Reed's Suspension

Gu Ding originally planned to leave immediately after attending Tanya's birthday party, but since Kenz's funeral was the next day, Gu Ding decided to stay an extra day.

Gu Ding and Kenz only met once, but that didn't diminish his admiration for Kenz. This man single-handedly fought against all the regular members of OP3, and although he died in the end, he also took the lives of the other OP3 members. Gu Ding admired him for his strength and courage alone. Therefore, Gu Ding wanted to lay a bouquet of flowers at Jianzi's grave before leaving to express his respect.

No one else on the Gu Ding Team raised any objections, and even Liliath, who always hated complications, remained supportive this time.

The next morning, Gu Ding and his group changed into more formal black uniforms and headed towards the location of the funeral.

The funeral hall was quite crowded, only a quarter fewer than the number of people who had attended the birthday party the day before. The vast majority of people stayed for various reasons. The original Beauty Pirate Crew, however, was entirely present; not a single member was absent.

Tanya wore a black dress, her white hair styled in a bun adorned with a Purple Jade Hairpin. A Black Veil covered half her face, revealing only a pair of icy blue eyes, their gaze melancholic and lonely. Instead of flowers for a memorial, she held a large bouquet of golden Sun Grass.

After the solemn-faced priest completed the preceding procedures, a set of neat clothes and other burial items were placed in the empty coffin. The death of a deity leaves no physical remains, so this was merely a cenotaph, containing what was Kenz's favorite outfit.

After the coffin was laid to rest, an unassuming blue stone tombstone was erected. It was not much different from the other tombstones around the cemetery.

Tanya was the first to walk over slowly and place the Sun Grass in her hand in front of the tombstone.

"I remember you said that your favorite plant was Sun Grass. Every summer, the golden Sun Grass reflects the sunlight, like a golden ocean. Every time the wind blows, the golden waves bring peace to the mind. So, this handful of Sun Grass is the first gift you received in the other world. I hope you like it."

Tanya's voice was soft, almost a whisper, but everyone present was a deity, and they heard her clearly. They finally understood why the flower Tanya offered was Sun Grass.

After Tanya, it was Kenz's old butler who came up.

The old butler's eyes were moist. He bent down and placed a bottle of red wine and a wine glass next to the tombstone, then reached out and touched the edge of the tombstone. "Young master, take care! I hope you are doing well in the other world."

Afterwards, one by one, the members of the Revenge Pirate Crew put down their offerings, with a few leaving a few words behind. Most, however, simply walked away silently.

After the members of the Revenge Pirate Crew, it was the turn of the guests, including Gu Ding, to step forward.

The funeral was quiet, as most of the guests were just there to pay their respects and had nothing to say.

Soon, it was Gu Ding Team's turn. Gu Ding was the first to step forward, putting down the Purple Datura he was holding. But instead of leaving immediately, Gu Ding spoke, "To be honest, I don't know you well. We've only met once and exchanged a few words. But your actions yesterday were truly brave and responsible. Dying to protect those important people in your life isn't actually a sad thing. If I were you, seeing so many people come to your funeral would surely make me happy too..."

"Gu Ding, stop talking." The Sea Emperor quickly warned Gu Ding when he heard that what he was saying was a bit outrageous.

Gu Ding then realized that it was inappropriate to say such things in this setting, so he immediately covered his mouth and stepped off the stage.

The members of the Revenge Pirate Crew were not angry because of Gu Ding's words.

Tanya gave Gu Ding a deep look, her gaze showing slight surprise.

The funeral was very simple and lasted less than a morning, with the guests quickly leaving.

Some members of the Revenge Pirate Crew also found Tanya and voluntarily left the Pirate Crew. Tanya didn't stop them, simply letting them go. Many had initially joined the Beauty Pirate Crew only because of Kenz's reputation; the areas Beauty Pirate Crew controlled were safe from attack, and they lived comfortably. But now, with Tanya about to conquer the Deep Sea Zone, many were less willing to follow. Tanya was powerful, but war meant death.

Seeing that Gu Ding Team was about to leave, Tanya walked towards Gu Ding.

"Miss Tanya, is there something you need?" Gu Ding knew that Tanya meant no harm.

"Kenz mentioned you to me before." Tanya forced a polite smile.

"Mr. Kenz mentioned me?" Gu Ding also a little curious, as he didn't know how Kenz would evaluate him.

"Yes, he once told me that he had seen tens of thousands of new recruits flood into the Universe Sea, and you are very likely to be the one who goes the furthest." Tanya recalled the scene and said these words.

"This... is really a high compliment." Gu Ding didn't expect that Kenz would think so highly of him. Only then did he understand why Kenz had only spoken to him during the banquet.

"I trust his judgment." Tanya smiled and took out a silver token. "This is Kenz's divine position. I'm giving it to you now. Whether you choose to refine it is up to you. Of course, if you hadn't come to Kenz's funeral today, I wouldn't have given you this divine position."

"Such a precious thing..." Gu Ding declined. Obtaining someone's divine position is equivalent to inheriting that person's legacy. Gu Ding wasn't really interested in Kenz's legacy. Although Kenz was strong, he was still far inferior to Helen. Helen's legacy didn't have anything he could use, and Kenz's legacy would probably be even less useful.

"Let me tell you a secret," Tania said telepathically. "Kenz and I stumbled upon an Ancient Ruins, and he eventually obtained a portion of its legacy. That ruin was left behind by a true god." Tanya didn't say this directly, but rather transmitted her voice. "Kenz isn't strong enough because he hasn't yet met the requirements for cultivating the inherited techniques."

These words completely swayed Gu Ding.

"If you decide not to refine it, then please keep it safe for me. Just return it to me when we meet next time." Tanya said, and the token-shaped divine tablet was launched out.

Gu Ding accepted the divine tablet and nodded, "Alright then."

Federal Government Headquarters. In a conference room.

A blond boy stood below, while around the round table sat high-ranking officials of the Federal Government, including three marshals, including Balin.

And that boy was none other than Reed, who had failed in this mission.

"Reed, we already know what happened." Balin and the others had seen the video footage of what happened on Tanya Star, as well as Reed and Benoco's report, and had basically determined the cause and effect of the whole incident. "You led a group of regular OP3 members and a team of Artificial Human to Tanya Star, intending to annihilate the Beauty Pirate Crew in one fell swoop. In the end, eight regular OP3 members died, and all thirty-two Artificial Human were also killed. You also brought the OP organization into conflict with the descendants of the Revenge Empress. Did I omit anything?"

"Yes." Reed nodded. He knew he couldn't avoid punishment this time because the impact was too huge. On the SkyNet, Tanya's battle video had over 100 million views in just one night. It had also been shared over 30,000 times.

"Actually, these aren't really problems. The regular members of OP3 can be re-elected. As for the Artificial Human, they were experimental subjects anyway. Provoking the descendants of the Revenge Empress is a little troublesome, but that little girl can't cause any real trouble." An elderly man with a full head of white hair, looking like he hadn't slept well, spoke. But then, his gaze sharpened. "You're a smart kid, you should be able to guess who saved you in the end, right?"

"My guess is Gu Ding." Reed knew there was no way to hide this. He could only bite the bullet and say, "Because, on that planet, only Gu Ding would have saved me."

"Now, here's the biggest problem," the white-haired old man spoke again, "Gu Ding saved your life. If you encounter him again, will you hold back?"

"No, I'll send him to Federal Prison!" Reed answered without hesitation.

"Then let me ask you another question. If Gu Ding is arrested and ultimately sentenced to death, what would you do?" The white-haired old man narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at Reed.

"I will act as his lawyer, defend him in court, and do everything in my power to clear his name!" Reed paused for a moment before giving his answer.

"So, in your eyes, friends are more important than the Federal Government?" The white-haired old man's expression immediately turned serious, and the faces of the dozen or so high-ranking officials around the round table also looked rather unpleasant.

"In my eyes, justice is the most important thing!" Reed looked up and met the old man's gaze intently. "Everyone should be equal before the law and should not be treated with favoritism. It has nothing to do with the other party's identity. Whether the other party is Interstellar Pirate, a mercenary, a high-ranking member of the Federation, or even those who commit crimes against humanity, the same crimes should be tried in the same way, and there should be no discrimination."

"You..." The white-haired old man glared at Reed with some resentment.

"Reed, after this incident, we feel that you are not yet suitable for the position of strategist. Therefore, we have decided to temporarily suspend you. During the suspension, your authority to call upon military personnel will be revoked, and your access to documents will be downgraded to the ordinary level. However, your monthly training resources will not be reduced, and your salary will remain unchanged." After a brief discussion, Balin announced the final decision.

"I understand." Reed calmly accepted the result and turned to leave the conference room.

"How is it?" Benoco asked hurriedly outside the conference room.

"Suspended." Reed's smile held a hint of bitterness.

"How could this be? Why didn't I receive any punishment, but you were punished so severely?" Benoco entered the meeting room before Reed, and he originally thought that Reed wouldn't be punished either. "I'll go tell them that you did absolutely nothing wrong. If there's to be a punishment, punish me too!"

"It's no use," Reed stopped Benoco. "I was punished not because of this incident, but because my beliefs are not accepted."

"Did they say when you'll be reinstated? There should be a timeframe, right?" Benoco pressed on.

"When I demonstrate enough value, people should come knocking on my door..." Reed said calmly, seemingly in no hurry at all. (To be continued...)