At this moment, Principal Qu experienced for the first time what it means to be unable to explain one’s innocence, no matter how much one tries. He gritted his teeth, which immediately began to make a creaking sound. This silent venting already conveyed his innocence to everyone; however, the eyes staring at him remained hot. Principal Qu took a deep breath and said, "I really don’t have anything related to the Heavenly Dog, truly."

No one made a sound.

"Alright, since you say you don’t have it, let’s assume you don’t." Hong Jiang said, initiating the first question to Qu Hongqiang: "Then, in front of everyone here, answer the first question:

Did you go to the place where Ye Lin perished back then?"

Principal Qu furrowed his brow.

Hong Jiang laughed and said, "Don’t say you haven’t been there, some lies can get you into trouble."

Principal Qu’s face fell and he said, "Yes, I went, so what? That doesn’t prove I took the remnants of the Heavenly Dog."

After saying this, he waited for Hong Jiang’s continued aggressive questioning, but unexpectedly, Hong Jiang said, "Okay, you went. That proves I wasn’t lying earlier. Alright, I’ve asked what I wanted."

Principal Qu: "..."

Principal Qu gritted his teeth, "You..."

Hong Jiang looked at the others with a smile and said, "Actually, I don’t care whether Old Qu took the Heavenly Dog’s remains or not, because I have no use for them, and I can’t repair them. If he can fix them, why not give him the remaining parts I have?"

With that said, Hong Jiang didn’t stop and continued aloud, "Even if the Heavenly Dog is recreated, be it the Heavenly Cat or Heavenly Bird...it’s fine, as long as the Biological Mecha can be replicated, it would be a blessing for the nation and its people. Why should I fear?"

Those words made Qu Hongqiang appear small-minded, lacking in vision.

Principal Qu’s face changed repeatedly.

Hong Jiang said, "You admit you went to the site but deny taking the Heavenly Dog’s remains. Fine, I believe you, and I think many people here who know you will also believe you. But I have some of the Heavenly Dog, where’s the rest?"

"Back then, only you and I went." Hong Jiang looked at Qu Hongqiang.

Not you?

Then who?

Principal Qu’s face turned from red to white, then blue, then black...

He...

He was truly wronged.

Because he never took anything of the Heavenly Dog’s, not even a screw. Back then, when he went to the site of Ye Lin’s demise, the order he received had nothing to do with the Heavenly Dog, but rather—

At this thought, Principal Qu’s face tightened slightly, then, under everyone’s gaze, he said: "I don’t know who took it back then. I did go, but I didn’t take it. The existence of the Heavenly Dog is a blessing for the nation, the people, and all of humanity. I couldn’t possibly keep it for myself."

Hong Jiang: "Oh—"

The previously silent Principal Yang Zhi of the First Military Academy suddenly asked, "Hongqiang, what was your purpose for going to the site where Ye Lin fell?"

Hearing this, Principal Qu shivered slightly.

Silence.

second.

seconds.

seconds.

...

Under everyone’s gaze, Principal Qu extended his hand, rubbed his brow, and said, "If I said I accidentally stumbled into that place back then, would you believe me?"

No one spoke, only stared at him.

Principal Qu gently shook his head and said, "You certainly wouldn’t believe me."

Yang Zhi lowered his eyes and said, "Qu Hongqiang, people aren’t too interested in your past years, but if you do have other parts of the Heavenly Dog, it’s best to hand them over to the Alliance Research Institute. They have top-tier R&D talents; if Ye Lin could independently create it back then, I’m sure, with collective brainstorming, there will be a huge breakthrough, and possibly even a successful development, in the current Biological Mecha Manufacturing technology."

If the Biological Mecha development succeeds, there won’t be a need for so many troops stationed at the front lines. The warriors freed up can focus more on fighting interstellar pirates and protecting civilian safety.

Moreover, if Biological Mechas can replace human soldiers, once a Beast Tide breaks out, a large number of Biological Mechas could be deployed at the front lines for control and resistance against Star Beasts invasion, greatly reducing human sacrifices.

That’s why Biological Mechas are so valuable.

However, despite technological advancements, only one Biological Mecha, the Heavenly Dog, exists. It’s not that other Mechas aren’t intelligent enough, but those knock-off Biological Mechas imitating the Heavenly Dog were proven to have safety hazards. These so-called safety hazards imply that these intelligent Mechas might someday be uncontrollable, possibly retaliating against humans, hence, they are all failures.

Upon hearing Yang Zhi’s words, Principal Qu shook his head with a helpless smile: "I’ve been educating people for hundreds of years; how could I be someone so selfish?" As he said this, he glanced subtly at Hong Jiang.

Hong Jiang immediately gave him a cold stare.

Principal Qu pretended not to notice the change in Hong Jiang’s demeanor and continued, "I really just accidentally stumbled into that place back then. I had no interaction or grievance with Ye Lin, nor any personal connection. How could I purposely bypass layers of hardships to go to the site of his demise? I happened upon that place purely by accident, and I didn’t even know it was Ye Lin’s remains."

Speaking of this, Principal Qu’s tone was filled with sadness, and he continued, "Such a heroic figure—had I known those were his remains, how could I have left in haste?"

"I did indeed collect Ye Lin’s corpse, but I didn’t know it was Ye Lin." Principal Qu took a deep breath, looked at Hong Jiang, looked at the others, and said, "If I had known it was Ye Lin, I would have done whatever it took to bring him back."

His words were extremely sincere, filled with grief and sadness between the lines. The genuine emotions displayed on his face made it difficult to discern truth from falsehood. Everyone present listened in silent.

Hearing this, Hong Jiang exaggeratedly laughed, shook his head, and patted the table, "You’ve had so many surprises in life. You wandered into a Space Rift and got a natural High-level Soul Device that no one else could obtain, and then, you accidentally stumbled upon Ye Lin..."

Principal Qu raised an eyebrow, "Hong Jiang, stop with the sarcasm."

Hong Jiang chuckled, "I’m not being sarcastic, I’m genuinely envious."

Principal Qu’s face darkened.

Yang Zhi, Niu Houdao, and the others exchanged glances. As the Principal of the First Army and one of the hosts of this competition, as well as the initiator of this tea meeting, Yang Zhi stepped forward and said, "Alright, you two, stop quarreling. I’ll take the lead, let’s speak openly about this matter, and then let it go."

"How about it?" Yang Zhi looked at Hong Jiang and Qu Hongqiang, waiting for their response.

Hong Jiang didn’t speak.

Qu Hongqiang also remained silent.