isn't just about being unhappy, it's like lighting up the Restroom, you're asking for it."
"Exactly, if you want to write it, write it yourself. Don't drag us into it. You don't want to die, thank you. I don't want to die without even knowing how I died, or be reduced to ashes and then thrown into a cesspool."
Sun Chengyi was about to say something, but hearing the cacophony of voices around him, the anger from above seemed to have been doused with cold water, instantly chilling him to the bone. He calmed down immediately, glanced around warily, and muttered to himself, "Sorry, really sorry, never mind what I said..."
After a few seconds of hesitation, torn between fear and the KPI, Sun Chengyi, for the sake of his salary and bonus, decisively chose to complete the KPI task out of fear. "It's okay that Sophia and the others have left, there's another group of people from Class 6 on their way here! They're all from Class 6, so their value should probably be roughly the same, right?"
"What are you thinking? He Muzhi and his group are crazy, and they don't even include the group of Class 6 who didn't come. What's there to interview about them?" As soon as Sun Chengyi finished speaking, someone immediately retorted.
"What does value even matter?" Sun Chengyi disagreed. "Isn't it enough that popularity and traffic can increase our page views and make money? We're not mainstream media that cares about value; traffic comes first! As long as we ask good questions, even if Sophia and the others leave, we'll still have plenty of traffic."
"Tsk, you're right! Let's go grab a good spot. There's nothing good to photograph here. Sophia and the others aren't here. I wonder if the group from Class 6 will come back. Where's the nearest Jump Point again? Let's go block it. Hmm, I checked, there are so many Jump Points that are about the same distance away. Shake it off!"
"What's there to choose from? Adults want it all! Xiao Li, you and Xiao Jing go..."
Before Lawrence and the others even arrived, they received news that He Muzhi and the others had left. Some felt that there was no point in going; without Kanasen, the place wouldn't even be worth generating buzz for them, so they chose to turn back immediately.
Some people saw that others had decided not to go, and thought this was an opportunity to monopolize the attention, so they chose to continue their journey, even though... they knew very well that He Muzhi and his group's actions were tantamount to openly breaking ties with them, and that they had been like clowns jumping around.
But from another perspective, isn't this also an opportunity to play the victim, gain sympathy from the world, and damage the image of Lailisi and others in the eyes of the world?
Lawrence was one of those who chose to go.
In any case, Qin Su has been gone for so long. During this time, whether intentionally or unintentionally, they have tried to do many things, including some similar to what Norian and his ilk did, but Qin Su still did not show up, not even once.
How can this not be considered evidence that after the incident of the Cyborg Army's unified uniform, Qin Su's favorite became the Modified Humans, and he distanced himself from Class 6)?
Therefore, they no longer need to be as timid and hesitant as they were when Qin Su was in charge. Besides, many people privately speculate that Qin Su deliberately treated them differently in their groupings, clearly hoping from the beginning that they would "kill each other." Perhaps Qin Su would not be angry at the current situation, but rather feel pleased.
After He Muzhi and others from Class 6) left, the media outlets that decided to stay in Clyus and other places split into several Class 6. The media outlets were divided into different groups, and some groups even had only one person. Everyone went to different places to stake out and ensure that they could get traffic from any side.
When Lawrence and his team finally arrived, they were surprised to find far fewer media present than they had seen in the live broadcast studio. The feeling of being disregarded was overwhelming. However, since they had chosen to come here despite their predicament, they had already prepared themselves mentally. They quickly adjusted their emotions and began their performances in front of the cameras surrounding them.
"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand what that means. We're just a little late."
"I don't know why they did that, maybe... I did something they didn't like."
"It's okay, I'm fine."
"Why did I still come here so eagerly? Maybe... I'm too stubborn, too attached to the past, but I will try my best to catch up with everyone and strive to return to the way things were before."
"Forget it, I can't bring myself to hurt my own people. Besides, I've also made mistakes in getting to this point. Leaving each other alone is a form of respect."
"What? Green tea? What does that mean?"
I doubt any idiot would believe that.
[My eyes are red. I understand all too well the pitiful feeling of being cruelly abandoned by a former best friend because you have no further use to them. I feel so sorry for you.]
[This gave me goosebumps. Did they receive the same training together?]
[I can understand one person doing this, but a group of people doing this... Hey, drama queens, get off them!]
[I get it. They look so haggard because they're probably dealing with internal strife. That's how we internal strife people are; even if the other person is wrong, we subconsciously take the blame ourselves.]
[Although every sentence was meant to defend them, it all backfired (rolls eyes). I really wish they could live without a shred of shame.]
[Take a good look in the mirror now and then; you're so preoccupied with your own dramatic persona.]
[It's infuriating that so many people actually sympathize with and pity them!]
--
(Class 6 6 displayed their unique talents, it was May, and there was still more than a month left before the presidential Joint Council vote in June.
On May 6th, the preliminary elections began, and all students in Class 6 who were interested in the presidency publicly and formally announced their participation in the presidential race.
On May 7th, the list of all candidates was published.
On the first day of the announcement, the students of Class 6) who stayed up all night to wait for the results saw that the name 'Qin Su' did not appear on the list of candidates. Although they had guessed it before, they finally breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the results.
'Fortunately! Qin Su truly has no interest in the position of Federation President; otherwise, they wouldn't even be qualified to sit at the table and participate in the game.'
After the relaxation, many people in Class 6 inevitably felt down.
They wondered more than once what kind of glorious future Qin Su would lead the Federation to if he were the Federation President. But if that were the case... they would only ever be 'machines' in Qin Su's hands, devoid of any personal thought.
The public notice period lasts for three days, during which time registration can be done at any time. Even if Qin Su's name is not seen on the first day, all 999 people in Class 6) think that Qin Su is not interested in the Federation. But as they thought, until the last day, no one in Class 6) could truly relax.
[They secretly thought to themselves, if Qin Su really becomes president, they'll be forced to become lifeless tools in Qin Su's eyes again, just like before, and they definitely won't be happy about that.]
[Qin Su is valuable, but free thought is even more precious.]
[Let's not rub salt in the wound, let them off the hook (laughing and crying). Qin Su trained them like this, and at such a young age, he gave them power that other graduates couldn't have at the same time, paving a dazzling future for them. No one can resist the temptation to unleash their potential without restraint and see how far they can go.]
At the same time, regardless of whether a planet had joined Federation or not, countless people, from top to bottom, were like Class 6), staying up all night to wait for the announcement of the presidential candidate list.
The planets that hadn't joined the Federation felt a slight sense of relief upon seeing that Qin Su hadn't run for election.
It's good that they're not interested in the Federation! That way, they won't have to live in constant fear, worrying that Qin Su might attack their planet at any moment.
Although countless speculations had circulated around the world beforehand that "how could Qin Su possibly condescend to govern Federation," the people of the planets under the Federation's jurisdiction were greatly disappointed by the result. They stayed up until the early hours of the morning, passionately posting on the StarNet, bewildering everything.
[I hate it!! It's all the fault of those good-for-nothings in Class 6. What were those 999 people doing? They couldn't even hold onto our God Su's heart!]
[I think it must be some shameless scoundrel from another planet who's been eyeing our King Su, doing something shady to seduce King Su! I suggest a thorough investigation! Their entire family should be implicated! @Other random planets]
[You think we can't bypass your StarNet restrictions? Heh, serves you right. Your Federation, with its Class 6 serving Qin Su, how long can you expect to last? (Grinning)]
[The feng shui of the Atopulai Palace is definitely bad; look how it has even eliminated the Qin Su. It's absolutely Patrick's fault for altering the layout.]
[Did no one carefully look at who from Class 6 signed up for the election? I saw quite a few people who had thrown Kanasen into the latrine together. It turns out they didn't get along well. Now they've started fighting amongst themselves.]