Chapter 216: Twin Mirror Lake
Chapter 216: Twin Mirror Lake
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He didn't even struggle and just admitted it?
As the Aquarius Director accepted his guilt without a fight, the six Deputy Directors he accused froze in shock.
Although they had gathered ample evidence to leave the Aquarius Director with no room for denial, intending to subject him to memory extraction, his sudden confession caught everyone off guard.
"However~"
The Aquarius Director glanced at the six Deputy Directors, a slight smirk forming on his lips as he spoke leisurely.
"These deeds were indeed committed by 'me,' but they can't be entirely attributed to me. I am guilty, but not to the extent of warranting memory extraction."
"Aquarius Director, please clarify your statement."
The Director of the Purification Bureau, with a furrowed brow, issued a warning.
"Additionally, my time is limited, so let's not play guessing games. If I don't understand your words before the time flow in the Land of Eternal Slumber returns to normal, I'll assume you're trying to stall for time to prevent my vote. My vote will then go to those seeking your removal."
"Sorry, I'm an old man with a slow mind. I tend to be meticulous when I speak, hehe."
In response to the Director's blunt threat, the Aquarius Director casually apologized with a laugh, then continued at a leisurely pace.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm not as open as Lord Taurus, and I'm not used to being in the spotlight. So, I've never revealed my true identity.
But now that I'm pushed into a corner, it seems I have no choice but to expose myself. Aside from being the Aquarius Director, I was also the previous Director of the Gemini Bureau."
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The previous Director of the Gemini Bureau?!
Upon hearing the Aquarius Director's words, the gazes of the various Bureau Directors instantly shifted to the current Director of the Gemini Bureau, seeking confirmation from him. After a moment of silence, the Director of the Gemini Bureau, expressionless, asked in return:
"According to our records, the previous Director was sent to mediate the war between the Sea Folk and the Crust Life. He was driven into the Wandering Sea's Great Rift and, due to getting lost, accidentally ventured too deep into the Earth's core and should have died."
"I did die, but not completely... However, this is unrelated to what I wanted to say. To avoid the Directors' vote to remove me, let's leave these details for another time."
Dispelling the thin mist that obscured his face, the Aquarius Director revealed his features, which had been slightly blurred. He continued with a calm demeanor.
"Just as the Deputy Director of the Virgo Bureau is responsible for guarding the Thirteen Ant Nests, the Director of the Gemini Bureau also guards a numbered anomaly, an object named Twin Mirror Lake, with the archive number 021 in the Central Agency.
As the former Director of the Gemini Bureau, I was the guardian of the Twin Mirror Lake. You should be able to verify this, and you should also recognize my face."
The Director of the Gemini Bureau fell silent once more, then nodded.
"Yes, that's correct."
"Good, now that you've confirmed it."
The Aquarius Director nodded slightly and continued his explanation.
"Every drop of water in the Twin Mirror Lake is a nearly two-dimensional crystal. Two hundred million drops, stacked together, are only as thick as a person's thumbnail, allowing them to be carried on one's person. When I went on that mediation mission, I had it with me.
The mission was indeed perilous. Before escaping into the Great Rift, I thought I was doomed. If my body had fallen into the hands of the Sea Folk, and they had opened the container holding the Twin Mirror Lake, the two hundred million drops of water would have merged with the ocean and, through ocean currents and evaporation, slowly spread throughout the world."
At this point, the Aquarius Director paused briefly, surveying the expressions of those around him. He sighed softly.
"As I mentioned, each drop of twin water in the Twin Mirror Lake is a natural mirror. But what I didn't say is that any intelligent being reflected in these mirrors will instantly split into two identical individuals. If those two hundred million drops of twin water were to merge with the ocean, the consequences would be unimaginable."
"So, in a moment of desperation, I had no choice but to drink all the twin water and plunge into the deepest part of the sea trench, heading towards the Earth's core, intending to take this object with me. Unfortunately, my wish didn't come true..."
"No need to continue, I understand your intention.
After interrupting the Aquarius Director's narration, the Director of the Purification Bureau frowned and said, "Are you trying to tell us that after drinking the Twin Waters, you created a duplicate of yourself, and all those actions were committed by that duplicate?"
"Although it may sound like an excuse, that is indeed the truth."
The Aquarius Director nodded in agreement with the Director's statement and then sighed, "This was indeed my negligence and a personal disgrace. That's why I never reported it to the Bureau but instead pursued the duplicate privately, hoping to make up for this mistake in my own way."
"Unfortunately, the duplicate created from the Twin Waters has the same abilities as me. I've been chasing him for so many years, but I've never been successful."
"However, he operates very covertly, and the harm he caused in the past was minimal. Moreover, the anomalies he created could even bring in additional resources for the Bureau. Due to my selfishness, I kept this matter hidden."
"I apologize for violating the Bureau's regulations. As a form of atonement, I'm willing to resign from my position as the Aquarius Director and continue the pursuit of my duplicate. Is this punishment sufficient?"
"..."
Bullshit! You're just trying to shirk responsibility!
Upon hearing the Aquarius Director's explanation, the Red-haired Director's expression darkened, and Director Beverley of the Lion Bureau was so furious that her lungs felt ready to explode. She stood up and shouted, "If this can be considered an explanation, then anyone could claim that they have a duplicate who is responsible for their misdeeds! Furthermore, you were the only one present during these incidents. How can we be sure that what you're saying is true?"
"It's not impossible."
After patiently waiting for Beverley to finish, the Aquarius Director, with a tearful face, responded with a smile, "As long as you can produce another Twin Mirror Lake and create a duplicate with the ability to defeat me, then even if I'm killed by someone named Beverley, I will firmly believe that the murderer is the duplicate, not you. Are you satisfied with this answer?"
"You!!!"
"Additionally, there's another way to prove what I've said."
The Aquarius Director smiled and said, "You can check the sealing device in the underground of the Gemini Bureau and see if the Twin Mirror Lake has disappeared.
Also, the directors who led the inquiry against me can compare their records to see if there are any conflicting timelines.
Is it possible that when you found 'me,' the real me was in another place, doing something else?"
"There's no need to check."
The Red-haired Director rejected the Aquarius Director's suggestion and stopped Beverley, who wanted to say something more. He sighed inwardly as he watched the Aquarius Director, who seemed confident, smile at him.
There's no point in checking. Since the Aquarius Director dared to bring this up, he must have an alibi. Among the hundreds of records of the Aquarius Director's movements, as long as a few of them can confirm the director's location, the rest would be rendered useless.
If my guess is correct, the Aquarius Director must have planned his response in case he was discovered before engaging in large-scale anomaly creation. Perhaps he even prepared this excuse two or three decades ago.
During these two or three decades, he only needed to appear in two places at once a few times to prove the existence of his "duplicate."
Given the director's status within the Bureau, without solid evidence, it would be impossible to subject him to a memory extraction. As for the consequences caused by the so-called duplicate, he has already resigned, leaving little else to be done.
This inquiry seems to have been a loss for us due to insufficient preparation.
Director Beverley and I only gathered evidence for a month for the inquiry, while the Aquarius Director has been preparing for at least twenty years. How can we compete with that?
(End of Chapter)
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