Chapter 142: The Chain That Binds the Elephant (Part 1)

When the count reached three, almost everyone in the long, narrow line prostrated themselves, uniformly collapsing like wheat before a scythe. The scene was, truth be told, somewhat comical.

A few months ago, perhaps no one would have believed such a thing. But the times had changed. News of what had happened at the Pingjiang Execution Headquarters had spread throughout practically the entire Circle. Under these circumstances, no one dared to question the man’s words.

It was like a student receiving a message late at night from a bullied classmate, telling them not to come to school tomorrow. Whether one believed the message or not, it was best to simply not go. This wasn’t the time to be stubborn; one’s life was more important.

The cafeteria lady had just finished serving a tray of food when she looked up. She was startled by the scene before her, looking quite shaken. The security guard standing at the cafeteria entrance was also dumbfounded. For a moment, he thought a medical emergency was unfolding and rushed forward to help, but there were simply too many people on the ground. Unable to decide who to assist first, he could only fumble for his walkie-talkie to report the situation.

“Three… two… one…” The male voice paused. “Bang.”

A deathly silence fell over the cafeteria.

“You motherfer!”

Hyena hadn’t even reacted yet when Dry Wood, lying prone beside him, had already cursed aloud.

But cursing aside, Dry Wood didn’t immediately get up. He waited until he saw others around him start to rise, unharmed and well, before clambering to his own feet.

It was only then that Hyena fully grasped what had just happened. The man’s words had been nothing more than a cruel joke.

He wasn’t angry, just frowning in thought. A joke? How could an Executor make such a joke? And if it wasn’t an Executor, who could have infiltrated this place? The so-called New World? But sneaking into such a dangerous location just to play a foolish prank? He racked his brains, trying to guess the man’s purpose. A test of some kind? A diversion to draw attention away from something else? Neither possibility seemed to hold any water.

As if thoroughly enjoying the chorus of curses and blessings now erupting from the cafeteria, the male voice spoke again, its tone as casual and lazy as ever. Hyena could even hear the distinct sound of a package being torn open.

The man seemed to be opening a snack. It sounded like a bag of potato chips.

“I can see that you all appreciate my sense of humor. Very good, very good. I’m sure some of you are wondering: why am I here? How can you hear my voice? And what exactly do I want?”

“The answer is simple, incredibly simple. Before we get to that, I must tell you a fundamental truth—one that no one else will ever tell you, or even wants to tell you. But it simply exists. And that truth is this: This world, this society, this system, is a colossal, absurd, and utterly ramshackle operation.”

“Have any of you ever worked in a factory? There are always positions that are, shall we say, non-essential. Like that old joke: you can’t ask for a day off, because if you do, management will realize they can get by without you. That’s the world we live in right now. Every industry is rife with muddle-headed workers and slackers, just coasting through. What passes for collective effort is merely maintaining a barely-functional baseline. The Executor System is no different; it’s crawling with a bloated mass of useless, redundant personnel. Running it is like driving a tractor that could fall apart at any moment—today a screw drops, tomorrow a gear goes flying…”

Liu Xu frowned slightly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a patient leaving the cafeteria line, already walking towards the security guard at the entrance to report the sudden, disembodied voice.

“We are simply intimidated by it. That’s all. I’m sure you’ve all heard the story: the little elephant in the zoo and the chain. We are the little elephant in that story.”

“From the time we are young, we are inundated with all kinds of conditioning and influence. Information overwhelms us from every direction, leading us to believe this is a rigorous, meticulous, and grave world. That everything is built upon strict principles and moves forward according to ironclad truths. That the elite of humanity gather, pool their wisdom, and push society ever onward, solid and unshakable. So, overthrowing it feels impossible—far beyond our abilities. And so, we resign ourselves to our fate and huddle by that chain, just like the cowering little elephant.”

The man’s voice was magnetic, enticingly persuasive… it would have been much more effective without the constant crunching of potato chips.

“Do you really think the Executor System is some airtight, reliable organization? Wrong. Dead wrong. If it were truly watertight, if those Executors were truly all-powerful and omniscient, how could something as idiotic as an attack on the Execution Headquarters happen? In the end, the Executor System is a mess of chaos, negligence, and dereliction of duty. Open your eyes, my compatriots! Don’t be cowed by your own imagination. What binds us is not that pathetic little chain. What binds us is only our own thinking. The prison of the mind is the strongest prison of all.”

Liu Xu shifted his gaze to the side, noting the expressions on the faces of Hyena and Dry Wood. He sighed silently.

“…I know. Yes, I know. It’s a difficult process. The countless instances of conditioning and brainwashing we’ve endured have solidified our mindset, making us cower, making us kneel in gratitude, making us willingly and obediently hand over the rights that should rightfully be ours. This isn’t our fault. Nor is it the fault of those pitiful, deluded Executors. They are our compatriots, just brainwashed more thoroughly, that’s all.”

“I also know that those parasitic insects who oppose us will spout noble-sounding words. They’ll say we’ll make the world a more chaotic place, make things worse. They’ll say we want to rule the world and carry out mass slaughter… They can certainly say that, because that’s what they’ve always done, isn’t it? If they label us ‘Patient’, then we are patients. If they label us ‘Dangerous’, then we are dangerous. We have never had a voice, never had a choice of our own.”

“We are not like them. We have never called for their deaths. We have never called for their total annihilation. This isn’t mercy, nor is it leniency; it is simply the most basic human decency—the morality one ought to have. Nothing more. The only thing we seek is a place under the sun. It’s that simple,” the man’s voice continued, flat and even. “And yet, what have we received? Slander. Defamation. Extermination. To them, our gentleness is cowardice. To them, our demands are greed.”

The man took a deep breath, his voice deepening.

“It is time to set things right. It is time to change all of this. It is time to wake up, my compatriots! Those standing on the outside only speak empty, indifferent, condescending words. On the surface they feign pity, but behind our backs they feast upon our flesh and blood with gusto. What are we in their eyes? People? Patients? No, we are the Fifth Harm. We are carriers of Disease. We are threats that must be eliminated. That is what we are in their eyes. No amount of pretty language can hide the truth of the matter!”

“I know some of you are thinking: ‘All I want is a job, a clean, warm bed, a hot meal… perhaps some fruit or snacks now and then. That’s enough. That kind of life is satisfying enough.’ And you’re right. These things are necessities for sustaining our lives. Only by having these things can we survive.”

“But today, I am telling you that there is something in this world more important than life itself. And that thing is called dignity. A person without dignity will not be permitted to live! They will swallow you whole like jackals, gnaw every last shred of value from your bones, even if you have pulled out your own claws and fangs!”

“What we need is not a bowl of rice. Not a bed. Not a job. What we need is dignity! What we need is the right to live as human beings under the sun! We need it so that when others speak of the Talent bestowed upon us by our mothers, they use a respectful term for it—rather than polluting and slandering it with labels like ‘Disease’ or ‘Syndrome’!”