Volume Six: What She Lost, What I Gained - Trister (Part 2)

Second floor of the Business Capital, urban area --

Although the terrorist attack at the concert took place in an area near the city's outskirts, the news spread far beyond that area; no communication tool could match the speed of word-of-mouth among ordinary people.

No one slept tonight, especially in the residential areas near the city's edge. Residents turned off their lights and occasionally cautiously peeked out from behind the tightly drawn curtains. The children also sensed the unusual atmosphere. While their parents coaxed them to go to bed early, they were secretly listening to the sounds outside.

Large airships flew overhead from time to time, which was a measure arranged by Selena in advance to evacuate the audience. This was not a maritime rescue. Logically speaking, using a large number of airships would be making a mountain out of a molehill, but Selena was willing to go to extra trouble to ensure that nothing went wrong.

The streets of the residential area were not filled with the usual sounds of adults chatting or children playing, but with the footsteps of the security team and warnings broadcast through loudspeakers.

"A large-scale commotion has occurred in the vicinity of the racetrack, suspected to be a terrorist attack. The entire area from 004th to 087th Street is now under martial law. Citizens are requested to follow the instructions of security personnel and not leave their homes. We will release information as soon as the danger has passed... Huh?"

The sound abruptly stopped, leaving the captain of a security team, who was using a loudspeaker, stunned.

The team members around him looked over curiously, noticing that a strange object had silently appeared in front of their captain.

It was an irregularly shaped spherical object emitting a faint blue light, hovering in mid-air for some unknown reason. Its surface appeared to be made up of many regular hexagons, with no decorations except for a large number "1743" on it.

1743? (Number)

Before the captain could react, another team member was surprised to discover—

"Report! Another unidentified spherical object has appeared here!"

"They're here too!"

"The skies too!"

"They're everywhere! We seem to be surrounded!"

Within the blocked-off area—in fact, not just these few dozen blocked streets, but the entire second floor of the Business Capital— these strange metal spheres were everywhere. There was one in approximately every three cubic meters of space; they were on the streets, in houses, and even in the sewers.

Most people wisely chose to keep their distance from these unknown entities, while some bolder individuals tried touching them with tools, but there was no reaction.

What exactly is this? Is it harmful or harmless? Who released it and when? Everyone has these questions.

If they were Earthlings who had been exposed to science fiction movies for a long time, their first reaction to seeing these spheres would probably be... bombs.

"To be honest, Ms. Xiao Wu, I hope you 'give up'."

"Give up? Give up fighting you? Aren't you overconfident?" Xiao Wu sneered.

"Please don't misunderstand, this is not unfounded arrogance, nor is it a disregard for you. Rather, it's precisely because I personally 'admire you' that I hope you'll give up." Facing Xiao Wu's displeasure, Trister remained gentle.

"... The word 'admit defeat' doesn't exist in my dictionary."

"It seems I didn't make myself clear. My so-called 'giving up' doesn't mean you have to surrender to us; it just means I hope you 'stop interfering in this matter.'"

Xiao Wu stunned for a moment before she understood what he meant.

"You mean... you expect me to stand idly by while you deal with Ye and the others?"

"Generally speaking, that's correct."

The next moment--

Boom!!!

A dazzling light burst forth from the muzzle of Black Star's gun, instantly engulfing Trister. But at the very moment of contact, a shield materialized in Trister's hand, protecting him amidst the blinding light.

"What the hell...?"

Xiao Wu frowned. She had seen everything Trister did, but she couldn't figure out how he had produced the Trister. Was it some kind of superpower? Like transferring something from afar into his hand?

"Tsk tsk, that's really dangerous. I don't think it's a good habit to start a fire at the drop of a hat."

"I think it's not a good habit to do nothing when an idiot in front of you says something that crosses your line."

Xiao Wu said coldly, then her figure vanished instantly, reappearing with a punch aimed at Trister's face! Trister's eyes narrowed, but a small shield immediately appeared in his hand, blocking Xiao Wu's heavy punch. Xiao Wu felt as if she had punched cotton, the impact completely absorbed. Even so, Trister staggered back several steps, his fair face flushing red, looking quite bad.

"That's... impressive punching power. If you went all out, I'm afraid I'd need thousands more years of improved technique just to barely withstand your attack."

"Thank you for the compliment. But where did you get those things?"

And what about his statement that "technology will need to advance for another few thousand years"?

"They are my people," Trister said, setting down his shield. Only then did Xiao Wu realize that the shield's design was quite avant-garde.

"I have a total of three billion subjects...or rather, believers, who will perfectly carry out all my requests."

"... cult?"

Xiao Wu showed a disdainful expression, while Trister shook his head with a wry smile.

"This isn't some kind of cult; it's more like I'm just being worshipped unilaterally."

"..."

What's going on with this guy? He's getting weirder and weirder.

It's probably not a good idea to attack rashly before you know what the other party's abilities are, since the Extra Weapon are all creatures with bizarre abilities.

Let's just go along with him for now...

"I'm quite curious, why do you want me to give up on Ye and the others? Or do you say this to everyone?"

"Of course not. The reason I'm advising you this is because... you're the only one who's different."

Trister showed an expression of genuine admiration.

"I have already read through your detailed information, and I even asked my loyal people to do hundreds of years of analysis for me. The result is that among your group, only you are worthy of the three words 'truth, goodness, and beauty,' and you are completely out of place with the others."

"Ha, so you think Ye and the others are bad people who aren't good enough for me? Are you blind?"

Isn't that right?

For the first time, Trister wore a serious expression.

"Let's talk about that Sin Annihilation first, the monster raised by the Divine Law Cult, her hands stained with countless lives. The crimes she committed cannot be glossed over with a simple 'she didn't understand anything and was just being used.' You should have noticed that, right? Even though she was somewhat influenced during her time with you, she is still a monster at heart."

"You really dare to say that..."

"Si Nan Ying is a pathetic fool. Although she has gotten to where she is today through good luck, how long can her luck last? She has always been running away, running away, using her time with her loved ones to escape her inner pain. This has been the case ever since she witnessed her older sister's death. In other words, this is all she can do."

"I don't know her at all..."

"Haoyue Tartaglia is one of the most dangerous humans I've ever met. She's the complete opposite of you, using a beautiful and kind exterior to mask a twisted mind. She has absolutely no common moral compass, is loyal to her own desires, and is the kind of person who thinks 'as long as I'm happy, everyone else is fine.' She's also incredibly fickle when it comes to good and evil. Should such a person exist in this society? Can such a person really be called a friend?"

"What the hell... did you say?"

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On the villain's verbal skills