Chapter 46 - Specimen Ban (2/2)
“That is what we call a deterrence, but I wasn’t trying to teach you that…” Vahl didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry at his answer, and a funny idea crossed his mind.
This child had the makings of a general. Even though every star system has military commands situated in one or more planets, going to war had long existed only in the history books. Ever since humans had come together to form a federation, peace had been maintained for many centuries. When thinking about the coming years, a real war fought with guns and ammunition was quite unlikely to occur.
At that time, Vahl would never have imagined that in just a short decade or so, the smoke of trouble would rise up once more for the Federation.
The frenzied comments of the public were unstoppable, and thousands upon thousands of ordinary civilians now had the guts to speak out for themselves, all in support of the Navi Military Command that was in distant confrontation with the Capital. That boy who said that “becoming strong was the true solution to problems” has now grown into a man who the Capital has to avoid provoking.
Adrian had not seen this uncle of his who treated him so sincerely for many years. Since entering the Supreme Institution, and announcing his stance, he never took the initiative to contact Vahl. Later, the situation became more and more tense, so there were even less chances for the two to talk. He always thought of Vahl as the one man in his life who truly played the role of a father. Even though they did not have frequent contact, it was Vahl who taught him tolerance and growth..rights and wrongs…love and hate. Meanwhile, all Stalvern could instill in him was the family’s honor and dignity.
It was undoubtedly a very fortunate thing that he was able to reunite with Vahl in this situation now, and to know that he was in the same camp as himself.
“Commander Yate,” Vahl spoke. He had not been able to continue when Adrian immediately said, “Uncle Vahl, please, there’s no need for such formalities between us.”
“Councilor Caymon, Sir Yate, please continue your chat. I will return to my room first,” Intron excused himself. Adrian told his guard to escort him back.
“You shouldn’t send away the only guard you brought.” Vahl disagreed with his actions. “It’s dangerous for you to stay alone here if I were to have any ill intentions.”
Adrian couldn’t help but laugh. “Uncle, please spare me. You’ve been nagging me since I was young. It’s been nearly ten years since we last met and you’re already starting.”
As he brought up the past, the distance that came from not having seen each other for many years melted a little. Vahl’s lips were curled up in elation, but he still said sternly, “In these years, ‘Specimen’ has repeatedly warned you to be wary of the intentions of anyone from the Supreme Council.”
“Oh, the warnings that Pearson is vying for my life?” Adrian disregarded it completely. “You don’t have to remind me. I know full well that he can’t wait for me to die. Which radical supporter of AI does not want my life? But they’ll need the capabilities to get it.”
Vahl was dissatisfied. “Adrian.”
“I know, I know. I do have my defenses up against people from the Supreme Council, really. Just look at Bayer, and…Zhong Yan. I’ve put them under house arrest.”
Vahl said, “Speaking of Zhong Yan, your fines will be expiring tomorrow, right? What happened? If you’re having any financial difficulties, I can…”
“No no, my financials are fine. Well…just leave that alone.” Adrian didn’t want to talk to others about his bad debt with Zhong Yan, especially with his own elder. It was too awkward.
“艾德里安，你和我交个底……你是想结这个婚吗？别不好意思，婚姻是一辈子的事，哪怕是’蝶’认定的最优伴侣又怎么样？你自己知道你是顺应自己的心意，这就够了，人生选择自由，这不正是你所为之奋斗的——”
“Adrian, tell me clearly…do you want to get married? Don’t be embarrassed about it. A marriage is a matter of a lifetime. So what if ‘Butterfly’ assigned a partner to you? If you know you’re following your heart, then that’s enough. To choose freedom in life, hasn’t that what you’ve been fighting for—”
“Uncle, what are you saying? I don’t want to marry him,” Adrian quickly interrupted. “I’ll pay the fines tomorrow. Time is limited, so let’s talk about the important things. I’ve always felt that someone from high above is operating ‘Specimen’. I should’ve known it was you early on, from the cautious style of…”
“What? Me?” After hearing half of it, Vahl realized something was wrong, and quickly denied it, “Adrian, you’ve misunderstood. I’m not ‘Specimen’s’ founder, nor the leader. I’m just their informant.”
“It wasn’t you?” Adrian frowned. “Then, do you have any clues? Time waits for no one. If we can work more closely with ‘Specimen’ that will be a great help. But before that, I really want to meet the founder myself.”
Vahl shook his head. “I don’t know much either. This organization operates with one-to-one contact, so I’m afraid only a handful of the senior members know the leader’s identity. I’ve been their informant for two years, and Intron is my minor. Him entering the Supreme Council was also done with my help as well. As for the founder, he is probably only in contact with the people directly under him, and he has only issued direct orders to the entire ‘Specimen’ organization twice since its inception. The first are the rules set at the beginning of its establishment. We are not allowed to infiltrate into the higher levels of Navi’s rung, and we must never set foot on Navi System. At that time, you were already beginning to climb the ranks over the others. I think this may be to show respect for the pioneer from the same camp. The second one is very strange, and it was only issued about half a month ago.”
“Half a month ago?” A strange hunch arose in Adrian’s heart. He suddenly remembered that he had personally contacted the organization nearly a month ago. At that time, outside of the specimen shop, he met…
“The order required all specimen stores to make immediate rectifications, all specimens of furry animals had to be removed.” Vahl retold the incident in confusion. “What do you think that means?”