Chapter 526: Chapter 31 Malice Strikes_2
Mo Yuankai leaned against the couch’s back, sighing at the ceiling.
“After this, whoever becomes the boss, whatever the public order, I don’t want to think about it anymore. I feel like there’s no reason to interfere, and no motivation either. Every time I see these frustrating matters, I feel even more powerless.”
“I’m so tired, Ah Ce. When I started university, I felt like an old man already, constantly dreaming about how nice retirement would be, not wanting to go to work.”
Gongsun Ce brooded with pent-up frustration, feeling as though there was a fishbone stuck in his throat.
“You’re a superhero, big brother, always righteous, always strong, always the most badass person to step up at the critical moments. How the hell can you fall, how can you become so dejected? What am I supposed to do if you give up first?!”
But he couldn’t verbalize these thoughts. He couldn’t say a word of comfort to his friend who had used up all his strength and weakened to the point of being an ordinary person. He was only in high school, his brother only in university; neither of them was really an adult, neither had any damn duty.
“I…”
Gongsun Ce wanted to say, “I’ll take care of the incidents,” but he immediately realized that if he made a scene, the enemies would only target his already frail brother even more aggressively.
He had always been unable to change anything.
“…How do you plan to resolve it?”
“I’ll seek refuge with the principal,” Mo Yuankai said casually. “At least he’s a great educator. Even if he’s going to be ousted, no one would attack his home.”
Gongsun Ce said dryly, “Then I…”
“You just go home and rest. I thought it might involve you, so I called you over first. Since it’s not a big deal, let’s pretend it never happened.” His brother chuckled twice, “Go back, don’t worry about it.”
“…Goodbye.”
Gongsun Ce walked out of the house mechanically, feeling indescribably miserable.
It was about to be night; the sky had already darkened, and a light rain began to fall. The weather had not cleared up and remained gloomy.
As though it was a harbinger of an imminent downpour.
·
Gongsun Ce hated rainy days. He took a ride back to his own home.
The young miss next door went out this afternoon. There was no need to worry about her; she had been around for over a week and should be used to the place by now.
Standing at the door, Gongsun Ce listlessly pulled out his keys, fumbling a few times before he managed to unlock it. A letter slipped through the door gap, falling at his feet. The envelope bore the Emblem of the double-headed eagle—a sure sign that the sender was from the Federation.
Gongsun Ce had a vague idea of who it was. He entered the house, sat down by the desk, tore open the envelope, and pulled out the letter.
Unsurprisingly, it was Aorus’s letter. That scoundrel even pompously wrote a formal greeting at the beginning, which made Gongsun feel nauseated. He quickly skimmed the opening pleasantries, focusing only on the most crucial parts.
“…Just as you have experienced yourself, the safety of our city has improved dramatically over the years of the sky hero’s active duty. We no longer need to worry about being attacked by thugs while walking at night, and massive gang fights have become scarce. The presence of a hero is a welcome event for the vast majority of our city’s inhabitants; we have adapted to the current order and do not wish to return to the chaos of the past.
However, this good phase did not last. Since the two of you embarked for Morton Country, the once-stable environment has experienced undesirable fluctuations. And since the sky hero returned from Morton, all sorts of absurd rumors have spread, causing our city’s overall atmosphere to deteriorate toward a state of extreme instability. I can say with confidence that, in about a month or so, when the messages get confirmed, the once-suppressed malice will lash back with an unprecedented ferocity, and our city will fall into madness.
I believe most people do not want to witness such hellish scenes, including you and me, even though we have been at odds. I am determined to step forward and handle things before the situation becomes truly unmanageable, to ensure the most basic order and stability. Now that the sky hero plans to step off the stage, someone must take over his responsibilities.”
“I will hold a meeting at eight o’clock tonight at the Saint Chagette Cathedral in the Thorn District,” the letter began. “I have invited all the highest-risk Superpower Users and leaders of all civilian forces to participate, with only one goal in mind: to select a true powerhouse that everyone finds convincing to take on the duties of a hero.
I do not shy away from saying that I hope to be chosen because I believe in my abilities. To rise to greater heights as soon as possible and establish an order that secures public safety, I will stop at nothing. If the tide of malice is so vast that it cannot be suppressed directly, I do not mind making you a target for hostility, letting you become the necessary sacrifice in this process.”
I am equally frank in saying that I do not wish for you to come as you are now because your identity will inevitably prompt those opposed to the establishment of order to rally behind you, using you and the innocent Mo Yuankai as a flag to prevent the ascent of a new leader.
I understand your character, Gongsun Ce. You have a clear understanding of your abilities, you are emotional and impulsive, and you know that you cannot become a leader like me or John Garcia, nor can you be the next Sky Hero. Your very existence has always been meaningless, and you will only lead to a disastrous end—that is a fact you and I both know well.”
“If you truly have confidence in your strength and wisdom, then I welcome you to compete with me by all means. But if not, I hope you will make a clear-headed decision. Become a cornerstone of the new era, rather than an obstruction in the face of the tide.
Everyone needs a new order.
Do not let the past efforts of the Sky Hero turn into mere bubbles.”
Gongsun Ce clenched the letter, his roiling emotions turning into a fierce power that shredded the incoming mail into dust. In an instant, the room was devoid of the letter, with only a handful of ash drifting away with the wind.
Go fuck yourself, you moronic piece of shit. Do you think you’ve got me figured out? You’re dead wrong. Stop using my brother as a human shield, do not think everyone falls for your despicable tricks!
Gongsun Ce stood up furiously, walked to the mirror, and looked at his own furious reflection. He exclaimed angrily, “I—”
But his roar was cut short and could not continue. The gray-haired youth in the mirror stared back at him blankly, his eyes empty, showing no vigor, just fatigue and sorrow.
“I…”
Gongsun Ce struggled to open his mouth, forcing himself to utter even a single inspiring word. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t. His shoulders slumped suddenly, like a deflated balloon. The facade he had put on could no longer be maintained. Scenes from the past flickered through Gongsun Ce’s mind, finally freezing on the moment of rampage aboard the Flying Ship.
In the end, only one hollow, despondent phrase echoed in the room.
“…I can’t do it.”
He had seen so many people, received so much help, but in the end, he was still the cowardly youth he had always been, capable of nothing but hysterical screaming.
He had never truly escaped from that prison, that alley.
“Heh, heh…”
Gongsun Ce laughed weakly. He could not deceive himself this time. He was out of options. Just as Aorus had said, the best of the city did not fall upon him to be, he had never held that worth of existence.
His presence only made everything worse.
The mist clouded his vision again, the past reemerging before his eyes. Gongsun Ce dragged himself onto his bed. The mobile phone on the bedside table rang, but his ears could no longer hear.
He did not want to do anything.
He did not want to say anything.
He did not want to see anything.
Yet the past still assailed him, the memories lingered like ghosts. He did not make a sound, lying alone in the room, just staring blankly at the ceiling.
Like a corpse that had already died.