For almost a century, the struggle between revolutionaries and world government has shaken the entire world.
The common knowledge among the masses was the Nine Great Sovereigns spared few members of the dynasties of the past even with their horrible sins.
Instead of appreciating the kindness, the surviving members found a nation: The Nation of Terror. Ever since then they have been in a bitter struggle with the government to take back the world and put it in the old order.
The masses believed the revolutionaries were nothing but terrorists who have orchestrated many horrifying incidents throughout the world all in order to make the world fall in chaos.
Perhaps the most powerful strength of the revolutionaries was their soldiers. They fully believed in the vision of revolution which was to free the world from the control of the government.
The strength of belief was so strong that the foot soldiers of revolution wouldn’t hesitate to commit suicide if their sacrifice can help the revolution.
The investigators clearly knew this conviction the revolutionaries have for the ’freedom’ and the ’old order’.
After all, the Revolutionaries blindly believed the government was corrupted and full of greedy people.
Greed and corruption.
The investigators and the local officers obviously knew the meaning of these two words. At least they thought they knew the meaning until now...
The masked man has called Davis greedy for having his wife to himself when so many men out there have never tasted the sweet taste of a woman.
The masked man has called Tamara corrupted for she chose Davis as her husband even with better men out there who have striking looks and personality.
"I have known the revolutionaries have believed we are corrupted and greedy," Ellen who was on her knees muttered, "But never thought the meaning of those two words was different from what I knew."
"...same here," Polan, who was next to her, said in confusion.
"So when those revolutionaries ask for freedom just what exactly they want?" A civilian named Sheena asked.
She was struck to the floor by the gale from earlier. She has come to the headquarters to have a lunch with her husband but never thought she would be attacked by revolutionaries.
Even attack was fine but now her understanding of the world has changed. She was now seeing the revolutionaries in a completely new light.
"I’m afraid of knowing their definition of freedom," Ellen said with her face drenched with cold sweat.
"Me as well," Almost every woman agreed with Ellen’s fear.
Earlier they didn’t want revolutionaries to win due to their job and lifestyle but now it was for personal safety!
What will happen if the madman like the masked man gets control over the world?!
Just imagining the scenario gave both men and women chill down their spines. The men who were married especially felt afraid for they didn’t wish to ’share’ their woman!
Earlier they hated being called ’greedy’ but now they wanted to be greedy!
Who in their right mind would not be greedy?!
"Does anyone of you still think you are not corrupted and greedy?" The masked man asked as he gazed every one of them.
No one spoke a single word. They were now sure he was a psycho who would do anything.
The masked man clenched his fist tightly and the dust from the floor settled down.
Few tables and chairs from the adjacent rooms floated out in the corridor. The masked man took a seat over a chair with his legs on a table in front of him.
He removed a tablet from his jacket and focused his attention on the tablet screen.
The twelve droids, on the other hand, have their guns aimed at the officers and civilians.
"It is so boring to drag time here," The masked man muttered as he read data on the screen, "Still ten minutes more before the next phase of the plan."
[[Sir, you have no right to complain.]]
A voice came from the tablet. The frequency of the sound was of low intensity so it could be only heard by the masked man.
"I’m not complaining," the masked man said with his voice in a low frequency, "Anyways, how is the fourth floor?"
[[Just as planned but with more casualties on their side.]]
"Good," The man sighed, "If only we could have avoided it."
He put back the tablet back in the jacket. He left the chair and glanced over the females.
"So many good women," The masked man thought. He has believed his greatest weakness was his thirst for women, especially married ones.
"What are you planning?" Davis asked as his hand regenerated, "Why are you not killing us?"
"Are you so eager to die?" The masked man cleared his thoughts.
"..." Davis didn’t dare answer.
"I will give you a chance to live," The masked man glanced at his wristwatch, "As long as you can prove you are not greedy and corrupted."
"WHAT?!"
Everyone looked at the masked man.
Proving we are not greedy and corrupted?!
Surely?!
"Tamara, right?" The masked man crouched in front of Tamara, "Do you want your husband to live?"
"Yes," Tamara gulped down a mouthful of saliva before answering.
"Then can you prove your pussy is not corrupted?" The masked man asked.
The mask covered his entire face except for the eyes, and Tamara felt she saw a devilish glint in them.
"How dare you!" Davis ignored the pressure from the gale as he tried to stand up.
BANG!
He fell on the floor with his face striking the tiles.
"Never good to show greedy behavior," The masked man said in a mocking tone, "Learn from your wife on how to behave."
"Motherfucker!" Davis looked at him with hatred.
"You didn’t answer," The masked man glanced at Tamara.
"What is it you want me to do?" Tamara asked trying to control the anger.
"We need to see your pussy," The masked man said in a teasing voice, "Purely for research purpose to check corruption."
"YOU!" Tamara expected him to make a shameless demand but still couldn’t believe he would ask.
"I would kill you!" Davis felt his blood boiling at the words of masked man.
How was he a revolutionary by demanding such a thing?!
"I was just kidding," The masked man stood up, "No need to be so offended by a joke I made to cheer you."
Davis and Tamara sighed in relief. A moment ago they dreaded the masked man would do something extreme.
"In my line of business, I can’t afford to have morals," The masked man said as he glanced at the wristwatch, "But I do have a bottom line."
"Line of business?" Tamara asked.
Just what business was he referring to?
Is it terrorism? Or something different?
"Anyways, time is up," The masked man took out the tablet back, "Activate the last phase."
The tablet flew from his hand and hovered in the air with its back camera on him.
"What is he talking about?" Ellen muttered.
---
Outside, the police headquarters.
The force field surrounding the parameter was still active but the police officers and droids were fighting with white droids inside the parameter.
"It is over here," Emily sighed in relief after destroying the last droid, "But there is still...If only Liam and others were here."
She glanced at the fourth and fifth floor of the headquarters. It was surrounded by a black barrier preventing anyone from entering it.
Five military helicopters were floating outside the building trying to gather any information from those two floors.
"Just how did so many droids entered here?" Emily knew the electromagnetic field was still active which meant no teleportation should work, "And more importantly what is going on those two floors?"
Some distance away outside the parameter of the headquarters, news reporters were present with their cameras on the building.
"We are live from the police headquarters," A female reporter said, "Twenty minutes ago some hundred droids entered the parameters and launched an attack."
"We have no words on the objectives of the attacker," A male reporter from a different media channel reported, "More help would be arriving soon from the mayor office and government officers."
Zzzz
The mobiles and video cameras in the entire area started releasing faint buzzing sound.
"What is going on?" A cameraman looked in disbelief as the live feed from the camera was interfered and a new visual arrived.
"Our communication system is hacked!" A female cried in shock.
Chi~ Chi~
A masked man appeared on every tv, computer, and mobile in the area.
"For more than a century the world has been shrouded by darkness," The masked man on the screen said, "This darkness has given the world nothing but nightmares."
"Who is this man?" A reporter wondered.
"What darkness?" Another reporter asked.
"The darkness is the world government," the masked man on the screen continued, "They have ruled over us satisfying their greed and hunger for power and money while we suffered hunger and pain.
"The echelons of the government live the life of kings while the masses work their asses to contribute to the king life of our rulers. We struggle to meet our day’s ends and pay our taxes while the rulers live without any care.
"But this tyranny and injustice would end. There would be no more darkness in this world."
Everyone in the surrounding 5 km was seeing the visuals of this masked man on the screen.
"No more darkness?" A woman wondered, "Is he a terrorist?"
"Seems so," A man said, "Only those terrorists use such words when they do something terrible."
"Yeah," the woman agreed, "Those bastards don’t honor the sacrifices of our past heroes."
"Some of you might doubt our intention," the masked man continued, "You believe the darkness is the light. Let us clear your misunderstanding."
The screen was now replaced with various reports on corruption in the city. There were even visuals of the secret images from the wasteland where the golden lightning incident took place and the same went for the meteorite.
"The government lied to you about the incident in the wasteland by calling it as a missile test but in fact, the government has retrieved a treasure which would obliterate us all.
"Don’t believe us?"
The screen showed the visuals of few mutants dissipating into nothingness. These images were originally recorded by Sylvan and given to the world council. (Chapter 54)
"The mutants in the visuals are government officials but yet they were killed by the government when they tested their treasure. Many of you might be even acquainted with these mutants."
The people in the area were shocked by the visuals. Most believed they were fake but some felt there was some truth in it.
"Don’t you find it strange the presence of so many government officers in the city recently?"
The screen now showed the pictures of investigators in the city at various locations.
"They are trying to use the treasure on a large scale by conducting the experiment on the city."
"No way!" The reporters and the others cried in horror. They wanted to think the masked man was lying but seeing the reports so far made them believe there was some truth in it.
"The government will give an excuse like some missile test or gas explosion after the experiment is over," the masked man continued, "Believing it or not is up to you.
"We will still fight for you regardless for we are revolutionaries. No matter what you think we are your beacon of hope in this world of darkness."
The screen now showed the visuals from the fifth floor of police headquarters.
"They are the government officials sent here to conduct experiments on us," the screen displayed the investigators, "As revolutionaries, it is our duty to punish them by death."
"What?!" Davis and others were horrified. They did expect to die but now that the words of judgment were passed they felt terrified.
What truly scared them was how the masked man has made them as the villains who are here to conduct an experiment on the masses.
While it was true they have done morally ambiguous things in their job, they now felt they were wrongly blamed.
Sure they would have gone to any cost to retrieve the treasure they were sent here to seek, but they weren’t as evil as the masked man said!
"Bastard!"
"We are not here to kill!"
"Stop lying!"
"We are the good guys!"
----
Meanwhile, in an apartment somewhere in the city.
The revolutionaries sent by Count Viper looked at the live feed from the masked man in a holographic projection.
They were far away from the police headquarters but they were looking over the activities of police so they knew about the incident ever since it begun.
In the corner of the room, Rufus was standing with the cylindrical glass pod in his hand. His eyes turned red and the veins on his forehead were on brink of popping out.
"Son of a bitch!" Rufus almost threw the pod with blue liquid, "Who the hell is he?!"
"Control yourself," A woman tried to pacify him, "You know what will happen if the nanites are freed."
"Fuck," Rufus placed the glass pod inside the suitcase, "That masked man is not one of us!"
"I know," The woman sighed in relief knowing there would be no incident from the blue liquid, "But we can’t do anything."
"That bastard is screwing us!" Rufus wished to strangle the masked man, "Now government would try to search for us."
"Yeah," the woman agreed, "That man has impersonated us well."
"...."
"If I didn’t know it better then I would have thought he is a true revolutionary!"
"....."
Alas, they didn’t know the masked man was a true revolutionary. It was just that his idea of revolution was about something else...