The city was shrouded in haze. A dense, dark crowd filled the streets, holding up loudspeakers blaring protest slogans on a loop and signs scrawled with crimson text as they marched in demonstration.

"Get out of our city! We want to live!"

"What’s so bad about the North Carolina Government? Under their leadership, the per capita income in North Carolina was a full 3,500 US Dollars! Look at all the small nations in the world—who can compare to us?"

"Without the North Carolina Government, we wouldn’t even be able to drive cars, let alone have phones or TVs!"

"We should accept the rule of an advanced government!"

A frenzied mood spread through the crowd. The city was gripped by unprecedented unrest as the surging mob advanced like a tide, hurling stones, bottles, and even Molotov cocktails at the defensive line formed by the Salvation Army.

The projectiles were all blocked by riot shields, but the situation was already a powder keg, ready to explode at the slightest spark. It would only take a tiny flame to detonate the entire warehouse.

Suddenly, a rocket flew out from behind the Salvation Army’s line and exploded over the protesters’ heads. The abrupt roar made countless people scream. The once-united and incensed protesters instantly scattered like loose sand. Immediately after, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky.

The rain was bone-chilling, bringing a cold that seeped deep into their marrows. The agitated protesters, as if doused with a bucket of cold water from head to toe, gradually quieted down, entering a vacant state, free of wants or desires.

—Alpha-type Sedative. Specifically used for riot suppression. Those exposed will remain in a vacant state of mind, free of wants or desires, for two hours. It also eliminates the effects of the Fear Matrix.

The street, which had been a tinderbox a second before, fell eerily silent. Then, a massive holographic image lit up the sky. A spirited-looking old man appeared, his eyes lowered as if gazing down at every single person.

"My name is Roster, and I am the leader of the Salvation Army."

The old man’s hologram spoke, his voice echoing in every city.

"I don’t want to give some long-winded speech. I just want to ask you about a single fact."

"The Salvation Army has brought you dignity, human rights, equality, food, water, compulsory education, an eight-hour workday, lower prices, higher wages, and a better life.

And in your lives before this, what did the government bring you?"

The crowd was silent.

"Our Warriors, full of passionate conviction, traded their blood and sacrifice for this new world full of hope. And you—you have no respect for their sacrifice, no faith in the Salvation Army. You can’t even tell who your enemies are. You should be ashamed."

Roster’s tone remained calm, a calmness like the portent before a storm that made the air freeze, bringing an unspeakable sense of suffocation and pressure.

"And here, I want to tell everyone one thing—the Salvation Army is not a charity.

If you continue to cause trouble and attack our army, then you are our enemies. And when it comes to our enemies, the Salvation Army never shows mercy.

Of course, these are special times, and I believe a good number of you were forced into this against your will. So, I will give you one chance.

You have three minutes. Hand over the organizers of this protest, and the rest of you can go home safely and continue with your lives."

"Now, the countdown begins."

After a brief, dead silence, the crowd of protesters erupted once more.

This time, however, they weren’t charging the Salvation Army’s defensive line. Instead, they surrounded the organizers mixed in among them and began shoving them outward.

The organizers were powerless to resist. They were pushed and shoved out of the crowd, falling to the ground. When they saw the Salvation Army soldiers walking toward them, their pale faces showed nothing but terror and despair.

·

In the command room, real-time feeds from various cities were projected onto a screen. In no more than ten minutes, the massive protest processions had scattered like frightened birds and beasts. The streets were now empty, leaving only a mess behind as proof that a demonstration had taken place.

"That’s all it took to solve it?" Zhou Chen raised an eyebrow.

"It’s quite normal. They’ll protest because of fluctuations in the war, and they’ll give up just as easily when their protest meets a setback. Simply put, they’re a disorganized mob," the Plague Doctor said.

Although the chaos erupting in the cities had been resolved, the atmosphere in the command room didn’t relax in the slightest. It remained tense and solemn, because the protests were nothing. A far greater crisis awaited them.

"Enoch has opened the Ascension Ladder." In the command room, Liu Tingnan looked at the alert that popped up on his phone and calmly swiped it away.

’The Ascension Ladder...’ Zhou Chen’s breath caught. ’By absorbing the Fear from the hearts of tens of millions, Enoch actually succeeded.’

’Opening the Ascension Ladder means he has become one of the most powerful among the Tier Five - Crowned Kings, possessing the qualifications to challenge for the Divine Forbidden Realm. His Power far surpasses that of other Tier Fives who haven’t opened the ladder. The Tier Fives hired by the Salvation Army are probably in trouble.’

"Hasn’t the Star Association sent anyone into the Mirror World?" the Plague Doctor asked in a low voice. He was now the highest-ranking person in the command center, as the top brass were all busy with more important matters.

"Not yet." Liu Tingnan was focused on the report appearing on his tablet. "We’re short-staffed. The moment we divert our forces to kill Enoch, those hidden enemies lurking in the shadows will bare their tusks.

Let’s wait a little longer. They shouldn’t be able to hold back for much longer."

At that moment, a faint prayer suddenly reached Zhou Chen’s ears. He dispatched a large portion of his Spiritual Power, ascending to the Round Table Hall, and found the one who was praying.

—The Joker!

"Master, the wretched Fallen Paradise has begun to move. Please, you must be careful!"

"I know. Do you have any more specific intel?"

"Yes! I just learned that aside from the Merchant, four other Tier Four Corruptors are planning to undergo their Advancement in North Carolina!"

’Four more Tier Four Corruptors are going to attempt their Advancement in North Carolina...’ Zhou Chen sucked in a cold breath. ’To send so many at once... just how many High Tier members does Fallen Paradise have? Are they betting everything they have?’

He then asked, "Was the Land of Crystals created by Fallen Paradise? What was its purpose?"

"The Land of Crystals was an experimental zone, used to test the feasibility of a certain phase of the ’Eden Garden Project’ while also diverting the Star Association’s attention. Now that the data has been collected and feasibility confirmed, Fallen Paradise will abandon the Land of Crystals. If the Star Association tries to study it, they’ll just be wasting their time," the Joker replied.

’A phase of the Eden Garden Project...’ A thought stirred in Zhou Chen’s mind. He wanted to ask more questions, but the Joker hastily broke the connection, seemingly having run into something urgent.

Zhou Chen had no choice but to try calling for the Sea Monster, but the Sea Monster did not respond.

Just then, back in the command room, a piercing alarm blared from Liu Tingnan’s phone. His expression turned grim as he watched the messages that continuously popped up.

"Fallen Paradise is making its move."

·

「North Carolina, Bum City.」

A colossal black dahlia bloomed in the city center, its petals blotting out the sky. It wantonly spread a cloyingly sweet fragrance that brought death. An unknown number of people foamed at the mouth in a state of euphoria, dying quietly with smiles on their faces.

「New Sai City.」

Shadows invaded, flooding the city like a tide. Within the surging Darkness, a shrill, strange laughter echoed, bone-chillingly cold, as if it came from Hell itself.

「Xize City.」

Dark clouds gathered, blanketing the sky. In the dim and hazy World, crimson demonic lightning tore across the heavens, outlining a behemoth hidden within the clouds.

A four-winged, three-headed Demon Dragon roared at the sky, and a storm descended.

「Red River City.」

The crimson river water churned madly, sending massive waves surging. Tons of Red River Water crashed into the houses on the bank, destroying everything in its path with devastating force.

In the turbulent floodwaters, a giant starfish covered in a dense array of eyeballs walked toward the city. Each step made the earth tremble and the river churn.

·

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