Chapter 280: Are You Pigs?

At ten o’clock in the morning, just past the moment of peak productivity for the day’s office workers, most people would grant themselves a small, ten-minute break.

Hao Fei, a clerk, was stretching at her workstation when suddenly, a video feed popped up on her Light Brain without any warning.

On the screen was a single man with a crazed look on his face. He looked vaguely familiar.

"Gong Tianhua, don’t you think you’re showing a blatant disregard for human life? I just saw the report—in just two or three months, the number of accidental deaths has exceeded one hundred thousand! You’re a researcher, not a butcher!"

"So what? If you want results, people have to pay the price!"

"Aren’t they just some low-class scum? They’re the vermin of the Imperial City. Making a contribution to scientific research before they die means they didn’t die in vain."

"Gong Tianhua, is that something a human would even say?! For your own selfish desires, you secretly developed illegal drugs, mixed them into expired nutrient liquid from pharmaceutical companies, and used innocent people as your test subjects! So many have lost their lives without a clue, their families torn apart. Not only do you show no remorse, but your mouth is also full of twisted logic. You are a massive disappointment!"

"What I’m creating is a great drug that will help all of human society take a huge leap forward. It’s their honor to be able to participate."

"Old bastard, get the hell out of my sight. Just looking at you pisses me off!"

"If you don’t get lost, you’ll be the first one to take the next batch of drugs. We’ll see if you evolve into a mutant beast or just drop dead on the spot!"

...

Before her brain could even process what she’d seen, the video was abruptly blocked.

"What was that just now?" asked Hao Fei’s colleague from the next workstation, completely bewildered.

"You saw it too?" Hao Fei asked, surprised.

"Yeah."

"I saw it too."

"Me too."

Almost every colleague in the office had seen the video.

"I think I heard a name, Gong something?"

"You guys don’t recognize the man in the video? That’s Gong Tianhua, the vice director of the research institute. He was just in an interview a couple of days ago."

"Then who was the other person?"

"No idea. Only Gong Tianhua’s face was on screen, not his. But I think I heard Gong Tianhua call him Gao Weineng."

"Shouldn’t we be focused on the fact that Gong Tianhua is developing illegal drugs?"

"What illegal drugs?"

"Didn’t you hear? They’re mixed into expired nutrient liquid."

"Expired nutrient liquid? I’ve never drunk any. Who would drink something that’s expired?"

An older male colleague’s face turned pale. "I... I’ve bought it for my family."

This colleague lived in the Lower City District and was the sole breadwinner for his family. The expired nutrient liquid was cheaper than the fresh kind, so he would buy some occasionally.

After all, when you’re the only one earning money, you save every little bit you can.

"What the hell is going on? A video pops up out of nowhere, and before I can even figure it out, it’s gone."

"Could it be a hoax?"

"I think it might be..."

Similar conversations weren’t just happening in Hao Fei’s office. More than half the residents of the Imperial Capital Survival Base had witnessed the same scene.

That’s because the video clip wasn’t just on Light Brains; it had played on every device capable of playback.

It played on television sets in shop windows, on massive advertising screens, and even on radios that only had sound but no picture.

At the exact same time, the same words echoed through every street and alley.

Some quick-thinking people chose to record it immediately, so even after the video was blocked, they could rewatch it._

However, before they could finish a second viewing, the recorded video was deleted.

"Dammit, this must be the government’s doing," the man cursed. He went to a chat group to spout his theories, but the group was quickly disbanded.

The man froze for a second, then went to another group. As soon as he entered, he saw the members frantically spamming messages about the video.

He was just about to offer his two cents, but before he could even finish typing, that group was nuked too.

Immediately after, a line of yellow text appeared as a warning.

—All discussion related to expired nutrient liquid is prohibited. Violators will be held criminally responsible!

In the government office building, Base Commander Zhang Changjiang stormed into the Cybersecurity Center, berating them for posting the warning.

"Are you all idiots?! By posting this warning, aren’t you indirectly admitting that the problem with the expired nutrient liquid is real?!"

When he was agitated, Zhang Changjiang’s words were harsh. The staff of the Cybersecurity Center were so thoroughly scolded they didn’t dare to look up, but they also felt deeply wronged.

They had just been following standard procedures. They handled similar situations the same way all the time, so why was it the wrong move today?

The secretary-general walked over and whispered a few words in Zhang Changjiang’s ear.

"This is such a headache!"

Zhang Changjiang’s expression changed, and he rushed out. "Don’t post any more warnings! Clear any action with me first!"

The people in the Cybersecurity Center looked at each other in confusion. Someone weakly said, "So... which mastermind pulled all this off?"

Anyone good enough to get into the Cybersecurity Center could tell that the video clip wasn’t staged, much less an AI deepfake.

This had really happened.

The person who could film this video, bypass their firewalls, and broadcast it across the entire Imperial City was no simple character.

Or rather, this wasn’t something a single person could accomplish. It had to be a team.

As for who this team might be, everyone’s mind arrived at the same unspoken answer, but no one dared to say it out loud, communicating only with their eyes.

...

Shen Lu hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly. The time was about right. She took a swift step forward, right up to Gong Tianhua, pulled out the Memory Disappearance Hammer, and brought it down on his head.

"You..." Gong Tianhua never imagined "Mr. Gao" would hit him with a hammer. Caught completely off guard, he collapsed to the ground.

Not wanting to take any chances, Shen Lu hit him again. Only after confirming that the recent memory had been wiped from Gong Tianhua’s mind did she put away the hammer and take off her mask.

She walked out of the office. Fu Cheng’s heart, which had been lodged in his throat, finally settled back into his chest. He retracted his superpower.

Just then, Liao Guang came running over with a strange expression on his face. He looked at the two of them standing by the door, then knocked.

After knocking several times with no response, Liao Guang asked, "Isn’t Director Gong inside?"

"He should be," Shen Lu replied in a faint voice, her eyes wide with innocence.

Liao Guang frowned. "Never mind, I’ll arrange a car for you first."

’Director Gong must be busy with something important and doesn’t want to be disturbed,’ he thought. ’That must be why he’s not answering.’

The other two men he had called were just behind him and would be over to move Qi Zhixian soon.

Still, he couldn’t figure out why Director Gong would say those things to Mr. Gao.

’Even if some of it is true, you can’t just say it to someone’s face, and now it’s all over the internet.’

’I have no idea how this whole mess will end.’

’Whatever, it doesn’t have much to do with me. I’m just Director Gong’s life assistant, not his research assistant. I don’t know anything about the research. Even if they come investigating, I was just following orders. I won’t have to take too much of the blame.’

’Just have to get this last thing done, and then leave the rest to fate,’ he thought.