EDEH Chapter 56

At the Supervision Center, everyone walked with urgent steps.

 

Zom was very displeased: “Watch Lance, don’t let him cause more trouble. If he wants to play, he should be more discreet. Being so blatant, I think he doesn’t want to be a council member anymore!”

 

Julian spoke rapidly: “He will reflect. Once the storm passes, we’ll send him back to the underground city.”

 

Zom instructed: “After this matter ends, you stay in the main city for a while longer and find all the naturally born deviants.”

 

“What do we do after finding them?” Council Member Fanny had also rushed over from District 7. She said, “Keeping them in the main city prison might not be safe. Bring them back to the underground city?”

 

“Kill them all.” Zom’s tone was calm. “Only dead people won’t leak secrets.”

 

Julian and Fanny exchanged glances, remaining silent.

 

“Don’t be soft-hearted at this time. We’ve made it through so many years, this one time won’t make a difference.” Zom slowly turned around. “Don’t forget the oath you took when you were elected council members.”

 

“…”

 

The old oath echoed in their ears: “Individual life is limited, civilization needs inheritance!”

 

Racial survival above all else, individual interests forever below collective ones. For civilization’s continuation, any cost could be paid, sacrificing everything that could be sacrificed—including our lives, all survivors’ lives.

 

Dawn will come, “Dawn” must not be leaked.

 

Julian exhaled lightly: “Naturally born deviants look different from humans and must be concentrated in the lower districts. I will thoroughly sweep through them.”

 

“If only dead people don’t leak secrets, then what about Huo Yanji?” Fanny said, “He knows about the ‘Dawn’ plan. Originally, he, Bo Qing, Huo Jiangmin, and that Ji Xiao—all four of them knew.

 

“Ji Xiao and Bo Qing are dead, Huo Jiangmin supports this plan, only Huo Yanji has always…”

 

Zom shook his head: “Do you think Huo Yanji is some petty villain? If he really wanted to expose the ‘Dawn’ plan, he would have done it long ago. He and we all know that revealing the truth wouldn’t benefit humanity.”

 

Julian said flatly: “Although our positions differ, Huo Yanji wouldn’t do something like exposing the ‘Dawn’ plan to save himself. He’s such an upright person.”

 

“You have quite a high opinion of him.” Fanny smiled, changing the subject: “It’s getting more chaotic outside, with people clamoring for public trial and execution of Huo Yanji. We haven’t even gotten started yet.”

 

Zom continued walking forward, saying coldly: “Public opinion is getting out of hand.”

 

Julian said: “The troublemakers below aren’t our people, and Lance probably didn’t have time to fan the flames. It’s just ordinary residents organizing demonstrations.”

 

Zom pondered for a moment: “Public trial and execution are both impossible. Although Huo Yanji is young, he has high prestige in the military. Making too big a fuss could cause problems.”

 

Fanny felt an inexplicable unease: “Don’t you think everything is going too smoothly?”

 

They never planned to make Huo Yanji confess—the interrogation was just for show. As long as they could suppress Huo Yanji through public opinion, they could directly convict him at the climax and appease the residents’ anger.

 

Everything was proceeding according to their plan. Huo Jiangmin at Rift No. 2 must have received the news, but there was no movement. Though that was understandable—the relationship between the two brothers was average, and he might even gloat over the other’s downfall.

 

But the military officers and executive officers under Huo Yanji had made no moves, which was somewhat strange.

 

Julian consoled: “How long has Huo Yanji been in office? The supervisory executive officers haven’t changed much—they’re basically all Old Herman’s trusted allies.”

 

“It is a bit unusual.” Zom strode to push open the monitoring room door next to the interrogation room. “We need to finalize this matter quickly and can’t let public opinion ferment further.”

 

Everyone looked at Huo Yanji in the interrogation room through the surveillance glass. Although a week had passed, Huo Yanji remained cold and composed, showing no signs of distress.

 

Fanny snorted coldly: “We’re in chaos outside, while he’s eating and drinking well without a care in the world.”

 

As soon as she finished speaking, Huo Yanji cast a cold gaze through the glass.

 

Fanny was startled and instinctively stepped back.

 

Then she realized the glass was one-way—Huo Yanji couldn’t see her or hear what she said.

 

Zom adjusted his coat, took a deep breath, and entered the interrogation room accompanied by Fanny.

 

Even though they all knew the charges were fabricated, even though Huo Yanji couldn’t possibly confess, the process still had to be followed to avoid future criticism.

 

Pulling out a chair to sit, the recorder standing aside turned on the camera. Zom and Huo Yanji stared at each other for a long time.

 

Zom said half-truthfully: “Do you remember when you were promoted to major general? I personally awarded you the medal. Neither of us expected things to develop to this point.”

 

Huo Yanji answered flatly: “Really? I actually expected it.”

 

Zom paused, a flash of complexity in his eyes.

 

But within a second, he suppressed all external emotions, resuming the posture befitting a Speaker—high and mighty: “So you had tendencies to torture deviants that many years ago?”

 

Having his words deliberately misinterpreted, Huo Yanji didn’t get angry. He glanced at the documents on the table: “You want to convict me based on these things?”

 

Zom leaned back, saying gravely: “The evidence is ironclad. What else do you want to argue?”

 

“I was once an interrogator too—these are all circumstantial evidence.” Huo Yanji raised his eyelids, showing a cold smile. “Did the photos capture me, or did the videos record my voice?”

 

Fanny slammed the table: “These photos and videos are trophies you saved yourself. Of course you wouldn’t appear in them personally, but they were found in your office and computer—that’s the greatest evidence!”

 

The highest executive officer’s computer required an ID card to access. Besides Huo Yanji himself, only Old Herman had the authority.

 

This was a tradition left by the first highest executive officer—retaining the previous holder’s ten-year access to supervise successors and ensure their loyalty.

 

Huo Yanji had no intention of mentioning Old Herman’s name, looking down silently.

 

Fanny asked: “Nothing to say?”

 

Huo Yanji said flatly: “If this is all the circumstantial evidence you have, you might as well go home.”

 

Hearing this, Zom relaxed against his chair back, showing a smile and waving his hand: “Bring in the victims.”

 

Huo Yanji’s brow moved slightly.

 

After a moment, two handsome men were brought in—one a high-level deviant with normal appearance, one a low-level deviant with red mushrooms growing on his head.

 

They stood cowering at the door, exposed skin covered in bright red scars, as if burned.

 

“These are victims who luckily escaped from your hands.”

 

Zom glanced back: “Look clearly—is he the one who abused you?”

 

Both men tremblingly raised their heads, then quickly lowered them: “A bit… a bit like him.”

 

Huo Yanji’s eyes flickered.

 

Framing him for torturing deviants should have been a conspiracy planned after discovering he hadn’t died in the explosion. But looking at the burns and whip marks on their arms, they should be over twenty days old.

 

The fear in their eyes wasn’t fake—their feet curled together helplessly, hands gripping their clothes tightly, shoulders trembling slightly, not daring to meet his gaze.

 

They had really been abused, not long ago.

 

Zom asked: “What do you mean ‘a bit like’?”

 

One victim stammered: “He was wearing a mask then, but we saw… saw…”

 

Fanny pressed: “Saw what?”

 

“…Saw he had a gunshot wound on his shoulder.”

 

The last trace of cold smile disappeared from Huo Yanji’s lips, his eyes completely indifferent.

 

He seemed to return to that riot five years ago.

 

“Puff—”

 

This was the sound of a sniper bullet piercing through shoulder flesh.

 

Chaos surrounded him. Soldiers wanted to escort Huo Yanji away, but he ordered them to evacuate civilians. He drew his pistol and in an instant aimed at the distant rooftop, returning fire. The moment the shot rang out, a voice from the crowd clearly reached his ears: “That brave man missed, what a pity…”

 

Zom looked confident of victory: “If I’m not mistaken, you were shot in the shoulder five years ago?”

 

Huo Yanji returned to the present, looking at them indifferently.

 

After a long while, he still reminded them flatly: “Whether the charges actually exist, you know in your hearts—but you originally thought I would die in that explosion and didn’t plan this childish frame-up. But these two people’s injuries are at least twenty days old, and coincidentally, the person who abused them also has a scar on his shoulder.”

 

Fanny hadn’t reacted yet: “Because they…”

 

She wanted to say these two were giving false testimony, but suddenly realized there was recording and abruptly shut her mouth.

 

Zom looked back at the two ‘victims.’ If they were just lying and giving false testimony, their acting was indeed too good.

 

He turned off surveillance and recording, saying heavily: “These two victims were found by Herman. If they’re not lying, it only shows that Old He wanted to frame you and pull you down long ago—you’re quite a failure as a person, aren’t you?”

 

Old Herman had even created a full performance, actually finding people to abuse deviants, and found a body double with the same characteristics as Huo Yanji to serve as the culprit.

 

This way, when the victims identified him, they were telling the truth without any false elements.

 

“Is that so?” Huo Yanji said, “You should go check what Old He wants to do now—maybe there’s still time to stop it.”

 

Fanny frowned: “Don’t try to sow discord. Old He has been loyal to the Court for all these years…”

 

“He’s not loyal to the Court, but to his beliefs… humanity is his belief.” Huo Yanji looked down casually, “—at least it used to be.”

 

Zom’s face changed slightly. He immediately stood up, hitting his leg against the chair without caring, pushing aside the two victims while dialing his communicator: “Why didn’t Herman come to the Supervision Center today? Where did he go!?”

 

…

 

Sang Jue stood in front of the lighthouse, looking up at the gold above and spacing out.

 

Originally his plan was that if Huo Yanji agreed to leave with him, he would steal all the golden maple leaf medals from the lighthouse.

 

But Ji Ji didn’t want to leave.

 

What a pity.

 

If he wasn’t afraid of heights, he could fly to the top of the lighthouse that reached into the clouds to sleep, and eat some gold when hungry.

 

That way he’d also have a golden house—a golden tower, close enough.

 

After Yu Ren’s death, everything at the lighthouse continued as usual. The registration work was taken over by someone else, also a low-level deviant, probably to show the high-level’s stance of treating everyone equally.

 

People coming to register medals still came in an endless stream—countless deviant soldiers died every day.

 

This wasn’t a lighthouse, but a high platform built with the souls of the sacrificed.

 

Sang Jue looked up without feeling his neck getting sore.

 

He was just thinking, if these people knew about the “Dawn” plan, what would their reaction be?

 

007 had given him the decision.

 

Because 007 couldn’t analyze whether disclosure would be better for humanity, or letting everyone continue living in lies would be better for humanity.

 

Sang Jue was also conflicted.

 

This wasn’t a small matter.

 

If Dr. Anya were here, that would be good—the doctor always made the right decisions.

 

“Beep—”

 

The communicator rang. Sang Jue pressed answer—it was Shiwei calling.

 

Sang Jue maintained his upward gaze: “You don’t need to help me find ‘Dawn No. 2’ anymore, I already got it.”

 

Shiwei’s voice on the other end trembled: “No, I not only found ‘Dawn No. 2,’ but discovered much more…”

 

Sang Jue withdrew his gaze and asked: “What is it?”

 

“You’ll know soon… everyone will know.” Shiwei’s voice was soft, as if carrying some unspeakable pain, yet also tinged with determination.

 

“I’m making this call just to say, you don’t need to worry about General Huo anymore. I found evidence proving he was framed.”

 

Sang Jue slowly blinked, and the nearby crowd suddenly became noisy.

 

Following the sound, he looked toward the super-large TV screen in the center of the building on the left, which suddenly began playing a recording that looked like it was secretly filmed.

 

The protagonist of the video was the former highest executive officer—Old Herman.

 

The environment in the video was somewhat dim, like in some abandoned factory.

 

Herman was talking with a man many people recognized—a very radical conservative member named Jeffrey, who had publicly claimed deviants were all monsters.

 

Herman’s voice was clear: “This deal won’t be a loss for you. You just need to get shot in the shoulder, then pretend to be Huo Yanji and do what you love most—exorcising deviants.”

 

Jeffrey grinned wickedly: “I’m best at this.”

 

“Don’t worry, the deviants sent over have all been injected with suppressants and have no ability to resist. You can do whatever you want, but remember to leave two survivors—let them accidentally escape.”

 

Herman in the video said hoarsely: “Never show your face, and don’t deliberately say you’re Huo Yanji. Just let the deviants guess the identity of their abuser through some details, and your mission is complete.”

 

Jeffrey chuckled: “This is exorcism, how is it abuse?”

 

Then, the person filming secretly followed Jeffrey and secretly recorded him using red-hot iron rods and salt water whips to exorcise deviants.

 

In the blurry footage, the victims screamed continuously.

 

The scalding iron rod pressed against fragile skin, quickly making sizzling sounds. When the rod was lifted, flesh separated from skin, and the wound didn’t bleed much due to the burning, not life-threatening.

 

Jeffrey picked up the salt water-soaked whip and violently lashed it at the deviants’ bodies, as if he faced not flesh and blood, but actual demons and beasts.

 

He wore a mask, bare-chested, with only a round scar on his shoulder that was clearly a gunshot wound.

 

Everyone he “exorcised” was left with torn flesh and blood. Many would be tortured to death, with only two victims lucky enough to escape.

 

They thought it was luck, not knowing they were pre-arranged human evidence to frame Huo Yanji.

 

The surrounding crowd was in uproar.

 

“What does this mean? Huo Yanji was wrongly accused?”

 

Someone scoffed: “Why don’t I believe it!”

 

Others felt strange: “Didn’t Herman voluntarily retire? What grudge does he have with Huo Yanji to frame him so elaborately?”

 

In the crowd was a voice Sang Jue recognized—Bao Cang.

 

“The video is out, it should be real.”

 

Several other mercenaries gathered over, sneering: “I felt something was off about this a few days ago. We angry ones were used as guns by those in power…”

 

Bao Cang shook his head, frowning: “I always feel it’s not that simple.”

 

More and more people gathered under the large TV screen. Even though it was confirmed that Huo Yanji was wrongly accused, no one pitied him—they all gloated, watching like a show.

 

“This is two highest executive officers fighting each other… truly spectacular.”

 

“Neither of them are good people. They can only compare who has more blood on their hands.”

 

“This just shows Huo Yanji really has problems—even his former superior couldn’t stand it and wanted to pull him down.”

 

“Why is everyone talking about Huo Yanji and Herman? Doesn’t anyone care about that Jeffrey who enjoys torturing deviants?”

 

“I used to think conservatives were just ideologically conservative, but they’re all perverts!”

 

“Huo Yanji is also a pervert!”

 

“Even if he was wrongly accused this time, his past actions can’t be whitewashed.”

 

…

 

One minute after the video ended, the city’s broadcast suddenly came on. It wasn’t the usual cold voice reminding people to carry ID cards or about approaching curfew, but a living female voice.

 

“I am Herman’s daughter—Shiwei. Although I’m an ordinary person, you should know of my existence.”

 

“The video you’re watching right now was uploaded to the television tower by me.”

 

Sang Jue pursed his lips, suddenly having an intuition that perhaps he wouldn’t need to decide whether to expose the “Dawn” plan.

 

Human fate should be decided by humans themselves, with no need for outsiders to interfere.

 

To hear the broadcast clearly, the noisy voices quieted down considerably, and people began whispering to each other, speculating about Shiwei’s intentions.

 

“What’s this about?”

 

“I remember Shiwei is the daughter Herman picked up from the ruins, right? Back then quite a few people speculated whether Herman had slept with some wanderer outside and she was his illegitimate daughter…”

 

“Even if she’s not biological, he raised her to adulthood. This is repaying kindness with enmity—does she want to be a righteous hero?”

 

“Looking at that video just now, to frame Huo Yanji, Herman didn’t even treat deviants as human. Maybe his daughter is just a front, actually his sexual abuse target…”

 

“That’s really possible. He seems to have no companions at all. What man can endure decades without doing anything, unless he’s impotent.”

 

…

 

In the broadcast, Shiwei’s voice trembled but remained clear.

 

“Everyone may wonder why my father Herman targeted General Huo Yanji—the reason concerns every single person here.

 

Ninety years ago, when the meteor season ended, our ancestors returned from the underground city to the surface, only to find the surface environment extremely harsh, with contaminated monsters running rampant, occupying our former homes.

 

To find a way to survive, young General Huo Feng led a team of 138 people to the nearest Rift No. 2 underground to investigate.

 

But only he returned alive. He was contaminated by something unknown in the rift depths and became a powerful deviant.”

 

“What the hell is she talking about?”

 

“Wasn’t General Huo Feng the first person to accept contamination gene experiments?”

 

“What the fuck is she saying!?”

 

“Don’t the security teams care? Just letting this crazy woman babble on the broadcast station!!??”

 

Sang Jue was particularly inconspicuous in the crowd.

 

The surroundings were filled with noisy arguments. Everyone was emotional, thinking Shiwei was talking nonsense and didn’t want to listen.

 

But amid the angry shoving, no one left. Because the large TV screen then revealed an old classified document—

 

Its paper had yellowed somewhat, carrying a heavy historical atmosphere. The date was exactly ninety years ago today, each page stamped with three red seals representing the Military District, Political District, and Supreme Court.

 

The title was only four words: Dawn Plan.

 

In the broadcast, Shiwei continued: “Everyone watching TV should see this document—this is an SSS-level classified file from ninety years ago, and also the reason General Huo was targeted—

 

We are all living in a terrible lie.

 

From birth in the underground city, people have been guiding us step by step, telling us General Huo Feng is a hero, we should all learn from him, become powerful deviants, become heroes, and lead humanity to a better future—

 

But the hero is fake, only the sacrifice is real.

 

We all know some common knowledge—’evolving’ into deviants has great risks but also great benefits. Deviants become powerful, can fight against monsters immune to blades and bullets, and their average lifespan can even extend to 180 years.”

 

The broadcast carried Shiwei’s trembling question: “But has everyone really seen elderly deviants around them, even deviants over sixty?”

 

No matter what residents were doing at this moment, they all stopped. In trading halls, deviants in mercenary mission buildings stopped in their tracks, and drunks in taverns staggered out.

 

In hospitals, cafeterias, low-level deviants in the lower districts, residents in the middle districts, men and women in the tourist area who were in bed—all couldn’t help but stop and look out their windows.

 

Thick unease spread through the crowd. Some deviants couldn’t bear it and cursed at the broadcast speakers: “Who wants to listen to your babbling, get lost!!”

 

“This woman is talking nonsense—the ones who go out fighting and killing monsters are all deviants, with such high death rates in battle, it would be strange if they lived to old age!!”

 

Shiwei in the broadcast station naturally couldn’t feel their angry unease and continued: “The so-called 180-year average lifespan is just bait.

 

What we’ve known since birth—’from the day you become a deviant, the possibility of losing order within thirty years is only fifty percent’—is just a false lie.”

 

“In reality, the possibility of losing order within thirty years is one hundred percent. From the moment you become a deviant, your fate is sealed, and life begins a short countdown—you can live at most thirty years.”

 

The entire city fell into deathly silence.

 

Then came an overwhelming torrent of angry curses: “What are the supervisors trying to pull now!!? Fucking get lost!!”

 

“What more bullshit are they trying to pull? First they say we’re monsters, now they say we’re short-lived ghosts? This is ridiculous!?”

 

They were using anger to mask fear, unease, and panic.

 

But Shiwei continued, her voice unable to hide the tremor brought by grief: “From birth, everyone has been coaxed into the path of becoming deviants, but the moment you choose gene fusion, you become a monster destined for a tragic end.”

 

“There never were any heroes.”

 

On the large TV screen, those black words on white paper clearly stated—

 

They would sacrifice half of humanity to pave a bloody path to dawn for the other half.

 

…

 

Fanny, who heard the broadcast, went black before her eyes: “Who let her into the broadcast station! Quickly get her out and shut her up!!”

 

Zom slowly sat in his chair, shaking his head: “Too late. The broadcast station must be full of Old Herman’s people… He did it on purpose, it was all planned. He never intended to bring down Huo Yanji to implement the ‘Dawn No. 2’ plan—

 

“He just wanted to expose ‘Dawn.'”

 

Many days ago, after a meeting in District 7’s administrative building, Council Member Lance had said dismissively to Julian in the washroom: “—What’s there to fear? How many more years can Lin Shuyi live?”

 

District 7’s Commander Lin Shuyi was almost fifty years old. He had chosen gene fusion at twenty.

 

Very lucky, he had lived almost to the longest lifespan a deviant could achieve.

 

But that was all.

 

…

 

A woman in a leather jacket stood in the crowd, watching the distant TV screen.

 

The buzz-cut man beside her lit a cigarette and scoffed: “Old Herman portrayed himself as the villain who framed Huo Yanji, staging a play that fooled both the Court and us. What the hell does he want to do?”

 

**

 

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