Without really understanding what was happening, following the procedure, Carl, who was appointed to the position in a time of crisis, took over his superior's place and ascended to the top.
However, this did not change his current situation in any way.
The people surrounding him were nearly insane, completely disregarding basic respect, and practically coerced him into giving the order to declare Thomas a traitor.
They also claimed that Thomas had committed multiple crimes and that this visit was a premeditated defection because he knew he was about to be arrested.
This also included fabricated claims that Thomas had developed mental health issues...
It took Carl a long time to process what was happening: these people were trying to completely stigmatize Thomas and transform his image into that of a mentally unstable madman.
That way, if Thomas were to jump out and talk about the end of the world again, no one would believe him.
Carl didn't want to carry out the order; he got along very well with Thomas.
He knew the other person was a patriot, and that their visit was for their country's sake; they shouldn't be treated this way.
But Carl also knew that those who had placed him on the throne were eyeing him covetously, and had even prepared orders for him.
The generals' subordinates had already surrounded the office.
In this situation, he has no choice but to sign...
Carl picked up his pen and, expressionless, signed and stamped each order document. He signed the thick stack of documents continuously for more than ten minutes until his wrist muscles were about to cramp.
People from various interest groups come and go quickly.
Carl watched them divide up the documents, one order for each of them, and then swarm out of the office. He immediately understood why Thomas dared not come back.
The commotion subsided and it was already morning.
Disappointed, Carl was about to leave when he saw Adrian walking quickly towards him.
"Mr. Carl, I'm here to give Mr. Thomas a project report and to inquire about the progress of Ark Project..."
Adrian glanced around and could clearly sense that the atmosphere was different from before.
Carl stopped, looked at Adrian with dark circles under his eyes, and sighed, "Go back and see your father. There's no Thomas anymore, no Ark Project. Even if the world ends tomorrow, nobody cares."
"At last
, Thanks for your hard work..."
Carl patted Adrian on the shoulder and left.
The young scientist was at a loss, but Carl had already quickly left.
He asked others in the White House.
But everyone kept silent, fearing that trouble would befall them.
Adrian became increasingly confused until he wandered around aimlessly and suddenly came to a rest area where everyone was staring at the television.
On television appeared a blond, blue-eyed general addressing the nation.
"Just an hour ago, I received shocking news. Our captain, Thomas, left the country yesterday through emergency access regulations and refuses to return. This is an extremely egregious act of defection at a time when the results of our covert investigation into him are about to be released!"
Next comes the plot arrangement that Carl "ordered" earlier: Thomas's past "misdeeds" are fabricated and embellished, and then told by the general.
This was like a bolt of lightning, striking Adrian quite hard.
The staff in the break room were also visibly shocked, many covering their mouths to stifle their gasps.
These people only noticed that something was off, but they didn't know what had actually happened.
Hearing this now, it's simply impossible to accept such a huge scandal as Thomas's defection.
This has never happened before in the world.
No one expected that someone like Thomas would defect.
Only novels and movies dare to write like this.
Adrian instantly understood what Carl had just said.
There's no more Thomas, and no more Ark Project.
At least not now.
Carl returned home.
The elderly mother sat by the stove, staring blankly at the television, with the hired caregiver beside her.
Seeing Carl return, the nanny quickly came over to offer her help.
Carl waved his hand, "You can have the morning off. Go back."
The nanny didn't dare ask any more questions, nodded, and left.
The elderly mother looked over, puzzled, and asked, " Carl, why are you back so early? Shouldn't you be at school at this time?"
Carl was both amused and exasperated. He shook his head, opened the refrigerator, and took out a loaf of toast. "Yes, Mom, but I realized on the way back that I forgot to eat breakfast, so I came back."
The old mother laughed again.
"Come on, after you finish eating, you need to go back to school to continue your classes. Do you have some kind of ceremony today? Why are you dressed like that...?"
Carl ate in silence, patiently listening to his elderly mother's rambling, occasionally offering a few words of reply, enjoying a moment of peace.
Suddenly the doorbell rang again.
An unexpected person crossed the front yard and appeared at the door.
"Mr. Carl, I extend my greetings to you on behalf of the Mutual Aid Society."
Seeing the Asia face outside the door, Carl looked around and immediately pulled him inside.
" Carl, is he your classmate?" The elderly mother turned around from the sofa and looked over.
"Yes," Carl said absentmindedly, "Mom waits for me to finish breakfast, then she goes to school with him..."
Carl led the group into the house's storage room, and only after closing the door did he ask in surprise, "How come you're from the Mutual Aid Society? We seem to have met at an international social gathering? I remember you were...?"
" Zeng Xianmin, Mr. Carl." Thirty-five-year-old Zeng Xianmin smiled, found a place to sit in the cramped storage room, and then continued, "Theoretically speaking, all of our citizens are members of the Mutual Aid Society."
"Mr. Thomas said he trusts you, so..."
"Stop talking nonsense." Carl ignored all that and asked anxiously, "What do you want me to do?"
Zeng Xianmin smiled and said, "Right now, the opposition to the Mutual Aid Society is stirring up trouble outside, and the possibility of a direct conflict between our two sides is getting higher and higher. So we hope that you can stand up at this critical moment and stop this possibility."
Carl immediately retorted, "Impossible! I'm just a rubber stamp now, and I'm the only one who's useless."
Zeng Xianmin confidently said, "You have a strong sense of righteousness on your side, and there's no need to worry, you're not alone."
"We started lobbying last night; not everyone is foolish enough to think they can survive by luck."
Carl understood immediately.
No wonder Zeng Xianmin and his group can still come to see him now; it turns out that some people in their country have also joined the Mutual Aid Society, and it seems that their influence is quite considerable.
Carl was torn by an internal struggle. He gently opened the door a crack, heard the sound of the television outside, sighed, and turned to say:
"I heard you can travel through Spacetime Tunnel at will?"
Zeng Xianmin nodded.
"Alright, I have one condition..."