Chen Ming frowned and thought for a while, then said, "I might need to get used to it."

"It’s fine, anyway we probably won’t have much to do in the next two days, you can adapt slowly."

Bai Quan suddenly patted Chen Ming on the shoulder and then they separated, each walking to different rooms in the spaceship corridor.

Chen Ming waved to Bai Quan, contemplating the words Bai Quan had said as he returned to his room.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

As usual, Chen Ming lay on the sofa in the place where classes were held, looking at the daily report sent by Bai Quan.

He closely followed the progress of the investigation into the incident every day from the report.

And every day, the contents of the report developed almost entirely along the lines Bai Quan had guessed, as Lou Wei’s faction indeed continued to cooperate with the regulatory department’s investigation.

Even if this incident really involved the highest levels of the opposing faction, a Vice Admiral of the same rank as Bai Quan, they still cooperated with the regulatory department to complete the investigation.

The final result of the investigation was that the Vice Admiral’s deputy intentionally and privately leaked the whereabouts of Chen Ming and Bai Quan.

The deputy was, of course, immediately taken into custody.

Other individuals, however, did not end up in prison.

Instead, there were other penalties, not specifically enumerated.

However, right after Chen Ming received the daily report, Bai Quan handed him the outcome that wasn’t included in the report.

The content was the final punishment of the other people involved from the Lou Wei faction that wasn’t recorded in the daily report.

Chen Ming didn’t pay attention to others, he immediately sought out the highest-ranking Vice Admiral of the Lou Wei faction.

Although he wasn’t the mastermind behind this matter, his failure to properly manage his subordinates and ensure the team’s integrity still required him to take on certain joint responsibilities.

The final penalty was a formal public apology and self-criticism to Bai Quan and Chen Ming within the Fourteenth Legion.

And like all other key individuals, he was demoted by half a rank.

In addition, there were minor sanctions like clearing supplements and forfeiting salary, but they seemed quite mild.

But Chen Ming didn’t form a conclusion and pointed to a line in the penalty document and asked Bai Quan, "Is there really a half-rank in military ranks?"

"This is a nominal half-rank, to put it bluntly, it’s much like probation—provided no issues arise in the future, the position can be restored, but if any issues do arise during this period, all problems will be counted together."

"At least for a certain time, they won’t cause trouble for us anymore."

Chen Ming immediately felt the severity of the half-rank demotion and said, "So it means if they make a mistake during this time, they’ll be taken down? Then I feel they’re done for."

Bai Quan said, "They are indeed done for, so I’m a bit surprised that they actually went through with it."

"But this can be considered a strategic retreat in a crisis. If they dared to continue advancing even a little, it wouldn’t just be the half-rank demotion saving them some face."

"When we first arrived here a few days ago, I felt something was off about their attitude."

Chen Ming also recalled immediately.

At that time, Major General Song’s attitude toward Bai Quan seemed quite normal, there was no sense of confrontation, it didn’t seem like a continuation of conflict with Bai Quan, but purely the discomfort of being humiliated.

The others all kept their heads down then, not wishing to say much.

At the time, Chen Ming thought it was because the inspection by the regulatory department had them each worried about their problems, but it turned out they already understood they had no future on the political stage.

"Is it... over?"

"They are over, not everyone. There isn’t just one faction within the Legion targeting me, but Lou Wei’s faction was the most aggressive."

Chen Ming put down the terminal in his hand, looked at Bai Quan, and said, "I feel it’s somewhat unreal. They made so many moves before, only to have it all end with this one small move?"

"Because this involves the life and death of a General Level individual, things naturally develop in this direction, as it did last time."

"Think about those two Vice Admirals in the Battle Zone, their entanglement with Zuo Jing runs so deep, they can’t even retire peacefully."

Bai Quan suddenly said with some emotion, "We are all within a set of established rules now; once you cross the line, you have to exit. As long as you don’t keep courting disaster, a steady exit is always an option."

"For us, it’s often not necessary to drag the opposite side down or kill them to end things; if you can force them to a position like this, the result is the same."

"Within the Legion, it’s not just about fighting and killing; I only understood this recently."

"The matter is completely concluded now, and they can only barely maintain their final dignity."

Chen Ming stared at the final penalties listed on the terminal for a while and also said with some emotion, "What a pity."

"What do you pity? Do you want to see them end up with homes destroyed, families broken, with nobody coming to their door?"

"Something like that," Chen Ming said, "I hope everyone who has a grudge against me dies miserably."

However, as he spoke, he suddenly thought of Cheng Xinghe and quickly added a sentence: "At least before reconciliation."

"Honestly, I can’t quite accept it now."

"Although they have no future on the political stage, they should be able to spend their twilight years peacefully, right?"

Bai Quan didn’t have much to say about that: "Because these are the rules, these rules are also our guarantee in case we ever fall from power."

Chen Ming shook his head without saying a word.

Bai Quan could tell Chen Ming was a bit frustrated, but as he had just said, these are the rules.

"In short, Zuo Jing’s matters have finally settled."

"But our issues aren’t over yet, there are still three tasks ahead of us."

"Estimate the value of your research findings, verify your ability to control the colony, and... take advantage of the opportunity."