A flash of thought crossed Zhong Yun’s mind, his expression shifting rapidly as he mumbled to himself, “Could it be that night… No, impossible…”

“What did you say?” Wen Zhu had caught his words, but hadn't heard them clearly.

Zhong Yun shook his head. “Nothing…” He then walked away, looking utterly dejected.

Watching his retreating figure, Wen Zhu felt a strange prickle of concern. His demeanor was certainly off, and when she recalled the fragmented words he’d just muttered, she grew thoughtful. After leaving work, back in the dorm, just as he finished showering, there was a knock at the door—it was Odin.

“Are you alone? Where are the others?” Zhong Yun poured him some water and settled into a chair, asking.

“We’re not in the same dorm.” Odin took a sip of water and got straight to the point. “Do you think this riot was orchestrated by malicious foreign powers, as the news reports claim?”

“What do you think?” Zhong Yun countered. He knew exactly who the mastermind was, but he couldn't say, as he had no credible way to explain how he obtained the intelligence.

“I’m not so sure,” Odin replied, gripping his cup with both hands, as if organizing his thoughts. “The hardest hit in this whole affair were the government departments and official agencies.”

“That’s only natural. The planners behind this had to cripple Ke Dong Star’s command system first. Prevent us from mounting any effective resistance.”

“Do you know who is in the Provisional Government?” Odin inquired.

Odin’s leaps in conversation were significant, but Zhong Yun immediately grasped the core of his implication. “You mean…”

“The current Acting Planet Governor is the third most powerful figure in the Ke Dong family: Chang Ben Ke Dong. The Provisional Garrison Commander is the fourth: Du Lei Ke Dong. Essentially, all executive and military authority on Ke Dong Star has fallen into the hands of the Ke Dong family. Furthermore, they sustained the least damage during the riot. Now, their strength surpasses that of the other two noble houses.” Odin stared grimly into his cup. The Ke Dong family’s influence hadn't diminished; it had surged. Dealing with them in the future would be even harder. The silver lining was finally obtaining news about the core leadership of the Ke Dong family—that was what he most wanted to know, and he hadn't even tried to get it.

He didn't let his relief show, merely staring at Odin in feigned shock. “You suspect the Ke Dong family was involved…”

“The biggest beneficiary of this whole riot is the Ke Dong clan. I have to be suspicious,” Odin let out a long breath.

Zhong Yun considered it carefully. Indeed, the Ke Dong family was the undeniable main victor, seizing both political and military control. Even at the peak of their power, they likely hadn't achieved this level of consolidation.

The central government’s years of painstaking cultivation on Ke Dong Star were ruined. How much effort would it take to regain control of the planet now?

The other two factions on Ke Dong Star had been specifically nurtured by the central government to counterbalance the Ke Dong family, but their strength had also been severely damaged, leaving them unable to check the Ke Dong clan.

If Ke Dong Star were to hold another election, the Ke Dong family, as the entrenched local power, combined with their current role in the Provisional Government, would make it impossible for anyone else to defeat Chang Ben Ke Dong.

And once the Ke Dong family secured one or two terms of rule, their power would become cemented. Dealing with them then would be a thousand times harder than it was now.

Did that second eldest son of the Ke Dong family have similar calculations, leading him to collude with foreign elements to instigate the revolt?

The thought sent a chill through Zhong Yun. He had always viewed the Second Elder as a shortsighted man consumed by greed, never imagining he was actually a far-sighted schemer.

Students capable of entering Ke Dong Academy possessed extraordinary aptitude, learning quickly. As they became more familiar with their assigned tasks, the progress of the engineering work also began to accelerate.

Two months later, the first phase of the project was finally complete. They were finally able to step away from the routine of working during the day and studying at night, no longer required to participate in the daytime labor.

Aid and resources from the Central Government and other administrative planets had arrived. As Ke Dong Star suffered an unprecedented catastrophe, the other administrative planets of the Mings Kingdom mobilized. Citizens enthusiastically donated money and supplies. Hearing that Ke Dong Star desperately needed talent for reconstruction, many people even volunteered to go and assist.

The influx of massive aid and personnel alleviated Ke Dong Star’s financial and manpower pressures. As the most famous academy on the planet, Ke Dong Academy was among the first to receive support.

A construction company dispatched two full teams to the academy to handle building projects. Thus, the students were freed from the manual labor, handing the remaining construction over to these professional crews.

The academy finally returned to its former order. After two months of adjustment, most students had emerged from the shadows. The dead were gone; the living had to carry on.

The entire campus felt noticeably quieter—this was the most direct sensation Zhong Yun experienced walking the grounds. He noticed the wild grass along the path had grown over ten centimeters taller and asked, “How is Weiwei?”

Wen Zhu walked beside him, her gaze fixed on her feet. Hearing his question, she replied, “Her father still has her locked up at home, not allowed to go out.”

She lifted her head to look at the man beside her. From the side, he still possessed a certain compelling quality. A few days prior, Weiwei had entrusted her with delivering a few messages to Zhong Yun. Wen Zhu had genuinely wanted to avoid seeing him again, but she couldn't refuse her close friend’s request.

On that day, upon receiving the news, Zhong Yun had told her a story: a man slept with a kind girl after getting drunk, but the man was unaware of the situation afterward. Upon discovering the truth by chance later, he was filled with remorse, but the beauty was long gone, leaving him only with a cherished memory.

The story was incredibly melodramatic, even bordering on plagiarism of a cheap romance drama. But Wen Zhu believed it. Perhaps her subconscious simply refused to accept that the man her friend deeply loved was one unwilling to take responsibility.

As a result, their relationship had returned to normal; at least, she wouldn't avoid him when Zhong Yun sought her out again.

“I hope she can leave that place soon,” Zhong Yun sighed wistfully.

Wen Zhu watched him, feeling a touch of pity, but she had never been adept at offering comfort and didn't know what to say, so she simply sighed along with him.

After walking a little further, Zhong Yun changed the subject. “I heard the Acting Planet Governor is coming to the academy for an inspection?”

“Yes, in three days,” Wen Zhu said, letting out a breath of relief. She was glad he shifted the topic; Zhong Yun always seemed so heavy when Weiwei was mentioned.

“There must be a large entourage, so the campus won't be so deserted.”

“Probably not many people, considering how short-staffed everything is right now,” Wen Zhu figured this wasn't classified information, and since it might distract him temporarily from thoughts of Weiwei, she naturally continued the conversation.

“Then what about his security? No one knows if there are still hidden terrorists on Ke Dong Star,” Zhong Yun’s expression shifted slightly upon hearing this.

Seeing that his sadness had lifted, Wen Zhu felt pleased and continued, “Their security will certainly be sufficient, and he himself is a Level Twenty master; there shouldn’t be any incidents.”

“That’s true,” Zhong Yun considered this, then added, “I wonder where they’ll stay? The academy’s reception building hasn't been built yet. Having the Planet Governor stay in the student dorms? That would be too… too much. They can just stay in the old staff housing. These are extraordinary times; everything must be simplified…” (To be continued. For the rest of the story, please log on to .**.m for more chapters.)