Chapter 71. The Privilege of the Strong, Mere Rabble (1)

Having been established by the government, the Aurora Academy had enormous authority within every supercity. During emergencies, it could mobilize the defense forces to deal with just about anything.

Of course, they could also deal with Awakened criminals, allowing the Academy to restore order to society as soon as possible.

The figures in uniform standing beside Dean Zheng Wenyuan embodied that power and authority. They were essentially law enforcers, tasked with protecting citizens and maintaining the order of society.

Thanks to the full support of the nation's officials, the Aurora Academy had its own squads of powerful Awakened and could also deploy weapons of mass destruction. In fact, the Aurora Academy could even demand the cooperation of major forces if necessary.

An Awakened had just murdered a fellow Awakened within the boundaries of Chang'an. Upon receiving the news, the Aurora Academy rushed over at once to address the situation.

Lu Yuan was prepared for the Aurora Academy's intervention. Looking at Dean Zheng and the figures from the military before him, he asked, "Are you here to arrest me?"

Lu Yuan sounded calm, seemingly unconcerned by their arrival. He had accepted this outcome. Even if he could turn back time, he would still make the same choice. As he had said, people ought to pay the price for doing something they weren't supposed to do.

To the ears of the crowd, however, his calm words sounded arrogant. The officials from Aurora Academy and figures from the military had arrived, yet he still dared to act in such a manner. Was he born with no fear at all?

First of all, he killed the Southern Sovereign, offending Longevity Genetics, and now, it seemed like he was going to offend the entire nation. In the minds of many, Lu Yuan was going too far.

Of course, others believed that Lu Yuan was strong enough to behave as arrogantly as he wanted. Killing the Southern Sovereign proved that his strength was at least comparable to the Five Supremes, and perhaps even surpassed them.

Even if that were true, offending the Aurora Academy would mean standing in direct opposition to the government. No one—regardless of how powerful they were—could possibly defeat the government.

Ice Fairy frowned in concern. She knew the context of the situation—the Southern Sovereign and his brother had instigated the conflict by trying to kill Lu Yuan first.

Lu Yuan had simply retaliated, killing them because they were too weak to deal with Lu Yuan. Ice Fairy took a half step forward, intending to say something, but the middle-aged man next to her stopped her by placing his hand on her arm.

"I already told Dean Zheng everything he needs to know. Don't say anything. Polaris Biotech must maintain its neutral stance."

Polaris Biotech also had the backing of the government, but only a few were aware of it, as they had a different mission compared to the others. If the Ice Fairy were to speak, it would cause unnecessary complications.

The middle-aged man had already explained the entire situation to Dean Zheng.

The ball was now in his court.

Upon hearing that, Ice Fairy nodded slightly and remained in place, waiting.

A tense silence descended. The death of the Southern Sovereign and the subsequent fury of Longevity Genetics were major incidents. The Aurora Academy had also appeared to represent the government.

The sight made many people feel that another great battle was about to erupt.

The laws concerning Awakened were signed a long time ago, and the government strictly implemented them. The crowd wondered what punishment Lu Yuan would receive and if he would refuse to accept it, triggering yet another battle.

In short, everyone felt a knot of nervousness in their stomachs, as they could feel like something big was about to happen.

"

Cough, ahem.

" Dean Zheng cleared his throat upon hearing Lu Yuan's words. His gaze shifted to the Southern Sovereign's corpse lying not far away, and he seemed to ponder for a brief moment before saying, "Well, you were technically on the outskirts of the city rather than in the city proper, so what you've done doesn't count as a violation of the laws concerning the Awakened.

"Sure, it was inappropriate, but it's not something serious. Naturally, we're not going to be prosecuting you for it."

Dean Zheng turned his gaze toward the man clad in a military uniform beside him.

"Isn't that right, Commander Xu?" he asked.

Commander Xu was the commander of Chang'an's defense force. He controlled all troops within the city; he had a position of high authority, and he was also a powerful Awakened in his own right.

In fact, each of the five supercities had its own defense force, which was made from the reorganized troops of the old era.

Their sworn duty was to protect the safety of the citizens, deal with mutated beast tides, and enforce the law. They usually wouldn't appear in public, but whenever they appeared, it meant something major had occurred.

After hearing Dean Zheng's words, Commander Xu stroked his chin for a moment before nodding. "You're right, Dean Zheng."

A wave of stunned disbelief washed over everyone present. Lu Yuan had clearly killed a man within the designated boundaries of Chang'an, so how could these two officials deny it with a single sentence?

How could they stand before everyone and declare that it was merely "inappropriate"?

Even Lu Yuan was surprised by the outcome, but he recovered quickly and responded, "Many thanks."

Of course, Lu Yuan knew that this was the Aurora Academy's way of extending an olive branch toward him, which was by de-escalating the situation. Otherwise, they wouldn't have done something like that.

Their words were tantamount to an acknowledgement; they were saying that his recent performance had been far too eye-catching to ignore.

The changes happening all over the world and the chaos brought upon by mutated beasts meant that the government needed as many experts to help them quell the chaos as possible.

Since they had shown him goodwill, Lu Yuan had no reason to reject their gesture.

"Great." Dean Zheng nodded at Lu Yuan's response and added, "Then, this matter is over. However, would you be willing to accompany me to the academy, Mr. Lu? I believe there are some matters I need to explain to you."

He sounded sincere, and it became clear that this was his goal—to recruit Lu Yuan.

While the Aurora Academy had the backing of the government and could make use of many things, it was still facing constant pressure from the various major forces.

Dealing with the chaos required a considerable amount of work, and the most pressing issue had always been a lack of top-tier talent.

In Dean Zheng's eyes, Lu Yuan was an excellent candidate. If they could collaborate, it would be a significant boon for the academy.

As for the fact that he had completely offended Longevity Genetics and the Wuzhou Group, Dean Zheng couldn't care less. Those two major forces had been acting excessively as of late, and the government officials had been looking for a chance to give them a warning.

Protecting Lu Yuan was a clear demonstration of their attitude toward those major forces.

"Of course."

After a moment's thought, Lu Yuan chose to agree. He had no other pressing matters to attend to. Moreover, Dean Zheng had chosen to overlook the laws on his behalf, so accompanying him to the academy was a small matter.

"Thank you." Dean Zheng smiled, clearly pleased with the outcome. After a brief exchange with Commander Xu, Commander Xu led his people away.

Dean Zheng gestured at Lu Yuan, asking him to enter the city alongside him. As for the Southern Sovereign's corpse, someone would collect it later.

"T-that's it? It's over?"

"But Lu Yuan clearly violated the Awakened Ordinance! Is he not going to be punished at all?"

"Punished? Did you not see how strong he is? He killed the Southern Sovereign with a single move. How could they possibly punish him?"

"The so-called laws, ordinances, and regulations aren't set in stone. Lu Yuan is strong enough to ignore some of them."

"Indeed. If we were in his shoes, we would definitely suffer. As we saw, he's terrifyingly powerful. With that level of strength, anyone can ignore the laws."

"I've deduced that some changes are going to happen to the Five Supremes. Lu Yuan will surely be one of them, and perhaps he might become the number one among them."

"No shit, Sherlock! Do you really need to deduce that? That's definitely going to happen."

The crowd was left bewildered by how easily the incident had concluded. They expected a great battle, or at the very least, they thought Lu Yuan would face severe punishment.

Who could have imagined that the entire incident would be completely ignored? The deceased was, after all, the incredibly important figure known as the Southern Sovereign, yet with a few sentences, his murder was considered case closed.

Some in the crowd were unconvinced, muttering that it was unfair.

However, what could they do? In this new era, strength reigned supreme, and the strong made the rules. Laws, regulations, and ordinances couldn't bind everyone. As long as one was powerful enough, one could simply ignore them.

This was the privilege of the strong!

Although reluctant to accept it, they had no choice but to face reality. The world had always been unfair. The Awakened had long become aware of that, so they eventually chose to accept the outcome.

They also realized that Lu Yuan would become a Supreme, standing at the apex of this era's Awakened. A new star was rising, and perhaps he was even stronger than the other four Supremes.

"I wonder if Dean Zheng will succeed at securing a collaboration with Mr. Lu," Ice Fairy remarked as she stared at Lu Yuan's departing figure. Polaris Biotech's recruitment attempt had failed.

However, if the Aurora Academy succeeded, it meant Polaris Biotech had succeeded as well.

"We shall see. However, I don't think Mr. Lu is easily swayed. Perhaps Dean Zheng's offer will not interest him in the slightest," the middle-aged man said with a smile. It was their first meeting, but Lu Yuan had already left a profound impression on him.

Rules and regulations couldn't bind someone like Lu Yuan. He was the type to act on his whims, and no one could ever order him around. Someone like him could become truly strong.

"That's true, but..." Ice Fairy muttered, nodding in agreement. Then, she became worried again, saying, "Longevity Genetics will absolutely not let this matter rest."

"They have been far too aggressive lately; they are clearly trying to become the overlord of Shen City. It's time they're taught a lesson," the middle-aged man said sternly.

While the Wang Family was working with the government on the surface, they often overstepped their boundaries behind the scenes.

Their actions had long attracted the dissatisfaction of the officials, and they had been thinking of ways to limit their influence. Although Lu Yuan's actions today had exceeded his expectations, the middle-aged man believed that it was not necessarily a bad thing.

An organization with too great of an ambition would threaten the stability of the nation, and it could not be allowed to develop unchecked.

In that sense, the Aurora Academy showing goodwill to Lu Yuan also served as a stern warning to Longevity Genetics.

"Sigh, thanks to the Global Awakening, the world has become chaotic. However, heroes will eventually rise amidst the chaos, and in the future, powerful Awakened will appear everywhere.

"I have to keep evolving to become even stronger." Ice Fairy's voice was filled with resolve, but then her expression quickly turned to one of wonder. "What do you think about Lu Yuan's level of strength? What realm has he reached?"

"He has to be at least in the Awakened Realm... and perhaps he has touched the realm beyond that," replied the middle-aged man. He pondered the question carefully before answering, but he had to admit that he couldn't be certain at all.

"The Unfettered Realm?" Ice Fairy's breath caught in her throat upon hearing the reply. Then, she looked down and muttered, "But that realm has only existed in theories until very recently..."