Chapter 94: Chapter 90: The Aftermath Orator
Wu Liang looked at the young man he had knocked out, who was lying unconscious on the ground with lumps on his head, and tossed the stick aside before bending down to search his waist pouch.
A moment later, he pulled out a pocket watch from it.
[Magic Pocket Watch]
[The possessor can perfectly blend into any designated crowd under any circumstances. Everyone in the crowd will automatically rationalize and accept your presence, and thereafter, your words will be seen as being considerate of them.]
[The user will gradually forget their true identity, becoming thoroughly lost as one of the last group they blended into.]
[Pressing the watch’s adjuster can turn on/off this rational influence.]
Seeing the information pop up in the [Ghost Compendium], Wu Liang unhesitatingly pressed the watch’s adjuster, turning off the young man’s perfect blending effect.
In just an instant, the Mechanic next to him shook his head, came to his senses, and exclaimed in surprise, "Eh? Unfamiliar again!"
After saying that, he directly took out a pair of handcuffs and cuffed the young man’s hands, after all, he was one of the only two fakes they captured who could stay conscious.
The remaining four... had been tortured to the point of inhumanity by the second team brothers holding fake limbs in front of them.
Especially the one who made bizarre potions in the clothing store, now they probably couldn’t even gather his ashes.
"Send a message to let the higher-ups handle the aftermath."
Unexpectedly, Wu Liang did not interrogate the young man, but continued holding Wu Xiaoyao’s bionic limb, feeling it bit by bit being transported away.
He suggested the blunt-force approach for another reason—
To facilitate Nightmare actions!
The information obtained from the mouths of these insane people was untrustworthy to Wu Liang, he could only reluctantly trust what Nightmare desperately dug out from the depths of their hearts.
Why reluctantly trust?
After all, the precedent with the [Desire Monkey Claw] was there, and if the memories of these people were faulty, Nightmare wouldn’t be able to help.
But Wu Liang still felt that this person might know some information that others were unaware of.
After all, everyone else had lethal tools except this guy, there must be a reason for it!
Before the officials came to take the young man away, Nightmare would continue to employ tactics in the dream to get the information Wu Liang wanted!
"Phew... today’s events were really risky, thank goodness you reacted quickly!" The Mechanic looked at the now calm exhibition hall, patting Wu Liang on the shoulder with gratitude.
By this point, everything had already become clear to these official Awakened.
If he hadn’t exposed the existence of the fake in the live news broadcast; if he wasn’t strong enough to almost effortlessly eliminate the five fleeing individuals; if it were just an ordinary official preliminary investigator falsely accused with no way out.
Even a small misstep could cause unimaginable harm to the public and a blow to the official credibility.
These seemingly coincidental "ifs" combined to keep Chengyang City from a supposed massacre!
"Don’t thank me, go thank Minister Long, he’s a competent minister," Wu Liang said, feeling grateful.
He was within the game and understood it.
The person playing with the magic cube in the official base was the truly powerful one!
Minister Long, even without being within or knowing the game, still made the right strategic move ahead of time!
"Today was also a wake-up call for us! The officials must worry not only about the resurgence of the Supernatural and Fierce Ghost crisis but also those hiding in the shadows and plotting," Flame said as she walked over from a short distance.
The explosion earlier was naturally caused by her from afar.
Her words made the Mechanic sit down in frustration, scratching his head.
Yes, in the grand scheme of things—
The official agency, that is, the Paranormal Handling Department has been established in Huaxia for less than four years and has shouldered the responsibility for all the discovered supernatural events within the national borders, leaving no room to manage other affairs.
It’s been too short a time... the integration of official structures and society, as well as their management essence, are still not perfect.
This includes how they handle civilian Awakened, people like Lei Zhangming are still only managed in a laissez-faire manner.
These civilian Awakened might be the potential crisis next time, who knows?
"Alright! Stop worrying, these issues are for the higher-ups to ponder, we small fries should know our place," Wu Liang said with a smile.
The next time a crisis emerges from the living, he has no clue, but he is quite aware—there’s less than a year before the global crisis hits.
This is the real priority!
"You’re right! Leave it to the leaders! We just need to carry out the execution... hey hey hey! What’s that guy over there trying to do?"
The Mechanic nodded in agreement with Wu Liang’s point, just about to continue chatting when he suddenly noticed that the small door of the exhibition hall was being pried open by the people inside.
They began trying to escape through other exits.
But at this moment, the officials had not yet sent people to escort the fake away, and the cleanup on the streets outside hadn’t started.
Letting them run off like this might lead to other problems.
Moreover, they had been with the young fake for quite some time, and no one could guarantee that someone among them hadn’t been affected by the supernatural object, leading to mental issues.
According to Paranormal Handling Department regulations, citizens who had contact with supernatural incidents or objects need psychological evaluation and assessment to confirm everything’s alright before they can leave.
This is a very important matter!
Just as the Mechanic was about to let Flame use her awakened ability to stop the crowd and advise them to go back and wait for the official cleanup team to arrive,
Wu Liang took strides over there.
"Cough cough cough! Come and take a look!"
At his shout, those who had just run out paused and turned their heads, immediately noticing the official uniform he was wearing.
Everyone’s expressions turned puzzled.
"Listen! We officials understand everyone’s desire to leave! We also empathize with comrades who have elderly parents and young children at home worried about their family’s life and death situation!"
"However! The official cleanup team is on its way!"
"They will check everyone’s status! Those who can’t reach their families, the officials will help; those injured, the officials will treat; and even if nothing happened to you, but you feel your little heart was traumatized, asking the officials for some compensation is also fine!"
"So for now, calm down, stay back and play some cards, just like taking a break from work! It’s a paid vacation!"
At this point, Wu Liang cleared his throat.
Then, his tone turned cold and merciless as he added, "But if you run off, and the cleanup team can’t find you..."
"Then if by any chance today’s accident blew up one of your houses; or if when the Dongri Grand Hotel collapsed, it damaged your car; or even if you twisted your ankle while running away, then sorry, it’s all on you, the officials won’t be responsible."
"After all, you are the ones who think you don’t need any of these compensations!"
"Also, friendly reminder, there are traps buried outside the exhibition hall by villains, did you see those victims in the woods nearby?"
"Now, you can choose."
"..."
The scene went silent.
After Wu Liang finished speaking, it took a full half a minute before the dead silence was broken.
Shuffle shuffle——
That was the sound of the people who had been prepared to flee silently backing into the exhibition hall, and incidentally, lifting the pried open door and closing it obediently.
Everything was so natural, as if they had never intended to escape.
Flame and the Mechanic beside him were stunned, almost thinking Wu Liang had used some bizarre awakened ability.
But Wu Liang just turned around and smilingly said to them:
"See, as long as you point out how these dangers relate to each and every one of them personally, everyone will listen."
"After all, people are inherently self-interested in their subconscious."