The Disciplinary Committee is an administrative body specially established within military academies.

Usually staffed by a few key figures from the schools and government departments, it didn’t typically have a strong presence.

But now, they were rearing their heads.

The issue they raised was direct: the discovery of the special Xenobeast during the joint examination, a point where the Federal Military Academy was clearly negligent, resulting in a serious lapse.

The matter was indisputable. The problem was, this issue only came knocking after he had thrown a punch at the mechanical eyes of several media personnel.

It was clearly "special attention," intended to cause some trouble for him. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

The Federal Military Academy hadn’t chosen this location for the joint examination in many years. Judging by the underground structure in the mountains, it obviously wasn’t built in a day or two. This affair had likely been underway in secret for a long time.

It had only just been discovered.

Furthermore, Jasper Quinn had discovered they clearly hadn’t given up. They still wanted to obtain firsthand information on Zoe Pierce and Miles Sherman to use as leverage against him.

He immediately made a decisive call to have the academy’s teachers send Zoe Pierce and the others away.

This matter would involve a lot of bickering and take up considerable time. Keeping Zoe Pierce and the others on the Capital Star was less productive than sending them to the frontier for training.

Jasper Quinn greatly admired Zoe Pierce’s perseverance and her courage.

The person she was in the surveillance footage before the joint examination was completely different from the person she was at the end. He believed Zoe Pierce would also deliver a satisfactory result from this special training expedition.

"I have a meeting in a little while," Jasper Quinn instructed. "After we end this call, don’t open the communication channel until you’ve reached Siren Star."

They were still early in their departure, and a recall was possible at any moment. The best solution was to cut off all communications and head straight to their destination.

In any case, Jasper Quinn was no longer afraid of the pressure from these matters.

Mr. Troy knew Director Quinn had a stubborn personality and would never back down on a matter he believed was right. Hearing this, he replied, "Don’t worry, sir. I’ll contact you again once we arrive at Siren Star."

Jasper Quinn rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Alright, that’s the plan. As long as you leave the Capital Star’s territory smoothly, there shouldn’t be any problems."

Those people didn’t yet have the authority to treat Zoe Pierce and the others like wanted interstellar criminals.

The video call ended, but before Jasper Quinn had a moment to relax, a link for a holographic meeting popped up on his Intelligent Brain.

He snorted coldly and sat up straight. The exhaustion he had shown to his colleague instantly sharpened into a stern demeanor. After accepting the holographic conference call, his surroundings transformed into a round table. Jasper Quinn was seated in his designated spot, and everyone else was already present.

He scanned the room. The principal of the First Military Academy and even the Beta councilor representative were present.

He let out a cold smirk. ’Quite the party.’

The Disciplinary Committee Chairman announced Jasper Quinn’s punishment: temporary removal from his position as Director of the Federal Military Academy and a minor demerit on his record.

"Are there any objections?"

The crowd was silent.

Jasper Quinn pressed his lips together. He had expected this, so the news wasn’t difficult to accept.

Just as the meeting was about to continue, Jasper Quinn watched as Quentin Ford—someone completely uninvolved, or so he thought—raised his hand. "I have an objection."

All eyes turned to Quentin Ford. Upon seeing who was speaking, astonished gazes shifted between him and Jasper Quinn.

"Isn’t this punishment a bit too severe?" Quentin Ford said with a refined smile. "Personally, I feel Director Quinn has been very responsible in his role as Director of the Federal Military Academy."

This surprised everyone even more. As the Beta councilor representative, Quentin Ford was usually a people-pleaser who never took sides. Why would he speak up for someone?

And from Jasper Quinn’s expression, it was clear he had no idea what game Quentin Ford was playing.

"I personally believe a minor demerit is sufficient, and he should retain his position as Director of the Federal Military Academy," he said slowly. "Director Quinn rushed to the scene at the first opportunity and made arrangements. I believe that counts as a remedial action. Besides, no substantial harm was caused, was it?"

His gaze swept over the others, the same smile on his face. "Or am I wrong?"

That was true.

The severity of the incident was subjective; it all depended on the higher-ups’ perspective.

Some thought deeper. They had long heard that Samuel King and Quentin Ford had disagreements over the live broadcast incident. Was this Quentin’s way of expressing his dissatisfaction with Samuel King?

But Samuel King was the Alpha councilor representative, clearly far more politically powerful than Quentin Ford, the Beta representative. For a moment, everyone hesitated.

Although Samuel King wasn’t the one who had initiated this meeting, no one could make an immediate choice.

However, with someone having taken the lead, a person who was already on relatively good terms with Jasper Quinn also raised a hand. "I think Councilor Ford has a very good point..."

"I also believe this punishment is too harsh. The incident wasn’t discovered by many people. A six-month salary cut and a demerit should suffice."

"I second that..."

The meeting, which had been silent just moments before, was completely turned on its head. Jasper Quinn looked around; most of those speaking up were acquaintances of Quentin Ford, with only a small number being people he had casual contact with himself.

Looking at it this way, Jasper Quinn actually had fewer friends in the meeting than a Beta councilor representative.

The Disciplinary Committee Chairman’s brow furrowed, clearly not having expected this outcome.

Obviously, if the majority ruled, Jasper Quinn would get off with just a salary cut and a demerit. For him, that was hardly a punishment at all.

None of them were short on money, and Jasper Quinn hadn’t necessarily been angling for a promotion in recent decades. A single demerit wasn’t a big deal for him.

For a moment, his face was dark and grim.

Quentin Ford sat with a smile, saying nothing more after his initial statement.

Seeing the Chairman’s already sullen face, he spoke at the opportune moment. "More than half of the attendees now feel the punishment is too severe. What are your thoughts, Mr. Chairman?"

The Chairman seemed unwilling to concede. His brows knitted together tightly as he glared at Quentin Ford. ’What business did a Beta like him have meddling in this?’

’And the Omega councilor, too, was just following Quentin Ford’s lead like a complete yes-man.’

Everyone’s eyes were now on him. His expression was displeased, his lips a thin line. The words seemed to be squeezed from his mouth. "Very well. The punishment for Director Jasper Quinn will be a six-month salary penalty and one minor demerit."

After saying this, he went offline directly. Those who shared his stance looked at each other, then also logged off one by one.

Jasper Quinn didn’t choose to leave. He watched as the Omega councilor whispered something to Quentin Ford. Around him, some people were congratulating him, while others were puzzled about his relationship with Quentin Ford.

Soon, everyone else had logged off, leaving only him and Quentin Ford in the virtual meeting.

"Why did you help me?" Jasper Quinn couldn’t recall ever having any dealings with Quentin Ford. At least in this matter, his help seemed to have come out of nowhere.