An Imperfect World / A Wrong World

His once perfect face now had a smashed crater, making him look terrifying in an instant.

This suddenly brought the already somewhat frenzied crowd to their senses, and they couldn't help but shudder.

They forgot that Lin was fully capable of killing them all, if they angered him...

But Lin didn't do anything. He didn't even take another step. Instead, he continued in his gentle tone:

"Please... come back to reality with me. If there is anything I can do to help you, I will do everything in my power."

"The Eighth Herrscher cannot keep her promise. All Herrscher are born with the goal of destroying human civilization, so she will never patiently wait for you to die naturally."

"She is just using you, making your consciousness submit to her. If your consciousness also resists her when I and my companions fight her, then she cannot win."

The Eighth Herrscher was sitting somewhere in the crowd. She listened to Lin's unwavering tone and gave a cold laugh.

"Smack!"

However, no one listened to what he had to say.

They simply saw this person and did not resist their actions.

After another stone tentatively struck Lin's face, their already dwindling rationality completely vanished from their bodies at that moment.

The herd mentality took effect from the moment the first person showed that strange smile, as if they had seen a fun toy, and it started happening to everyone here.

"Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!"

A barrage of stones rained down on Lin's head, accompanied by countless insults, cheers, and maniacal laughter that seemed designed to burst his skull.

"Hahaha! Die! Die!"

"What makes you so great!"

"Smash his eyes! Smash his eyes!"

Language and communication become meaningless at this point; they have forgotten the reasons for their abuse, forgotten all relationships, and even forgotten themselves.

They threw their votes at Lin with abandon, then continued to yell at him with hatred, urging others to throw theirs more accurately.

Break that idiot's arms and legs!

He was just a target who wouldn't fight back, a toy for amusement!

That's right, it must have been an entertainment program prepared for them by that woman who called herself the Eighth Herrscher. In fact, the reasons were all made up, and this person was also fake. Otherwise, how could such a powerful person be willing to stand here and be beaten by them without resisting at all!

"Haha! Idiot! Beg me! Kneel down and beg me, and I'll go back with you!"

Lin, whose face was now covered in dirt, slowly, slowly, knelt down on the ground in front of everyone.

He lowered his head and pleaded with them, "Please... come back with me. There are many others waiting for you... You are not as... despicable as you think..."

"Please... face yourselves..."

Lin's actions elicited unprecedented laughter from the crowd.

"Look, he really knelt down!"

"So good~ So good~ But unfortunately... I was just kidding! Hahahaha! You're so silly!"

"Don't stop! Keep smashing him!"

"Didn't you say you were going to do something for us? Fine, then just go die right now!"

Lin was met with nothing but ridicule and more stones in response.

No matter how resilient he was, as more and more stones struck his body, swelling, lacerations, and bleeding began to appear one after another, and his body began to tremble violently like a rag doll being smashed.

They have never killed anyone.

Even now, they don't believe they are killing people.

They are right, everyone thinks so, so those who oppose them are not "them", they are not "people".

"Smack!"

Lin's right eye went dark.

His eyes were like two empty holes, filled only with blood, which was still flowing out of them continuously.

Lin can't see anything anymore.

Then they laughed happily.

That way, you'll be just like them.

Chapter 124 An Imperfect World

The revelry lasted for an unknown amount of time; people lost count of how many times they swore at the man, and how many threw stones at him.

This pristine white space has been stained a different color by that man's blood.

Everyone stood on the high platform, looking down at the only uncleanliness, the only filth, the person lying motionless in the pool of blood.

Is he dead?

Not yet, Lin was still breathing. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he braced himself against the pool of blood with his hands, slowly and powerfully supporting his body.

Can a stone the size of half a fist, without any sharp edges, really hurt someone? Perhaps the limit is just enough to make someone cry out in pain.

But what if stones worth hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of dollars were thrown at the same person?

The stones had already been laid out beneath his feet, filling the circle he was in, even two or three layers deep, like mounds of graves.

At some point, people stopped, just as they had been at the beginning, and those who still held stones hesitated to raise them, staring blankly at the battered figure, unsure whether to throw them again.

What gave this person the willpower to stand up?

"...Please...come back with me..." His voice was broken and weak from his serious injuries.

But they could hear the unwavering determination in his voice.

"..."

"..."

The Eighth Herrscher remained indifferent, not bothering to look at anyone else, her gaze fixed solely on Lin.

Is his will unshakable? Even after experiencing something like this, she still couldn't find a flaw in his consciousness.

"...May I have your name?"

At that moment, an aged voice broke the eerie silence.

The others turned to look and saw an old man, nearing the end of his life, standing in an inconspicuous spot, his back hunched, his cloudy eyes looking past the crowd and landing on Lin.

He didn't touch the stone at hand, but he also didn't try to stop others from throwing stones at Lin.

"...Forest."

"Lin, a nice name." The old man's words were clear, unlike the ambiguity of other elders. "Do you know why that girl called the Eighth Herrscher sent us to confront you?"

"..."

"Because she was right, we are a bunch of scum."

"What are you spouting, you old codger!" Some people were enraged upon hearing this, but the old man continued speaking—

"As long as we don't have to go back to that reality that leaves us with no hope, we are willing to pay any price, including other people's lives and the so-called future of humanity." The old man's words were not loud, but they were powerful. "In other words, no one here can do what you do to give to others; they are all a bunch of 'selfish people'."

"What did we do wrong! Must we really..."

"Do we always have to make sacrifices? Do we always have to consider others?"

The old man glanced at the agitated man, then raised his head blankly, looking away, unsure of where to look. "That's right... that's what I think too..."

"The people here are all unwilling to wake up, but were we all unwilling to face reality from the very beginning? How many people were forced to escape by others? How many people were driven to despair by reality?"

"Reality has no place for us, and now we are asked to return this sudden happiness to the very reality that has driven us to the brink of despair?"

"Don't we know that girls have ulterior motives? Don't we know that she lied to us? But so what? At least she gave us the right to dream."

"More than the fate of humankind being wiped out, we are concerned about the future that we, who cannot speak out or leave our names, cannot see."

"And you, Lin, what can you change? Can you make sure we don't have to suffer the oppression of the world anymore after we go back?"

The old man's gaze remained fixed on the silent man, and he sighed softly.

These words caused silence and sorrow to spread through the crowd. They were no longer irritable, bloodthirsty, or cruel; some wept silently, while others cast hopeful glances at Lin.

Humans are inherently contradictory; on one hand, they escape reality, while on the other hand, they yearn for someone to offer them a different reality.

Can this man, Lin, change reality?

They had already witnessed his resolve. Let them ask themselves: could any of them, after being humiliated and attacked by people like them, not retaliate and try to take them all back? Probably not a single one.

But...

Lin raised his head, his empty eyes revealing nothing.

"I... can't."

"..."

"..."

A low, almost inaudible cough escaped from his throat.

It was as if Noah's Ark had sunk, or as if the gods had fallen in Ragnarok.

And this also robbed them of all their hope.

"I... cannot promise you... what changes will occur in your situation after you return to reality..."

"The injustices you have suffered... the hardships you have endured... may continue..."

Lin weakly moved his mangled lips, blood streaming from his shattered eye sockets. "I'm so sorry... I have to take you back to the reality that has given you endless suffering..."

"Yeah..."

The old man sighed deeply, shook his head, and closed his eyes.

"Then, kill us."

"I will not resist, nor will I throw stones at you, and as for the others... I don't know."

"..."

No one objected, nor did anyone agree.

Those who had thrown stones were now powerless to resist, while those who hadn't thrown stones simply watched Lin in silence.

Rather than return to a world worse than death, they'd rather die here; at least they've had their dream.

"... I can't." Lin slowly gritted his teeth, overcame the trembling in his legs, and stood up.

"You..."

"I promised others... I wouldn't do the Trolley Problem again." Lin's eyes were still bleeding; he could feel them burning, his soul burning in a raging inferno. "I can't... promise you that this imperfect world will change because of me... but I believe you will change..."

"What are you talking about! What can we change! This is who we are! We've given up hope, given up life, given up dignity, given up morality! What more do you want us to change!"

Who is speaking?

Is it just one person? Or are all of them roaring out their innermost thoughts?

"I... have changed..."

Lin raised his head.

"I was changed by people just like you. They gave me family, friendship, and love. They taught me self-respect, self-love, and self-reliance. They gave me their emotions, and they pushed me forward with their lives."

"Even when I was hopelessly immature, they never gave up on me."

"So..."

A dazzling flame burned within Lin's body; his eyes, though without eyeballs, clearly saw everyone.

"Therefore, I will never... abandon any of you..."

"I believe in you, I believe in humanity. Even if things don't work out now, there will be a future, there will be continuity... We will definitely be able to change ourselves, change this imperfect world..."

"Isn't moving from illusion to reality just like moving from immaturity to maturity?"

He stood tall and strong.

A blinding white light, like the shining sun.

Chapter 125 A Wrong World