The urgent phone call came like a bolt from the blue.
“Silver Capital TV station… live broadcast?!”
The middle-aged man’s face instantly turned ashen.
“W-what does this mean?” he stammered. “No, it can’t be. I must be mistaken…”
His pupils quivered violently, his hands trembling as he fumbled to open the news app on his phone. With a sliver of hope, he accessed the Silver Capital news channel.
It was time for the Chenxing Empire’s midday news broadcast. As a crucial program on Silver Capital TV, it was not only televised across the entire Chenxing Empire but also relayed to multiple countries.
Almost simultaneously, everyone else’s phones rang. Upon answering, their faces changed dramatically.
Sensing something was amiss, they all instinctively opened the Silver Capital TV news channel on their phones.
Instead of the familiar news anchors, they saw their own faces on the screen. The on-screen versions of themselves were looking down at their phones, as if gazing into a mirror at another self.
Surrounding them were armed security personnel, metal walls bearing traces of combat and bloodstains, and Wells, lying motionless on the ground like a dead fish. The only person not in frame was likely Leiyin, who was leaning against the research facility’s main door with folded arms, watching them with an enigmatic smile.–From the camera angle, it was clear that only he could have captured them all in frame.
At that moment, everyone had a sudden realization.
–This was Leiyin’s true objective!
Not revenge against Wells, not theft of experimental data, but to expose everything to the public in the most irrefutable manner.
What mortified them most was that they had divulged everything themselves – from the Transcendence Project involving human experimentation to the agreement sealed with the Purple Violet Medal… All the dark secrets that were never meant for the empire’s citizens to know were now laid bare before everyone!
As this realization sank in, a chill ran through their blood. The middle-aged man who had single-handedly brought about this situation, exposing all the secrets the higher-ups had tried so hard to conceal, fell to his knees with a thud, his face a picture of despair.
–He was finished.
Why had it come to this? How could things have gone so terribly wrong?
The others were in no better state, their faces ashen. Their confused minds were filled with questions.
What had happened? How could Silver Capital TV station be so easily manipulated by an outsider to broadcast content that was clearly detrimental to the empire? More importantly, how long had they been live – ten minutes, half an hour, or an hour? Why hadn’t the empire intervened during all this time? Why were they only notified now?
Who could have imagined that even in a top-secret research facility, they couldn’t speak freely and had to be wary of being broadcast live?
Ultimately, Silver Capital TV station was the most culpable. They were the innocent victims! If someone had warned them in time, they wouldn’t have made such a grave error!
“What a bunch of incompetents!” they thought.
In dire situations, only a few can remain strong. Most people choose to blame others. At this moment, those present were filled with confusion and resentment.
Even as their chaotic minds settled, they were at a loss for what to do next.
Should they order security to arrest Leiyin?
They hated this troublemaker so much they wanted to execute him on the spot. But now, under global scrutiny, who dared to give such an order? Arresting or killing an innocent civilian, a victim of human experimentation, a hero who single-handedly infiltrated the facility to expose the empire’s dark secrets?
Issuing such an order publicly would be tantamount to admitting, “Yes, the empire is this corrupt” and “Everything you’ve seen is true.” It would leave no room for whitewashing or excuses, inviting public outrage, blame from superiors, and possibly even criminal charges.
But could they just let him leave?
They couldn’t accept that either. He had not only fooled them but challenged the entire upper echelon of the empire. Letting him go scot-free would displease their superiors. Moreover, who knew what other crazy stunts he might pull if released?
Given Leiyin’s displayed hostility and terrifying potential, he was an enemy that had to be eliminated!
So, the group was at an impasse.
They couldn’t arrest him, couldn’t let him go, and certainly couldn’t kill him.
Moreover, the TV broadcast was still ongoing. Should they try to defend themselves, whitewash their actions, at least deny the human experiments? That would require persuading Leiyin to cooperate…
As they frantically brainstormed for a perfect solution, the video on their phone screens suddenly began to stutter, as if experiencing signal issues. The live broadcast seemed about to cut off.
Everyone rejoiced momentarily. The middle-aged man seized the opportunity and pointed at Leiyin, ordering, “Arrest hi—”
His words were cut short as his eyes widened in shock.
The bright lights from the facility’s dome cast a large shadow at Leiyin’s feet. That shadow had somehow melted, becoming a dark, eerie swamp.
Just as the broadcast went dark, Leiyin suddenly sank. His figure dissolved into the shadowy vortex.
Bang!
Only the sound of a gunshot hitting empty air echoed in their ears.
…..
“You know, don’t you? When your enemy is a nation, even if you just want to reveal the truth, it’s incredibly difficult.”
“…They have enough power to cover others’ eyes, to invert black and white, to alter truth and lies.”
“Especially when you’re burdened with the label of a terrorist.”
“…Choosing who to believe between an ‘evil terrorist’ and a ‘righteous empire’ requires no thought for most people.”
“So, you must lure them into admitting their crimes in front of everyone, making it impossible to deny.”
“Make it so they can’t use any excuses to evade or quibble.”
“Then, wait for the voices of countless people to overwhelm them.”
Leiyin continued to descend into the shadows.
Endless shadows surrounded him as his senses blurred. He seemed to pass through an invisible shadow barrier, vaguely seeing upside-down buildings.
Above was a “ground” made of shadows, below an boundless “sky.” Countless inverted buildings formed an upside-down city. As he fell through this city, he seemed to hear again the man’s guiding voice from before.
At some point, his descent stopped. Leiyin found himself standing at the top of an inverted building, his feet firmly attracted to it as if by a magnet.
In this inverted perspective, the world appeared normal again.
Looking around, he realized the building he was on formed a cross shape with three others, surrounding a central “tower.”
On that tallest “tower” was a shadowy, blurred figure. Shadows spread from beneath the figure, like dark paint on a canvas, covering almost the entire space, including beneath Leiyin’s feet.
He vaguely felt a connection with the figure.
A strange power spread through his body. His blood boiled, giving him an inexplicable feeling of continuous improvement.
He instinctively looked up at the person.
But the figure merely glanced at him, said nothing, and slowly faded, disappearing completely into the shadows.
It was as if their only purpose had been to pull him into this shadow space, and having achieved that, they left.
At that moment, a voice interrupted Leiyin’s thoughts.
“Congratulations on passing the Four Pillars candidate trial.”
“This is the President’s domain, a Shadow Realm that only the Four Pillars can be physically pulled into.”
From the top of the left building, a calm male voice spoke. “Welcome to the Shadow Council officially.”
From the right building, a cheerful female voice followed. “As the symbol of ‘Brute Courage’ and the council’s strongest individual, please don’t hesitate to lend your strength to the many missions requiring physical support!” She cheered in an overly excited tone, “Only the President can command that guy K, but with your joining, I finally have a super-powered force I can direct!”
“?” Leiyin listened, feeling dizzy. “Wait, what do you mean by one of the Four Pillars? What test? I feel a very strong power has appeared in my body, is it related to this?”
“Ah, you have an account on the Extraordinary Forum, right? We’ll send you this basic information through the forum later,” the female voice explained with a laugh. Although he couldn’t see her face clearly, her sweet tone made one guess that the owner of the voice must be a girl with a lovely smile.
She reminded him in that honey-sweet voice. “As for the changes in your body, that’s the special power bestowed upon one of the Four Pillars by the President. As long as the President wishes, it can be easily taken back. So, never, ever, ever betray the President, okay?”
Her sweet voice suddenly took on an ominous tone.
“…Everything you possess – your wonderful freedom, the satisfaction of revenge, your immense power – all come from the President. If one day you make the wrong choice, not only will all of this be taken back a thousand times over, I guarantee you’ll experience what true hell is like!”
“!” Leiyin was a bit frightened.
It wasn’t because of her threat, but rather the speed at which this girl’s demeanor changed. After all, he hadn’t thought about betraying anyone.
“Hahahahaha, just kidding,” the gloomy voice suddenly returned to its initial liveliness. She asked in an enthusiastic tone, “You weren’t scared, were you?”
“Not at all,” Leiyin responded calmly.
Having been in and out of the research facility several times, he had developed quite a thick skin. He wasn’t easily intimidated by such harmless threats. At most, he had gained insight into the Shadow Council President’s overwhelmingly strong charisma. This must be a devoted fan, right? It must be!
While internally critiquing, he didn’t forget to ask the question he was most concerned about. “What happened at Silver Capital TV Station?”
Initially, K had only told him that the Shadow Council could help him get revenge, and provided him with a pinhole camera for live streaming, instructing him to stall for time and lure the research facility staff into exposing themselves.
Leiyin hadn’t actually placed all his hopes on the Shadow Council. From the beginning, he had gone in with the intention of either successfully stealing data from the research facility or perishing in the attempt.
Unexpectedly, with the help of that mysterious hacker expert he knew nothing about, he had actually managed to enter the research facility smoothly.
At this point, Leiyin’s plan was to leave with the stolen data if he wasn’t discovered. Unfortunately, he was caught before he could get out.
So, he began to execute the Shadow Council’s plan – to stall for time and induce those people to expose themselves.
But Leiyin had only thought the Shadow Council would at most record everything in the research facility through the camera. He never imagined they could remotely control a live broadcast on Silver Capital TV Station!
This made him extremely curious.
Faced with Leiyin’s question, the calm male voice chuckled and said, “Not long ago, we received information that a certain anti-empire terrorist organization was planning to raid Silver Capital TV Station. Following the President’s instructions, I intervened in my capacity as a crime consultant, helping them achieve their goal without fighting. The leader of that organization was very satisfied with our service and even proposed future collaboration. I learned this kind of operation from our President. As expected of the President!”
Leiyin couldn’t help but admire this President a little, and he grew more curious. “Then what about the live broadcast?”
“…Since we’re partners now, it’s only natural for us to add a little of our own agenda to their plan, right?” The male voice explained in a calm, matter-of-fact tone.
“…Of course, although they were unaware beforehand, the content you broadcasted was also something they were pleased to see. So, they went all out to help us intercept the military police the empire sent to the TV station, allowing everything to proceed smoothly.”
Leiyin listened in astonishment.
“…Then, what about the people from that organization?”
“They were arrested, of course,” the female voice said with a giggle. “Imagine planning a terrorist attack, installing bombs within the empire, and trying to intimidate ordinary civilians through the TV station… What a bunch of unforgivable villains!”
“—To associate with such people would tarnish the President’s spotless reputation! Unforgivable!” Towards the end, her tone revealed a murderous intent.
“???”
Leiyin almost thought the Shadow Council had become allies of justice. For a moment, he didn’t know whether it was his thinking that was problematic or theirs.
“Anyway, before you left, we reported them, including the locations of the bombs they installed and all their plans. It was perfect timing to let them serve their remaining value by diverting the empire’s upper echelons’ attention away from you,” the male voice summarized concisely.
Seeing Leiyin speechless, he didn’t forget to add. “No need to thank us, consider this a small gift for our new companion.”
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