So, the presiding judge composed himself and asked, "So for the next three days, you were in the Ancient Wilderness, the Ancient Wilderness at night?"
Wen Jing didn't answer directly, but smiled and said, "I gained some opportunities from it."
This is also true; fluctuations in data from monitoring equipment are normal.
The presiding judge frowned slightly. She had a gut feeling that Wen Jing was suspicious. However, the circumstances and gains of Awakened's solo exploration of the Ancient Wilderness were the most fundamental privacy. Even if Awakened had committed a serious crime, the Arbitration Bureau had no right to interrogate them. It could be said to be the foundation of the stability of the Awakened society.
After thinking for a moment, she leaned forward slightly, preparing to ask more in-depth questions, such as whether someone was there to meet her, or her recent contact with [the authorities]...
However, at that moment...
"Beep--"
With a soft click, a special access indicator light on the main control panel of the interrogation room changed from red to green.
Immediately afterwards, a familiar voice came through the interrogation room's communication channel. "The interrogation ends here."
Everyone was taken aback.
The expressions on the faces of the presiding judge and Wen Jing changed; one became tense, while the other curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.
The next moment, the door to the observation room slid open silently, and Dean Bai appeared in the doorway.
She was dressed in simple casual clothes, just like she usually did at the Red Earth Academy, but it made the atmosphere in the observation room seem to drop a few degrees.
The five people present immediately turned to face her, stood up straight, and looked nervous.
If they had met Dean Bai in the past, even though the dean of the Awakener Academy held a high position, they wouldn't have acted this way.
In a world where individuals wield extraordinary power, strength ultimately reigns supreme.
The person in front of me is a powerful figure who recently climbed to tenth place on the Empire's wanted list.
More importantly, the strength of Awakened only continues to increase with age, and compared to the other top ten powerhouses, Dean Bai is the youngest among them.
Her gaze swept over the crowd, then she went straight to the point. "I'm taking the person with me."
The presiding judge opened his mouth, about to say something, when Dean Bai continued, "I will personally explain the follow-up report to your director."
"... yes."
The men bowed in agreement, and just as the presiding officer was about to unlock the interrogation room—as a sensitive interrogation location, it didn't have a one-click unlock; a complex dynamic password confirmation was required.
Dean Bai then addressed the interrogation room, saying, "Come out."
Before the people present could react, Wen Jing's figure flashed through the one-way glass, and the next moment, he had teleported to Dean Bai's front.
"Teacher."
Dean Bai put on his act, then nodded with satisfaction, his hands behind his back, and said, "Hmm, it's good that everything's alright."
The five Arbitration Bureau nearby were immediately dumbfounded.
Teleportation?!
Wen Jing had just arrived at the plaza of the Mystic Radiance Registration Center from the Ancient Wilderness. Even if she had fully awakened, let alone not being fully awakened, it would be impossible for her to use the Ancient Wilderness again to complete the journey in such a short time.
Therefore, the teleportation ability she is using at this moment can only be a spatial ability.
First came invisibility and mental power, then ice-based abilities—just how many more talents has this supposedly F-rank Awakened 'grotesquely developed'?
Sensing the gazes of the others, Wen Jing turned to the presiding judge and smiled slightly, "That's exactly how I did it."
As the two figures disappeared through the gate, the presiding judge suddenly realized that their words were an answer to the earlier question, "Why were you able to survive and even kill the Imperial assassins?"
With teachers like these and students like these... the Federation is probably really about to undergo a major upheaval.
Chapter 159
Wen Jing followed Dean Bai and left the Arbitration Bureau in a flying vehicle.
She was in a transport cabin the whole way when she arrived, so she couldn't see anything. Only now, through the suspended window, can she see the Federation capital.
The Federation capital is located at the North Pole of Mystic Radiance Star. Under the polar night, its high-rise buildings, full of technological sophistication, stand brightly lit, making it a true 'city that never sleeps'.
"Um?"
Dean Bai glanced in a certain direction and said with some regret, "It was repaired quite quickly."
Wen Jing followed the gaze and saw a building under repair. The center of its floor looked as if it had been hit by a huge object, and the Iron Curtain Group logo on the top was slightly crooked.
It's obvious that this was Dean Bai's doing a few days ago.
Dean Bai turned to Wen Jing and asked, "How have you been these past few days?"
Wen Jing thought for a moment and said, "It was quite fruitful."
This statement has a double meaning, and it has yielded many insights, both in terms of exploring the Ancient Wilderness and in understanding the situation in the Federation.
As a result, Dean Bai continued to stare at her with his golden eyes without blinking.
Wen Jing felt uncomfortable under her gaze. "Teacher, what's wrong?"
Dean Bai suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, "Looks like he hasn't been brainwashed."
Wen Jing: "..."
After a brief exchange of jokes, the two got down to business.
It was definitely inconvenient to talk about the Ten Star Group at this time; Dean Bai mostly told Wen Jing about the things that had happened these past few days.
Although the Ten Star Group already knew the major news, the most specific and true information was definitely best known to her as the person directly involved.
Dean Bai's purge to establish his authority was a means to an end; the key was the goal he achieved through it.
"The parliament has passed a merit system this time. From now on, starting with the three colleges, both faculty and students will be evaluated based on their achievements and contributions in their respective fields, using a multi-dimensional assessment system... Positions and salaries will no longer be based on rank, but on merit."
Wen Jing listened and nodded, understanding that this was equivalent to replacing the old hierarchy with a new evaluation system.
We will begin with the three major academies as the foundation for the education of Awakened, and then gradually expand to other areas in the future.
Thinking about it this way, it seems that Xie Ming had already started planning this Wen Jing be a professor and quality inspector in Azure Jade.
However, this assassination attempt, coupled with Dean Bai Bai's triumphant return, unexpectedly propelled what was originally a matter of gradual progress forward by a significant step.
However, Wen Jing thought of something, "Teacher, weren't the judges for the professor evaluation at Azure Jade Imperial Shapeshifter imposters? Wasn't that result invalidated?"
Dean Bai laughed, "Of course not. You know, it was an Imperial Shapeshifter as the referee; it was extremely fair."
Wen Jing paused briefly, then immediately realized what was happening.
"... really."
How could that be unfair? If the referees, disguised as Imperial Shapeshifter, are considered unfair, wouldn't that imply collusion between someone and the Empire?
This person first ruled out Wen Jing as the assassination target, and there was also the precedent of Saerjia; no professor would want to be associated with the Empire.
Compared to that, losing a professorship is nothing.
Mentioning the Empire, Wen Jing couldn't help but ask Dean Bai curiously, "Teacher, can the Empire directly and precisely control Awakened to the point of losing control? How can it create this kind of assassination environment?"
Intelligence waits for no one, and the timing of the assassination must have been planned in advance. To ensure that the traps in the Out-of-Control Zone are set up within this timeframe, the Empire must have precise means to control the Awakened from going out of control, unlike the Federation's Awakened, who have a dangerous window of opportunity, but the exact time of going out of control is uncertain.
"That's more like it." Dean Bai nodded. She herself had access to a lot of information, and she had just caused a great disturbance in the Empire.
" The Awakened on the Empire's side... make up 70% of the total population."
Wen Jing was shocked to hear this; the proportion of superhumans was much higher than in the Federation.
With that kind of strength, how could the Empire and the Federation fight each other on equal terms?
Dean Bai guessed her thoughts from her expression. She shook her head and said, "I used to be just as curious as you. But after I went there, I understood. The Empire is incredibly corrupt. If it weren't for the Federation as a competitor, it would have brought about its own demise sooner or later."
Wen Jing's lips twitched.
I see, it turns out we all rotted together.
Dean Bai said, " The Awakened over there can intermarry with aliens—whom they call 'nobles'—to produce Awakened inherit the previous generation's talents. However, these talents will be weakened in the second generation, and they can only be inherited in this generation. Furthermore, they need more frequent mental guidance, otherwise they will die from Genetic Collapse."
"Of course, their first generation of Awakened will also form a spiritual bond with the nobles. As long as the nobles continue to provide spiritual guidance, their Genetic Collapse even if they do not explore the Ancient Wilderness. The empire even has Awakened have never explored the Ancient Wilderness."
"Conversely, without the 'protection' of the nobility, the timing of Genetic Collapse is directly controllable."
"In this situation, nobles are naturally revered, and there are also various complex blood and marriage relationships Awakened and nobles, Awakened and ordinary people, and ordinary people and nobles... The information on any one of those families is several terabytes."
"Moreover, most of the Awakened in the Empire are second-generation Awakened, and their vitality is actually not as good as that of the Federation, which is why they plunder new blood from here."
"I see." Wen Jing gained a more comprehensive understanding of another human civilization.
If the Federation monopolizes resources, then the Empire monopolizes bloodlines.
"Oh, right." Dean Bai suddenly flipped his hand and produced a Door Handle: "Here, take this. I've already erased the energy mark on it."
This is the Wilderness Weapon that the Imperial Phantom Traveler possessed, capable of spatial teleportation.
"This is your spoils of war." Wen Jing shook his head and declined, "Besides, it's more useful to you."
"Don't be so polite with me. Besides, I kind of got something out of you." Dean Bai shoved it at me, explaining, "Don't worry, it's not that useful to me."
"My possession of the Secret Treasure Gate comes at a price. The Wilderness Weapon I obtain from it can exert a stronger effect, while other Wilderness Weapon require more energy to activate and are not as effective."
"This Wilderness Weapon's maximum teleportation range is limited to within a single civilization, and it consumes energy based on the distance traveled. In the Ancient Wilderness, it can only be of some use within the ruins of a civilization; it's useless in other natural environments."