This was all Zhe Qiuhong could do for Zhe Shouzhao. As far as Azure was concerned, nothing short of his execution could appease the public's wrath.
In truth, Zhe Qiuhong was furious at her younger brother's reckless actions as well. Yet to some degree, she understood why he had caused such chaos, and she still could not bring herself to send him to his death with her own hands.
Now, all she could hope was that Azure would not punish Voyage as a whole.
"Voyage as a whole?" Han Qingyu muttered, his gaze resting on Zhe Qiuhong's eyes—those eyes between her surgical cap and mask, looking out with their usual direct, unwavering focus.
Finally, he managed a faint, wry smile. "If we're really talking guilt by association, it seems you ought to be the first one roped in... So forget it. Let the guilty be sentenced. As for the rest, when Azure comes calling, I'll state my stance."
"Thank you," Zhe Qiuhong whispered, then turned back to the surgery.
Over the course of the two-hour operation, the conversation about the procedure never stopped. Zhe Qiuhong even picked up bone fragments she had excised to show Han Qingyu.
Han Qingyu's face was pale, drenched in cold sweat.
"All done." At last, Zhe Qiuhong put down her surgical instruments and turned away.
A nurse stepped forward to wipe the sweat from her brow.
Two other nurses began wrapping Han Qingyu's dressings.
"Done?" Han Qingyu asked from the operating table.
Zhe Qiuhong understood the true meaning behind his question. Hesitating a moment, she said, "Yes, but there are still details..."
"Then we do it again. If once isn't enough, twice."
"...Mm," Zhe Qiuhong answered softly, sinking into contemplative silence.
As she reached the door, she paused, turned around, and said, "By the way, I was suddenly curious about something. I wonder how you see it."
Han Qingyu signaled with his eyes for her to speak.
"If the Great Spikes truly launch a full-scale invasion, do you think humanity should prepare Project Fireseed? How do you view it?"
Having asked, Zhe Qiuhong looked at him intently.
"Oh?" Han Qingyu pondered for a moment, then lifted his eyes and countered, "On what grounds?"
"What?" Conditioned by years of Voyage's logic—or rather, the logic of the human elite—Zhe Qiuhong was caught off guard.
"On what grounds do some people get to be the fireseed while the rest are abandoned? And on what grounds are those particular people chosen to be the fireseed instead of everyone else? If Azure's high command also has a fireseed plan, then why should the soldiers on the front lines fight with their lives on the line?" Han Qingyu asked.
"..." Zhe Qiuhong found herself at a loss for words.
"Fireseed? Heh, high-sounding nonsense," Han Qingyu scoffed coldly. "If that day ever truly comes, then to the overwhelming majority who are abandoned to die, what meaning is there in whether humanity continues to exist, or where they rebuild their home? What does any of that have to do with us?"
"...Mm."
Han Qingyu had not spoken from the perspective of someone certain to be chosen; it seemed to be his instinctive reaction. Zhe Qiuhong acknowledged it quietly and walked out.
Rusty Sister, Caixin, and Milla were all waiting outside.
"Is it finished?"
"How did it go?"
"Can we go in to see Qingzi?"
They asked eagerly, though without excessive worry. That was because of their trust in Zhe Qiuhong; Doctor Zhe's medical skills had always bordered on the miraculous.
"You may, but the surgery... might need to be done once or twice more," Zhe Qiuhong said.
This was the very first time Rusty Sister had ever heard Zhe Qiuhong say a surgery wasn't completely finished. Worry began to take hold. "How can that be? Is it really that severe?"
Milla and Caixin also leaned in, their eyes filled with tension as they looked at Zhe Qiuhong.
"...Yes, it's quite severe," Zhe Qiuhong nodded.
The next day brought another surgery.
And then a third.
...
Bang!
In the grand hall of the Coalition Council, Speaker Kemore slammed his fist heavily onto the podium.
Such a sight was exceedingly rare.
The clamor below died down at once.
"Three days! Three days of pointless, cyclic bickering, just like always..." Kemore said, his expression furious. "Do you even know what time it is?"
The councilors stayed silent, staring at their enraged Speaker.
"Right now, this instant, put forward your clear opinions or proposals, and then we vote." Kemore checked his watch. "Two hours from now, we move on to the Antarctic war agenda."
This meant that Azure had only two hours left to discuss how to handle public relations regarding the Alphonse incident. The Speaker had no authority to decide the outcome, but he had the power to call a vote.
"It's simple. All councilors connected to Alphonse—and I believe they've always been obvious—should collectively resign to take the blame and await investigation," the Venezuelan representative, a longtime supporter of Han Qingyu, stood up and said, as if finally venting long-held fury. "At the same time, members of past investigation teams should be held accountable according to their degree of responsibility."
"Objection! Disagreement, discussion, and suggestions are the inherent rights and duties of councilors. We shouldn't have to shoulder blame for matters unrelated to—" one councilor was still struggling to make excuses.
"Go object to your mother! Unrelated?! Before God, you bastard ought to be stood against a wall and shot!" The Venezuelan representative pointed right at his nose and cursed.
"Agreed." The Mexican councilor raised his hand in support, instantly triggering a wave of hands across the hall.
It seemed the general consensus had formed.
Kemore's gaze swept slowly across the room, and he gave a slight nod. "Then... what about Major Qing? Our stance toward him... I believe we must demonstrate a stance now, even if it is already too late."
As he said this, Kemore's eyes met Howard's for a fleeting second, both filled with profound regret. Three days ago, they had missed their final chance together.
"First, no matter what, return his Starlight Azure Medal to him. That was something he should have received three years ago... Then polish clean all those gold and silver medals that once fell to the ground gathering dust, and return them to our hero," Mayne stood up and said.
"What a splendid suggestion. To lower our heads to someone who has already declared his departure from Azure... and strip the Coalition of its prestige in the process," a councilor hidden in a corner muttered quietly.
"It's already lost! Do you honestly think we still have any left?" Mayne replied in a deep voice. Turning toward that section, his eyes blazed as he said, "The most terrifying problem right now isn't even about winning back The King—don't you understand that yet? What the Coalition must win back now is the hearts of all our soldiers!
"They are all watching the Coalition's attitude toward Major Qing... because his past was just like theirs, bleeding and fighting and sacrificing all the same!
"Alphonse has torpedoed the Coalition, do you understand? Right now, the soldiers gripping their blades on the front lines are thinking: they are food! Food! Food!"
With that last sentence, Mayne roared at the ceiling, tears spilling from his eyes.
"I agree with your suggestion regarding the Starlight Medal, as well as your assessment of the situation, Mayne." After a brief silence, another councilor stood up and said, "However, if we do this now, I fear Major Qing might not even be willing to return, while we offer up the Starlight privileges with both hands... When the Coalition yields in such a manner, who can guarantee that we won't be creating a future dictator?"
The councilor paused, then continued, "So I was thinking: could we place certain restrictions on the privileges? For instance, in the conferment document, could we state that Major Qing's occupation of the Third Fixed Exploration Site is automatically counted as his application of privilege?"
This amounted to awarding the medal while quietly stripping away the privilege.
A stir swept through the hall, and hushed debates broke out.
"Ahem!"
From the corner of the very back row, Liu Yiwu gave a soft cough.
This was the first time in three days that this commander of the Huaxia Front, present as a representative, had spoken up in the council hall.
It was the voice that the vast majority of the room, Kemore included, had long been waiting for.
Everyone turned their heads to look at him.
"If I were you," Liu Yiwu said, "I'd worry first about whether he even wants the damned thing... That's a kid who personally threw a whole handful of medals on the ground when he was twenty years old."
Chapter 590