Chapter 103. The fate of the demonic race
Otis sat wearily in his chair. It was difficult for him to concentrate on the ongoing discussion. His thoughts were always wandering. He simply couldn't listen anymore. They kept discussing the same topics over and over again. And always exchanging the same arguments. It was really tiring because they weren't making any progress and were just spinning in circles. Although he was enthusiastic about it in the beginning, he has less enthusiasm now.
This is the third meeting this week. And this week has just begun. Normally, the Council meets once a week to discuss matters involving all Sindi races. This is what Parliament is for. To this end, all five Sindi races send representatives to Parliament. However, resolutions passed by Parliament are merely recommendations. These recommendations are discussed again within the respective governments and are not always endorsed.
There have been many meetings since Parliament resumed activity again half a year ago. inevitable. Many questions need to be resolved due to the personal actions of the Crawling Cindy and Insect Cindy and their betrayal of other Cindy races. In this regard, Otis hopes he will never do such a thing again. Because on the one hand, they have to punish Crawling Cindy and Insect Cindy, on the other hand, they cannot make further cooperation impossible. The two races cannot be shamed into giving up cooperation altogether. However, neither Otis nor his two colleagues, the plant Cindy Shanmo and the aquatic Cindy Lingfish, can decide to let the criminals go free.
Otis obtained evidence via the Republic that could prove the Creeping Cindy's plan to dominate the Cindy race. This evidence shocked all members of the Council, as Cindy Creeper had declared that she only wanted to destroy the Earth. However, no one expected that they would also seek to seize power in the same move. Even Insect Cindy was surprised when she helped Crawling Cindy build weapons. They also no longer object to Cindy's punishment when they realize the betrayal they have committed.
The leader of the Crawling Cindy, who takes the form of a snake, and a member of the Insect Cindy Council, has been detained. So did his closest aides. When they left the Time Hidden Cave, they thought they had changed the timeline, but were actually captured by soldiers from all four Sindy races. The Insect Sindy Government was also arrested and detained. Although they claim to know nothing about the Creeper's plan to transform into a snake, it's pretty hard to believe. They will face severe punishment, even death.
Since then, the disturbances have calmed down, and the Cindy Alliance has regained its calm. By administering the punishment, the insect Cindy was temporarily silenced. Observers now have a presence in all areas of insect life, especially in government and the military. Therefore, nothing can happen without the knowledge of other alliance members. Despite Insect Cindy's strong protests, in the end they had no choice but to accept the status quo. Even they themselves are not strong enough to stand alone against all other Sindy races.
Now it's time to take the next step. These events also provide opportunities for change. The Insect Sindy and the Crawling Sindy's betrayal and attempts to seize power brought the other four Sindy races closer together once again. The other four Sindi races realize that they cannot ignore each other if they are to avoid similar incidents from happening again. Otis was happy about this. He appears to be one step closer to achieving his goal of uniting the Sindy race. However, to his regret, he did not have enough time to continue advancing his goals before the Sindi race established contact with other great powers. The incident has completely disrupted his plans. The connection with the Federation has been established, the key now is to maintain it. The chances are favorable. Perhaps facing the sudden appearance of other great powers, the Sindi race will be more united than he expected.
There have been hours of discussion on this issue. What form should diplomatic engagement take? Who will be the representative of Cindy's race? Should each race have a representative, or should a representative be elected jointly? They had been discussing it for hours without making any progress. Likewise, the second question was also placed on the agenda. The experiment that has been going on for a hundred years is about the crawling Cindy, which was also revealed half a year ago. Creeping Cindy once hatched a plan to destroy the Earth. They once wanted to conquer the Earth through military means. However, to stay out of trouble, they created a race of warriors. They mixed Demon Flame's DNA with Cindy's DNA, creating warriors with the strength of insect Cindy, the vision of crawling Cindy, and the technological understanding of primates. These warriors are only intelligent enough to use and repair technical equipment, but lack initiative, so Creeper Cindy can control them at any time.
After plans to use these warriors to conquer Earth stalled, the Demon Flame remained. They gradually conquered areas and brought them under the control of the Crawling Cindy. So Creeping Cindy has relatively little interest in ending it all. Because new territory brings new resources and the opportunity to establish new colonies.
Otis had brought the issue to parliament half a year ago, but was met with opposition. At that time, Insect Cindy Cindy's actions were even more urgent and important. The problem of demonic flames does not currently plague the Sindy race. And since this problem has been around for a hundred years, there's no reason for urgent change. The same goes for connections to the Federation. Everything has been postponed.
However, things are now very calm and Otis decides it's time to bring these issues back on the agenda again. So he revived the issues two weeks ago. Discussions in Parliament have been heated ever since.
On the issue with the Federation, after a long debate, they finally reached an agreement. Diplomatic contacts should be made to establish relations with the Federation. Although Insect Cindy had some reservations about this, these were eventually put aside. They decided to create a full diplomatic mission. This way, each Sindi race can send a representative to participate in negotiations. In this way, all races have equal rights and there is no hierarchy that could lead to promotion or demotion. Otis was satisfied with this. He achieved a small victory.
However, the problem of demonic flames is far more complicated. While everyone agrees that passing on Cindy's DNA is unacceptable and must never happen again, opinions differ widely on how to deal with the demonic flames. The Creeping Sindy wish to integrate them into Sindy culture as a lower class of warriors. This way, they can serve as cannon fodder in future conflicts so that no more Cindy's life is sacrificed. However, insect Cindy doesn't accept the offer. They are proud to be warriors and to serve as the vanguard of the Cindy armies. A new class of warriors would hurt their pride and make them feel they had lost their status. They want to destroy the Demon Flame and see them as a failed experiment. Every demonic flame must be destroyed. However, the plant-Cindy and humanoid races disapprove of this mass slaughter. The suggestion put forward by Plant Cindy is to recover the Cindy DNA of Demon Flame and restore them to the state before Crawling Cindy interfered. However, other members of parliament agreed that this would be nearly impossible and too cumbersome. Otis proposed imprisoning all the Demonic Flames on their planet and depriving them of the possibility of reproduction. In this way, the demonic flames can continue to live, and in a hundred years at most, the race will become extinct. However, the workload of stopping all the demonic flames from escaping and imprisoning them would be enormous. Therefore, this proposal did not gain majority support. At present, only the aquatic Sindy race has not proposed a solution.
Despite hours of daily discussions, they have made no progress. On one issue, they have a consensus: it is impossible for Demon Flame to gain independence. Without Creeping Cindy's leadership, the race has become unpredictable. They became wandering pirates who could attack anyone, even the gods they once worshiped. No one wants to take such a risk.
Otis made an inner call to himself, trying to focus again on what was happening. Shan Mo from the plant Cindy race repeated the argument for the hundredth time why the Demon Flame could not be simply killed. They keep repeating the same arguments over and over again. They are stuck in a cycle. Now it's time for the aquarium Cindyling to take a stand. Their opinions will be decisive. Otis knew that Lingyu was always hesitant when making decisions. It’s not about this issue specifically, it’s just that they always take a long time to make a decision. But now is the time. They cannot discuss it endlessly, and the aquarium Cindyling just listens and rejects all proposals on the subject.
When Shan Mo finished his speech, the room fell into silence. Everyone knew there was nothing more to say. They've said all they have to say. It just repeats itself again and again, and no one is interested in it anymore.
Otis stood up. There was some pain in his knees. Sitting still for long periods of time is really not for him. He had to stifle a yawn before he could speak. Clumsily covering his mouth with his hand as if to scratch his upper lip. He hoped no one noticed. Then he turned to the window in the wall. Behind the glass was a body of water, aquatic Cindy's living space.
"It's time for Aqua Cindy to tell us their side of the matter on behalf of Lingyu," he said loud and clear. "Each of us has stated our position in detail," he stressed, making a wraparound gesture that did not include the windows pointing toward the pool. "However, the Aquatic Cindyling has so far just listened and rejected everything. But now that's no longer enough."
Other delegates murmured their approval.
The eyes of the aquatic Cindy Lingyu narrowed slightly. He moved his head slowly from side to side, appearing to shake his head. Then, the voice-turned-song sounds, and the computer immediately translates it. "We will make our decision within two days." After saying that, he turned around and swam away.
Otis was confused. Aquatic Cindy Lingyu dared to ignore members of the council. "Is that all?" he shouted at last, when he had overcome his panic. "You have nothing more to tell us?"
But the aquarium Cindy Lingyu didn’t respond again. He swam out of sight. And for aquatic creatures, not being able to catch up is a disadvantage. They have their own living space, segregated from other Cindy. This makes them outsiders. In other words, it is a special existence. Aquatic Cindylings think they are special, and they show it openly. This was something Otis once again had to admit.
Therefore, they had no choice but to postpone Parliament for two days. Parliament is a real test of patience.
When Ingmar entered his apartment, he was tired of the day. All he wanted was to take a shower, eat something small, and maybe read for a while. And be sure to go to bed early. His idea in the morning was to go to the gym after finishing work, but now he has given up on that. He was quite frustrated with the monotonous work. But this is his own choice. He couldn't complain.
However, his computer's flashing notifications made him forget about showering. He received a message. Before he knew who it was, his heart was beating faster. Could this be a message from Shu Ran? He walked hesitantly towards the sofa. In fact, he didn't want to be happy about hearing from her anymore. He wanted to ignore it. He wanted to be calm about her news. But after half a year, it's really frustrating that he's still so dependent on her. Especially now that they've been separated for longer than they've been together. Still, there was nothing he could do. His heart refused to follow the guidance of reason. He slowly picked up his data tablet, which gave him access to his computer, and checked the messages. The sender flashed loudly, and Ingmar felt his heart beating out of his chest. The message was indeed sent by Shu Ran. This is a recorded video message. He clicked it with slightly trembling hands.
Shu Ran's figure appeared on the screen. She was as beautiful as he remembered. Maybe even more beautiful. Her face shines under the camera's focus. Her eyes had the same energy they had at the beginning of their relationship. Her magic seemed to fill him with new energy. Ingmar could stare at this scene forever. But the computer started playing the message.
"Hi, Ingmar, how are you?" she began cheerfully. "I'm fine. I still like working here very much. It's hard to believe that it's been half a year, right? Even though the colleagues here are far less friendly than you." She smiled, with charming dimples showing at the corners of her mouth, which added to the added charm. of her beauty. Then she became serious again. She continued softly, "Time flies so fast. It's been a long time since I've been able to talk to you directly. These video messages are not the same. We simply can't mess around like before. I miss chatting and having fun with you." Time." Her sincere gaze made Ingmar feel heartbroken. "I hope to have the opportunity to communicate directly and maybe meet again soon." She paused and looked to the side awkwardly. "Hey, I watched a few more of the movies on your list. I must say, the Charlie Chaplin movies are fantastic. Especially considering these movies were made in the early 20th century. That's when the movie industry was still alive In the cradle period. Wow, I plan to watch a few Audrey Hepburn movies next. Or Katharine Hepburn's? These names are so similar, who can tell them apart?" She smiled again. Then looked askance at him. "Do you still think about me from time to time? And the time we spent together? Have I ever mentioned how wonderful it was to spend time with you? I have that heart-pounding, butterflies-fluttering feeling. That feeling Never came back." She shook her head in confusion. "It's nice to have a friend like you. Being able to talk to you about anything. I'm so grateful to have you." She was silent again for a moment. "By the way, how about your plan to go swimming regularly? You once said you would add it to your exercise plan so that you wouldn't be embarrassed when we swim together again. Admit it, you didn't do it ." She looked at him with a smile on her face. Then a female voice came from behind. Shu Ran turned around briefly. "My roommate is back. I need closure. Remember to contact me. I always look forward to hearing from you. Take care and see you soon." She blew him a kiss, then the message ended and the screen went dark again.
Ingmar continued to stare at the screen for a few seconds, then fell back on the sofa, rested his head on it and closed his eyes. His heart was beating fast and he felt a knot in his throat. His longing for Shu Ran suddenly became stronger again. He missed this woman very much. He missed her madness, her warmth, her breath. And her touch was always so gentle and passionate. Every time he thought things were getting better, they would go backwards again. This is really terrible. He was writhing in pain. Now she asked him if he sometimes thought of her. And what a wonderful time they had. She had never asked before. Does she want to go back to him? In his current state, he would welcome her without hesitation. Even though his mind was denying it, he couldn't change his inner feelings. However, she also mentioned that he was a good friend and just a friend. If she really wanted to come back, she probably wouldn't have said that. But his wild hope immediately overwhelmed the idea.
He wanted more than anything to reply to her immediately, but he couldn't muster the courage. His body refused to obey him and the psychological pain he felt was so overwhelming that he could do nothing. He sat here and continued to think about Shu Ran. Holding onto hope while knowing that it will never come true. She would just play with him again. It's really maddening. He can't live without her. But she clearly wasn't.
He was sure he wouldn't sleep a wink tonight. There was no way he could even take a shower now. In fact, he just wanted to put the quilt over his head and ignore the world.
And Gladys stood alone in a completely dark room. She clutched the phaser, ready to use it at a moment's notice. She observed the darkness with calm concentration. Her breathing was steady. She has merged her mind and body into one.
Suddenly, a small light on the wall lit up. She quickly aimed her gun and fired. A small release of energy hit the spot, and then it disappeared, reappearing to her left. She turned the gun sharply and fired again. She hit that spot again. Then it appeared in another corner of the room. It all happened so fast she barely had time to breathe. She recognized the spot, took aim and fired. again and again. Twenty times in total. In the end, she only missed once. That's a pretty good performance for this training program. However, she was not satisfied with this. She never succeeded in achieving a perfect score. Although almost no one can achieve it, she has high requirements for herself. Because in an emergency, lives may depend on her hits.
