90: Chapter 90: The First Reader Cannot Be Taken Away

[Please have the First Sentence Reader detach from the squad formation and enter the Reading Seat alone.]

[Note: During reading, the Protection Role must not hold a shield.]

In the Reading Room, those two lines of white text were blindingly bright.

Chen Ye had just taken half a step forward when his feet stopped dead in their tracks.

He looked down at the shield in his hand, then glanced at the lonely Reading Seat in the distance.

"Must not hold a shield?"

"And you want me to go over there alone?"

His mouth twitched.

"Can this First Sentence Reader also be conveniently renamed First Sacrifice?"

Zhou Heng said coldly, "It certainly seems like it."

Shen Tingxue looked toward the Reading Seat.

The white chair stood isolated in the center of the Reading Room, with no support points around it and no companion window.

As soon as Chen Ye sat on it, he would be disconnected from the squad formation.

More importantly, he could not hold a shield.

The Protection Role leaving the formation, putting down the shield, and reading the first sentence of the reward alone.

This didn't look like a rule. It looked more like tearing a person apart.

Lin Jin didn't let Chen Ye continue walking. He raised his hand and stopped him.

"Don't move yet."

Chen Ye immediately pulled back half a step. "I didn't want to move anyway."

The lights of the White Tower flickered slightly.

[The First Sentence Reader must remain neutral.]

[Holding a shield will affect the appearance of the reward text.]

[Squad formation will interfere with the independence of the true reward.]

Lin Jin looked at these lines of text and sneered.

"Changing the wording again."

"A moment ago it said lowest correlation, now it says neutral."

"A moment ago it said reading the first sentence, now it wants to dismantle the squad formation."

"A moment ago it said the Protection Role must not hold a shield, now it says the shield will affect the text."

He looked toward the Witness Seat where Teacher Xu Wenzhou was. "Teacher Xu. Was the Reading Seat like this twenty years ago?"

Teacher Xu Wenzhou looked pale as he stared at the chair in the center of the Reading Room. His throat moved.

"Yes. Back then, I also walked over there alone. There were no teammates beside me. And no one could verify the first sentence for me."

As he said this, his fingers pressed against the armrest of the Witness Seat.

"Lu Chengyuan said that the reader must detach from the squad to ensure neutrality. I believed him."

The White Tower text brightened slightly, as if it wanted to solidify this old procedure once again.

Lin Jin immediately followed up: "Witness Teacher Xu Wenzhou has proven that twenty years ago, the reader detaching from the squad caused the witness reading rights to be occupied by the Regulatory Seat. The old reading procedure contains historical errors. It must not be continued."

Teacher Xu Wenzhou took a deep breath, his voice steadier than before. "Witness Teacher Xu Wenzhou testifies. The isolated Reading Seat is not a guarantee of neutrality. It is an old procedure that isolates the reader and cuts off mutual verification between teammates."

The Witness Seat glowed with a grey light. [Witness Testimony: Valid]

The white Reading Seat in the center of the Reading Room vibrated, but it did not disappear.

The White Tower continued to write: [Reward reading must avoid squad interference] [Please have the First Sentence Reader enter alone]

Chen Ye was getting annoyed. "Why is it still hanging on?"

Shen Tingxue said calmly, "It admits the old procedure is wrong, but it is still insisting on reading independence."

Zhou Heng looked at Lin Jin. "How do we dismantle it?"

Lin Jin did not take out the rule correction wrench. He placed his toolbox at his feet and took out a piece of chalk. Although this was not a classroom, the walls of the White Tower Reading Room were sufficient to bear text.

He wrote on the wall: [The First Sentence Reader does not equal a detached member.]

The White Tower lights flickered. Lin Jin continued writing: [Lowest correlation is to reduce the risk of induction, not to dissolve squad mutual verification.]

The third line. [The Reading Seat belongs to the extension of the squad action window; the reader must not be judged as detached from the formation.]

The fourth line. [The Protection Role may not use a shield to block reward text, but protection duties must not be lifted.]

Seeing the fourth line, Chen Ye immediately realized. "In other words, I can read without holding the shield, but the shield is still in the formation?"

Lin Jin nodded. "The shield doesn't block the text. But you don't lift the Protection Role."

Chen Ye grinned. "Got it."

He plunged the shield into the ground. The shield did not move forward with him, but stood in the center of the four-person formation, its face outward, the pressure-bearing angle correction light strips on its edges glowing slightly.

Chen Ye let go. "I am not holding the shield. But the shield is the squad's protection anchor."

The White Tower immediately flashed a warning. [Protection Role has detached from shield] [Suggest judging Protection Role duties as suspended]

Chen Ye cursed directly: "Who said that if I detach from the shield, my duties are suspended?"

He raised his hand and pressed his badge on his chest. "I am Chen Ye. D-rank Shield Warrior. Protection Role of the Rule Maintenance Special Class. I am currently executing the First Sentence reading task. Not quitting the Protection Role."

The Mutual Verification Contract lit up. Shen Tingxue raised her hand, and four thin lines of low temperature connected to Chen Ye's feet, the edge of the shield, Lin Jin's toolbox, and Zhou Heng's Thunder Spear, respectively.

Zhou Heng's thunder nail was driven into the ground between the Reading Seat and the squad. "The action window is still there."

Lin Jin finally pressed the grey screw under the shield. "Reading path synchronized with the formation."

The four badges glowed simultaneously. The lights in the White Tower Reading Room flickered violently.

[Old reading procedure conflict] [Current squad protocol priority increased] [Reading Seat definition correcting] [Isolated Reading Seat → Mutual Verification Reading Seat] [Protection Role must not hold shield → Protection Role must not use shield to block reward text] [Squad mutual verification can be retained]

Chen Ye looked at the last line and let out a long breath. "Now that sounds like human speech."

Zhou Heng said coldly, "Don't be cheeky, sit."

Chen Ye walked to the Reading Seat. He did not bring the shield, but the shield was still glowing in the center of the formation. The moment he sat down, the three storage boxes lit up simultaneously.

On the first box, the words [List of Replaced Persons] appeared first.

Lin Jin said, "Read the list first. This is common evidence for everyone."

Shen Tingxue nodded. Zhou Heng was silent for a second, then nodded as well.

Chen Ye took a deep breath. "Read."

The first storage box opened slowly. There was no paper inside. Only a roll of white light book. The first page of the light book unfolded automatically.

[List of Replaced Persons on the First Floor of the White Tower] [Reading Rules: The first sentence is read by the person with the lowest correlation, the second sentence is reviewed by a teammate, and recorded by the Witness Seat.]

When Chen Ye saw "First Sentence," he instinctively tensed up. But this time, no familiar voice intervened. Only text.

He read slowly: "First item. Witness, Teacher Xu Wenzhou. Replaced content: Ownership of testimony. Recipient: Regulatory Seat, Lu Chengyuan."

This was consistent with the preview. Teacher Xu Wenzhou sat in the Witness Seat, his face turning pale, but he didn't collapse again. He raised his hand and pressed the armrest. "Witness Teacher Xu Wenzhou recording. This item is true. But the current ownership of the testimony has been re-protected."

Below the first page of the light book, grey-gold notes appeared automatically. [Current testimony ownership protection has been established] [This old record must not be used in the current procedure]

Chen Ye continued to turn to the second item. This time, his voice was significantly slower. "Second item." He glanced at Zhou Heng.

Zhou Heng's fingers were already gripping the Thunder Spear. Lin Jin reminded him: "Read. Don't look at him."

Chen Ye withdrew his gaze and continued reading. "Barrier Breaker Position, Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue. Replaced content: Right to hesitate, right to regret, right to refuse confirmation, teammate chain reaction. Recipient: White Tower Barrier Breaker Position reconstruction model. External confirmer: Lu Chengyuan."

In the Reading Room, the air felt pressed down by thunder light. Zhou Heng stood in place, unmoving. His expression was very ugly. But he did not lose control. He just stared fixedly at that line of text.

Right to hesitate. Right to regret. Right to refuse confirmation. Teammate chain reaction. These things didn't sound like advantages. Yet they were precisely the parts that made a person still seem like a person.

The White Tower listed them as replaceable content. Lu Chengyuan pressed confirm. Then, a faster, steadier, and more adaptable Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue walked out of the first floor.

Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue sat in the observer position, and he also saw that item. His expression was very calm. So calm that it was as if he had known for a long time. But the fingers of his hand hanging by his side were slightly pale.

Zhou Heng suddenly spoke: "I cannot review the second sentence." Lin Jin nodded. "I will."

He looked at the second item on the list, his voice steady. "Maintenance Position Lin Jin reviewing. This item only proves that Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue was once reconstructed by the White Tower; it does not prove that the current Zhou Heng should inherit any old routes. Nor does it prove that the current Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue can use the replaced content to evade responsibility."

Shen Tingxue continued: "Lockdown Role Shen Tingxue providing supplementary testimony. This item must not be used as a basis for the White Tower or the Department of Education to reconstruct the Barrier Breaker Position again."

The Mutual Verification Contract lit up. Below the second item on the list, notes appeared. [Zhou Heng identity independent protection: Valid] [Current Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue's responsibility is not automatically exempted due to old reconstruction]

Only then did Zhou Heng slowly let out a breath. His voice was very low. "Continue."

Chen Ye turned to the third item. This time, the light book turned pages very slowly. It was as if even the White Tower was waiting for their reaction. The third page finally unfolded.

Chen Ye's expression changed bit by bit. He did not read immediately. Shen Tingxue looked at him. "Is it me?"

Chen Ye looked up, his throat feeling a bit dry. "Yes."

Shen Tingxue closed her eyes. "Read."

Chen Ye gripped the armrests of the chair and read word by word: "Third item. Ice-type Lockdown Role, Shen Qingshuang. Replaced content: Evacuation qualification. Recipient: White Tower First Floor. External confirmer —"

He paused. In the entire Reading Room, everyone's breathing became light. Shen Tingxue opened her eyes. "Who is it?"

Chen Ye looked at the last line, his voice almost squeezed out from between his teeth. "Lin Shoushan."