"I don't think we can kill Pandora!" someone protested frantically over the communication channel.
"Can we fucking call those lunatics? Damn, I should have given them built-in communicators too." Another person yelled.
"Even if they did, do you think they would listen? They'd love to hear all the bitterness they've suffered!"
"I told you, we should implant some instant-death devices into those idiots, like high-voltage electric shocks or time bombs. These people won't listen unless they're tortured."
"The next wave of operatives will arrive, but the problem is that they're not here yet."
"No! We can't let them kill Zipandora, she's a popular character!"
Beelzebub took a big gulp of whiskey. The screen and communication channels were already in an uproar. He was too lazy to explain anything. Some people even tried to run to the monitoring room to stop him, saying that the audience needed an explanation in order to proceed with the next part of the plot, and they kept repeating the same sentence.
"Pandora is a very popular character! Even though she's just a clone!"
"And those good-for-nothings were all trained by us."
"They can't kill Pandora, she's an imitator of Lilith!"
“Why not?” Beelzebub finally spoke, his tone incredibly nonchalant. “This is Jerusalem, a place of utter taboos, not some child’s play theme park.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than another wave of chaos erupted in the channel. The remaining members of the planning team continued to be in turmoil, and the phones in the monitoring room were ringing off the hook.
I don't know why that child is so popular—I really regret creating her out of curiosity. Her face and personality, which are almost identical to Lilith's, are the opposites—rebellious, desperate, and jealous of everyone who can live a good life.
There have to be people like that. If you want to control the future of a place, you have to kill certain people or achieve certain goals. Only a fool would believe that things in a play are randomly arranged.
Another authorized communication came in. Beelzebub glanced at it. Andrew Lie. How frustrating.
He had to finish the contents of the bottle in one go before he could feel comfortable answering the call.
The madman's first words were: "You can't just give up on Pandora like that."
“They might not be able to kill them. Bamke is gone, and so is He Yu.”
“I should have thrown those people into the cycle when we were in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. That way they would have been more obedient both inside and outside the arena,” Andre said. “Do you know how compatible Pandora is? She can become the second key, so we can swallow up more operatives, and Eoubs can’t do anything about it.”
“It’s gotten to this point; one of them has to die.” Beelzebub opened another bottle of wine, continuing as if he couldn’t get drunk, “This has always been our story—it’s either you die or I die. You can look at the ratings if you want; this is what everyone wants to see—”
"But you still can't kill Pandora! She's Pandora, not some piece of junk you can just throw away! She can die in Lilith's place!"
“Yes, so her life has always been sustained by the dead and the emotions they evoke. Do you think I’d be doing all those pointless plays and killing so many people for no reason?” Beelzebub hiccuped and sighed.
“Her story is fascinating, but audiences’ interest shifts very quickly. I never let anyone live forever. The way to keep them alive is to guide them to witness all sorts of tragedies.”
"Is this your method?" Andrew Lie was speechless for a moment, basically too angry to speak: "Leave it alone, let them kill Pandora, and turn the whole of Jerusalem into a cheap carnival?"
“I didn’t say that.” Beelzebub stared at the screen, expressionless. “Do you really know what Bamke and the other guy are going to do? One of them is a genius who can rewind time, and the other doesn’t think like a normal person at all. But whoever tries to stop them is just throwing their lives away. You know Weeks’ mutation potion—”
Andrew Lie chuckled.
"All I know is that you want Pandora dead."
He wanted to say something more, but the call was abruptly disconnected.
The chaotic argument started coming through his headphones again, with a bunch of people saying things like "Don't kill him," "Use torture," and "Why don't we let Lilith come and handle this herself?" He fumbled for a pack of cigarettes, feeling that he couldn't listen for another second without smoking a few.
Beelzebub's mind went blank for a moment, then he dialed the communication back. The priest didn't react at all. That man was always like that. When he first created Pandora, he made a huge fuss like a madman.
So he could only keep firing nervously, his mind filled with thoughts like, "Don't you think things aren't serious enough? Didn't you see what those operatives are planning? They want to destroy Jerusalem! If they actually do that, are you going to resurrect Lilith? Oh, and Pandora too, she's our last line of defense. We can't waste such a shield!"
—In fact, he only saw the child a few times at banquets after that. He was just an immature young man, but the way he stared at people was creepy, and he didn't want to look directly into those eyes again.
Too sad and desolate.
He certainly knew what he was doing.
As for Pandora… she had long understood, and didn’t truly believe, that she could survive. The child was incredibly intelligent, especially gifted in murder, inheriting Lilith’s stubborn nature, which was why she had survived until now. But from the very beginning of her life, Beelzebub had thought… perhaps all she would do from now on was search for a way to die with dignity.
He laughed somewhat nervously.
Interestingly, this powerful woman began to fight against the entire world and was thrown into the hands of a group of perverts, while all of Jerusalem feared she would die. Everyone thought, "You are so powerful, you can get whatever you want, why make that child suffer?"
He knew why; this was the result of their long-term efforts.
There was still no answer on the other end of the line. Andrew probably grabbed his gun and sword, ready to save the day. This was what he did most of his life – a futile effort.
This is a show that changes so quickly. People can always find something more exciting, more conflicting, the most tragic characters, and the most contradictory relationships. They will find death, betrayal, torment, pain, and the essence of humanity here... because everyone is doing the same thing, but soon they all lose interest in the same thing.
What Beelzebub had to do was simply follow Lilith's wishes and guide them to become fascinated with new toys again when they lost interest—it all made perfect sense.
He wanted everyone to stay on their nerves, ideally without any capacity for thought, which he believed was the power to orchestrate everything.
In this city, in this world of taboos, no one can escape the fate that the characters in the book are destined for, so they don't need any reason; they just need to follow the arranged trend.
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