Chapter 917: The Truth Unveiled by the Real Protection Association
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 917: The Truth Unveiled by the Real Protection Association
"...To thank Stardust and Moonlight for their heroic protection, the citizens of the Star-Moon Kingdom built a glorious monument for them. Upon it was carved: 'By the radiance of the stars, by the wisdom of the moonlight, they guard our peace and our hope.' And as for the hero who saved—"
"Huh? Sister Xiao Han, keep going! What happened next? What happened to the hero who saved the Star-Moon Kingdom?"
"From then on, Stardust and Moonlight continued to protect the kingdom. Their story was passed down through generations, becoming a symbol of courage, unity, and love."
In the brief moment my mind wandered, Fool's Dream had already grown impatient to know the ending.
Because I had so much time to squander, I didn't even know what to do with myself for a while. So... I started telling Fool's Dream little stories.
Even though Fool's Dream and the others who followed me had absorbed a vast amount of knowledge all at once—to the point where they could even assist me with experiments—in my eyes, they were still like little darlings who would never grow up.
I racked my brain, drawing from two lifetimes of memories, yet I realized I had almost forgotten what children liked. This was because... I had rarely experienced the feeling of being cared for myself.
The few things I remembered were mostly fairy tales and fables. But those weren't stories I had heard as a child. I had read them myself after I grew up. It was just that... I could never truly experience the feelings they were meant to evoke.
These stories are supposed to be a beautiful way for children to learn about the world. But by the time I grasped those concepts, I had already been taught by the cold, harsh hand of reality. Consequently, when I saw this "childish" content again, I instinctively avoided it. That innocence stung so much I couldn't bear to look at it directly.
When an optimistic child encounters a setback, they think of beautiful, positive fairy tales; the stories teach them to face life with hope. But a pessimistic child thinks not just of reality, but of the life they have personally experienced—a coldness they can never escape.
This is the disparity between individuals. It is how a person's worldview is built, an education that fundamentally shapes an entire life.
Perhaps from my current perspective, fairy tales seem mindless and fables seem naive. But why not look at the beauty within the fairy tale, or the reflection prompted by the fable?
And so, for the sake of these Fool's Dream, I cast aside my realism and redundant thoughts, reclaiming my former ignorance. Besides, the Fool's Dream loved it... even Yu Xing, who had watched over the Primitive Dream Realm for untold ages, enjoyed these things.
However... the reason I had paused just now was that I felt a sudden throb.
It was a very distant calling. Even more distant than that small world from before.
With just that sliver of information, I understood exactly what it was. An invitation from that far-off game world had finally been delivered to me.
Although the timing deviated significantly from what I had agreed upon with the Rebel Witch, it was still within my acceptable range. What surprised me, however, was that the power of the summons was growing increasingly stronger.
What exactly had they done on the other side to trigger a summoning rune on such a massive scale? It likely wasn't just a summoning rune; there was probably an additional ritual architecture boosting it!
"Sister Xiao Han~ what are you going to tell us next? I want to hear a fable!"
"Mhm~ Sister Xiao Han will tell you one right away." I turned slightly, looking at Moon, who had already come to my side.
In the next instant, a summoning array rose from beneath her feet. The complex ritual architecture flashed with a blinding light. When the light faded, I was alone once more.
"This time, Sister Xiao Han will tell you a story about a group of little animals living in a forest, and how they bravely faced the unknown. The story begins in..."
* * *
Meanwhile, in the chaotic game world.
The holders of the Banned Accounts had deployed a full-scale combat platform. They interfaced with their personal combat assistance systems and switched to full-fire mode, letting autonomous combat systems take over their output.
This was the glorious moment that happened only once in an account's lifetime!
Before long, their accounts would activate anti-detection programs to truly buy them those final moments of time.
Suddenly, a pillar of energy pierced the sky in the distance. Everyone was stunned by the sight.
The Banned Account holders, the members of the Vanguard Players, the members of the Real Protection Association, and all the ordinary people fleeing from the crossfire... they all looked in that direction simultaneously.
The massive eruption of energy was continuously sketching a unique ritual pattern in the sky. Terrifying energy fluctuations instantly swept away the clouds, and a ghostly energy reflected off the remaining dark mist above.
"What is that?"
The Vanguard Players stared at the ritual runes being drawn in their Game Vision, their faces filled with confusion. These looked somewhat similar to the magic circles used in the magical worlds they had invaded, but... how could anyone in this world use magic?
While they hesitated, a mandatory mission with the highest priority suddenly popped up before their eyes!
A bright red warning icon filled their vision, accompanied by a piercing alarm that continuously stimulated their nerves.
"Dammit... what the hell is going on? This is our home world... how could a Supreme Alert be triggered?"
At this moment, nothing else mattered to the Vanguard Players. As for protecting those idiots? In the face of a mandatory mission like this, the lives of those people were irrelevant! All prior engagements were to be severed immediately!
"Go destroy that ritual! Even if you have to blow up that wireless perpetual motion energy relay station, you must destroy that thing!"
The Vanguard Players didn't even have time to wonder about the cause. Those high-and-mighty Game Architects were actually terrified of this scene. Since the mission had been issued, they had to execute it!
This was a Supreme Command!
Even death didn't matter. After all, only the game character would die. The Supreme Council would not mistreat players who sacrificed their accounts for a Supreme Command.
Thus, while they were shocked, they were also ecstatic. This was a rare, golden opportunity! Of course, this was predicated on the Supreme Command being completed. Otherwise... there would be no reward.
Even though this was a "game," it was brutally realistic when it came to profit.
"You want to leave? Have you asked us first?"
"Damned Banned Accounts! Why haven't you exploded yet!" the Vanguard Players cursed in frustration.
Once an account was banned, the character would usually self-detonate. Furthermore, the pain of that death would be realistically fed back to the account's controller. In severe cases, the pain could cause a normal person to go into shock or even die instantly!
Therefore, Banned Account players usually had to log out before the ban took effect and immediately cut off the game's sensory synchronization system.
As the Vanguard Players and the Banned Accounts clashed, the city's central system and infrastructure—which had lost control—were temporarily reactivated.
Between the towering skyscrapers, on the massive advertising screens and holographic projections outside the buildings, a figure appeared after a brief flicker.
The massive upheaval and the blaring loudspeakers instantly brought the entire city to a silence.
Standing on the screen was a middle-aged man.
Perhaps some had no impression of him, but most remembered his face. He was the President of the Real Protection Association!
He was the man who had fearlessly exposed the darkness behind the Infinite Group's Terminal of Myriad Worlds headquarters. He had publicly challenged authority and struck at the Group's most sensitive spots. He was the symbol of truth-seeking in this world and one of the spiritual leaders of the Real Protection Association.
Perhaps that didn't seem like much on its own, but his most legendary feat was... he was still alive!
A while ago, rumors circulated that Mr. Monroe had been captured. But looking at him now, he had "survived" once again!
And this time, he was about to start his grand performance.
"Everyone... good evening. I am Monroe, President of the Real Protection Association." A simple opening, but this method of appearance instantly drew everyone's gaze.
"Meeting everyone this way was a last resort. Because... we have no other choice. We have been kept in the dark for too long, unable to see the truth. Many people mock us, target us, and accuse us of being madmen. But none of that matters."
"I will not be like the Group and tell you that you are ignorant because you didn't work hard enough. I don't blame you. The truth will eventually be presented equally to everyone, and the facts will change your perspective. You aren't stupid; someone has simply covered your eyes."
"And I! I am the one who will lead you to see the reality! The first sight of light will indeed be a bit blinding, but that is the necessary pain of witnessing the truth with your own eyes..."
Monroe's speech echoed over the city. Compared to his previous sharp-edged persona, Monroe seemed more restrained now, yet he remained incredibly piercing when targeting the people of the Group.
"...The Infinite Group's Terminal of Myriad Worlds headquarters has covered up the countless crimes they've committed. They use games to bind your lives! They use online play-time to wear away your lifespans! They use virtual, petty profits to dismiss your entire existence!"
"And those high-and-mighty Game Architects sit atop your heads, using the labor squeezed from you to commit inhumane acts of aggression and slaughter against worlds other than our own!"
"The wastelands and post-apocalyptic worlds you joyfully traversed as games were the wails and screams of dying worlds! Those weren't games at all! Those were once vibrant, living worlds!"
"Do you remember the first person you killed with your own hands? The warmth of blood splashing on your skin... Do you remember the censored text? The times you complained about lazy game writing... Do you remember the bugs you encountered and the accounts that were warned or banned? Those were all truths they didn't want you to know..."
"I am not saying all this to condemn you. You were merely being used. The ones who truly deserve my condemnation are the culprits who created all these tragedies!"
While Monroe was delivering his frenzied speech, the Vanguard Players were destroying public projection equipment along their path as they rushed to execute the Supreme Command.
But clearly, they couldn't stop it all. The Real Protection Association had come prepared. Faced with such a sudden situation, a single squad of Vanguard Players was definitely not enough.
After all, no one had expected things to develop this way. They had assumed it was just a city protest that had turned into a conflict.
The Vanguard Players also found themselves pursued from behind and flanked by Banned Accounts arriving from the energy relay station. They were caught between a rock and a hard place.
One could say this success was a victory of information asymmetry.
However, the pressure on the Real Protection Association was equally immense. Their Banned Accounts were about to be forced out. The anti-detection programs had issued multiple warnings to perform a safe logout immediately, but they still wanted to fight for more opportunities and time.
"I know you must all be curious about what my words have to do with what is happening in the sky above Igesuo. It is this: I want you to see the facts I speak of with your own eyes."
"Let a character who has appeared in a game come to our world! Let them puncture the lies woven by the Group! Let them completely overthrow the decaying old world we live in! And then, we shall build a world without oppression, without concealment, and without deception..."
As Monroe's highly inflammatory words continued to echo, the massive and mysterious ritual rune in the sky above Igesuo was finally completed.
At that moment, the rune seemed to come to life.
The Vanguard Players closest to it were powerless to stop what was happening. At the same time, Vanguard squads stationed in other cities were rushing toward the scene. Since they could no longer prevent it, they would use every ounce of power they could currently mobilize to strangle this event in its cradle!
As for the citizens who had taken to the streets, many expressed disbelief after hearing Monroe's words. After all... this was far too shocking!
But some were incredibly excited!
It was as if someone had told an otaku: "The anime you watch and the games you play—those characters are all real! And we are going to use every means possible to bring one of them into reality to prove it to you."
How could they not be excited?
There were also those who looked at it rationally, believing this was "inviting the wolf into the house." But the majority felt only excitement and anticipation!
"I want to see Philomena! Please tell me you're summoning Philomena! She should be remembered forever! Philomena-men! 🙏"
"Philomena is dead! Face reality! You're the ones who pushed the main plot... you're the ones who killed the Saintess who stood upon the ruins!"
"Shut up! Who asked you to bring that up!"
"If what Monroe says is true, then her death was predestined. Give it a rest!"
"You guys actually believe this? I bet this is just a play directed and acted by the Real Protection Association themselves. Summoning? Magic? You believe in that? You've really gone crazy from games; you can't tell reality from fiction anymore, can you!"
"Aren't there Infinite Group people over there? Go interrogate them! They must know some intel we don't!" With that suggestion, many people's minds were opened. Their initiative and execution were instantly maxed out.
The sounds of argument continued to ripple through the crowd, but no matter what they said, they could not change the fact of what was happening.
In the sky above Igesuo... the summoning ritual was fully activated!