"Long live North Carolina! Long live the Salvation Army! Long live freedom!"

The impassioned words echoed through every city. This was no ordinary holographic projector; it was equipped with a special Alchemy Matrix that made the speaker’s words more easily stir the hearts of the people and incite a powerful resonance.

At the same time, Zhou Chen had the Salvation Army prepare a number of Alchemy Tools designed to provoke emotional fluctuations in humans. These were scattered throughout the cities to catalyze the people’s smoldering anger.

Under the influence of the rousing speech, many felt the flames of anger ignite in their hearts. They recalled all the tragedies they had suffered in their lives, the vast majority of which were inextricably linked to the government’s oppression. Hatred filled their eyes as the seeds of rebellion began to rapidly take root and sprout.

RUMBLE!!!

Just then, the sound of an explosion echoed from the distance. A fiery glow soared into the air, exceptionally conspicuous in the night sky.

"Countrymen, the Salvation Army is here! Our warriors have breached the city! The time for battle has come! Pick up anything you can use as a weapon! Reclaim your dignity, your rights, and your honor! Take back the nation that belongs to us!" Siegfried roared.

No more words were needed. "The Salvation Army is here" was the ultimate declaration!

"I want to live a good life..." a slender young man in the crowd murmured. He stared at the virtual projection in the sky, a blazing fire flickering in his eyes. His blood felt like scorching magma flowing through his veins.

"I want to live a good life!" His voice grew firm.

His resolve was forged in that instant. He took a deep breath as if to summon all his strength and expel a lifetime of frustration. With a heart-rending cry, he roared, "I’m going to overthrow this goddamn government! Long live freedom!"

It was like a bomb thrown into a powder keg. In an instant, the silent crowd erupted.

"Long live freedom! Charge! Take back our country!"

"The Salvation Army is here! A new day has dawned! Let’s go!"

"Let’s show those elites what we’re made of! We won’t be slaves anymore! We’ll be human beings, real human beings with dignity!"

One person, then two, then three... Once the first person stood up, the rest no longer hesitated. The crowd transformed into a mighty torrent, surging toward the city center with unstoppable momentum.

"We will fight to the end!"

Siegfried’s virtual projection raised a fist and roared, his sonorous, forceful voice echoing through every city, becoming a wellspring of motivation in the hearts of the people.

"Holy shit, it actually worked!"

Atop a tall building, Ah Man, who had come with the Plague Doctor, was dumbfounded. He knew how difficult it was to mobilize the common people, but he never imagined Siegfried could actually incite them to raise the flag of rebellion against the government.

"Only he could have pulled it off," the Plague Doctor sighed. ’The more I interact with him, the more I feel that Siegfried is shrouded in mystery. There are too many baffling parts to this plan. Where did Siegfried get the money to order Artifacts from the Alchemy Association? And where did he find a hacker?’

But now was not the time to dwell on such things. It was time for them to join the battle.

"Let’s go! Time to deal with the Government Army!"

The two of them sped toward the source of the fiery glow—the location of the city’s garrison.

The roar of gunfire filled the air. Three hundred Salvation Army warriors were locked in a fierce shootout with the garrison. But when the Plague Doctor and Ah Man, two Tier Three Ascenders, joined the fray, the scales of battle tipped in an instant.

The Government Army’s elite forces were all on the main front. Even if the city garrison had Ascenders, they were only Tier One—insignificant before a Tier Three.

Seeing they couldn’t win, the Government Army soldiers chose to surrender directly.

A few minutes later, a Salvation Army warrior came to report, his expression excited. "Report! We have one dead and twelve injured. We’ve captured 883 enemy combatants. Weapons and ammunition seized have not yet been tallied."

To have successfully taken the city garrison with such minimal casualties was a spectacular achievement.

"Begin their ideological re-education. Recruit those who are willing, and leave the rest for Siegfried to handle," the Plague Doctor said with a nod. He had Ah Man stay behind to take charge of the scene while he himself hurried to the city center.

Meanwhile, the streets of the city center were in complete disarray. The furious populace had surrounded city hall, catching the mayor and other high-ranking government officials who were trying to escape. They were executed on the spot, right in the street.

Cheers spread like a tidal wave as people raised their arms in celebration of their successful rebellion.

"Everyone."

The Plague Doctor appeared on the rooftop of a building by the street. He clapped his hands, and the crisp sound echoed in everyone’s ears, gradually quieting the excited crowd.

"I am the Plague Doctor, from the Salvation Army. From this moment on, Norwich City is free from the rule of the North Carolina Government. It will be administered by the new government of the Salvation Army. The benefits promised by the Salvation Army will be gradually implemented in the days to come. I guarantee that everyone will be able to live a good life, and everyone will have equality and freedom."

"Yeah! Long live the Salvation Army!"

"Down with the government’s tyranny! The country belongs to the people!"

"Salvation Army! Salvation Army! Salvation Army!"

The people chanted in unison, their voices merging into a vast wave of sound.

The same scene unfolded in the other twenty cities. The successful rebels gathered around their city halls, shouting, "Long live the Salvation Army."

That night, uprisings occurred in twenty-one cities across the northern region of North Carolina. They declared their secession from government control, to be governed by the new Salvation Army government. The news shocked the world.

「North Carolina Capital」

「Old Royal Tower」

"Hmm... the government’s situation isn’t looking too good."

Wolberi scrolled through the news on his phone, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. "Twenty-one cities, all fallen within half an hour, and the Salvation Army only sent a few hundred men to each... Tsk, tsk. The government’s fate is sealed. Why don’t you just step down? Hand over power, and we won’t have to fight to the death."

Across the ornate long table, the President of North Carolina, Enoch, wore a grim expression. Upon hearing the news, his only thought was to kill all of those useless wastes of space.

"I’m serious, you should really consider it," Wolberi said. "The Government Army clearly can’t win. It’s only a matter of time before the Capital falls. You might as well step down now. It’ll save some lives."

"They’re just people. It doesn’t matter how many of them die," Enoch said coldly.

"Having someone like you as president is North Carolina’s greatest misfortune."

"Enough nonsense. Open the Mirror World battlefield," Enoch said, his gaze icy. The time had come when he had no choice but to act. His subordinates were collapsing like a landslide. Once the Salvation Army reached the Capital, he would only have two choices: step down or die.

’If I take a gamble now, maybe... there’s still a chance to turn the tables...’

"If you insist on fighting, then we’ll be happy to oblige."

Wolberi stretched and dialed the Star Association. "Please open the Mirror World battlefield."

The next second, a mirror-like light flashed, sweeping over the bodies of the six Crowned Kings and pulling them into the Mirror World.

BOOM!

A terrifying Essence Fluctuation erupted, shaking heaven and earth. The clash between the six Crowned Kings instantly obliterated the North Carolina Capital within the Mirror World.

·

In a certain laboratory, the Pharmacist was shaking a test tube when a voice emerged from the Darkness behind him.

"The plan needs to be moved up."

"What happened?"

"The Salvation Army has taken twenty-one cities in northern North Carolina. After this battle, the government’s fate is sealed. Its collapse is now a foregone conclusion," the person in the Darkness said.

"How did that happen?" The Poison Master frowned and looked back. This was far sooner than his estimates.

"Someone executed a plan that made all the lower-class citizens in those cities rebel."

A hand emerged from the Darkness, holding up a pale blue virtual image. "Siegfried of the Salvation Army. Never heard of him before. He seems like he’s going to be somebody."

The Poison Master glanced at it. "Joker ran into him before. It was that time the Salvation Army’s Tier Four snatched the Magic Wand."

"So he was there too. He must be a core member of the Salvation Army. Could the Magic Wand be in his possession?"

"I don’t know, and I’m not interested." The Poison Master stared at the bubbles rising in his test tube. "How much sooner does the plan need to be?"

"We’ll execute it in two days. Can you do it?"

"Yes."