CH 278

Hongjing Detention Center.

In the dreary interrogation room, the program of the open letter recitation by the female anchor from Yongchuan TV came to a temporary end.

A fresh glass of water was refilled in front of Lin Chen.

“Your government is even ‘braver’ than I imagined,” she almost admired. “I can’t tell anymore who the real sociopaths are.”

“Of course, it’s still you guys.” Lin Chen could only respond helplessly, using a tone of not daring to compete with her.

“What’s your next move?” Shen Lian asked curiously, then smiled. “Since you’re here, it seems you have no intention of leaving, which means you have been prepared from the beginning.”

Lin Chen held the glass of water without giving any committal response.

“Wow, let me guess, are you so hypocritical that the next step is to play the sacrificial tactic?”

This was probably the most relaxed and exciting moment for Shen Lian since she met Lin Chen again. When a woman was excited, she tended to be talkative. “I have an idea; do you want to hear it?”

“Please speak.”

“In this way, considering various economic and population factors, select one city from nearly 20 cities in the three provinces that is most suitable for sacrifice and control. Manipulate the accounts to disguise them as willing sacrifices from the local residents and induce everyone to cast their votes for that poorest and most backward city. When the results are out, wow, the spirit of voluntary sacrifice of humanity triumphs over the wicked sociopaths, successfully breaking the deadlock. And after the incident, you can write some brilliant reports—it will be so magnificent. What do you think?”

Shen Lian asked Lin Chen this way.

Holding the water glass, Lin Chen looked at the lady in front of him, who rarely showed her claws. He replied with four words, “This is not beautiful.”

He answered.

……

Not beautiful.

It referred to the means not being beautiful, the matter not being beautiful, and human nature, which was also not beautiful.

Lin Chen was an idealist, and this was a fact that Xing Conglian had long understood clearly.

Therefore, when he heard the solution he had once proposed being spoken by this strategy expert, Xing Conglian felt himself being severely mocked. For a moment, he couldn’t find the words to respond.

“Will this plan be seen as the government compromising with the sociopaths?”

“I think it’s feasible, and it can turn the tables on them.”

“But after the voting ends, won’t the sociopaths become desperate?”

“They will only ruin themselves by breaking the rules they set. They will become a laughingstock.” The strategy expert spoke coldly. “I’m 70% sure.”

Everyone in the small glass room started to discuss this plan seriously.

Xing Conglian knew better than anyone the feasibility of the plan. The only way to counter selfish human nature was through the great spirit of voluntary sacrifice.

If they manipulated a batch of accounts using Wang Chao, they wouldn’t have to worry about the risk of exposure.

But Xing Conglian thought it was indeed not beautiful to do it this way.

He looked at the people in the glass room and also at those outside the glass room, who seemed to have sensed something and cast clear gazes at him. He felt as if he had returned to his earliest and youngest days, when he hadn’t seen so much darkness and bloody killings, when he was full of passionate persistence and trust in this world.

Trust, that was extremely important.

Xing Conglian finally made up his mind.

He raised his left hand, not too high, and looked at everyone. He spoke his words with solemnity. “I don’t agree.”

All the eager discussions in the glass room came to a halt.

Except for Minister Shen and a young man fiddling with a computer, the others in the room couldn’t fully comprehend the unwavering determination contained in this short phrase.

Shen Heming fell silent.

However, since the young man standing in front of the glass panel raised his hand to express his stance, he had to stop and listen to the other person’s words seriously.

So, he also raised his hand and said to the others in the glass room, “Everyone, leave, except Xing Conglian.”

……

National Yongchuan Television Station.

The skyrocketing viewership ratings and the banging on the door complemented each other. Deputy Director Zhao Ren stood in the main control room outside Studio 1.

In front of the main control station, dozens of televisions were playing various programs, and the dense electrical noise made people’s heads ache. Zhao Ren picked up the intercom on the table and shouted inside, “Tell the security not to knock randomly. I haven’t been kidnapped!”

His irritable voice was transmitted through the earpieces to every staff member. Soon, Zhao Ren heard a chorus of complaints through the earphones.

“Are you going through menopause, boss?”

“Lower your volume; I’m going deaf.”

Zhao Ren didn’t bother responding to these insolent remarks. He lowered his head to watch Yongchuan TV, which was broadcasting weather news, and then glanced up at the clock above the main control station. Only five minutes left until the agreed time, but his phone remained silent.

To make matters worse, his assistant came over with an urgently prepared video file and asked anxiously, “The things that Consultant Lin requested are all ready, but there’s still no word from the higher-ups. Are we really going ahead with the original plan?”

“And what else?” Zhao Ren replied with impatience.

“Although the satellite broadcasting truck and positions are set up at the Min River, should we ask them to withdraw if it doesn’t work out?”

“Scram!” Zhao Ren cursed.

However, his assistant, as stubborn as a rock, refused to leave. “Boss, didn’t Consultant Lin say that if they can’t persuade the higher-ups, we shouldn’t take matters into our own hands? This is a big responsibility we’ll be taking!”

Zhao Ren raised an eyebrow and said coldly, “Responsibility, huh? I love taking responsibility the most.”

……

People left quickly.

During the process, there were some slight doubts, but both he and Xing Conglian had such expressions that no one dared to speak up.

The glass door closed again, and Shen Heming looked at Xing Conglian and asked, “Conglian, do you really want to stand and talk to an old man like me?”

Xing Conglian didn’t sit down immediately. He casually reached into his pocket, took out a flattened box of cigarettes, and then sat down next to Shen Heming, offering him the cigarettes.

Shen Heming didn’t care about the row of “wooden stakes” standing outside the glass room. He picked up the cigarette, and Xing Conglian took out a lighter and respectfully lit it for him.

Then Xing Conglian began to speak in a low voice, speaking quickly and systematically. Shen Heming listened silently throughout.

After 15 seconds, Xing Conglian stopped narrating.

15 seconds. Indeed, it was very short.

But within this time, Shen Heming felt unprecedented ups and downs in life.

At first, he thought Lin Chen’s plan was really clever, avoiding traps and minimizing losses. He should have readily agreed without hesitation.

Then he felt anxious; at his age, there were few moments when he was overwhelmed by fear in an instant.

He began to speculate on possible outcomes and then realized the source of his anxiety: he and the young strategist both fundamentally lacked a deep sense of trust in people.

This was their biggest difference from Lin Chen.

Shen Heming took a deep breath and finally felt a sense of inexplicable shock. He didn’t know where this shock came from, but he hoped that Lin Chen was right.

After blowing out a smoke ring, Shen Heming looked at Xing Conglian with a burning gaze, as if he were eagerly waiting for his answer.

“Is this not the same brand of cigarettes?”

Holding the cigarette butt, Xing Conglian slowly turned it around, and it was empty, with only a very ordinary white cigarette.

Xing Conglian was stunned, as if he didn’t expect Shen Heming to play him like this. So he said somewhat irritably, “That brand is expensive.”

The young man had moss-green eyes, deep and serene. This was the impression Shen Heming had of him when they first met.

At that time, Xing Conglian was still very young, but of course, he wasn’t considered old now either. Shen Heming had asked for assistance from the international organization that Xing Conglian represented during the evacuation of nationals. They effortlessly completed the communication work that would have cost countless manpower and resources.

He stood on the deck of the returning ferry, looking at the devastated foreign territory ahead and the fellow countrymen huddled together on the ferry behind him. At that time, Xing Conglian stood on the coastline and waved at him.

Shen Heming could never forget that scene.

Amidst the blue sea and sky, a handsome mixed-race youth stood tall in the wind, covered in dirt, looking exhausted, but his green eyes were deep and calm, like mountains and seas.

At that moment, Shen Heming thought that despite humans constantly fighting against each other, there was still goodwill between them. Malice was real, and so was goodwill.

As Shen Heming recalled this memory, Xing Conglian interrupted him, “What do you think?”

Shen Heming said, “In theory, I should trust your judgment since you have a lot of experience dealing with difficult problems. But while your plan seems to minimize losses, it also has the potential to lead to irreparable consequences. I need to ask, why did you agree?”

“The reason I agreed is the same as yours,” Xing Conglian said firmly.

Shen Heming sneered, “Is that so?”

Xing Conglian searched for words and thought for a moment before saying, “According to Lin Chen, his plan minimizes losses, and it is easier for superiors like you to accept.”

“Why do I feel uncomfortable hearing you say that?” Shen Heming asked.

“You feel uncomfortable because, deep down, you don’t agree with the term ‘superiors’. It often implies a lot of coldness and calculation, deception, and the use of state force to maintain social stability. In short, it’s not a good term.” Xing Conglian paused. “Lin Chen said that too.”

“What else did Lin Chen say?” Shen Heming asked, somewhat annoyed.

“He said that if you feel uncomfortable with the term ‘superiors’, it means you don’t truly agree with the other plan deep down. You have an idealistic nature, and you hold immense trust and goodwill towards the world. Because of that trust, you dare to take a risk. Of course, I don’t entirely agree with his view, but whatever he said, it applies to me too.”

Shen Heming furrowed his brow, “He is indeed better at talking than you.”

Xing Conglian earnestly nodded. “He also wanted me to tell you that if you doubt that the sociopath won’t agree to his plan, it’s because he understands him better than you. What the man wants is not killing or bloodshed; all he wants is to expose the ugly side of everyone’s hearts, to make people lose hope in human nature. So, a fairer and more effective game that aligns with his goals is bound to be accepted.”

Shen Heming fell into contemplation; what Lin Chen said was indeed enough, yet still not enough to persuade him.

He turned around and saw Wang Chao, who was ready with a laptop in hand, standing outside. He also noticed the various expressions on the faces of the people around the young man—excitement, earnestness, worry, and determination. Suddenly, he realized that he really wanted to find something beyond “benefits” and “gains”.

With this in mind, Shen Heming finally countered Xing Conglian, “You’ve said it all. What else can I say?”

Xing Conglian gazed at him, gradually unfolding a smile, and said firmly, “You can say, let’s go with this plan.”