Chapter 1109: The Man on the Edge of a Knife

The video ends here, and the screen goes dark.

The hall was completely silent. Everyone subconsciously looked at the two people standing side by side in the center of the hall, their expressions complicated, as if they wanted to say something but couldn't, and in the end, no one could say a word.

The awkward silence was finally broken by Ye Wanxi's phone ringing.

The call was from Xiao Jihui. As soon as he answered, he asked anxiously, "Where are you now?"

"In the laboratory building, where Wu is imprisoned."

"Then you..."

“We saw it.” Before Xiao Jihui could finish speaking, Ye Wanxi interrupted him, “We watched the video together with the people in the laboratory building in the lobby on the first floor, just now…”

Xiao Jihui was silent for a moment, then sighed almost imperceptibly: "Listen to me, the current situation is very unfavorable for you. The background in the video is most likely Z City, located in the southwest of our country. It is a particularly prosperous city with a very large permanent population."

Ye Wanxi's eyes flickered slightly. This city happened to be one of the alternative locations they had just discussed, which meant that their previous guess was correct. Wu Yequan was probably doing all this with the intention of using the lives of innocent people in the city to prove his own path.

As for the declaration just now, it was nothing more than an attempt to use this last opportunity to push the two of them into the public eye, to their doom.

Xiao Jihui was clearly aware of this, which is why he was so anxious after learning about the video.

"This video not only appeared on television without warning, but has also been released on major online platforms, spreading widely, and... it cannot be deleted."

Ye Wanxi narrowed her eyes and immediately understood what Xiao Jihui meant: "So, many people have already seen this video, and you can't stop more people from seeing it?"

Xiao Jihui on the other end of the phone was silent again, and after a long while he said with deep remorse, "I'm very sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for. It's not your fault. He was definitely targeting us."

"But... but he's clearly pushing you all toward the edge of a knife."

Having witnessed firsthand how the two of them got to where they are today, Xiao Jihui knows better than anyone how much pressure they endured, what they did, and what they sacrificed.

But what others don't know, and they certainly don't know, is that Ye Wanxi and the other person's current situation is merely incidental. Whether they live or die, as long as Wu Yequan is still alive, the people of this city cannot survive.

They would only think that this was a personal vendetta that implicated hundreds of thousands of innocent people, that Wu Yequan was the murderer, and that they were the accomplices.

Some people even bully the weak and fear the strong, are instinctively cowardly, and dare not hate Wu Yequan who caused all this. Instead, they are more angry at Ye Wanxi and Feng Tianyu who were named.

In their eyes, Wu Yequan was an invincible demon, while Ye Wanxi and Feng Tianyu were equals, people who would compromise under their pressure.

Indeed, the video that Wu Yequan spread had already been seen by many people before Ye Wanxi and others saw it.

In the video, he used the kindest expression to say the coldest words and do the most ruthless things. The malice revealed between the lines was undisguised and overwhelming, making many people feel terrified, and their hearts were filled with unease and fear in an instant.

They couldn't understand why this person's oppression and malice were a hundred times stronger than those of the mutated plants that could easily take lives and the evil superhumans who cruelly slaughtered innocent people.

Just from this short video, many people couldn't help but feel cold and shiver, not to mention the citizens of Z City and their relatives who were in danger.

Did you see that video today?

[How could I not have seen it? At the same time, if you have a TV at home and it's not on, it will automatically turn on for you. No matter which channel you're on, it will switch to you. It's even more domineering than the X-night show; it's pure mental pollution.]

[Switch directly to a TV station to broadcast this? That's ruthless! I thought it was only spreading online, and the speed at which it spread meant there must be powerful backers. I didn't expect even TV stations to be compromised. Could this video be some kind of new virus that's hacked the TV stations?]

What are the cybersecurity departments doing? It's terrifying to think about such a blunder. Today they only hacked into the TV station to broadcast videos, what if tomorrow they hacked into everyone's TVs, computers, and phones and did something else? Is there no privacy left?

With the widespread use of the internet and mobile phones, nowadays only some elderly people watch TV, while most young people prefer to watch dramas and read reviews online or on video platforms.

Therefore, at the beginning, no one knew how widely and directly the video would spread.

After learning about it, everyone felt even more fear and apprehension towards the protagonist in the video.

So, is this video real or not? Are there any locals from Z City here? Please come forward and tell us that everything in the video is fake, that dark mass is fake, and the thunder, fire, and burning houses in the video are all special effects!

[Yeah, yeah, come out and let everyone know you're safe, don't worry. People are already so anxious because of those foreign superhumans and the Ghost Festival... This is unbearable!]

If this is true or false, the person who did all this is truly despicable. They'd throw away all pretense of civility to create such panic; I really don't know what they're after.

[It must be...real, right? This video has gone viral. If it were just a rumor, it would have been blocked long ago. Over 500 reposts can get you imprisoned; how many reposts has it had? And even ignoring the reposting, just hacking into a TV station and intercepting its broadcast is enough to send him to jail. There's no way we'd be having this heated discussion here.]

Some people believe the video is real, arguing that with mutated plants and animals and superhumans appearing, what else is impossible? Moreover, the fact that the authorities have not clarified the situation or taken any countermeasures is also strong evidence.

Some people believe it's fake, arguing that social unrest breeds too much repression and distortion, and that when reason is overtaken by impulse, anything is possible. They think, "We've already come this far, so why care about the law? Just enjoy yourself!"

This matter is of great importance, and the higher-ups originally intended to keep it a secret for the time being to avoid causing greater turmoil and panic.

Unfortunately, they couldn't stop the video from spreading, nor could they rescue all the hostages before it went completely out of the public eye, so the truth could no longer be hidden.

Soon, insiders confirmed the authenticity of the matter online, plunging netizens who were initially just watching the drama into a state of panic about the unknown.

(End of this chapter)