Chapter 242: Chapter 156: We Always Thought the Seeds Were Harmless

Zuo An asked, "When Vice Dean Zhang sent the seeds from an alien planet, did he not include any instructions?"

"No. Besides the seeds, there was nothing. They looked a lot like rocks," Liu Mingdao said. "When we were moving them, we even wondered if Vice Dean Zhang was playing a joke on us. But later, Vice Dean Zhang sent an email to Dean Song, which Dean Song then forwarded to me."

Liu Mingdao was starting to find his stride, his confusion clearing. Even his voice held a new clarity. "In the email, Vice Dean Zhang said that he and the pioneering team found these seeds in the wreckage of a crashed aircraft on that Deserted Star.

He took the seeds to show the local indigenous people, but none of them had ever seen such a thing. He speculated that they were the seeds of some plant, and that they were most likely not native to the Deserted Star he was on.

The Deserted Star lacked the facilities to analyze the seeds’ properties, so Vice Dean Zhang sent them back, asking Dean Song and his team to study them. This all happened last February.

At the time, the Dean had us all busy with our current projects, so we couldn’t spare anyone to research those seeds. Then, during a routine meeting last May, our Dean and the professors were discussing the topics for the special enrollment exam.

Vice Dean Zhang was still on the Deserted Star at the time, but he joined the meeting via a remote feed. He took the opportunity to ask us about the seeds. When he heard that we still hadn’t formed a special team to study what he’d sent, he lost his temper.

It was Vice Dean Liu who suggested using the seeds for the next year’s special enrollment exam, which is what finally calmed him down."

Dean Song looked utterly bewildered.

The things Liu Mingdao was talking about... it was as if they had happened, and yet, as if they hadn’t.

In truth, they had indeed happened.

He had simply ignored them.

A short, stout man in the back row of the gallery shot to his feet, pointing an accusing finger at Liu Mingdao. "You, student! What did you mean by that last sentence? Are you trying to pin all the blame on me? The topic for the special enrollment exam was decided by all three deans together! How did it suddenly become my decision alone?!"

This man, with his oily face, large ears, and a voice that boomed like a bell, was none other than Vice Dean Liu of the Agricultural College.

Liu Mingdao turned to the prosecutor and explained earnestly, "I’m not trying to absolve my mentor, Dean Song, of his responsibility. I’m merely stating the facts. I am not only Dean Song’s graduate student, but I also serve as his assistant.

Because Dean Song pays little attention to anything besides seedling cultivation, I developed a habit of taking notes on everything while working with him—not just experimental data, but other matters as well.

This includes the routine meeting I just mentioned; I have a record of it. And it’s not just that meeting. I often attend other meetings on behalf of Dean Song, and I always take notes.

If the prosecutor requires it, I can retrieve the minutes from that meeting last May. I’ve kept them all archived."

Zuo An nodded. "Please present the relevant evidence."

After receiving a subtle glance from Zuo An, another prosecutor went to interface with Liu Mingdao’s Light Brain.

Vice Dean Liu strode to the front, his eyes bulging as he roared in fury, "Song Yinghe, you and your people are really trying to bring me down, aren’t you! Fine! If I’m going down, I’m taking you all with me!"

He looked at Zuo An.

"Prosecutor, I also have evidence to present!"

But despite saying that, he didn’t submit his so-called evidence. Instead, he displayed it publicly for all to see.

It was surveillance footage from a greenhouse.

The picture was sharp, and the audio was crystal clear.

In the footage, Dean Song was focused on studying a seedling, head down, while his son, Song Xiaoxing, chattered on incessantly beside him.

This was the day Song Xiaoxing had come to warn Dean Song that the seeds were poisonous. His voice was loud, and he stressed the gravity of the situation.

Vice Dean Liu declared, "This footage you’re all seeing is from two days ago—the day a special enrollment student nearly died from accidentally ingesting one of the tree seeds. Dean Song clearly knew how serious the situation was from what his son told him, yet he didn’t notify us immediately to take countermeasures. His failure to act directly led to another student being poisoned!

I’d like to ask you, Dean Song, after your son told you how dire the situation was, why didn’t you immediately make arrangements for us to recall those Poisonous Tree Seeds?! You let this situation fester and escalate, letting it get worse and worse until you couldn’t cover it up anymore—until it reached the Imperial Family! Only then did you propose to end the special enrollment exam early!

What in the world were you thinking?!"

Vice Dean Liu’s final, forceful question hit Dean Song like a physical blow, leaving him completely stunned.

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