Though these two senior Commonwealth officials were well over a hundred years old between them, and very much wanted to clutch their heads and weep, they still couldn't bring themselves to do that in front of their subordinates. Besides, this was hardly the time for crying.
"We must save the president at all costs! At all costs!"
They had put every measure they could think of into motion, whether it could be arranged, whether it might work or not. Even so, they still didn't dare let their guard down.
They both knew that no matter what they did, it was already too late. All they could do was pray that the Spirit of the Universe would leave them the faintest sliver of hope.
At that moment, Premier Kondo suddenly thought of himself at twenty, a fresh-faced civil servant just entering government, running himself ragged every day as one leader after another ordered him to work overtime. Now he was over sixty and still the premier, yet he was running around like a junior clerk all over again. He couldn't help but feel a wave of sorrow.
"What did I do in a past life to deserve this?" The Commonwealth's chief executive clutched his head, looking like a corporate drone crushed beneath the weight of life.
Vice President Yero let out an almost shrill cry. "Uncle—didn't Uncle say the president was already gone? Didn't he say he'd left Earth?"
"But he's back! And he showed up before we did."
"He was wrong! He was wrong! He isn't right every time! He can make mistakes too!"
What good would saying that do? Premier Kondo tugged at the vice president's hand, trying to calm him down. "Do you think Mr. Mao will blame us for being too slow? That he'll think the president