Chapter 46
On the spotless table, there was a snow-white ball of thread, which looked like a plump white silk cocoon at first glance, just the right size for a person to hold with both hands. Under the light, one could vaguely see a tiny baby curled up inside.
Rong Yuan held the wine glass in one hand. The golden wine rippled slightly in the transparent crystal glass, and the elegant aroma spread out. However, he had no desire to taste it. He just supported his cheek with one hand, his eyes fixed on the cocoon with nostalgia and tenderness.
Perhaps because he frequently ran into old friends, he couldn't help but think about the past these days, missing certain people and things in the past. When he got emotional, he would occasionally drink a little wine, and sometimes he would just pour it into the glass and watch, slowly calming himself down.
It's funny to say that, whether he was emerging on Earth or traveling the Milky Way with the Feiyan team, Rong Yuan didn't like alcohol. Even if the brave ones in the team got drunk and urged him to have a drink, and praised the wine to the heavens, he only needed a look to make them shrink their necks and go back to entertain themselves. At that time, the only times he drank were when he was with Jin Yang.
But after everyone left, he slowly understood the charm of alcohol. When slightly tipsy, one's mind is both clear and confused, as if one is in a dream or floating on water. All past events become hazy and distant. There is no need to think about anything, and every cell in one's body is free and relaxed.
But even when he was in great pain, Rong Yuan rarely indulged himself. Only occasionally did he restrain himself from drinking a few glasses. He never got completely drunk once.
In fact, the matter on Prison Star was already over when the Imperial Army arrived. Rong Yuan was waiting here just to see the result.
All the children on Prison Star were taken to the spaceship sent by the Empire on the first day, and their parents (if they were there) were detained, awaiting further investigation. The Empire sent a special person to take care of the children's food and daily life on the spaceship. These children basically have some physical and mental problems, so they will be sent to a livable planet with beautiful scenery and relatively advanced medical technology in the Empire for treatment. There, a school specially founded for them has been built. The Empire will be fully responsible for all matters related to the study and life of these children until they reach adulthood and have the ability to survive independently.
There are many children with limb defects like Qi Gen on Prison Star, but such injuries can be cured with a small operation in the outside world. They can choose to install mechanical prostheses, which are as flexible as real limbs and have some additional functions, which are no worse than the original ones. You know, some people in the Empire will deliberately replace some of their healthy body parts with such prostheses, and this has even become a trend in some places. If you don't like mechanical prostheses, you can also use your own cells to cultivate cloned limbs of the corresponding parts, and then attach them to your body through surgery. This treatment method takes a little longer, about three to five months. But no matter what treatment method you choose, all costs will be borne by the Empire.
After boarding the spaceship, Qi Gen, Ye Zi and other children asked to meet Rong Yuan. After Rong Yuan found out, he thought for a moment and then refused. They were just casual acquaintances, so there was no need to extend this fate for a longer period of time. Some children rescued from Paradise City thought that Rong Yuan would also be treated as a criminal, and begged for mercy for him. The adults who took care of them naturally said that this was not the case and asked them to believe that the Empire would handle it impartially. It was not clear whether the children believed it or not, but they were mature enough to understand that with their current status and abilities, they could not change the decisions of these adults, so they all obediently calmed down.
As for how to deal with people like Qiao Fei and Germain, who were also born on Prison Star but have reached adulthood and may even have blood on their hands, there was a heated discussion on the Star Network. Some people said that even if they had committed crimes in the past, they had no choice but to do so. It was forgivable that they did certain things in order to survive, and they should be treated leniently; some people said that no matter what the environment, one must have principles of being a human being, and crime is crime, and should not be treated differently; some people said that no one taught these people to abide by the law since they were young, and in fact, it is impossible to abide by the law in a place where there is no law at all, and ignorance is not a crime; others said that the prince is guilty of the same crime as the people, and fair treatment is the basic principle for the enforcement of the imperial law.
The discussion on Starnet was lively, and no matter which point of view, there were a large number of supporters. However, the Empire would not allow public opinion on the Internet to manipulate the judicial trial. It was said that after an emergency discussion between the royal family and the ruling upper echelons, a decision was made on the third day.
The crimes committed on Prison Star must also be investigated, but first of all, there must be real evidence, and no false accusations can be made. Although Prison Star has no surveillance and no awareness of protecting crime scenes, it also has no awareness of destroying crime scenes. With the current level of criminal investigation technology in the Empire, even if it happened a long time ago, it can be verified with a little more time.
Secondly, special cases should be treated specially. Considering that the crime is excusable in this environment, the punishment should be reduced accordingly, mainly in the form of military service, community service or unpaid labor. If the crime is serious and the behavior is particularly bad, it will be handled according to the normal legal process.
When Yisili and Rongyuan met, they also talked about this issue. Yisili said that he was very optimistic about several good seedlings among them (such as Germain and Kadi), and if they were willing, he could ask the higher-ups to make an exception and recruit them into his own army; if they were not willing, he could also help write a letter of appeal.
Afterwards, Germain and several other Howling cadres were basically sentenced to community service and other punishments. They all chose to stay with the Bai family father and son. However, Qiao Fei, after several unsuccessful attempts to follow Rong Yuan, joined the army and became a young cruiser soldier.
As for those prisoners who were sent to the Red Prison Planet despite being innocent or committing minor crimes, the Empire will immediately release them and give them a large amount of compensation after a thorough investigation. However, if these people also committed crimes during their service on the Prison Planet, they will be sentenced to another term. If they have been on the Red Prison Planet for longer than the term, they will still be released with compensation; if the time is not enough, then sorry, they will have to continue serving their sentence.
In addition, there must be many complicated relationships and dark secrets behind why these people were sent to the Red Prison Star. The Empire's investigation will naturally not ignore this point. Therefore, once they are released, more people will be immediately filled in.
For example, Mia was originally the illegitimate daughter of a super-rich man. Her mother died early, and her grandfather Midong should actually be her grandfather. Mia was raised by Midong and her two uncles. A year ago, the rich man died, and several heirs killed each other. The rich man's cousin was waiting to receive the huge fortune, and suddenly found that the first heir had become Mia. So after some operations, the girl was exiled to the Red Prison Star on a trumped-up charge of espionage. Probably thinking that people who went to the Red Prison Star would never come back, the rich cousin did not handle the beginning and the end cleanly. Not long after Mia appeared on the live broadcast screen, he was investigated. The rich cousin hurriedly packed up his property and wanted to flee abroad, but he was caught before he boarded the spaceship and booked a seat for himself on the prison star in advance.
For example, Han Yue was not imprisoned for a crime, but was sent to Red Prison Star because he was guilty of possessing a treasure and offended the powerful. However, he thrived in Red Prison Star for decades, committed countless crimes, and was sentenced to life imprisonment, and he still had to spend the rest of his life in Red Prison Star.
Finally, most of those who were sent to the Red Prison Planet for their crimes continued to serve their sentences, but if they made special contributions - Bai Xiang in particular, he had the credit of maintaining the stability of the Prison Planet, rescuing and raising orphaned children under almost impossible conditions (who later became Howl's subordinates), assisting the Imperial Army in exposing the dark side of the Prison Planet and combating evil forces, so although his sentence has not yet ended, he can also leave the Prison Planet and return to normal society. However, he will live under the supervision of the Empire and within a certain area for the rest of his life. He cannot leave the planet he lives on at will, nor can he commit crimes again.
While the Empire was trying and sentencing these prisoners, all the prisoners were imprisoned on the spacecraft brought by Isli. During this period, they carried out a major transformation of the Red Prison Star. First, they used infrasound waves to drive most of the creatures on the Prison Star into several designated areas, and then the star core oscillator caused a global earthquake, destroying all the underground mines on the Prison Star, including the central city. Then the construction robots came on stage and transformed the entire surface of the Prison Star into a honeycomb structure in just a few days. Each nest has a wall 100 meters high, absolutely soundproof, no doors, and even a thick protective layer under the feet. There is land for planting and a small amount of water inside, as well as some basic living supplies placed by the Empire.
From now on, prisoners serving on the Prison Star will enjoy the treatment of single-person single-nest, with an activity area of thousands of square meters. There will be no fighting, no quarrels, and enough food and water to relieve them of the pressure of survival. Eternal loneliness is their only punishment.
In addition, this overall investigation of Prison Star also resulted in an unexpected discovery: the dean of Mingzhao College turned out to be General Luca, the former military god of the Landia Empire. His tombstone after his "glorious sacrifice" is still erected in the cemetery of the Imperial Capital Star for people to pay tribute and admire. He himself is actually alive and well on Prison Star. This is really a huge joke, but no one can laugh at it.
When the white-haired old man was sent to the spaceship, even the most ordinary and slow-witted soldiers felt a tremor in their hearts. People far away in the Imperial Capital Star felt the pressure of the impending storm. Although the impact of the Prison Star incident had not really affected the top leaders of the empire at this time, everyone felt that the world had changed.
Rong Yuan, who directed all of this and was completely hidden behind the scenes, did not care about the political game and the subsequent turmoil. He just poked the cocoon lightly and thought to himself -
Wake up soon, Pea.
