421: Discussion on penalties

At this moment, the leader of the Inspection Group stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over Li Yang and the other officials who had consistently upheld their principles, his tone carrying a hint of solemnity.

"Everyone, thank you for your hard work. Those involved in illegal activities will be taken back to headquarters for investigation according to the law, and the final outcome will be uniformly announced by the higher authorities."

He paused, then nodded slightly to Li Yang and the others.

"I will arrange for a special envoy to send you back shortly. Thank you for your full cooperation."

The air around them seemed to loosen, and the tense atmosphere gradually dissipated.

Li Yang looked at Wang Wen and the others being led away, his eyes devoid of any ripples—for him, this was not an end, but merely a point in fulfilling his duty... A week quietly passed, yet the administrative center of This Galaxy Cluster remained shrouded in a high-intensity work rhythm.

After Wang Wen and others confessed their guilt and submitted to the law, a large number of implicated officials were taken away by the supervisory department according to the law, causing a sudden large number of vacancies in previously occupied positions. Official documents piled up like mountains, and the coordinated operation of various departments almost came to a standstill.

To restore the normal functioning of the administrative system as quickly as possible, officials from other Galaxies were urgently coordinated and arrived at their posts overnight to temporarily fill the gaps.

Following this, an Assessment Assembly covering This Galaxy Cluster was swiftly launched—from grassroots clerks to middle-level managers, hundreds of thousands of candidates went through layers of screening, fiercely competing in multiple assessments such as simulated government affairs, emergency response, and integrity evaluations. Those employees who consistently stood by their posts and demonstrated outstanding abilities during the chaos were promoted exceptionally, quickly filling the job vacancies, and only then did the gears of the administrative center begin to turn smoothly again.

Early this morning, Li Yang's administrative management system suddenly lit up, and the final processing results for Wang Wen and others popped up.

The four principal offenders, led by former Speaker Wang Wen, were sentenced to one year of imprisonment in a mental prison for multiple charges including suspected illegal activities, and will face execution after the sentence is completed.

The text on the light screen was cold and piercing. Li Yang stared at the words "mental prison," his fingertips unconsciously rubbing.

He knew that this invisible prison would strip a person's consciousness from their body, forcing them to relive their most painful memories in an endless mental illusion, capable of destroying a person's will more effectively than physical punishment.

This so-called "mental prison" was an existence more terrifying than the death penalty in the Empire's penal system.

Once the judgment took effect, the prisoner's mental consciousness would be forcibly separated from the body and thrown into an absolutely dark space constructed of energy—there was no light, no sound, and even no concept of time.

The consciousness body would not feel hunger or fatigue, yet it would be repeatedly crushed by endless nihilism and loneliness.

Even more terrifying was the vast difference in time flow between this mental cage and reality; a 100 to 1 ratio meant that a one-year sentence in reality would be a full century of torment in that darkness.

A hundred years, consciousness trapped in pure darkness, where even self-dialogue became the only sound. In the end, even "who am I" would become blurred.

Many people's spirits collapsed in the first few years, and the remaining years were merely a numb floating in nothingness. At this point, if death could be welcomed, it would instead become a longed-for liberation.

As for the other accomplices involved in this case, even if their guilt was lighter, they could not escape severe punishment. The one with the shortest sentence was also sentenced to a hundred years of physical imprisonment, meaning he would spend most of his life in a cold cell.

The morning light outside the window penetrated the clouds and spilled into the office. Li Yang took a deep breath and closed the system.

This turmoil seemed to settle with the verdict, yet discussions regarding the disciplinary action for Li Yang and others remained inconclusive among the Empire's high-ranking officials.

After all, as the core management of This Galaxy Cluster, they bore the heavy responsibility of oversight and stability, yet allowed such a vast network of official collusion to fester and spread right under their noses, even evolving into systemic illegal activities. This itself was a serious dereliction of duty.

Even if they ultimately exposed the dark truth, their merits and demerits might cancel each other out, but no matter what, the words "no disciplinary action" were absolutely impossible within the Empire's rigorous, almost harsh, accountability system.

That pending disciplinary notice, like a sword hanging over the heads of Li Yang and others, neither fell nor departed, allowing the aftershocks of this turmoil to continuously linger over the administrative core of the Galaxy Cluster... Inside the conference room of the Xili Empire Supreme Political Council, holographic chandeliers emitted a solemn soft light, reflecting on the grave faces of those present.

In the center of the long table, Li Yang's file floated in mid-air, light and shadow shifting to clearly display the ins and outs of the incident.

The person at the head of the table lightly tapped the desktop with a finger, breaking the silence, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

"Everyone, it's time for a conclusion regarding Comrade Li Yang's disciplinary matter."

One person on the left frowned slightly, his tone carrying an undisguised struggle.

"According to the Empire's 'Public Officials Accountability Regulations,' supervisory dereliction of duty should indeed result in a demerit and demotion. But considering the situation at the time, he knew that reporting might implicate himself, yet he insisted on reporting it. If such courage and responsibility were to be strictly dealt with according to rigid rules, it might discourage many loyal and upright individuals."

"It's more than just discouraging."

Another person picked up the conversation, pointing a finger at the annotation "Imperial Emperor's Personally Approved Inspection Target" in the file.

"More importantly, Li Yang is someone the Imperial Emperor values. If we handle this improperly and displease the Imperial Emperor, who will bear that responsibility?"

The person sitting next to the head of the table picked up a water glass, his fingertips rubbing the rim for a moment, then said in a deep voice.

"This is precisely the tricky part. Too light, it won't demonstrate the strictness of the law. Too heavy, it will not only hurt the hearts of loyal officials but also potentially go against the Imperial Emperor's wishes."

The conference room fell silent again, the light of the holographic file flickering on and off on everyone's faces.

Everyone knew that this decision not only concerned the future of an official but also involved the authority of the law and public sentiment, and might even affect the Imperial Emperor's trust in the State Council.

"Perhaps..."

The person at the head of the table slowly began, his gaze profound.

"We should consider it from another angle—his 'dereliction of duty' stemmed from the courage to proactively expose the dark truth. Beyond the law, there is also reason and sentiment."

These words were like a stone thrown into a lake, stirring ripples in everyone's hearts.

Re-examining Li Yang's actions, his decisiveness and responsibility when reporting seemed to have quietly overshadowed the flaws of supervisory oversight.

In the conference room, the atmosphere was already grave due to Li Yang's disciplinary matter, and now it instantly tensed to the extreme.

Suddenly, when a string of text with the Xili Empire Imperial Emperor's exclusive golden pattern appeared out of thin air in the center of the conference table, several people almost reflexively stood up abruptly, their right fists pressed against their chests, then raised them high, shouting in a deep voice.

"Long live the Xili Empire!"

The deep sound echoed in the dome, carrying absolute reverence for the Empire's highest authority.