Chapter 31: Pressure of Public Opinion

Just then, the heavy metal door suddenly let out a rumbling sound and slowly slid open to both sides. That officer from before pushed a handcart inside, the cart laden with all kinds of food, the aroma assaulting the nose.

The officer carefully placed the food one by one on the table before Uchiha Fugaku, then said respectfully: "Please enjoy your meal. Not knowing your taste preferences, we prepared some of every type of food, hoping it suits your appetite."

Fugaku gave a slight nod, acknowledging the officer's thoughtful service. His gaze swept over the food and landed on the officer.

"When will General Stark come?" Fugaku asked, his tone calm yet carrying a hint of indisputability.

The officer bowed slightly and replied respectfully: "The General still has some important matters to handle, but he will come see you very soon. Please be at ease and wait patiently."

Finished speaking, he turned to prepare to leave.

Just then, Uchiha Fugaku spoke blandly: "Right, I've finished reading these books. I want some new ones."

"What?" The officer abruptly halted his steps, turned back in shock, and looked at Fugaku in disbelief. His gaze quickly swept over the empty piles of books on the table, his expression shifting from puzzlement to shock.

By normal logic, if it were a normal person wanting to finish these dozens of books, it would take at least several months or even a year. Yet the other party actually read them all in such a short time? Seeing the officer remain unresponsive for a long while, Uchiha Fugaku raised a brow slightly and asked calmly: "What, is there a problem?"

The officer hurriedly snapped back to his senses, forced out a smile, and coughed lightly to cover his loss of composure. "No no problem." He replied somewhat flusteredly, "I will prepare new books for you as soon as possible. Please. Please wait patiently."

Uchiha Fugaku picked up a few books from the table, flipped through them casually, then handed them to the officer. "I'm rather interested in the content of these books. Hope you can help me find more books on similar topics."

The officer looked up, meeting Fugaku's pair of unfathomable black eyes, and suddenly felt an inexplicable heart palpitation.

The man before him appeared gentle and calm, but his every gesture exuded an indescribable majesty and oppressive feeling, like a dormant fierce beast, making one's blood run cold.

"I I understand." The officer barely maintained his composure, his voice trembling slightly, "I will find them for you as soon as possible. Please. Please wait a moment."

Finished speaking, the officer walked quickly out of the room, closing the door behind him.

The moment the door closed, Uchiha Fugaku gently placed the books in his hand back on the table, his gaze sweeping over the dazzling array of food on the handcart to the side, his brows furrowing slightly.

Although the food's aroma was tempting, years of experience crawling and rolling on the battlefield told him that in this kind of environment, being cautious was never wrong.

Fugaku reached into his bosom, fished out a Soldier Pill from his Ninja Pouch. This was his standard equipment for missions, light, convenient, and rich in nutrition, the staple ration of ninja.

He put the Soldier Pill in his mouth, chewed a few times and quickly swallowed. The taste was somewhat bitter and astringent, the texture nothing to write home about, but Fugaku didn't mind in the slightest. For him, replenishing stamina and maintaining combat power were the most important. — At this moment on the other side

General Stark stood before a giant screen, staring fixedly at the image on the screen.

On the screen, Uchiha Fugaku was sitting upright at the table, holding a thick book, reading intently.

"He's been reading books this whole time?" Stark turned his head and asked, his tone carrying a hint of curiosity.

"Yes," the intelligence officer beside him answered respectfully, "Ever since we delivered those books, he has been reading, almost never stopping. And"

The intelligence officer paused, pointing at the book list on the screen, and continued: "Judging from the books he selected, he seems particularly interested in our history. Most are works concerning major past events of our planet, social transformations, and the like."

General Stark nodded slightly, his gaze still fixed on the screen. His brows furrowed slightly, as if pondering something. "Why would he be so interested in our history?" Stark murmured to himself, his voice low and hoarse.

At this moment, the entire Command Room was deathly silent, everyone's eyes gathered on the big screen before them.

The next second, he extended a finger and lightly swiped across the screen, the image immediately switching to a news report.

"Mysterious Hero Appears! The Truth Behind the Wall Collapse Incident"

On the screen, Cathy stood in the center of the crowd, holding high a banner written with "Truth! We Want Truth!", her gaze determined.

She looked around and shouted loudly: "The wall's collapse buried countless innocent lives beneath the ruins. The government must give us an answer! Where is that mysterious hero? Who exactly is he? We have the right to know the truth!"

Bursts of echoing slogans erupted from the crowd, banners undulating in the sea of people like rolling waves.

"He saved all our lives." Cathy said to a young man beside her, her tone full of admiration, "We can't let his achievements be buried like this. He deserves everyone's respect and praise."

General Stark watched the news report on the screen, brows tightly locked. He lightly tapped the tabletop with his fingers, as if thinking about something.

"It seems the populace is very concerned about the wall collapse and that mysterious person," he said in a deep voice, "The situation is even more intense than we anticipated."

"Sir, should we consider releasing a statement to the public?" An aide beside him suggested cautiously, "Perhaps we can appropriately disclose some information to soothe the people's emotions."

Stark let out a cold snort, a flash of disdain crossing his eyes.

"Let those high-and-mighty old masters have the headache. Back then they slashed our budget and insisted on building that wall. Now they've finally tasted the bitter fruit."

Just then, a Vice Officer walked quickly into the Command Room, came before Stark, stood at attention and saluted.

"Reporting to the General, those two monster experts have arrived." The Vice Officer said respectfully.

Hearing this, Stark nodded slightly.

"Have them wait a bit. I have more important matters to handle."

Finished speaking he stood up and strode toward the door: "Come, let's go meet this mysterious person."

The intelligence officer froze for a second, hurriedly caught up, jogging two steps to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with Stark: "Sir, is it really appropriate for us to go see him so rashly? Our understanding of him is still very limited."

"Understanding?" Stark stopped, turned around. "He has already shown us his strength and goodwill. Now it's our turn to show sincerity."

He reached out and patted the intelligence officer's shoulder, saying earnestly: "Sometimes, understanding a person cannot rely only on intelligence and data. What's more important is direct exchange and communication."

"But." The intelligence officer still wanted to say something, but was cut off by Stark.

"Let's go," Stark patted his shoulder, tone firm, "Go meet our guest."

(Chapter End)