Welcome to Rewind World Game
Chapter 609 - 606: "Karmic Fire

Chapter 609: Chapter 606: "Karmic Fire

[Second Ring District・3:09 AM]

"City-State News brings you the latest updates."

"Today’s Danger Zone current index is level 7, sandstorm index is level 5; the weather is quite severe. It is suggested that resource exploration teams reduce outings, as adverse weather may lead to personnel injuries..."

"Now for a commercial break—Are you troubled by the aging population in your city-state? Are you worried about training your aging parents? Eden has launched a new product [Bionic Child]. No need to qualify for a parenting certificate, you can raise your very own child..."

"Crack!"

A blood-stained iron rod struck the radio, bringing the incessant drone of commercials to an abrupt end.

"Fucking sick of those same old news items every day," the soldier wielding the rod spat on the broken pieces of the radio, then turned to continue plundering.

Inside the scattered aisles of the supermarket, members of the Rebel Army were scouring for food and weapons.

This would have been impossible in the past. But now, the mechanical guards assigned to patrol the area had inexplicably entered a dormant state, allowing no one to interfere with the looting.

Rebel Army members, armed with guns, invaded the Inner City, breaking into residential buildings, while residents’ screams and shouts of alarm sounded all around.

"—How dare you break into my home!"

"—Where’s my door lock alarm? Where are my Guardian robots? How come they’re all—"

"—Don’t come here! Don’t come here! Don’t smash my things—"

"Tatatata—"

Gunshots rang out like a dense shower of raindrops.

The peaceful night in the city-state was shattered by uproar.

Street corners and alleyways, once patrolled by Mechanical Army units now no longer abided by the city-state’s laws.

Intended as protectors of the residents’ safety, they, however, glowed red in the eyes as if possessed by their own souls. They ignored the pleas of residents, instead aiding the Rebel Army who had invaded the city.

The most deadly firearms ended up in the hands of the resisters, who, like wild beasts let out of a cage, vented their desires and rage.

[—Kill Dawn.]

This was their heart-shaking slogan.

As if to voice the injustices and fury of their lifetimes, wanting the muzzles to spit out flames of anger, they were determined to make this rain-soaked city-state—topple for the dawn of their new century.

They were out to kill the current leader of the city-state—Yasa Acto.

"Kadada—"

The helicopter hovered in the storm, as the female reporter from the TV station slid open the door to broadcast the current situation live, with the camera lens focused on the midnight lights below.

"—Breaking news tonight, bringing you the latest updates..."

The young female reporter, whose hair danced in the night rain, sped through her speech in front of the camera.

Her demeanor was somewhat panicked, her eyes full of disbelief, as if she had never imagined someone would dare to stir up unrest in the City of Measurement.

Soaked by the heavy rain, she clung to the inside of the cabin, signaling the camera to focus on the streets below, which were filled with a black surge of Rebel Army forces.

"Today at 3:00 AM, a Rebel Army of approximately a thousand people gathered in the Kalst Industrial Zone, leading an incursion into the Inner City with individuals of inferior personas. They are armed with heavy firearms, suspected to have been supplied by those in allegiance with Ta Wei.

"—From here we can see that the bordering area of the Second Ring District has already fallen, with streets and storefronts ransacked, electrical facilities damaged, and many residential homes invaded, while various regions have begun to catch fire.

"The Core Area Council has judged this to be a malicious incident. The residents, led by individuals of inferior persona, have decided to gather in defiance of the current city-state welfare and system.

"Their aim seems to be directed straight at Central City. The current destruction is for the purpose of scavenging resources and weapons, and they will not linger too long in the Second Ring District.

"This must be an infiltration by ’Ta Wei’ on the Hawk Hound Army, cutting off the connection between the Hawk Hound Mechanical Army and the Dawn surveillance system, leading to the Dawn System’s slow response, and allowing the gunshots to be fired.

"A spokesperson for the Peace Dove News Agency described the current situation as ’a wild dance of the Rebels’ souls’ freedom.’ The investors of the ’Dream Making’ group stated that ’this is defying the law of the city-states, a senseless internal struggle by the daring, and those who defect to ’Ta Wei’ will certainly be suppressed.’ The Core Council has not yet issued any statement on the matter.

"As of now, the malicious incident is still fermenting, and the Rebel Army is calling on the local residents to join their ranks. The force is expanding. After the Inner City suppression forces arrive at the scene, a firefight may occur between the two sides, and this turmoil could escalate into a small-scale war...

"In the next few hours, Kiwi TV station will continue to provide you with coverage..."

The female reporter’s somewhat trembling voice rose through the sound transmission equipment, resounding in every household.

The sound of gunfire, like thunder, woke the sleeping residents. Rubbing their sleepy eyes, they turned on the TV, only to be met with such terrifying news.

—The Rebel Army is aiming at Central City.

People had long been immersed in the comfort of the City-State, working diligently for decades, never imagining that gunfire would break out from within the City-State.

It had been thirty years since they last heard gunshots, following the Dawn War—which transformed "Doomsday City" into "City of Measurement."

"Mommy, why are there gunshots..."

"Don’t be scared, it’s just an accident... Let’s hide in the room, don’t talk. By tomorrow everything will be all right, the Dawn System will save us..."

This was a mother and daughter behind locked doors and windows, with the girl hiding in her mother’s embrace and the mother closing her eyes, both of them trembling.

The sound of gunfire continued to echo within the city.

Each gunshot seemed to strike directly at the people’s hearts.

The gunfire of the Rebel Army was a blood-drenched struggle mocking the name of peace in the City-States, a provocation that trampled order and law underfoot.

People’s eyes were bloodshot, wearing bulletproof vests like hard-shelled black beetles, their feet stained with blood that could not be washed clean.

In the drifting rain, the gradually diluted redness sank into puddles, and a booted foot stepped down, causing blood and rainwater to splash together.

Like swarms of black beetles, the Rebel Army continuously flowed through the streets, loading box after box of resources onto trucks.

Between the hazy mist and rain, the yellow beams of the truck headlights pierced through, like two sharp light sabers cutting through the darkness, reaching into that distant future.

With a roar, the trucks started, and the "black beetles" sitting on them raised their arms.

"Boom, boom, boom—!"

The headlights soared to their brightest, like two cold stars in the night.

In the blood-red vision of the Mechanical Army,

—the trucks were racing fast, heading straight for Central City.

...

Below the curtain of rain.

The golden-haired, blue-eyed leader of the Rebel Army was leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette.

He was silent and looking into the distance, at that building—the one standing tall in the night like a lighthouse.

That was Central City, towering into the clouds, and it was their ultimate goal.

At his feet lay a middle-aged man with eyes wide open in death—the man’s chest bore an electronic ID badge of a supermarket employee. He was an utterly ordinary person, and in his pocket was the latest model of lipstick, perhaps a gift for his wife or maybe for his daughter who had just come of age.

But tonight, with the crackle of a gunshot amid the blaze, all future dreams shattered like mere bubbles.

Amidst the misty rain, the smoke rose faintly. Underneath the rebel leader’s blonde hair, those blue eyes that resembled the Heavenly Sea seemed hazy, as if he indulged in a state of tranquil atmosphere.

"Click."

He stepped on the edge of the supermarket employee’s pocket, and the lipstick issued a slight cracking sound.

...It seemed like the sound of a family falling apart.

"3:15 AM, successfully infiltrated the Second Ring District, survival count: 65 players, average combat power 1300 points, a total of 899 NPCs volunteered to join us.

The Key played a significant role in penetrating the Hawk Hound Army, the Dawn System was unable to mobilize its forces in time to eradicate us—as the scale of the rebellion continues to grow, our team will only get stronger."

A woman clad in a tight leather suit, her black hair pulled back into a high ponytail, leapt down from the eaves. She was the top-ranked player, Natalie, and also the "Guardian" of this blonde man.

A "Guardian" to prevent him from losing his mind and to monitor his mental state at all times.

"...Edward." Natalie extended her hand and called out the blonde man’s name.

The leader of the Rebel Army’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.

Natalie’s hand brushed across his left cheek, wiping away the blood that had splattered onto his face.

This gesture appeared caring and yet ambiguous.

Natalie broke into a smile, her delicate Western European features beaming with radiance.

"We... have been very successful," she said with a smile, "Our speed is fast enough, the city-state is like a giant sieve, and countless people infiltrated by Ta Wei have provided us immense convenience."

"Mhm," Edward responded.

He took a cigarette, his hand back covered in shattered raindrops.

"As long as someone gives the order, as someone cries out—the war will begin," he said, "The World Game’s timing for entering the instance was just right, many people... have already fallen into Ta Wei’s grasp. We are merely the pushers, giving them a slogan to start the war."

"But the residents of the Inner City are still very loyal to the Dawn System and Yasa Acto," said Natalie, "Our speeches and persuasion didn’t do much. Almost no one was willing to join us, except for those with inferior personas."

"It’s to be expected," said Edward, "After all, even if the Rebel Army wins and destroys the Dawn System, the city-state is doomed in the future. Without the Dawn System, millions of people simply cannot survive in this apocalypse, let alone some ridiculous notion of freedom..."

"But..." he lifted his eyelids, "what does that matter? Most of the residents are idiots, so let’s just use this fleeting ’freedom’ as a slogan to string them along.

My favorite sight is watching humans turn against their own heroes, killing those who once saved them."

Natalie smiled.

"Right, it doesn’t matter," she said with a laugh, "As long as we kill Su Ming’an and seize the highest points of the faction—the future of this city has nothing to do with us. It’s only that guy Su Ming’an, who always insists on achieving an outcome that saves the majority."

"Let’s go," Edward tossed away his cigarette.

"Click—clack."

On the wall, an LCD screen lit up.

Edward looked at the screen, which appeared to be an emergency live broadcast.

Against the deep blue backdrop of the press conference, countless microphones stood up like wild grass, uniformly—tilting towards the central spokesperson, the Core Area Councilman Fulkrey Corby.

The councilman stood before the flashing cameras, his expression grave:

"...City-State evacuation operations are urgently underway.

"The City-State has entered a state of emergency, and power and water outages may occur. Please, residents, do not panic and wait at home. We have the ability to ensure the personal safety of residents, and armed forces are en route to suppress the situation in the Second Ring District.

"We believe that the Dawn System will respond to this incident in a timely manner, and everything will return to normal.

"Such acts of rebellion that dare to incite civil war, consume survival resources, and break the Rules of Measurement are a betrayal of human civilization. The City-State strongly condemns these humans who have allied themselves with Ta Wei.

"At this time, residents of the City-State should trust the State of Measurement, trust the fair and impartial Dawn System, trust the powerful mechanical armed forces within the city, believe——"

At this point, the Councilman suddenly raised his voice by several notes.

He faced the camera, and said solemnly:

"——in our great Yasa Acto, Lord of Acto City!"

"Trust him, he will surely serve as the City-State’s Lighthouse, bringing peace and order back amongst the residents!"

"We are all his loyal Light Pursuers..."

"..."

From this last speech, it’s clear that this Councilman is not the genuine article.

He is the top-ranking Player "Prophet" Atlanda, previously instructed by Dawn himself to ensure that Acto did not die.

Upon learning that Edward and their ranks were aligned, he was instantly terrified—Edward facing off against Su Ming’an was essentially the battle of the century, and who knows what chaos it would wreak upon the world.

Sure enough, in the wee hours of the seventh day since the Replica Activation, Edward, who had laid low for some time, sparked the flames of war, leading the Rebel Army straight into Central City. Now the scene is in utter chaos, with gunshots resounding through the city districts.

Atlanda believed that Su Ming’an would win. So he didn’t change his stance, still maintaining the identity of the Councilman, and even flattered Su Ming’an at the end of his speech to make his position clear.

——And in the midst of the torrential rain, Edward coldly glanced at the LCD screen and sneered.

"Just wait."

Those who looked down on him, those who despised him, those who thought him mad...

He would make them all pay the price.

After throwing in his lot with the Organizers, he had gained even greater authority; he was no longer the same as before.

Mere dogs, after all.

Who is nobler than whom?

He looked out to see a crazed group of residents in front of the bank’s ATM machines. They were smashing the glass, looting the cash from the drawers, their faces full of desire and fierceness.

The back of the residents’ necks gleamed with a blood-like hue. This color, once shunned, was now as densely packed as the stars in the sky.

Driven by sin and desire, even a white rabbit can turn into a wild wolf.

This group, who prided themselves on stable emotions and high status, cast aside their conscience and civilization in the face of accessible wealth, as repugnant as wild beasts.

The most precious part of what makes one "human" was trampled into fragments amid the gunfire of retribution and the green banknotes falling like heavy rain.

Amid the burning gunfire, the Guardians clad in sheep’s skin raised their torches,

In the name of "freedom" and "struggle," they pointed their swords at the robins that brought the dawn,

——and then, with a single blaze, they burnt up their own glorious lives.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.