Chapter 78
When in doubt, beat Cameron.
Washington, 9:00 am.
EHPBC hearing.
There were no crowds of journalists or long guns and cannons, only a very few strictly screened media were allowed to attend.
In the heavily guarded hearing room, officials in suits were entering one after another, occasionally whispering to each other but mostly maintaining a cautious silence.
With Shen Zhuo gradually expanding his influence and voice over the past three years, the shadow of suspicion surrounding Fu Chen’s death had largely faded. If the key witness, Su Jiqiao, had never woken up, no one would have brought up this matter, which lacked decisive evidence, as a means to attack Shen Zhuo.
But no one expected that Su Jiqiao would wake up.
And he woke up at the peak of racial tensions, just when the Security Council most needed the HRG’s support.
Most of the officials allowed to attend today were actually unaware of the real reason, thinking it was truly to thoroughly investigate S-class Fu Chen’s death—only a very few high-level insiders knew that their real aim was to remove Shen Zhuo from his position as Chief Supervisor in one fell swoop.
Only by completely stripping Shen Zhuo of his power could the EHPBC fully control him, thereby mastering the contemporary most deterrent HRG plan; there was no other choice.
“Is that Shen Zhuo?” An English official in the observer seats looked ahead and whispered to his neighbor, “Much younger than I imagined.”
Following his gaze, Shen Zhuo was sitting in an armchair in the witness seat on the left, facing the hearing seat. His slender and tall figure was outlined by a well-tailored black suit, fingers intertwined in front of him, and his black hair meticulously groomed, revealing only a section of a snow-white, slender neck.
“…A rare beauty, a rare toughness.” His colleague beside him didn’t dare turn his head, speaking in a near-whisper from the corner of his mouth: “Five years ago, he single-handedly stood at the United Nations hearing lobbying all countries to destroy the evolution source, debating fiercely and impressively. He stood for ten hours of high-intensity debate, drinking only a few sips of water in between, never sitting down, and not eating a single grain of rice. Simply iron-like willpower…”
Five years ago, Shen Zhuo had no capital support, no power to rely on, and challenged various groups alone. While high-ranking officials from various countries were seated, he chose to stand throughout, amidst overwhelming questioning and attacks, leaving no room for himself to retreat.
That was his only way to take the initiative.
“…No country was willing to voluntarily hand over the evolution source in the end and had to build meteorite storage bases in their respective countries…” The colleague shook his head, “A crushing defeat, but also a battle that made him famous worldwide for his toughness and iron blood. When he was later elected as one of the top ten chief supervisors, the global opposition wave almost went crazy.”
The English official couldn’t help but be shocked, covering his mouth after a while and asking, “Then… did he really kill that S-class?”
His colleague whispered, “Possibly, I heard there was some emotional entanglement involved…”
“Good morning, gentlemen.”
A cheerful voice interrupted them, and both officials looked up simultaneously.
They saw a handsome young man looking at them kindly, tall and well-dressed, appearing like a charming upper-class gentleman:
“Could you please stand up and move, so I can sit here?”
Both were stunned.
“…Who are you? The seats are assigned!” The English official thought he had encountered a media person or an unidentified person who had sneaked in, and his first reaction was to wave for security: “Hey, come over here, there’s a—”
Before he could finish, his colleague grabbed him.
“Sorry… we’re sorry.” The older colleague hastily stood up, for some reason looking slightly pale, staring at the young man’s handsome face as if it weren’t a friendly smile but the face of a demon, “Please, please feel free to sit. We’ll find another place.”
The English official thought he misheard and then heard the young gentleman politely thank them, “That’s very kind of you.” He then casually brushed his suit and leisurely sat down, his long arm resting on the back of another empty seat.
“Not at all,” the colleague forced a steady smile, “not at all, Mr. Bai.”
“…Who is he?” The English official, dragged to another side of the observer seats by his colleague, asked in a daze, “Mr. Bai? That… Mr. Bai?”
His colleague spat out a few words through gritted teeth: “Who else but that Mr. Bai?!”
—The world’s only double S-class evolution, the pinnacle of ground combat power, who once brutally tore apart three S-classes to defend Asia, Double-S Evolutionist Bai Sheng.
Why did this person come too? Why would he appear at this hearing?!
At first, there was only a small amount of whispering, but soon, more and more people realized who that leisurely young gentleman was. Silent fear spread with the Double-S deterrence pheromone, and the observer seats around him constantly echoed with the sound of chairs being moved as officials hurriedly got up and moved away.
It was quite a rare sight.
In the not very large hearing room, Shen Zhuo sat quietly in the armchair, like a beautiful, cold marble statue; behind him, a large square area of the observer seats was completely cleared, with only Bai Sheng sitting there, legs crossed and hands in his pockets, like a guardian deity overseeing everything.
On either side of Shen Zhuo, the observer seats were crowded, and people looked frightened and bewildered, forming a blurred and absurd background.
Clang—
The door of the room was opened, and the EHPBC members filed in under the escort of guards, taking their seats at the highest hearing table.
Among these members were both humans and evolutionists, with an average age skewed older, and almost every one of them had strong political resources and backgrounds. The committee chair was a non-evolutionist human, in his fifties, with red hair and a hooked nose, a former senior UN official; the members seated on either side were mostly gray-haired, with Cameron sitting fifth from the chair’s right.
As these members entered and saw the absurd scene in the observer seats, they were all momentarily stunned.
Their expressions varied, some anxious, some calm, with hushed discussions echoing through the room.
“Ahem.”
The committee chair cleared his throat, his microphone spreading his voice throughout the room, and the surrounding crowd quickly quieted down.
The chair then frowned at the conspicuous empty area and Bai Sheng sitting alone there, “May I ask what this situation is…”
An elderly B-class evolutionist quickly stepped forward, the EHPBC committee secretary, whispering a few words to the chairman while glancing fearfully at Bai Sheng, only to meet Bai Sheng’s smiling gaze.
The secretary shivered, forced a stiff smile, and quickly retreated.
“Please don’t mind me.” Bai Sheng spoke in fluent English, his tone as polite as a gentleman’s, yet he showed no intention of moving, his right leg comfortably crossed over his left, one elbow lazily resting on the chair back, “I’m just a concerned human rights, peace-loving observer who doesn’t want to see anyone treated unjustly.”
“…”
The committee chair looked at him, his hooked nose casting a shadow on his face, but finally spoke, “We uphold principles of openness and peace and would never let anyone suffer unjust treatment, Mr. Bai.”
Bai Sheng nodded appreciatively, “You are truly generous and kind!”
Several members took deep breaths to steady their blood pressure, with only Cameron remaining calm, having gotten used to it.
“Three years ago, the hearing regarding the death of S-class evolutionist Fu Chen in the Qinghai explosion was forced to be suspended due to a lack of crucial evidence. Today, we have decided to reopen the investigation because one of the only two survivors from the scene, Asian S-class Su Jiqiao, has woken up from his coma and has been verified to have independent and clear consciousness.”
The council chairman did not look at Bai Sheng, instead turning to the guards at the far end of the room and nodding, “You may bring the witness in.”
Many people couldn’t help but look back.
Bai Sheng glanced over.
The guards opened the door, and a frail figure appeared before the crowd; it was Su Jiqiao.
He truly lives up to his status as a top-tier evolutionist. Anyone’s first reaction upon seeing him would undoubtedly be one of amazement, especially now, as he appeared weak and pale after recovering from a severe illness. He looked like a textbook example of a typical victim. Even knowing that he had undergone a second evolution to become an S-class, one couldn’t help but feel a strong sense of pity.
Countless gazes from all directions simultaneously fell on Su Jiqiao’s face. There were those who admired him, those who felt deeply for him, and those who sympathized with him.
Only the tall, solitary black-suited figure at the front remained still, without even a sign of turning his head.
In a fleeting moment, like a dragonfly skimming the water, Su Jiqiao retracted his gaze from Shen Zhuo. Under the escort of the guards, he walked through rows of staring eyes towards the witness stand opposite the hearing committee.
“Mr. Su Jiqiao,” the council chairman, sitting at the highest central position, spoke slightly sideways into the microphone, “You have sworn by the EHPBC’s founding charter to adhere to the highest principles of honesty and objectivity and to give truthful answers to all questions in this hearing, correct?”
Su Jiqiao said, “Yes.”
The simultaneous interpreter immediately relayed his answer into everyone’s earpiece. The council chairman then posed the second question:
“May I ask if you have any direct or indirect interest relationships with the other eyewitness of the Qinghai explosion incident, Shen Zhuo?”
Three years ago, Shen Zhuo had dismissed suspicions regarding Su Jiqiao. Similarly, there was no evidence to support suspicions against Shen Zhuo. Thus, strictly according to procedure, both Shen Zhuo and Su Jiqiao were considered witnesses and sat in the witness seats.
The two witness seats were placed side by side, several meters apart. A glance from the corner of one’s eye could catch the other’s profile, but Shen Zhuo hadn’t turned at all since the beginning.
His crow-black eyelashes hung down, hiding the cold gleam in his eyes.
“Chief Supervisor Shen was once my teacher.” After a pause, Su Jiqiao seemed a bit regretful. “But… Chief Supervisor Shen may not even want to look at me now.”
A committee member sensitively asked, “Why?”
Su Jiqiao turned his head to look at Shen Zhuo: “Before answering that question, I want to ask my teacher something.”
Almost as soon as he finished speaking, a cold gaze came from Bai Sheng behind him.
A double S-class pheromone carried an overwhelming deterrent force, like a mountain ready to crush. Any other evolved person would already be sweating and trembling under such pressure. Su Jiqiao’s heart pounded against his chest under the immense pressure.
But he seemed completely indifferent, his face still pure and innocent, looking at Shen Zhuo with hopeful eyes:
“Professor, have you come to see me in the hospital even once in the past three years?”
Under everyone’s gaze, Shen Zhuo’s statue-like cold profile did not change at all.
Su Jiqiao repeated, “Professor?”
There was a barely perceptible commotion among the committee members, and the chairman subtly glanced at Cameron, looking slightly puzzled.
What was Su Jiqiao trying to do?
According to the plan, he was supposed to accuse Shen Zhuo of operational errors leading to the Qinghai explosion. Now, he was unexpectedly trying to reminisce with Shen Zhuo. Did he think Shen Zhuo would try to curry favor with him to obtain favorable testimony, claiming he had often visited him?
It was obviously impossible!
Any disdain, dislike, or even insults from Shen Zhuo towards Su Jiqiao would affect the credibility of his testimony, making people think Su Jiqiao was giving unfavorable testimony out of old grudges.
“Professor,” Su Jiqiao almost deliberately repeated each word slowly: “Have you visited me in the hospital even once in the past three years?”
The chairman of the council couldn’t help but interrupt in a stern voice: “Please ask questions relevant to this hearing. Only tangible interest relationships are—”
“Yes.”
Shen Zhuo finally spoke his first words in this hearing.
All the committee members simultaneously perked up!
Everyone had an incredible thought: Was Shen Zhuo really going to try to curry favor with him?
Wait, was Su Jiqiao deliberately trying to induce Shen Zhuo to be nice to him, then give unfavorable testimony to publicly humiliate him?
Cameron stared at Shen Zhuo, narrowing his eyes slightly.
“There was indeed one time in three years.” Shen Zhuo calmly spoke into the microphone, “Because a specific ability user was needed for a certain purpose, I went to the hospital to forcibly draw blood from the witness, about 500 cc.”
A silence fell over the room.
“My answer is complete.”
The audience finally began to whisper among themselves, a mix of disbelief and unsurprised expressions—Shen Zhuo would indeed do something like this.
As expected of Shen Zhuo, he was indeed capable of doing something like this.
On the hearing committee, those who thought Shen Zhuo would actually be kind to the witness had varied expressions. Cameron looked away with a complex look in his eyes and sighed.
“…Professor, Brother Fu died in Qinghai, and only you and I survived that explosion by luck. Don’t you care about me at all?” Su Jiqiao seemed like a pitiful, innocent victim being slapped by the perpetrator in court. His expression was heartbreaking, and his voice trembled slightly, “I thought at least… I was at least your most special student, wasn’t I, Professor?”
Shen Zhuo finally turned his gaze slightly towards Su Jiqiao, his tone very calm: “No, you are my most hated student.”
“….”
“I’ve finished answering.”
It would have been less painful if he had just slapped Su Jiqiao across the face!
Su Jiqiao’s face turned deathly pale, and he seemed on the verge of collapse. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, there was a series of coughs from the hearing committee, and even the chairman dared not let him be humiliated by Shen Zhuo any further: “Please only ask questions relevant to this hearing! Again, please describe in detail the events leading up to the Qinghai explosion on May 11th, three years ago, and the circumstances of S-class evolutionist Fu Chen’s death!”
If he continued to be humiliated by Shen Zhuo, his testimony would lose all credibility!
“…Fu Chen’s death, Fu Chen’s death…” Su Jiqiao breathed heavily, nodding, finally seeming to come to his senses, murmuring, “Yes, that night at the Qinghai base, the I-class evolution source that exploded that night…”
At that moment, everyone unconsciously leaned forward slightly, their eyes fixed on Su Jiqiao’s pale, sorrowful face.
What really happened three years ago? Who was controlling the evolution source when it exploded?
Was it Fu Chen or Shen Zhuo?!
The truth, shrouded in mystery, was about to be revealed. The tension was palpable, and the surrounding eyes widened involuntarily. In that atmosphere stretched to the limit, Su Jiqiao closed his eyes tightly and forcefully, his trembling hand covering his mouth:
“I’m sorry, I really can’t remember anything. My brain was injured in the explosion… What happened that night?”
“How did the evolution source explode? How did Fu-ge die?”
“I really… I really don’t remember anything. What is going on? Can someone tell me?”
It was as if a silent hammer had struck everyone, leaving them dumbfounded, with a deathly silence blanketing the room.
Su Jiqiao’s sobs continued intermittently, but no one paid attention. The council chairman’s expression was as if Shen Zhuo’s earlier metaphorical slap had hit him directly, staring in disbelief at Su Jiqiao’s sudden betrayal.
Cameron said nothing and only closed his eyes lightly.
Shen Zhuo lowered his eyelashes, subtly exhaling.
He had won the gamble.
From the moment he was forced to undergo the first interrogation three years ago, he had considered this situation. He knew he had to make this bet. Either blame Fu Chen or blame Su Jiqiao. The latter had a significant chance of provoking Su Jiqiao to retaliate wildly, and if, by some miracle, Su Jiqiao recovered someday, the situation would be very unfavorable for him.
Of course, even if he blamed Fu Chen, Su Jiqiao might still accuse him of being driven by hatred, so he had not come to this hearing unprepared today—
Behind him was the world’s most loyal and powerful evolutionist, imposing above all in the courtroom, capable of taking him away safely in the worst-case scenario. The secret HRG laboratory in Shenhai was closed before his departure, with all researchers, led by Gao Tonglin, relocated to hide. The lives and safety of these people’s families were in his hands.
As for the position of Supervisor of Shenhai City, that was not important at all.
What they wanted was HRG, and all his positions and power were merely HRG’s shield.
“I’m sorry… really sorry…” Su Jiqiao took a tissue handed to him by a media reporter, gently covering his mouth, then looked up at the hearing committee with a voice choked with suppressed sobs:
“I can’t remember anything. I don’t know what else you want to hear… Please let my teacher return home.”
The chairman, barely able to contain his frustration, grabbed the microphone, unable to control his tone: “I propose the hearing committee vote to cross-examine both witnesses using a lie detector and a mind-reading ability—”
“Excuse me, Mr. Chairman,” another senior A-class evolutionist on the committee responded quicker, “Invoking EHPBC Charter Article 6-13, using a lie detector or mind-reading ability on witnesses with medically documented brain injuries and PTSD is a violation of human rights, and the results cannot be used as substantial evidence against Supervisor Shen.”
The EHPBC was internally conflicted with various interests; not all members wanted HRG to fall into human hands—at least not the evolved ones.
“Does the witness have anything to add?”
Su Jiqiao shook his head.
The A-class evolved committee member signaled to the guards: “You may escort the witness out.”
It was over.
A resounding victory.
Shen Zhuo interlaced his fingers, finally leaning slightly back into the chair.
His impeccable posture only now revealed a hint of relaxation, and he subconsciously turned his head, wanting to make eye contact with Bai Sheng behind him.
But in the next moment, his movement froze.
Following Shen Zhuo’s gaze, Cameron, who had shown no reaction since the beginning, finally moved, leaning slightly forward to the microphone fixed on the table:
“Wait.”
An indescribable premonition struck like lightning. Shen Zhuo narrowed his eyes.
The chairman turned around: “Do you have anything to add, Mr. Cameron?”
Cameron stood up, not looking at Shen Zhuo, facing everyone in the hearing with a calm and dignified posture: “Yes.”
“I hereby request, in my capacity as Acting Director-General of the International Supervision General Administration, to dismiss Shen Zhuo from his position as one of the ten permanent Supervisors, based on EHPBC Charter Article 1-72, the direct blood relative recusal clause.”
Shen Zhuo’s pupils were silently constricted.
“I was formerly known as Eren Van der Kassow, the eldest son of geneticist Shen Ruzhen and the elder brother of Supervisor Shen by the same mother.”
“Invoking the authority of Charter Article 1-72, direct blood relatives cannot hold superior-subordinate positions within the same system. Therefore, I request that Supervisor Shen be relieved of his duties and transferred from Shenhai.”
“I authorize the hearing committee to conduct an immediate DNA test to confirm my kinship with Supervisor Shen. Thank you.”
The words fell, shocking the entire assembly.
Immediately, the room erupted into discussions, with everyone whispering and the media reporters, prohibited from taking pictures, frantically scribbling notes. The buzzing sound filled the air.
“Quiet, quiet!” The chairman repeated several times, finally managing to quell the uproar, then turned to the hearing panel: “Mr. Cameron, if the DNA test proves your claim, we will agree… Supervisor Shen! Supervisor Shen, what are you doing? Stop!”
With a face as calm as water, Shen Zhuo strode forward, grabbed Cameron by the collar, and yanked him from behind the long table without a word, swinging his fist—
Bang!
Cameron was knocked backward, crashing into the chairs.
“Stop, stop!”
“Supervisor Shen!”
“Someone! Get someone here!”
The uproar instantly turned the room upside down. The audience stood up, and the reporters couldn’t help but rush forward, snapping photos with their phones. The hearing guards forced their way through the crowd, shouting: “Stop!” “Supervisor Shen—”
A powerful force pushed everyone back.
Before the guards could reach Shen Zhuo, they were pushed back by the force. As they regained their footing and looked back, they saw Bai Sheng, standing on the audience side, looking down coldly at the crowd with a clear warning in his eyes.
Cameron struggled to prop himself up, only to be grabbed by Shen Zhuo and lifted again.
In stark contrast to the surrounding chaos, Shen Zhuo remained calm, looking down into Cameron’s eyes, his steady and clear voice ringing out in the hearing:
“In my capacity as one of the ten supervisors, I propose a motion of no confidence against this new Director-General Cameron, as he shot and killed my mother, Shen Ruzhen, twenty-three years ago. I witnessed the process with my own eyes and can provide photos from the scene and the autopsy report as supplementary evidence.”
“EHPBC must immediately rescind his appointment. I oppose a murderer serving as the Director-General of the International Supervision General Administration.”
It was as if a rocket had been launched during the hearing.
One was the most low-key high-ranking official in the Security Council, and the other was the highest confidentiality supervisor. The old secrets between these two brothers were suddenly exposed to the public, shaking everyone to their core.
“Wha… wha…” The committee members stood frozen, with the chairman stammering, “What?!”
The brothers faced each other, Cameron grabbing Shen Zhuo’s collar in return, his stormy gray-green eyes burning with shock and anger, gritting out: “… I did it to save you. Otherwise, you’d be dead! Idiot!”
“Thank you, brother.”
Shen Zhuo replied coldly, then mercilessly punched Cameron again, sending him rolling several meters away amid deafening screams.
____________
Author’s Note:
To avoid forgetting previous content during serialization, the scene where Shen Zhuo remembers that Cameron shot his mother is in chapter 60. Young Shen Zhuo saw a pair of gray-green eyes without explicitly naming Cameron, but he had already realized it (as most readers likely had).
To avoid confusion about future content during serialization, Shen Zhuo intentionally beat up his brother
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