Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 416 - 409: Severe Accountability_1

Chapter 416: Chapter 409: Severe Accountability_1

There was an aura emanating from Lin Wei that was both familiar and foreign to him. It was the dignity of an elder. Luo’er had only ever felt this from Luo Qishan and his own father. However, because Luo Qishan cherished Luo’er so much, he had never displayed this aura in front of him.

This time, even Luo’er, who was worldly and well-travelled, couldn’t help but feel weak at the knees from Lin Wei’s fright, even more so than when he was in a battle.

"Answer me!" After bellowing out these words, Lin Wei asked in a calm tone. However, it was precisely this icy tone that made Luo’er’s heart tremble incessantly, causing him to stutter without being able to utter a single word.

Lin Wei stood in front of him, quietly watching him, gently brushing off the dust on his shoulders and patting his shoulders.

Seemingly in a daze, it was as if he was looking at Luo Chuan standing in front of him again. Back then, he was merely a weak rookie soldier and if it weren’t for Luo Chuan, he would probably have died on the battlefield long ago.

Now, he has risen to the rank of general and faced with the son of a comrade to whom he owed so much, he felt an emotion welling up inside him that he could not articulate.

Lin Wei had always felt that he owed Luo Chuan and Luo’er. He felt guilty even though he proposed the Origin Project, which kept Luo’er by Luo Qishan’s side and helped him ascend in his career at the expense of the father and son’s pains.

For more than 20 years, Lin Wei has never dared to revisit Shenghua Academy to look at Luo’er due to his guilt. Luo’er resembled his mother, but every time he saw his face, Luo Chuan’s hearty laughter would uncontrollably appear in his mind, refusing to fade.

The reason why he chose to confront Luo’er was to take control of Luo’er’s mistake within the headquarters and manage it as an internal conflict. Over the past 20 years, Lin Wei has helped Luo Qishan and Luo’er a lot, but he never dared to admit it. Because every time he reminded himself that he had just helped the Luo family, another voice would immediately appear, mocking him for merely atoning for his sins.

In any case, whether related to work or personal interactions, Lin Wei couldn’t allow Luo’er to be punished by higher authorities. He must nip the problem in the bud and prevent it from being reported to the top.

Having Luo’er readily confess made Lin Wei feel slightly comforted. However, despite this relief, he still had to reproach and punish Luo’er as needed. He could no longer indulge Luo’er due to his guilty conscience.

"Your father saved me from the battlefield, and I will remember this kindness for a lifetime. But Luo’er, this does not justify your mistakes. I’ve overlooked your minor missteps in the past since they were insignificant. However, this time the circumstances are different, the matter involving Fu’en affects more than just the Otherworld General Staff Headquarters."

"Did you know the National Space Administration specifically requested our assistance in capturing Fu’en? If they find out you let Fu’en escape out of personal grudge, the issue will become serious," Lin Wei said to Luo’er in a relatively gentle tone.

"I’m sorry..." Although Luo’er had many questions in his heart, he could only apologize.

"We haven’t informed the Space Administration about Fu’en’s escape yet. Currently, we’re collaborating with other nations on Earth to track down Fu’en’s whereabouts. Had you not acted on your own and allowed the Church Court to bring him back instead, things wouldn’t have been so troublesome," Lin Wei said, turning his back to Luo’er and letting out a deep sigh.

Luo’er remained silent, his head down. He had never thought that his personal grudge could cause such a great turmoil. He was also curious about why the people from the Space Administration were so interested in an Otherworlder. Weren’t Otherworld affairs always managed by the headquarters? Why would they interfere?

"Listen to me carefully," Lin Wei coughed, his voice turning serious once more. "We’ll leave it at that for now. Later, I’ll have Mu’rong and the others accompany me back to Earth. They’ve seen Fu’en before, so their assistance is urgently needed. Make sure you seriously reflect on your actions. Don’t cause any more disruptions. I selected your squad as the advance team because I saw how reliable you were. I never thought that even you would make such an elementary mistake."

With his head lowered, Luo’er remained silent. In front of Lin Wei, he didn’t even have the courage to utter a word.

Seeing Luo’er looking so guilty, Lin Wei let out a light sigh, his tone softening again. "You’re Luo Chuan’s son and Luo Chuan saved my life. Although I dare not say I can do anything for your father, I still have an obligation to discipline you. I’ve been living in guilt for the past 20 years. I dared not look at you in the academy, but I sincerely hoped to see you grow up safely and find your mother. Do you understand?"

"I... I understand..." Luo’er muttered hesitantly.

Lin Wei sighed, then resumed his stern face, "Your punishment comes next. Although we intend to handle it internally, you will not be able to escape responsibility."

"I understand..." Luo’er murmured, his head hanging even lower.

"From today onwards, Luo’er, you are suspended. Until I notify you, the position of the Advance Team captain will be held by Cheng Ziang, do you understand?" Lin Wei asked.

"I understand..." Luo’er nodded, humbly accepting the punishment.

"Moreover, you can now roll into the Confinement Room and stay there until I say otherwise!" Lin Wei continued to order.

"Understood..." Luo’er’s voice became even more submissive.

Outside the door, Wang Xu was technically on guard duty but couldn’t resist trying to eavesdrop on the conversation. After a quick scan to confirm nobody was watching, he discreetly turned and pressed his ear against the door.

"Boss, what are you doing?" Li Si suddenly appeared and asked upon seeing Wang Xu’s suspicious behavior.

"Shush, you scared me!" Wang Xu, who was almost startled into jumping, gestured for Li Si to be quiet.

"Oh," Li Si nodded, glancing toward the door before whispering, "Is Luo’er and the chief inside?"

"That Luo’er, I take my eyes off him for a day and he causes trouble. Now, he’s got the chief’s attention." Wang Xu glanced at the door, his face was filled with vexation.

"So, what’s the chief doing here? He couldn’t just be here to scold Luo’er? Keep in mind, he’s the highest-ranking official at Headquarters. If something goes wrong, we won’t be able to work." Li Si lowered his voice, inquisitively.

"The problem is a bit complicated. This matter seems to have exceeded the jurisdiction of the Headquarters. Apparently, the Space Administration is very interested in Fu’en and hopes that we can capture him," Wang Xu sighed.

"The Space Administration...aren’t they in charge of space instead of the Otherworld," Li Si was shocked, "isn’t the exchange with the Otherworld and its matters always handled by Headquarters?"

"I’m not entirely sure but it seems that they became very interested in Fu’en after learning that he had opened the Otherworld Gate to Shenghua Academy. They want Fu’en to confirm some theories and then establish some kind of plan," Wang Xu explained while furrowing his brows.

"What plan?" Li Si asked.

"How would I know? Those guys from the Space Administration are still awaiting Fu’en. If we mess up this time, I don’t know if they will take the matter upstairs," Wang Xu exclaimed, sighing deeply.

"We might fail at times, we can’t guarantee that we can definitely capture Fu’en. Can’t we just tell them we didn’t find him?" Li Si questioned, puzzled.

"The key point is, we had assurances from the Church Court that they could capture Fu’en, but we still messed it up. In the end, it’s our problem. We can tell the guys from the Space Administration we didn’t capture Fu’en, but if they decided to investigate about our intelligence exchange concerning Fu’en’s arrest, that would spell trouble for Luo’er and the rest. The Church Court openly stated they could capture Fu’en and we didn’t heed their advice," Wang Xu explained.

"So, the point is to find a credible explanation and not let the Space Administration poke around, right?" Li Si hesitated before asking.

"More or less," Wang Xu sighed and continued, "The chief is here to reprimand Luo’er and also to make sure our statements to the front-line headquarters are consistent, preventing any loopholes for the folks from the Space Administration. Otherwise, if this matter gets taken to the higher-ups, it’s not just Luo’er who will be in trouble."

This was basically a form of group culture. Every individual within the same circle instinctively protects the group’s interests. Unless a major issue arose, they typically wouldn’t escalate it to the higher authority. They would resolve it internally. Wang Xu had treated Luo’er this way before and now Lin Wei was doing the same.

Although Luo’er had messed up, he was fundamentally still part of their group. How he would be punished was not up to outside groups to interfere, let alone the higher-ups.

This cultural convention can be colloquially framed as ’closing doors to deal with their own dog’. No matter how ferocious the dog was, it was still their dog. How they discipline it is not up to outsiders to interfere, hence the saying ’only the master can beat a dog’.

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