Superstars of Tomorrow

Chapter 325: Death Penalty!

Translator: Min_Lee Editor: Tennesh

When the senior official at the police dog academy in Muzhou saw the call from Huo Yi, his heart leaped. He was worried that something was wrong with one of the dogs they'd sent or that Huo Yi was thick skinned enough to ask him for more dogs.

"Hello, old classmate!" Huo Yi's pitch was rising; he seemed to be in a good mood.

The senior official was already on guard. "What's the matter? Strictly speaking, we weren't classmates."

"Comrades, then? Anyway, let's not belabor the point. I have some news for you."

"Good or bad?"

"Good, I suppose."

"Keep going. In any case, don't think about asking for more dogs. You've maxed out with the last few dogs. So many folks objected to the loan and I still talked them down."

"Look at how petty you sound. Why don't you listen to what I have to say and decide."

"So you're saying you are eyeing one of our dogs again?"

"We arrested Dog Butcher."

The senior official was about to b*tch some more, but when he heard the name "Dog Butcher," he turned serious and his fists tightened. "Is this a joke?"

The name "Dog Butcher" had left an indelible scar on them, especially the few trainers who had witnessed the slaughter of their beloved dogs. It had been years, but they still hadn't healed.

"I've sent you a copy of the DNA match results. If you still don't believe me, you can send someone to verify his identity. If it really is Dog Butcher, I'll leave him at your disposal after I'm done interrogating him. How about that?" At a measured pace, Huo Yi continued, "As a token of thanks, you can send me 10 more pups from the top class."

"That's impossible! We're running out of Class A pups. We just gave out another round. At most, I can give you two. But let's hold our horses. Did you folks really catch Dog Butcher yourself?"

"Of course!" Huo Yi kept his composure. "You should decide soon. Dog Butcher has close ties to certain industries. After I'm done with my interrogation, I'm going to have to make some major moves that are bound to draw a lot of attention. If someone comes asking for him then, I'm not sure I'll be able to stop them."

"I don't care what you need to do. You must hold Dog Butcher for me!"

In the end, Huo Yi's request for dogs was set aside until Dog Butcher's identity was confirmed. The senior official at the police dog school didn't totally buy Huo Yi's story. He had no idea what condition the first batch of dogs he'd sent to Wai was in. He would wait for the person he'd dispatched to the Wai base to report back. If the base wasn't secure enough, he wouldn't send any more of his elite pups over. Those pups were their babies!

After pondering the matter further, the official made a few calls.

The head trainer at the police dog academy.

A chief of staff at Muzhou military headquarters.

The local branch of the global anti-smuggling bureau.

By the time Huo Yi heard back, Muzhou had put together an inspection team that was ready to set off for the Wai base.

Now that the Wai base and officials in Muzhou had joined hands, it would be hard for others to butt in. When they were ready to intervene, Dug Butcher might already have been executed in Muzhou.

But before the folks from Muzhou arrived, Huo Yi had to take precautions against certain restless individuals on his own turf.

Fang Zhao, with Curly Hair in tow, and Zuo Yu and Yan Biao returned to their apartment in the film studio complex. They traveled at night again in a jeep borrowed from the Wai base to keep Curly Hair under wraps.

Back on their own turf, Zuo Yu and Yan Biao felt more relaxed. They hadn't been in a position to ask questions on the base, but now that they were back, they fired away.

"Boss, how come you didn't kill Dog Butcher? He almost shot Curly Hair!" Zuo Yu asked.

Yan Biao nodded in agreement. "Wouldn't it have been easier to make him disappear in the forest? If he has powerful connections, he might be kidnapped while being transported. The folks at the base are prone to surrender when they meet their match. We can't count on them to exact revenge."

"Dog Butcher is allegedly involved in the killing of several decorated service dogs in Muzhou. I asked that he be handed over to authorities in Muzhou," Fang Zhao responded.

Zuo Yu understood Fang Zhao's thinking immediately. He chuckled. "That's true. There's no better move than handing him over to the folks in Muzhou. They're dying to get their hands on him."

The folks in Muzhou had a fiery temper. When it came to matters like this, whoever pissed them off—they were bound to make those people's lives miserable. When folks in Muzhou got stubborn, they resembled hunting dogs. They would do whatever it took to get a bite.

"Internet access has been cut," Yan Biao suddenly declared. "It's the entire film studio complex, dozens of new entertainment districts, and the districts under construction."

Zuo Yu glanced outside. "Boss, the base must be launching an operation. Their vehicles have started moving in."

The interrogation of Dog Butcher must have yielded something, and now it was time to act. Huo Yi had quite the temper too. He had been looking for an excuse to crack down for some time. This was the perfect pretext.

The arrival of military vehicles put an instant damper on the lively mood in the entertainment districts. The sight of armed soldiers seemed to augur an imminent tempest.

"What's going on?"

"Has there been a riot?"

"It's the military, from Wai base."

"Why the commotion? Who the f*ck's been killed? This is quite the rollout!"

Armed drones hovered above while armored vehicles rolled in and several platoons stormed into buildings. There were also service dogs wearing bullet-proof uniforms emblazoned with the Wai base logo sniffing around.

In the areas where internet access was cut off, residents got a message from the Wai military base. The gist was that the base was conducting unscheduled searches in the neighborhood. Residents should follow instructions and not panic or attempt to flee; otherwise, they might be treated as a suspect. In the worst-case scenario, they might be mistakenly shot, so people who were drinking had better keep an eye on friends and colleagues who were prone to starting trouble when they were drunk, the message said.

Soon, gunshots, screams, and explosions were heard in one of the new entertainment districts.

This was bound to be a sleepless night for opportunists who had traveled to Wai to make a quick buck.

Huo Yi moved decisively this time. He wanted to let those gold diggers know that on Wai, he was the big boss. No one dares stir trouble on my turf!

"Let's cooperate. There's no need to be nervous. These searches are bound to increase in frequency. We might as well get used to them now," Fang Zhao told Zuo Yu and Yan Biao.

"Got it, Boss."

After Zuo Yu and Yan Biao left, Fang Zhao entered a room whose door was shut. Lo and behold, Curly Hair was already gaming.

Fang Zhao removed a syringe from his medical kit.

"Curly Hair, time for a blood draw."

Curly Hair, who was engrossed in his game, managed a whimper of acknowledgment.

Fang Zhao poked Curly Hair with the syringe.

The needle went bent.

Fang Zhao swapped in a new needle and tugged at the tip of one of Curly Hair's ears, which were partially covered by his gaming helmet. "Blood draw!"

This time, Curly Hair finally shifted his gaze away from the screen to Fang Zhao. He wagged his tail and whined appeasingly.

Fang Zhao let go of Curly Hair's ear. This time, the needle went through.

After drawing the blood, Fang Zhao examined the bent needle and gave Curly Hair a gentle pat. "OK, go back to your game."

Fang Zhao dropped a trickle of the blood he'd drawn from Curly Hair onto a small testing device he removed from the medical kit. The device indicated the metal levels in Curly Hair's blood. It had gone up a bit, but his other readings were normal. The only thing was that Fang Zhao didn't know if the high metal levels were temporary or permanent.

Only time would tell.

Fang Zhao memorized the data, discarded the syringe and needle, and cleared the testing device of its data. Then he took a look at the message on his bracelet.

He couldn't contact people outside of planet Wai, but he could still get in touch with locals within a certain distance.

The searches were nearing their conclusion. The military arrested about 20 people and shut down two nightclubs that had been especially high profile.

Internet access resumed only when the military vehicles had retreated from the film studio complex, but there was no online news coverage of the operation.

Fang Zhao was puzzled.

Wasn't it Huo Yi's intention to make a statement and send a message to folks who were too high profile? It was a totally justified and decisive operation. There was no need to keep it under wraps. How come no one leaked word of the operation?

Fang Zhao browsed some more.

All he could find were some vague statements from a few B-list celebrities about being in minor shock. There was no mention of the military. When they'd been pressed for details, they had explained away their posts as a reaction to a nightmare or some other event.

They didn't dare mention the military.

The entertainment press corps, who typically published the most trivial items about the celebrities at the film studio complex, was also silent.

They also didn't want to mess with the military.

The entertainment journalists were still spooked by the time their colleagues were disappeared in the middle of the night. They all knew that reporting on celebrities was OK, but news about the military was completely off-limits. They didn't have a death wish.

So no one had the guts to report on tonight's operation.

At a hotel room in one of the entertainment districts.

A few entertainment journalists who had scrambled back to their hotel met to confer.

"The searches have come to a conclusion. I've shot some stills and footage. The internet is back up. Should I file?"

"Are you able to file?"

"Forget about it. There is no way the Wai military base will let us file stories that cast a negative light on the military."

"Hells no! If you're adamant about filing, please switch rooms first. Don't drag us down with you. I have no intention of being arrested by the military in the middle of the night."

"Our bosses have sent word that we should steer clear of matters involving the military."

Another group of entertainment journalists was having the same conversation in a different room at the same hotel.

They were part of the gold rush at the Wai film studio complex in light of the "Founding Era" phenomenon. They'd set up an office less than two years ago.

"So, what should we do? Should we file or not? I feel like we got some good material tonight. Among the people arrested by the military were a few B-list actors."

"Fortune favors the bold!"

"Let's file! Let's roll the dice!"

This group of journalists had never landed a major scoop before. Now that they had the unusual luck of stumbling onto a big story, they weren't going to give up that easily. For them to pass on such a rare scoop—no way!

"Let's give it a shot, then. Ideally, we'll be able to file. If we can't, worst-case scenario we're locked up by the military for a few days. It can't be that bad." The journalist who made the prediction didn't sound convinced himself.

"OK, I... f-f-filed."

"What?"

"You were able to file?"

The others in the room hovered over him, glaring at his computer screen.

"Were... were you really able to file?"

"Does that mean your story wasn't censored by the military? Did they miss it?"

There was no way they could bypass the Wai military if Wai was intent on censoring certain stories, given how tech-savvy they were.

"Why don't we try another story?"

The journalists acted quickly. They filed some footage they'd just shot along with a short piece of text.

They were so nervous their fingers were glued together and their teeth clattered.

They hit the "send" button.

Ding! Successful file upload.

"..."

A brief moment of silence.

"Did anyone knock?"

"There's no sign of any takeout delivery people, is there?"

Another two minutes.

As they watched the news items they'd just filed rack up reposts rapidly, the journalists felt overwhelmed and hot blooded, as if they had literally grown in stature.

We're the f*cking bomb!

"Hurry, hurry, hurry. Let's edit the good footage we got. You, write it up! You don't need me to show you how to appeal to a mass audience, right? And you, don't forget to buy likes and ranking placements!"

The other entertainment journalists soon took notice.

"This... actually wasn't censored?'

"Is the military not disappearing folks this time around?"

"F*ck, we've got scoops too!"

"Hurry up and file away!"

Now that they realized they weren't at risk of being arrested, the entertainment journalists grew bold. They went all out and reverted to their usual selves, using the type of headlines that were bound to stir controversy and writing their stories in a way that were prone to provoke discussion. They had a field day taking events out of context. For now, they avoided sheer fabrication, but whether the masses would extrapolate from the pictures and footage they filed—that was beyond their control.

The online discussion evolved in exactly the way the entertainment journalists had predicted.

"So horrible. Judging from the footage, you would think that riots broke out on Wai."

"So it turns out Wai is such a mess. The Wai base is out of control!'

"Who gave them the right?"

"Are these underhanded tactics by the Wai military? So corrupt!"

The online controversy persisted for a few days, yet there was no word that the commander of the Wai military base had been fired. The military also refrained from commenting. Eventually, given the deluge of information surfacing on the internet every day, people's attention shifted elsewhere.

Until one day when the global antismuggling bureau put out a statement thanking the Wai base for capturing the killer of multiple decorated service dogs.

The statement included profiles of several of the more representative service dogs that had been killed, listing their main accomplishments and the date and location of their deaths. The suspect in all the murders was the same person—Dog Butcher.

The Muzhou military district put out a statement: "In Muzhou, the murder of decorated service dogs carries the maximum penalty of death."

The Wai base quickly followed suit: "On Wai, the murder of decorated service dogs likewise carries the maximum sentence of death."

The statement also included a link to a video featuring Wai commander Huo Yi.

Huo Yi was in full military dress and spoke in a somber and firm tone, signaling his determination to maintain order on Wai and expel any evil influences. "Wai is a beautiful planet. It's a cultured place where the arts flourish, not a land of outlaws. We here at the Wai military base..."

Most mainstream news outlets reported the statements and provided details on the Wai operation. There had been no riot. The soldiers had raided several illegal establishments. The two nightclubs shut down that night had had contraband on the premises and had been the sites of illegal business dealings.

The careers of the celebrities implicated were in tatters.

When the people of Muzhou heard the name "Dog Butcher," they went nuts.

"Death penalty! It's gotta be the death penalty! Even better if the execution is broadcast live!'

"A live broadcast doesn't seem likely, but a death sentence is a must. It must be carried out in Muzhou!"

"Dog Butcher? A death sentence is going easy on that piece of trash!"

"F*ck, this asshole killed so many decorated service dogs. What's he got against dogs?"

"Non-Muzhou residents may not know much about Dog Butcher. Come, let me give you the full lowdown on this guy's relationship with dogs..."

A new round of discussion broke out online.

But what the public didn't know was that at the center of Dog Butcher's capture was a tiny dog who had just finished serving on Wai base and a composer who had just finished filming "Founding Era."

Now, Fang Zhao was getting ready to head home.

Curly Hair had to stay out of the limelight. Not even the cast and crew of "Founding Era" knew that Fang Zhao had brought his dog to Wai, so the Wai base had Curly Hair secretly shipped from the film studio complex to the Wai spaceport. Fang Zhao instructed Zuo Yu and Yan Biao to guard Curly Hair while he traveled with the rest of the "Founding Era" cast and crew.

At the spaceport, the cast and crew scrambled to board their vessel. The latecomers witnessed an odd scene.

Not far away, a squadron of soldiers stared at Fang Zhao. Among them was a colonel who was gazing at Fang Zhao sadly, his eyes full of emotion.

The soldiers were throwing fierce stares at the cast and crew, which intimidated them, but when they shifted their gazes to Fang Zhao, their faces softened.

The cast and crew who witnessed this scene shivered and got goose bumps. They quickly boarded the spaceship so they could share the scene with others.

"Fang Zhao must be mad connected! The soldiers from the Wai base stared at us so coldly, and yet when they looked at Fang Zhao, it was if they'd been reunited with their long-lost father! Flat-out discrimination!"

"That can't be." The cast and crew members who boarded earlier were incredulous. "We all know that Fang Zhao knows people from the Wai base, but he's not that connected."

"Yes he is! You gotta believe me! I swear I saw tears in the eyes of the soldiers!"

Not far from the boarding gate.

The colonel was all over Fang Zhao, his tone melancholic. "Fang Zhao, do visit again soon. You are always welcome. Oh, that's right, you have a stake in the film studio complex. You'll definitely be back. Remember to bring Curly Hair. Us folks at the spaceport love him!" The colonel continued, "I know Curly Hair has a temper and likes to tear up sofas and chew on shoes, but he's a good dog! If you ever get sick of him, don't sell him. Just send him to Wai and let us adopt him."

Fang Zhao: "You're overthinking things."

Curly Hair never tore up sofa chairs or chewed on shoes when he was at home.

The colonel was adamant. "I just mean if. Remember, if you don't want him anymore, be sure to remember us first! The Wai military base will only get richer and richer. We can definitely afford him." The colonel was still waving vigorously when Fang Zhao entered the cabin. "Don't forget, Fang Zhao!"

Fellow passengers who were curious onlookers told Fang Zhao when he boarded, "Fang Zhao, it seems like the folks from the Wai military base are really going to miss you."

Fang Zhao: "Yeah, a bit."

No, my dog is who they will miss.