Chapter 243: The Last Floating Ice

The conference room was buried deep underground, its walls coated with sound-absorbing materials that dampened noise and energy fluctuations. There were no windows; a ring of cold light strips on the ceiling illuminated the entire space.

An extremely faint hum filled the air, emanating from a newly developed high-precision energy suppression field. Yang Yi had never imagined it would be used on her.

She sat at one end of the long table, with Director Zhou opposite her.

The table was so polished it reflected two blurred, solemn faces, the empty space between them as vast as a deep abyss.

A cup of tea, meant to be soothing, sat before Yang Yi, but invisible pressure fermented in the silence.

Director Zhou had dark circles under his eyes. He cleared his throat and forced out a thread of formulaic concern:

"Yang Yi, this place... is very safe." His gaze swept quickly over the room's corners before snapping back to Yang Yi's face, trying to catch any subtle emotional shift, but meeting only a silence as deep as a pool.

This silence weighed heavier on his heart.

"You know the situation outside," he said, avoiding specifics, his tone heavy. "The video... spread too fast, too wide. The technical department, along with several of the most credible international institutions, have all conducted tests."

He adopted the posture of a friend sharing gossip, yet it betrayed an undeniable scrutiny. "The results... are not optimistic. From a technical standpoint, no traces of fabrication were found."

"The highest leadership... is under immense pressure. The international voices are chaotic and harsh. Domestically... we also need a clear explanation. To stabilize the situation, to keep a sliver of hope for the 'Plan'... we need to do something."

Yang Yi understood the subtext behind Director Zhou's words.

She remained silent.

She could feel the suppression field's intensity adjusting slightly with Director Zhou's words. She sensed at least six S-class Awakened ones outside the door, their heartbeats and energy responses in a state of high alert.

It required almost no thought that other S-class Awakened ones were protecting the central decision-making body.

Yet the report submitted to her by the National Awakening Plan last time indicated that four S-class Awakened ones had been activated.

Farther away, the newly developed dark matter energy suppressor was operating at maximum power, and high-power laser cannons were already deployed.

She had never been fully trusted.

Yang Yi laughed inexplicably.

Director Zhou lifted his gaze, his eyes mixing pleading with scrutiny: "We need you to provide some... more substantial things, tangible evidence that can withstand inspection. Prove that you were indeed there, that you activated that otherworldly altar and used the altar's own mechanism to eliminate the threat, just as you wrote in your report back then. Not... like the video shows."

"Any evidence will do... With these things, we can refute those rumors, clear your name, and remove obstacles for the Continuation Plan."

Evidence? Where could she find it?

Wade's video was real.

The only way she had closed the portal then was by forcibly absorbing the life sources of those alien creatures to boost her own power.

To avoid a result like today's, she had concealed the truth upon returning and lied, claiming she had activated the altar.

She could not prove her innocence.

A long silence spread through the cold air.

The faint glimmer of hope in Director Zhou's eyes was replaced by disappointment and a chilling "just as I thought." The hand he had placed under the table seemed to move a millimeter imperceptibly toward a hidden control panel.

Just as the suffocating silence reached its peak, Yang Yi suddenly spoke, her voice very soft yet unusually clear:

"I am not an Evil God."

Director Zhou shuddered as if burned by the words. Almost reflexively, a look mixing relief and understanding quickly plastered itself onto his face. He hurriedly interjected, his tone taking on a touch of perfectly timed, elder-like reproach:

"Of course you aren't! Little Yang, how could you be? We... we never thought that!"

He spoke faster, as if eager to dispel a terrible thought. "Those are malicious slanders, the conspiracy of Wade and those anti-human elements! We firmly believe in your stance, we firmly believe in your feelings for humanity!"

His words were earnest, yet his eyes involuntarily flickered, avoiding Yang Yi's gaze.

Yang Yi laughed involuntarily again.

She understood the fear behind that desperate denial—they feared not that she "was" an Evil God, but that she would "admit" to being one.

As long as she did not admit it, it meant she still cared about humanity's opinion, still abided by human rules, and still had the possibility of being "soothed," "controlled," or "utilized."

The most terrifying thing was if she tore off this final disguise; that would mean she had nothing left to fear.

So, no matter how the evidence pointed toward that terrible possibility, they had to, and could only, insist she "was not."

This was not trust, but fear.

Director Zhou also seemed to realize he had overreacted. He steadied himself, sat up straight again, and his face regained a business-like expression. He looked away, his voice dropping lower, losing the contrived warmth from before:

"We... do believe you. But on the UN side... procedurally, they need evidence. The pressure is too great; we also... find it hard to withstand."

He looked at Yang Yi one last time, his expression complex, with a lingering trace of reluctance and a strand of unfamiliar alienation:

"They... have arranged a hearing, broadcast globally, in one day." He paused. "This may be... the last chance. You... prepare yourself."

Having spoken, he lingered no longer, rising quickly and walking toward the door with slightly hurried steps.

The door slid open silently. A moment of the heavier suppression field aura from outside surged in, then was completely cut off as the alloy door sealed shut.

In the room, only Yang Yi remained.

Cold light enveloped her, the invisible suppression field like a tangible shackle, tightening slightly.

Yang Yi's figure, seated in the chair, did not move, as if frozen.

The last piece of seemingly solid ground beneath her feet had turned into floating ice about to collapse.