Chapter 101

Chapter 101

As March had just begun, a major news story broke in the Chenxing Empire.

Boom!

It was as if an atomic bomb had been dropped over the Chenxing Empire, with the terrifying shockwave hitting everyone. As Silver Capital TV Station’s noon news broadcast aired, the Chenxing Empire exploded.

#TrueNatureOfTranscendenceProject#, #EmpireScandalsExposed#, #EvilBehindTheLight#, #UnethicalHumanExperiments#, #VioletMedal:HonorOrBribery#... In the blink of an eye, these related topics shot to the top ten trending searches. The explosion of public opinion and the intense outrage of the masses were so severe that even if the empire’s upper echelons wanted to forcefully control the comments, they had to think twice.

The Shadow Council, silently manipulating everything, had merely tossed a small pebble, yet it had caused a tidal wave!

The live broadcast from Silver Capital TV Station wasn’t a pre-recorded video that could be explained away with excuses of photo manipulation. What appeared on screen was the interior of a research facility that looked highly advanced, security personnel engaging in a real armed arrest operation... If so much manpower and military resources were mobilized just to put on a show for the whole world, to frame the Transcendence Project and the empire’s higher-ups behind it, wouldn’t that require an enormous amount of energy?

At this point, even the most foolish person would find it difficult to be deceived by the lies fabricated by the empire.

Moreover, many of the people who appeared on camera were familiar faces who occasionally showed up on TV and in newspapers. Their faces were not unfamiliar to the people of the Chenxing Empire.

After all, even the lowest-ranking researchers involved in the Transcendence Project were likely top-tier figures in the scientific community of the Chenxing Empire. In this era of advanced internet, even if some of their research needed to be kept confidential, their personal identities were still public. Anyone who cared to search online could find a host of renowned scientists, scholars, or promising young talents.

Now, these celebrities had all appeared on camera.

Not to mention, there were also assistants, secretaries, and direct subordinates of certain high-ranking officials, as well as an imperial princess.

Afterwards, clever netizens directly annotated the figures who appeared on camera with golden text, even for those who flashed by in the corners. Those glittering titles and identities were displayed above their heads, forcibly educating even those who originally didn’t recognize them.

On this day, countless citizens of the Chenxing Empire fell into a daze.

[Is this all true? I can’t believe the Transcendence Project involves such inhumane experiments.]

[I’ve long heard that our neighbors were promoting martial arts, and I’ve been eagerly waiting for the Transcendence Project to succeed. But if this is the true face of the Transcendence Project, I can only say I’m disappointed. Research results obtained through human experimentation are not what we want, no matter what!]

[Is this the evil scientist villain from movies appearing in reality? I used to admire Dr. Wells so much, I never imagined he would be this kind of person...]

Just as emotions were running high in the Chenxing Empire, and while the world was either showing support or engaged in heated discussions, the imperial authorities suddenly issued an announcement.

—It was an announcement regarding the occupation of Silver Capital TV Station.

The announcement solemnly explained the course of events, stating that the culprits were members of a terrorist organization that had planted bombs across the empire and occupied the TV station in an attempt to intimidate the empire. Currently, the organization had been apprehended, with a few members still at large. At the end of the announcement was a list of wanted individuals and an emotionless official summary, which essentially meant:

After their arrest, members of the terrorist organization confessed that there was another person behind this case who had provided them with strategies. The sudden broadcast from the research facility after occupying Silver Capital TV Station was not part of their plan. Therefore, the authorities reasonably suspected that Leiyin was a member of another criminal group cooperating with the terrorist organization.

The subtext was clear: Anyone who could conspire with a terrorist organization planting bombs across the empire must be extremely evil. As a member of such a group, what good could Leiyin possibly be?

This announcement was clearly an attempt to take the moral high ground and discredit Leiyin first, just as they had initially wanted him as a terrorist attack suspect. If someone could collaborate with terrorists, would others still see him as a hero exposing darkness? Was the empire he attacked really that dark?

Once the announcement was made, coupled with the authorities’ subtle damage control, public opinion on the internet indeed began to shift. Many people who had nearly been killed by the bombs immediately focused their attention on the terrorists, their hatred firmly locked in place. As for Leiyin himself, no longer being seen as a perfect victim, he indeed attracted scrutiny and discussion from various perspectives, with voices of doubt constantly emerging.

[Don’t be ridiculous! This hypothesis is meaningless. Even if the Transcendence Serum really comes into existence, it won’t be our turn as ordinary citizens. On the contrary, lying on the experimental table and becoming the stepping stone for the Transcendence Serum’s creation is more likely to be our fate.]

[I agree. Humans are always quick to empathize with others, not because of overflowing sympathy, but mainly because of the fear that what happens to others could happen to oneself. When you realize this, even the most cold-hearted person can’t remain indifferent, right?]

[We need an explanation! We need the truth! Most importantly, we need a guarantee that we don’t have to worry about waking up one day in some research institute’s laboratory!]

Besides the numerous discussions targeting the Chenxing Empire, there was another post on the forum that was rapidly gaining popularity. The poster was none other than Leiyin.

He publicly revealed his identity information on the Extraordinary Forum and unreservedly shared his past experiences, from secretly practicing martial arts after his fortuitous encounter, to suddenly waking up in a laboratory one day, then the days of being experimented on, including his later escape thanks to the blessing of the Flower Speaker, and being taken away by another kind-hearted person. He hardly concealed anything.

— Except for the fact that the kind-hearted person was the notorious wanted criminal K, and that he had already joined the Shadow Council.

Indeed. After all, the Shadow Council was an organization hidden in the shadows. It didn’t need excessive promotion that would draw too much attention.

His post attracted countless people’s attention.

Even some martial arts practitioners who had been lurking were stirred up.

These martial arts practitioners were divided into two groups. Due to the restrictions in the Chenxing Empire, the number of domestic martial arts practitioners was almost countable, mostly those who had gained fortuitous encounters last time. Originally, they had signed confidentiality agreements and were explicitly and implicitly instructed by the higher-ups to keep a low profile. But Leiyin’s identity as a fellow martial arts practitioner suddenly awakened them. The remaining 99% of martial arts practitioners were from other countries.

Leiyin’s identity made these previously uninvolved people suddenly empathize with the situation, and they all became agitated.

[Wow! You’re actually a martial arts practitioner too? How did you get caught? You must be really weak. No, just kidding, I mean, the Chenxing Empire is going too far! This is a provocation to all of us martial arts practitioners!]

[Goodness. I really didn’t expect them to be so outrageous. I’ll be frank, I’m also a martial arts practitioner from the Chenxing Empire, one of those who experienced the Sword Realm back then. After we returned, we were all monitored by the imperial authorities. Besides signing confidentiality agreements, we had to report to the Special Affairs Management Bureau periodically, and some of us had blood drawn. They claimed it was because no one had ever practiced martial arts before, and they were concerned about potential hidden risks if we explored cultivation on our own. I believed their lies before, but now I wonder, did they use our blood for experiments?]

[It must be so! I’m also one of those unfortunate ones who had blood drawn. Now I feel terrible. I can’t believe I trusted them!]

[...Is the environment in the Chenxing Empire really that treacherous? In our country, except for some high-level confidential information that can’t be leaked casually, people of all ages can practice martial arts. We even have martial arts classes for the public, and nothing bad has happened, let alone blood drawing.]

[Add me to the list of unfortunate blood donors. Should we be grateful that our disappearance and return back then caused such a big stir that everyone recognized us, making it inconvenient for them to directly kidnap us and turn us into missing persons? Otherwise, I fear it wouldn’t have just been blood drawing.]

The truth revealed by Leiyin ignited the fury of a group of martial arts practitioners. If most of the martial arts practitioners weren’t concentrated in several Eastern countries, there might have been impulsive individuals rushing to the gates of the Chenxing Empire’s imperial palace to cause trouble.

However, the content shared by these people, one after another, made others even more fearful, especially the people of the Chenxing Empire, who no longer dared to harbor any hope.

— If Leiyin, as a powerful martial arts practitioner, was powerless against the imperial machine, wouldn’t ordinary people be even more vulnerable? If the Transcendence Project were allowed to continue, and the evil human experiments weren’t stopped, who knew who the next victim would be?

A tidal wave of shock instantly stirred up the entire Chenxing Empire.

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