Chapter 834: Dispute

Is it possible.. 」

Under the conference podium, the senior official of the Wartime External Joint Propaganda Department in the fourth row, sixth seat suddenly spoke up.

By rights, given his position, and indeed the entire conference system, no sound outside the conference regulations should be allowed.

This is not a discussion assembly; it is the third major collective meeting after the Apocalypse.

But, precisely because of the Apocalypse, many procedures and institutions have already been simplified.

Forced to speak up, the representative who raised his hand had no choice but to break this eerie silence.

I'm saying.. 」

Is it possible that General Lihao led Lin An to achieve a complete victory? 」

But the reward, for some reason, was given to Lin An...

He had to say this; as the propaganda department, he had to give everyone a way out.

Otherwise, it would really be a slap in the face...

The voice echoed.

Stammering, after he finished speaking, he cautiously sat down.

But even he felt that what he said was really convoluted.

No one echoed or responded.

Even the pro-war military faction, which had the most representatives, merely looked strange, even preferring that he not speak and just watching him.

After a moment.

A deep, powerful voice sounded:

If that's really the case. »

Then why is Lin An the one who received all the first-place titles? »

If Lin An truly only made a major contribution in this trial.

Our people, with an attitude of preferential treatment, rewards, and joint cooperation commendation, allowed Lin An to receive the title reward.

That should also be a single item.

All given to him... heh.

The voice came to an abrupt halt; the last sentence even carried a hint of mockery.

Seeing the person on stage speak to this extent, nobody dared to utter a sound.

If we continue, are we to say that not a single Awakened One mobilized by the military is qualified to receive a title?

The Huaxia war zone could take first place, and Lin An, as one of its members, could sweep all the first-place awards.

That would mean that in the final stage, the entire trial situation had been firmly locked down by our side, gaining an overwhelming advantage!

Otherwise, how could other war zones just watch helplessly? With so many Awakened Ones, not a single one dares to compete!

The announcement only listed Lin An; only Lin An appeared.

Is it that Lihao is unworthy? Or Chen Yangtian? So many elite among the elite feel they are not worthy and 'yield' to Lin An?

Everyone present was restless; even though their positions and attitudes differed, it didn't mean they were fools.

Upon careful thought, the implication behind this even made them feel a strong sense of eeriness.

A terrifying, absurd idea surfaced.

The final stage of the trial might have gotten out of control..

The military is likely separated from Lin An, to the point that they don't even have the 'qualification' to share the reward...

Only this can explain everything.

Sitting in the third row, Nie Ping, who had not intended to speak, looked at the silent crowd.

For a moment, for some reason, he suddenly felt like laughing.

By rights, as a member of the capital, even if his stance and ideas differed, he shouldn't rejoice in others' misfortune.

But to be honest, he has actually always been opposed to the underground city plan.

The military, and even the entire high level, had expectations for this plan that were simply too high.

Cooperating with the existence behind the gate is no different from scheming with a tiger for its skin.

Recalling what Chu An said to him, Nie Ping couldn't help but feel that perhaps some things really do need to change.

He sighed, and Nie Ping also couldn't be bothered to worry about whether what he was about to say would anger some people.

Anyway, he has stepped down, but someone still needs to speak the truth!

Scanning the surroundings, Nie Ping decisively spoke:

"Everyone, it's obvious we won. In fact, this is the best news since the Apocalypse!"

"Are we supposed to turn this into a bad thing just because of prejudice or because our ideas don't align?"

His tone carried a hint of anger, which has long been a source of his dissatisfaction.

"No matter what happened! Isn't Lin An a Huaxia survivor!"

"Right is right, wrong is wrong! Lin An's securing this trial is a great merit!"

"Whether it's Lin An, Zhang An, or Li An, should we erase all merit just because of his identity?"

Thinking of certain mid-level officials and even institutions, after the Apocalypse outbreak, they were wary and distrustful of the many Awakened Ones emerging among civilians; he truly felt that some people were just arrogance and obstinacy causing trouble.

In the eyes of many mid- to high-level officials, those who are not from the military nor Awakened Ones within the system are like ordinary people who carried guns before the Apocalypse, and would seriously jeopardize war zone stability.

This idea, in his view, is downright rigid to the extreme!

Wake up! Now it's his mother's Apocalypse! Whether the entire nation, all of Huaxia, can survive until tomorrow is a question! Are you still worrying about whether someone will shake morale?

"Whoosh—la"

Indignant and fervent, Nie Ping simply stood up; behind him, those neutral factions sharing his ideals exchanged glances and rose together.

As the Neutral Faction suddenly stood up, the atmosphere inside the meeting hall suddenly grew solemn.

For now, it seems they are discussing what happened in the trial.

But everyone suddenly realized that behind Nie Ping's words lay a large part of the silent voice.

The Underground City Plan—is it really correct?

If the Underground City Plan is correct, then why didn't Lihao and his team come in first?

They exhausted vast amounts of effort, resources, and all-around support.

What was the result?

In contrast, Lin An, who had no one and no faction supporting him, achieved the victory they wanted.

If the ideology is Mistaken, can we turn back?

The situation has developed to this point; it has become an ideological dispute.

The two factions stared at each other in silence.

A small portion of the other High Level, who did not really participate in the two factions' dispute, also felt their hearts tighten suddenly.

Everyone knows that the Eagle Faction Military has long held the most resources and speaking rights.

While the Neutral Faction is small in number, not prone to conflict, and somewhat silent.

But everyone understands that the Neutral Faction has always opposed the advancement of the Underground City Plan; they would rather unite all possible forces and allocate resources to the grassroots.

In their view, only by letting batches of 'seeds' emerge from the largest base of Survivors can there be true hope.

Lin An's appearance is no less than a spark; moreover, today's global announcement has given the Neutral Faction the confidence to strike back.

With such tremendous merit, speaking bluntly, even if Lin An were to drop a nuclear bomb on his own head, it could still be forgiven!

If today's affairs are not handled well, I fear... the situation will change..

"Enough!"

A harsh shout.

On the stage, the High Level who had spoken earlier coldly glanced at both sides, finally sighed, and after a long while spoke again:

"This matter ends here."

"We'll wait until Lihao and the others return to talk about it,"

"If this trial was truly won by Lin An single-handedly, then he naturally has merit for all of Huaxia."

"If not, then we will naturally maintain the previous publicity, but we must certainly explain the inside information in the broadcast to avoid unnecessary associations with Lin An."

"Of course, no matter what."

"We will not chill others' hearts either."

The voice was calm, revealing no emotion.

Standing in place, Nie Ping silently lifted his gaze to the stage; in the shadows, he could not quite make out that figure.

Wouldn't it... chill others' hearts?

For some reason, he seemed to have released that pent-up feeling in his chest.

His straight back slightly hunched.

The meeting continued, but he no longer had the mind to listen.

In a daze, he seemed to see the old laboratory where he had once sent Zhang Yong to the Second Plan.

Is it really that hard to acknowledge that name, to admit one's own mistake?

After a long while, he slowly opened Chu An's private chat and replied:

"Good."

One word, yet it seemed to drain all his strength.