The midday sun refracted into the church, and the expressions of the thirteen powerful figures from the mountains and seas were somewhat obscured by the light and shadow. Shen Qian could only vaguely feel their gazes falling upon him.
There was curiosity, regret, and even hatred... and some people's eyes flickered. Judging from the feedback from the core of Shenqian's spirit, they all seemed to be pondering something.
Shen Qian glanced at the nameplates on the chests of the thirteen middle-aged and young men and women.
They came from the military, martial arts, and education departments, respectively, and a strongman from the police and armed forces division was also present.
Their positions were all quite high, all of them being at least deputy director-general level.
Judging from the seating arrangement, the dark-faced man in the center who was questioning Chen was clearly the one with the most authority.
"Zhou Changhe, Military Recruitment Management Department."
Shen Qian glanced at his nameplate and memorized the other person's name.
"Greetings, fellow directors. What is the charge that Director Zhou has mentioned?"
He bowed respectfully before Shen Qian and then asked a question.
"On February 8, 2297, you officially joined the military and were appointed as a centurion of the 1st Company, 9th Company of the Jiangzhong Army's Lushu Battalion, with the rank of lieutenant."
Zhou Changhe opened the folder in his hand with a serious expression and said.
"Eight days ago was the day when all the new students of military academies in the country joined the military, and it was also the day when you officially took office as the centurion of the Lushu Battalion. Your first duty was to give a speech and take an oath as a representative of the new students in a live broadcast to the whole network."
"But you have been missing for eight days without cause, so you are now facing charges of dereliction of duty."
"Furthermore, considering your special status and the fact that this matter has caused a certain degree of social impact, we have initiated a joint investigation procedure involving three ministries and one department."
“If you have no doubts about the above facts, we will immediately initiate an investigation.”
After Zhou Changhe finished speaking calmly, he asked a question.
“I didn’t, but…”
"Since you have no questions, are you pleading guilty?"
Zhou Changhe interrupted Chen Qian.
Shen Qian frowned. "Of course I don't plead guilty, because there were special reasons for my sudden departure from the military..."
"So you're going to file an appeal?" Zhou Changhe interrupted Shen Qian again.
“…Yes.” Shen Qian closed his eyes briefly, then nodded.
"Okay, let's proceed with the questioning process."
Zhou Changhe remained expressionless. "Before you left, did you thoroughly study the 'Chinese Military Discipline Regulations' as required for enlistment? As a military student, are you also familiar with the school rules and relevant management regulations?"
“I know all that, but…”
“You just need to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’,” Zhou Changhe interrupted Chen Qian for the third time.
Shen Qian narrowed his eyes... Zhou Changhe was targeting him, and the feeling of being targeted was extremely obvious.
Shen had a strong premonition that the other party didn't seem to intend to give him any chance to explain himself.
This was not the situation Shen Qian had anticipated.
Furthermore, the attitudes of the other twelve people were also very strange.
They not only remained silent, but also observed coldly throughout, as if...
They had already reached some kind of consensus.
I didn't quite understand it before I sank in.
In fact, Shen Qian did not feel any pressure when he learned that today was a "three-way trial".
This confidence stems not only from his own abilities, but also from the fact that the Ministry of Education and the Martial Arts Department could not possibly have a bad attitude towards Shen Qian.
Education Minister Ma Gongzuo had always greatly admired Shen Qian. Although the two had never met in person, when Shen Qian enrolled in Jiangzhong Military Academy, Minister Ma personally wrote him a letter to congratulate him, expressing his high regard for Shen Qian.
Needless to say, the martial arts department was very friendly to him during their last meeting at Beiwu Tiantai. They didn't even pursue the crime of "stealing from Plum Garden," let alone give him a final word of advice.
The weight of those expectations was so profound that even Chen Qian felt the pressure.
The high regard of the two ministers, coupled with his multiple identities as the national martial arts champion, the Seven-Star Alchemy Master, and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Shen Qian is no longer the naive young man who was once easily manipulated by the Martial Arts Department.
But... today's situation is a bit unusual.
Once he calmed down, Shen Qian stopped arguing and decided to see where the "demon" behind the incident really was.
Overt dangers are never scary; it is the unseen, behind-the-scenes forces that we truly need to guard against.
Could it be the Duke of Tianning or the Duke of Yanshan?
It is no ordinary person that could get so many powerful figures, including investigators from three departments and one bureau, to reach a tacit understanding on a certain attitude.
“Yes,” Chen Qian replied calmly.
"Were you deprived of your freedom of movement on the day you went missing?"
Zhou Changhe paused for a moment, seemingly not expecting Shen Qian's attitude to calm down so quickly, but he quickly continued to ask.
"No."
Have you ever experienced coercion or a potential threat from a powerful figure?
"No."
"Have you lost any close relatives?"
"No."
"Did you encounter any emergencies that could have triggered a disaster?"
"No."
"Then do you..."
"..."
Zhou Changhe asked Shen Qian more than a dozen questions in a row.
Before sinking, he silently counted them, and they exactly corresponded to all the exceptions stipulated in the military discipline regulations.
Just as Shen Qian had guessed, Zhou Changhe did not leave Shen Qian any room for explanation.
In theory, once these exceptions are ruled out, as long as the conduct meets the criteria, a conviction can be made directly.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com