CHAPTER 243: CHAPTER 176: BALANCE GAME_2

"For dinner, I want to eat grilled..."

Hearing the noise at the door, Kane instinctively said, and before seeing Ethan and Lindong, a smile emerged on his face, "I was just thinking when you’d come here. Unfortunately, I can’t give you a hug."

Kane seemed in a bad condition. The space inside the container was quite small, making it difficult for him to move his arms and legs.

Ethan initially thought this was another of Kane’s antics, but now it seemed he had truly become a prisoner, restricted by the array inside the container.

"It’s only been a few days, how did you end up caught by a group of humans?"

Upon seeing Kane, Lindong suddenly found humor in the situation. In comparison, her being drenched by the anti-magic system in the mansion seemed less humbling—here was an Old God caught by humans.

"Humans? They aren’t capable of writing these arrays. Their existence predates the Empire’s history by far," Kane glanced around and then fixed his gaze overhead, "It’s likely one of my brothers taught them this. It seems they’re quite interested in my method of harvesting energy."

Ethan asked, "You mean like soul sacrifices?"

He speculated that each Evil God had different ways of harvesting power. Old Ba favored soul sacrifices and His abstract art, while Kane was dedicated to inciting conflict, showing little interest in live sacrifices.

Inside the container, Kane snapped his fingers and pointed at Ethan, "I knew you were born to be my brother."

Even though he was imprisoned, he seemed to maintain a positive, optimistic attitude.

He then added, "But essentially, it’s still the soul; that’s the key to everything."

When conflict arises, it leads to massive casualties, and those who perish will be harvested by him. "For instance, if someone plans to break the seal of the deep valley, they would need to harvest a large number of souls. As far as I know, my brother, who has been sealed beneath the deep valley for several epochs, is always filled with anger. If given a chance to escape..."

Kane didn’t continue.

He believed Ethan would have understood the history of the Western Continent before visiting them.

"Aren’t you brothers?" Lindong questioned, "Are you just selling him out like that?"

"Close brothers, clear accounts."

Kane replied, "Think about it, if a flood engulfed the entire Western Continent, how many souls would there be? Just thinking about those people using my power to dress him, I’d rather he stayed in the deep valley, partner, I think if you can’t stop him from breaking the seal, at least you need to snatch those souls into your hands. I’d rather see you get this benefit, but the current situation is quite complicated. Nowadays, Ophira is coveted by three Evil Gods."

"A friend of mine started having the same nightmare recently, dreaming of an octopus in the deep sea."

"Oh, that’s Aelium, it’s my brother’s pet, much like your little hen, just a personal hobby."

Kane paused for a moment, "But recently I heard he was pecked by his own hen and was sealed together in the deep valley. Maybe that little animal wants to signal some danger to the people of the Western Continent."

"Is it still alive?"

"Perhaps, but don’t hold any expectations for it. After being confined together with my brother for so long, who can ensure when it leaves the deep valley, it will still be the pure Aelium that once helped the people of the Western Continent?"

Footsteps echoed in the corridor.

The Lofic Consortium patrol team was gradually approaching.

"The key lies in my power."

Kane said, "Think about it, if you gained my power, how would you use it to stir up conflict?"

...

A vicious case occurred again on Paradise Island.

This was the news Ethan and Lindong heard after leaving the underground facility, with the dispatched law enforcement team heading to Paradise Island. The situation was so tense it might escalate into a riot.

The two followed at the end of the team.

When they arrived at Paradise Island, the entire street was under lockdown. Two steam-powered armed motorcycles blocked the road, and armed law enforcement teams sealed off the street.

Congressman Lewis also arrived, losing his usual composure, stepping in front of the protesting crowd, attempting to use his speech to calm the angry Sub-human Race.

The victim was the owner of the Yak BBQ, who was attacked by thugs while transporting beef, suffering dozens of wounds. When discovered, he was lying in a pool of blood, seemingly having learned from the previous incident, as those thugs first shot paralyzing toxin crossbow arrows at him.

The case involving the lioness’s husband was still under trial, and now new conflict erupted, causing Paradise Island’s atmosphere to tense immediately.

The Sub-human Race, in Ophira, was a small proportion, clustered almost entirely on Paradise Island, becoming unprecedentedly united—especially when it came to racial issues.

With the yak owner being one of the Sub-human Race’s opinion leaders, his assault was like igniting a powder keg.

Ultimately, Lewis promised the Sub-human Race several times to severely punish the perpetrators and give them an explanation before barely quelling the conflict.

For Lewis, it was a terrible day because he realized the situation was gradually getting out of control.

Leaving Paradise Island, he didn’t go home but headed straight for another congressman’s mansion, angrily knocking on the door, with an air of indignation.

"Jacob, your people have crossed the line."

Upon seeing the other person, he immediately reprimanded them harshly.

Ophira’s politics is a game of balance; smaller conflicts help them stabilize the hearts of the governed and gain the most secure votes.

Jacob, with a pipe in his mouth, allowed Lewis to curse for a while before calmly saying, "First manage your people, that lion killed someone, the Pure Society won’t swallow this easily."

"Legally speaking, it’s self-defense."

In this balanced political game, there are congressmen who support equal rights, and naturally, there are nationalists who believe the Sub-human Race is taking away their jobs and survival space.

For politicians, diverting conflicts is part of their essential skills.

As long as they slightly mention the "advantages of the Sub-human Race" through certain channels, these people would redirect their anger to the Sub-human Race.

The Pure Society was born from this, never officially recognized but always acting to "defend human rights."

Their work centered around suppressing the Sub-human Race on Paradise Island.

Regarding this, Lewis had been happy to see it happen. He only needed to handle one or two typical matters to easily gain the votes from the Sub-human Race, as did Jacob.

But now, he felt Jacob intended to overturn this game’s table.

"I don’t care about the process, Lewis, self-defense, deliberate murder, that’s just a legal interpretation. The key is that someone from the Pure Society died, and they won’t let it go."

He paused, "That’s their means of exerting pressure. If that lion doesn’t receive the adequate trial, revenge actions will continue to unfold."

......

Meanwhile, somewhere in Ophira.

On the second floor of a shop, a group of people was celebrating the victory of the hunt.

Several blood-stained daggers were displayed on the table like sacred artifacts, and the perpetrators became heroes in other people’s eyes. They climbed up on a makeshift speech platform, narrating to others how they stabbed the daggers repeatedly into the Yak People’s body.

They described in detail the Yak People’s wails and terrified eyes.

This became the best pastime for the night.

People were in high spirits, opened drinks, and celebrated the victory.

But this was just the beginning. Before that lion was sentenced to death, they wouldn’t stop.

Until a discordant voice interrupted the revelry, "Is this all it takes for you to be satisfied?"

People turned to the voice, and what caught their eye was a stranger.

"Who are you?"

The crowd, reveling, became alert, grabbing weapons and glaring fiercely at the uninvited guest.

"Heisenberg."

The young man introduced himself, then questioned the crowd, "Didn’t you notice how many law enforcement teams have come this time, even a congressman was alarmed."

"You mean Lewis? That Sub-human lapdog?"

People asked disdainfully.

"The key is, your next action will be much harder to succeed."

The young man said, "I believe you need a plan."