Chapter 125

Chapter 125

It had been some time since Liu Yi's last livestream, yet the atmosphere remained tense. The invisible tension lingered, and police patrols were a common sight on the streets, stopping people for questioning.

Yin Rou returned from the market with a reusable bag, her face bruised and swollen, and was stopped by the police.

"What happened to your injuries?" asked the officer after confirming the chip at the back of her head.

Yin Rou stared at him and said, "My husband beat me."

The officer glanced at the nurse-like young woman behind him. She stepped forward to examine Yin Rou's injuries, confirming they were indeed caused by a simple beating. She nodded to the officer.

Fighting rarely involved fists these days; it was usually weapons or cards. Thus, Yin Rou's suspicion was quickly cleared.

"Alright, you can go."

But Yin Rou did not leave. She stared at him and said, "My husband beat me like this."

"I understand, now move along!" The officer waved her away as if shooing a fly.

Yin Rou turned to look at them for a moment, tightened her grip on the reusable bag, and slowly walked towards the bus stop.

"That woman has such an odd look in her eyes," the nurse muttered quietly.

The bus slowly headed towards home—no, that couldn't be called home; it was merely a hellhole named "home." Once she had numbly allowed despair to engulf her, but now she was trying to struggle free. After the incidents involving Chen Liang's family and Liu Yi's family, something unseen had stirred within her, evoking a peculiar emotion.

Yet she was still waiting, waiting for a signal she didn't even know herself, one that would allow her to transcend her cowardice and break free from this damned predicament.

...

Liang Shousheng stood in his office, his body cold, his mind throbbing, his fists clenched so tightly that his fingers ached.

"Your concept is excellent. Yuan did this to help you, to make your work more visible. His good intentions backfired, and now everyone believes he created it. He's already received the award, and revealing the truth would cause him significant harm..."

The professor continued with a kind expression, "Of course, Yuan feels very sorry about this and is willing to compensate you by giving you the prize money. What do you think?"

"The prize money? Just 20,000 credits?" Liang Shousheng could not help but say.

The professor's kindly demeanor suddenly turned menacing, "If you don't like this approach, you can confront Yuan yourself or follow Mugan's example and sue the higher race. See what happens then."

Liang Shousheng trembled, momentarily tempted to rush out and sue the shameless thief. But he remembered the harsh reality: the thief was an Apeituo, and the court wouldn't even open the case, or worse, he might lose his life stepping out that door.

The professor watched him for a moment and then smiled, "Liang, you have talent. Losing these works doesn't mean you won't create new ones. Sometimes, taking a loss is a blessing."

"...I understand," Liang Shousheng finally conceded, just like many students before him.

What else could he do? The thief was an Apeituo, the highest race, a divine creation. A mere Mugan challenging him was seen as a crime in society.

Yet something burned within his chest, and he felt he was missing something.

...

As night fell, soldiers in protective suits were extinguishing fires and searching through the ruins at the ninth site. What could they find here now? Nothing but rubble, not even bones left. Finding a limb that somehow survived was considered lucky.

Yizekai had been restless for a day, tormented by the news of the Emperor System's destruction. Only a few high-ranking officials knew about it, and the consequences of its exposure would be catastrophic. He feared Liu Yi might reappear to livestream and reveal the truth, so he had intensified internet surveillance to prevent any such occurrence.

Only those who escaped from Hessian Prison knew about the system's destruction. Fortunately, they were not aligned with Kede's group and wouldn't fight for the lower races against the empire.

Did Kede's group die? They must have died, right?

Yizekai's headache worsened, and his frustration grew unbearable.

"Sir, please eat something. You haven't eaten all day," the secretary said worriedly.

Yizekai waved him off; he had no appetite.

"Sir, if our gods knew a devil was wreaking havoc here, they would surely descend to help us," the secretary added.

Yizekai paused, looking at the secretary, remembering he was once a Mugan, promoted due to his exceptional work and extreme support for the racial hierarchy.

Poor fool, unaware that the myth of divine creation was a lie. True gods wouldn't suddenly appear to divide races.

"I hope so," Yizekai replied faintly.

...

Kede handed the card to Liu Yi, "We will protect you."

Liu Yi nodded solemnly, his eyes burning with determination.

Behind him, Antan and others gave him supportive looks, nodding their heads.

Liu Yi took a step forward, approaching the edge of the building.

High above, the wind howled fiercely. Below, cars flowed like a river, and the lights of countless homes formed a starry sky. Yet this sky was shrouded in a toxic, deadly fog, needing strong hands to tear it apart.

Liu Yi's card transformed into a megaphone—the same one Kede used earlier, called "Devil's Voice," capable of transmitting sound to everyone within a kilometer.

Even without livestreaming, it was enough to spread the message.

Liu Yi took a deep breath, raised the megaphone, and spoke, "Everyone, I am Liu Yi."

In the area where Liu Yi stood, approximately two thousand people within a kilometer could hear him. These two thousand people might be stuck in traffic, shopping in malls, working overtime, or crying in hidden corners over injustice...

Suddenly, the voice in their ears made them jump up, causing cars to brake or collide, chaos ensuing for a moment before settling down.

What? People were stunned.

"I am using the card granted by the Lord to transmit my voice to your ears. Today, I will expose a massive deception."

After the initial shock, people couldn't help but listen intently. On the road, the red light had turned green, yet all the cars remained stationary, not moving an inch. People a kilometer away craned their necks to see what was happening up ahead, utterly baffled as to why no one was driving. Were there car accidents just now?

"This deception is that the deity who descended upon this world back then wasn't a true god! The imperial government fabricated this lie for its own benefit. They are the ones who made deals with devils; they are the real traitors to both god and country!"

Liu Yi, already a devout believer, spoke with such sincerity that it was impossible to detect any hint of falsehood. Perhaps Kede merely wanted to use gods to fight gods, but in Liu Yi's heart, this was the truth.

He continued, "Please consider this: since the introduction of the racial hierarchy, has the imperial government ever provided any evidence of the existence of these so-called gods? Everything they say is just words. They claim we are inferior Mugan, fit only to grovel at their feet, yet they bleed the same blood as us and die when injured. What makes them different from us?"

"Now, the true god has descended upon this world. He is compassionate, looking down upon our world and bestowing humanity with cards, empowering us to resist and reclaim our dignity, freeing ourselves from servitude! But He is also merciless. When He shows us the path forward and we remain stubbornly rooted in fear, He will turn away!"

"My fellow countrymen, my companions and I have chosen to follow the true god's guidance, walking the path to freedom and greatness. Under His blessing, today, we have destroyed the Imperial System. The identity chips in our brains can no longer monitor or track us—we are free!"

The crowd below erupted like boiling water.

"The Imperial System is destroyed?!"

"Oh my God!"

"Is this real?"

"No way!"

"True god... false god... oh my..."

...

Sirens wailed as helicopters approached. The imperial government had clearly heard the news and rushed over.

However, after Liu Yi finished speaking, he and Kede vanished from the spot, reappearing in another city, where they resumed their speeches with megaphones.

...

Yin Rou was wiping the kitchen countertop when she heard the door open. It must be her husband returning.

Yin Rou ignored him and continued wiping, but the man stormed into the kitchen and grabbed her by the hair. "I heard you've been telling people I hit you?"

Yin Rou's neck tilted weakly, her scalp throbbing in pain as strands of hair were pulled out.

"What are you thinking? Trying to ruin my reputation? Are you out of your mind? If I don't do well, will you fare any better?" The man then grabbed her face, his grip tightening on her bruised skin, causing tears to well up in her eyes.

Yin Rou struggled, which only infuriated him further.

"I see you've been getting more and more out of line lately. I told you to greet me at the door when I come home, but you ignore me. Did watching those broadcasts give you some strange ideas? Do you think the rules of this world will change because of that? Let me tell you, it's impossible!" He slapped her to the ground, his expression ferocious.

For someone who had risen from being a Mugan to a Gaya overnight, he was unwilling to let the social hierarchy change, having barely begun to enjoy his newfound status.

Yin Rou clutched her head tightly, feeling the rain of blows as her husband vented his frustrations from work. Despite becoming a Gaya, he was still at the bottom rung, facing competition and mistreatment from higher-ranking individuals.

But what did this have to do with her? Why should she bear the brunt of his anger?

Yin Rou gritted her teeth, enduring the abuse as usual.

Finally, he finished venting and left to take a shower, satisfied and relaxed.

Yin Rou lay on the floor, her bones aching, feeling lost and numb.

Suddenly, she heard Liu Yi's voice in her ear.

She blinked. Was it a hallucination?

...No, it wasn't a hallucination!

Liu Yi was once again announcing the truth to the people in this area. His voice was hoarse but still filled with emotion, as if speaking from the depths of his soul.

Tears streamed down Yin Rou's face. She felt that what she had been waiting for was this!