The Outcast

For a human civilization, regardless of period or s.p.a.ce, whether there were any historical records or not, as long as a form of society was developed, it would not be able to avoid getting enveloped by layers upon layers of bureaucracy. The Federation that possessed tens of habitable planets and larger amount of resource stars was not an exception for this. Instead, due to the large population and expansion towards outer s.p.a.ce, this atmosphere of bureaucracy seems even deeper.

An official mail package from the second police department of Riverwest State, the Capital of Eastwood started its long journey under such atmosphere of bureaucracy. Prior to the journey, it went through three different departments for seal of approval at Riverwest State. Subsequently, it went through two round trips from the aviation department and logistics department before boarding the s.p.a.ceship headed towards the Capital Star System.

Only three months later did this official mail package reached the administrative planet of the Capital Star System, also known as Highwood by the citizens of the Federation. It lay peacefully within the clean packing box, silently sitting at the corner in a car, leaving the airport and going along the high-speed highway located between the green woods and magnificent buildings. The journey to reach a government organization located outside the capital lasted four hours.

The information transceiver department of the Federation"s Seventeenth Research Inst.i.tute signed the receipt before categorizing this package and putting it in the automatic doc.u.ment transmitter. Accompanied by the small sound of machinery, the package numbly went through the tunnels within the walls and reached a brightly lit office.

A department deputy director saw the package beside the table and curiously adjusted his gla.s.ses while reading the unfamiliar address on the package. After furrowing his brows for a long time, he finally recalled that this somewhat familiar handwriting belonged to a faraway comrade of his.

Old Bao has been staying at that place where even birds don"t s.h.i.t for more than ten years. I suppose even his brain has been muddled from staying there. The deputy director thought.  He received an email from Deputy Chief Bao three months ago; however he had long forgotten the seriousness of Deputy Chief Bao when entrusting the matter to him.

"Why does a police station exhibit needs the research inst.i.tute"s appraisal? How much money was wasted sending it over from Eastwood? Seems like this kid is not afraid of being accused of wasting taxpayer"s money during the committee audit…" The deputy shook his somewhat aching head and pressed the caller device on his desk.

A research worker wearing silver gla.s.ses walked in. His gray hair gave him an appearance of someone who had been in the seventeenth research inst.i.tute for a sufficient length of time. The middle-aged research worker looked at the deputy director fawningly and asked, "Head, is there anything?"

"En…there is an exhibit sent over from the Eastwood Police Headquarters here. The appraisal application form is also inside the package. Take this to the laboratory to have a look." The deputy director said in a carefree manner.

The middle-aged research worker gave the mail package a glance and noticed that the inscription on it belonged to the Riverwest State"s Second Police Department instead of the Eastwood Police Headquarters. He immediately understood what transpired. Based on the rank of a state police branch, it was very hard for them to be qualified enough to apply for appraisal from the seventeenth research inst.i.tute. It seems like the deputy director was doing a personal favor, but since the counterparty chose to use the official channel for this then naturally it would be inconvenient to ask too much.

"Which aspects do we need to appraise?" The middle-age research worker took down the gla.s.ses rested on the bridge of his nose, glanced at the mail package in a serious manner and enquired, "Is there a time limit?"

"No." The deputy director waved his hand when he remembered the content of the mail package and said, "You mainly needs to compare the craftsmanship and see if there is any similarities with the secret service or the military…the country folk at Eastwood was very worried that this was leaked from the military."

The middle age research worker smiled, turned around and left the office without saying anything.

The next day, he went back to the office and reported the appraisal results to his head, "There were no encryptions in the core materials so this shouldn"t be something leaked from the military. However, the craftsmanship is indeed somewhat related to the military. This is probably a counterfeit product from Bermuda."

"En." The head asked, "So nothing out of place found?"

"No."

Just like this, the appraisal request that Deputy Chief Bao started in a fit of dissatisfaction ended its journey. After receiving the formal reply from the seventeenth research inst.i.tute, this deputy chief was still unable to determine if the silhouette during that night was a real federal secret service.

As for the metallic electric rod that was appraised, it was repackaged together with the outer case of its packaging and the appraisal report and stored into the incomparably large underground warehouse of the seventeenth research inst.i.tute. Its mission in history seemed to end at this moment. Based on the Federation regulations related to exhibits, if nothing unexpected happened, it would spend its whole life in this huge, gloomy, dark, cold and secluded warehouse, unable to leave, slowly forgotten by people.

One day, two days. One month, two months. The exhibit faced the similar fated companions around it in loneliness, not knowing how long it needed to stay here. Luckily, the conditions of the federal departments were not bad as dust removal was done fabulously; there was no worry that it would be covered by the history of dust and the irksome cobwebs.

The river of time quietly walked two steps forward, reaching the spring of 65th year of the const.i.tutional calendar. Two years had pa.s.sed since this electric rod reached the capital star system"s seventeenth research inst.i.tute. A slim hand suddenly took it out once again.

Chen Yijiang, a fresh graduate from the State University that pa.s.sed the Federation"s recruitment process with great difficulties had joined the seventeenth research inst.i.tute and end up being dispatched to supervise the warehouse. This still pa.s.sionate new hire obviously had not been polluted by the stale bureaucracy and still maintained his curiosity towards things.

He had been in this warehouse for forty days and was currently in the process of re-labeling the exhibits when he saw the transparent vacuum bag and the metallic axle within.

"An electric rod was actually hidden within the crystal screen, interesting." Chen Yijiang smiled and started the registration process. However, after finishing the registration process he did not put the exhibit back immediately. This was because back when he was at school, he enjoyed personally making some small trinkets. Now that he found this piece of exhibit very interesting, his interest to study it was sparked.

Along with progression of the research, it was very normal for the federal agencies to conduct another round of appraisal on exhibits. However, no one was willing to perform this kind of additional tasks where no overtime wages were paid.

Three days later, Chen Yijiang with his eyes full of delight completed a thesis paper and posted it in the research inst.i.tute"s website. The thesis was t.i.tled as [Structural characteristics of exhibit number: W3278]. Naturally, such dull thesis immediately reached the bottom, failing to attract any attention.

In a particularly quiet area of the federal administration capital, a department possessing the Federation"s highest security level was located. At the balcony of this department, the capital center where the regulatory commission building and the presidential administrative building can be seen at distant. However, the staff members dressed in black suits that were pa.s.sing in hurry never casted any envy filled gaze there.

This was because they were staff members of the Charter Department, shouldering the most honorable mission of the Federation.

At the core area of this building was a s.p.a.cious room where a two dimensional display screen suspended in midair was flickering without stop. The highest-end calculation and searching capability of human civilization caused the scenes on the screen to flash through at a horrifying speed. No human could clearly see the contents flashing through the screen with their naked eyes apart from the middle control computer that was running the calculation and searching process itself.

Countless data from the Federation"s society were categorized and a.n.a.lyzed here, regardless of fights between the political parties or the situation of the anti-government army, all sorts of information converged here. Naturally, the currently prioritized information was information regarding the Westwood region as it was unknown to anyone if the Empire would start a war again.

Suddenly, the scenes on the screen slowed down and stopped at a picture. On the picture was a screenshot of a small thesis written by a certain research worker. Subsequently, the location where the exhibit labeled AW3278 was stored appeared on the screen.

The sound of alarm began resounding throughout the strictest area of the Federation, the Charter Department.