Global Film Emperor

Chapter 354 "The Effect" 2
I go to church on the weekend.

As a member of the church, Catherine did not take advantage of her location to be the first to arrive at church today. Instead, she waited until almost noon, after the other worshippers had left, before changing and heading there. As her husband, Kyle had accompanied her from the beginning, and this time was no exception, even though the situation was somewhat special.

"Catherine, Kyle, hello... poor child, please go inside."

Reverend Crow, dressed in a black robe and holding the New Testament, still looked as kind as ever. Although he was balding, it did not affect his demeanor at all. His white hair and beard were still neatly combed. When he saw the couple, he did not show any strange expression. He simply patted Kyle on the shoulder, indicating that he had heard about Kyle's situation.

Upon entering the church, Catherine knelt on the prayer cushion at the front, clasped her hands in fists, closed her eyes, and recited the Bible with the pastor, praying for Kyle and herself. Kyle, as usual, sat on the last pew without making any movement, but his gaze remained fixed on Catherine until the service ended and the couple prepared to leave.

“Kyle, I think you should pray too. Only the Lord can forgive your sins. It’s time to become a believer.”

Catherine felt Kyle's hand tighten suddenly, and could only shake Kyle's arm desperately, her face showing embarrassment and pleading. But Kyle knew that if he really prayed, then his crime would be established. Although the police would not use his prayer as evidence, others might.

“I’m sorry, Pastor Crow, I don’t think I need to pray.”

“Listen to me, Kyle… the mistake you made is too serious. You are a good boy and should not have gone down this path. I want to thank you for helping me tow the car, so I want to help you too. Please ask the Lord to forgive your mistakes, otherwise you will go to hell!”

"If people's slander can determine my guilt, then I believe that hell is not so terrible after all."

Upon hearing Kyle's words, Pastor Crow's expression turned displeased. He genuinely meant well, hoping that Kyle could be forgiven by his faith and spared suffering after death. Otherwise, according to the pastor's personal feelings, he would absolutely despise someone who had committed such a mistake.

“Kyle, I’m trying to help you. Stop being so stubborn and listen to my advice, kid.”

“I’m sorry, Pastor, I really don’t need it. Thank you for your help, but I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong.”

Kyle refused again, and this time he grabbed Catherine and prepared to leave without hesitation. The priest wasn't exactly furious, but he was still quite angry.

"Kyle! You have committed such a wicked crime, are you truly not afraid of the future?!"

Anger wasn't just something the pastor felt; Kyle felt it too, and the source of his anger was clearer. His rage surged: sin? Whose sin was it?

"If good and evil are truly determined by victory and defeat... then you win, you are righteous, and I am evil! I am evil! I am willing to go to hell! Even if I am labeled as evil, my soul is free..."

Ignoring the stunned pastor, he led Catherine away in large strides, walking back home, but he was still deeply upset. Catherine didn't know how to comfort him, so she could only remain silent until... the sound of sirens came.

……

Since Kyle was taken away for interrogation, Catherine has been living alone in the most remote corner of Ilkurburg. Only now has she begun to feel fear and regret for why she ignored Kyle's advice and chose to settle here.

Some sources of fear and unease include stones or small animal carcasses that fly in at any time and from any place, breaking windows, and drunkards who stand outside shouting and cursing at night.

It was too difficult for a woman to endure all that time, so much so that every night she would fall asleep looking at Kyle's photo with tears in her eyes. Even if there was another sound of breaking glass, she wouldn't dare get up to check. She could only lock her bedroom door and use the sofa to block the door to ensure her safety.

As for calling the police... it always takes more than an hour for them to respond.

She lost her job, and her supervisor informed her of her dismissal over the phone. This was unreasonable, as there wasn't even a termination notice. Of course, it was unreasonable, but her life was unreasonable in every way.

She could only stay at home every day, hoping that Kyle would come back today, but more than a month has passed and there is still no news of him.

Eventually, she had to leave the house, filled with fear, because there was no food left.

God knows how much trauma a woman must have endured to be forced into developing social anxiety in such a short time, yet she didn't complain because she knew that Kyle's experience must have been even more painful than hers.

Driving to the market in Ilklóu, I could already sense several cold stares the moment I got out of the car, and this cold treatment became even more pronounced after entering the market.

When she asked about the ingredients, no one paid attention. When she asked about the seasonings, no one paid attention either. Everyone crossed their arms and stared at her coldly, at least that's how she remembered it.

She was about to give up and drive to Liverpool to buy groceries when, as she turned around, she bumped into another woman. Calling her a woman... that might be an exaggeration; someone that size could be considered three women.

"Are you blind? You damn bitch! Your man treated my child like that, I really hope he dies in prison."

It was obvious that she was deliberately looking for trouble, and that she was an obese woman suffering from paranoia about children, but no one on the street stopped her. In fact, when the woman made her move, the crowd burst into laughter.

Catherine, who was no match for him to begin with, was stunned by the first slap and even forgot to fight back, only clutching her bag tightly.

Seeing that she didn't fight back, the woman became more and more aggressive. The women around them chatted and laughed, and the men even started giving the woman advice. At this moment, they were no longer human, but more like a collectively demonized monster, laughing sharply as they did what they believed to be fighting for justice.

When she regained her memory, her hair was disheveled, her clothes were torn open, revealing her bra, and she was covered in mud. The seller ignored her, and pedestrians stepped over her. Finally, she couldn't bear it anymore, and no one could. She got up, used her bag to cover her exposed upper body, and tears dripped down her face.

"Are you alright, ma'am? God, what's going on with them? I've already called the police for you. Please put your clothes back on."

A long-haired man who appeared to be of mixed race looked fearful at the indifferent crowd. He had witnessed the latter part of the beating she received from the fat woman. He tried to break up the fight but was held back by the onlookers. He had no choice but to call the police and wait for the crowd to disperse before coming to help. He didn't know what was wrong with the people here, but he felt a chill run down his spine.

Catherine's pent-up resentment exploded at this moment. In this situation, it's better to be treated coldly, but it's worse to be cared for. When the grievances burst out, no one can bear it.

She refused the man's offer to take off his clothes and come closer, covering her chest with her bag and burying her head in it, gesturing for him not to come any closer, and sobbing continuously.

“They can’t do this… No one can treat others like this… This is wrong, how can they do this… Day after day, without end, it seems like they are doing the right thing, but why can they hurt others in the name of justice… What gives them the right?”

"Madam, calm down. Are you alright? Should we go to the hospital? Please put your clothes on first."

"NO! NO!"

She refused his offer again, ignoring his attempts to stop her, and turned to leave. The man had no choice but to watch her slowly get into the car, after which he buried his face in the steering wheel and burst into tears.

"Did you call the police?"

"Emm...yes, someone was beating someone up here just now, and the person who was beaten was in the car."

What happened next gave him even more chills: police! Police! Just like everyone else on the street, laughing and joking, one of the officers went up and knocked on the car window, asking if he needed any help. Then, as if he had received some kind of reply, he turned around, shrugged indifferently, and told Catherine to leave quickly.

"Are you really police officers? How could you do this? How could you turn a blind eye to violence? She's clearly the victim!"

"Of course we're police officers. Want to test if what I have in my hand is a real gun?"

"My God... everyone here is crazy!"

……

She had no appetite to buy food anymore. She drove back home, only to find the man she had been longing for these past few days standing at the door. She rubbed her eyes... it was real.

“Catherine! Fuck! How could they do this to you? This has nothing to do with you. I'm sorry, I'm sorry... It's all my fault, I'm so sorry…”

He held Catherine in his arms, apologizing over and over again, his eyes filled with despair and emptiness. What he had encountered and suffered these past few days had utterly destroyed him, his very soul…

That wretched world killed him.

“Kyle… let’s leave, I’ve had enough! I’ve really had enough of everything here! Why does everything have to be made to look like we’ve done something wrong? All the children’s testimonies are completely different! Some of the children don’t even know you’re married. The child who said you brought them home said you took them to the basement, but we don’t have a basement! They know they’re wrong, but they keep hurting us! Let’s go… anywhere is fine.”

“I’m sorry, Catherine, I can’t leave until I can tell everyone they were wrong…”

"But does right or wrong matter now? We've already suffered so much, why are you still going to endure it?"

"I want an apology... I want an apology to me, to you..."

"But they won't apologize! Never! I'll ask you one last time, I'm leaving, will you come with me?"

"I want an apology..."

"Fuck you, Kyle! What good are their apologies for pursuing your free spirit?! I'm truly disappointed in you! I never believed you would do such a thing, but before this, I understood that people can use violence to sway all your opinions! I'm starting to doubt whether you actually did it, otherwise why would they hate you so much! Now come with me, don't make me hate you too..."

"I... just want an apology."

“You’re fucking hopeless! I’m not going to live like this with you anymore. I’m not going to get beaten up or have my clothes torn to shreds for others to see! I’m not going to be cursed at by drunkards anymore, and I’m not going to sleep in a drafty house every night. I hate you, Kyle! I’m leaving right now! Right now!”

She really did pack her things, which is understandable. Human feelings cannot be indestructible; they can be worn down by external things. This is something that everyone has long recognized, which is why everyone agrees that relationships need to be nurtured.

It's not that everyone abandons each other when disaster strikes, but rather that Kyle is willing to accept the prospect of suffering ahead, while she is not.

Kyle watched numbly as she packed her luggage, picked up her suitcase, and left the room. During this time, she repeatedly asked Kyle if she was leaving with her, but he only repeated that one question.

"I want an apology..."

"Kyle, your life is already set in stone; it's going to be incredibly difficult. I'm sorry I can't be there for you. I'm so sorry... I love you, Kyle, but that future is just too terrible. I'm leaving. I'm sorry..."

She drove away weeping, escaping the cage that imprisoned demons and monsters, leaving her lover behind, standing at the door, watching her leave.

……

Catherine's departure brought many disadvantages. At the very least, he couldn't cook and could only survive on some fast food, cereal, and milk. But eventually, he would run out of food and needed to go out to buy some. So he came to the supermarket, a place that was extremely unwelcoming to him.

I grabbed a few packets of cereal and stuffed them into my shopping basket, along with some canned goods with a longer shelf life. In silence, I went to the cashier to pay, under the cold stares of the other customers.

"That's 133.5 yuan in total."

He was indeed drunk, swaying as he pulled out his wallet, but another male employee ran over from a distance, pushed the food aside, grabbed Kyle by the collar, and threw him far away.

"Get out! You're not welcome here, and we won't sell you anything. Get out now, or we'll kill you."

"I have the right to use my legitimate income to purchase any goods that are sold to the public..."

"Ha...Are you stupid? I told you to get out, didn't you hear me? Get out of here!"

The clerk shoved Kyle and pointed towards the door, telling him to leave. Kyle obeyed and walked towards the door, but he had a bag of cereal tucked under his arm, and the money for the cereal was left on the counter.

When the clerk noticed, he snatched the cereal from Kyle and even punched him in the chin, sending Kyle crashing to the ground. It took him a while to get up. Facing the sneering clerk, Kyle picked up the cereal and punched him hard in the nose!
"Damn it! Beat him up!"

Kyle lay there for a while, his face covered in blood, until the items he had chosen were thrown out of the store. He lay there for a while under the gaze of passersby, then finally got up, picked up the food, swayed his body, and slowly left.

"Kyle! What happened to him?" In the open-air parking lot in front of the supermarket, the Carls family was about to leave when Judy saw Kyle and called out, drawing everyone's attention.

"My God... he looks really pitiful, but he doesn't deserve pity."

The family was lamenting Kyle's current wretched and miserable state, while only Karl in the driver's seat looked pained and struggling. As if he had made up his mind, his expression became resolute again. For the sake of his family, this pain... sorry, Kyle can only bear it alone. When he looked at Kyle, he didn't expect that Kyle would also notice them. As he walked, he raised his middle finger at the family.

This was too much for the short-tempered Mrs. Carls to bear. She picked up the glass bottle of beverage that the child had just finished drinking from and threw it at Kyle with all her might. The bottle shattered at Kyle's feet, but she found that Kyle was unmoved by the projectile, as if she had never thrown it. He didn't even look up and walked away stepping on the glass shards.

The family of five: three were burdened with deep-seated hatred, one with guilt, and only Judy was pressed against the car window, her little head lost in thought.

……

Four months later, on Christmas Day.

Kyle slept peacefully amidst the clutter of empty bottles and cigarette butts until a knock came at the door. He slowly got up and opened it, only to be surprised that someone would knock on his door. To his even greater surprise, it was Judy, dressed in a new trench coat, looking radiant and adorable, like a porcelain doll.

"Kyle, will you attend church activities?"

He stared into Judy's eyes, bright and clear, seemingly untouched by any filth. He hated the culprit who had ruined everything for him, but she was just a child, and he couldn't bring himself to take revenge.

There was no answer. He pulled on the door and slowly closed it, but she clung to the door, gazing innocently at Kyle.

"I've been trying so hard to study, but it's exhausting, Kyle... Can reading really set the soul free?"

At this moment, Kyle was unshaven, his eyes were bloodshot, and his whole body was covered in wounds. When he heard Judy's question, he finally answered in a hoarse voice.

"NO..."

He closed the door.

……

On Christmas Day, he should take a good bath. He immersed himself in the bathtub as if he wanted to drown himself. Finally, he got out of the bathtub, shaved his beard, bandaged his wounds with gauze, changed into his most expensive suit, tied his black tie, and looked out the window. The church was decorated with lights and was very lively. He sat on a wooden chair, opened a bottle of whiskey, and took a big gulp.

As night fell, the church service officially began. The brightly lit church contrasted sharply with Kyle's dirty and dimly lit room. Then... the boys' choir sang the classic song, "Ave Verum Corpus." (Please open your player to listen.)
"Homage to the real Holy Eucharist."

"He was born of the chaste Virgin Mary."

"Enduring countless hardships and making sacrifices."

"To be crucified for humanity."

Kyle took a big gulp of his drink. He remembered how, at this time, he and Catherine would sing this song together in church. But now, he was all alone in the dimly lit room. He was a little drunk, leaning against the back of the wooden chair, looking at the portrait of Jesus that Catherine hadn't taken with her on the wall, and singing the song with the choir.

"His body was pierced."

“That’s his blood.”

"They tried it beforehand for our sake."

"The judgment of death..."

Gradually, in the moonlight, his eyes began to gleam, he began to choke up, staring at the portrait, lost in thought…

"You are a safe haven for most people, whether they are right or wrong? Then can you answer me, where did I go wrong? Can my actions really be defined as evil?"

"The Carls family has become harmonious again, no longer arguing, and understanding each other, but this has come at the cost of my happiness. Is that fair?"

"If you really are all-powerful... then look at what these people who support you have done? And what have I lost because of it? Can you see it?"

The camera pans to the people inside the church, singing sacred songs with solemn expressions, accompanied by golden lights. Their voices are melodious, but how ferocious were these people before?

Kyle drank the wine in large gulps, his eyes filled with tears, but he didn't let them fall. In the end, he drank half the bottle in one go and let out a long sigh filled with pain.

"What should I apologize for? Why have I been wronged and can't clear my name? Look... look! Look at what they've done!! And the pain I've endured!"

He slammed his right foot on the dining table, then pulled up his trouser leg to reveal an electronic ankle bracelet that was still flashing red. This was the reason he wasn't leaving with Catherine—not because he didn't want to, but because he simply couldn't leave!

Didn't they realize their mistake? Didn't anyone have any doubts after seeing the child's account? No, everyone knew they were wrong, but it was these people singing in the church! Even after realizing their error, they refused to repent, instead putting him in shackles again and continuing to perpetrate violence against him in this village under the pretext of an ongoing investigation!
Why? To deceive their own conscience, to truly treat Kyle as a criminal, so that everyone in the church could sleep soundly and not have to apologize for the mistakes they made against Kyle…

"Am I a beast? Am I their pet? Am I someone they can bully and vent their anger on at will? Open your eyes and look! Jesus! What am I? Shut up! Shut up!! Shut up!!!"

The wine bottle smashed against the wall and shattered into pieces, roaring at the people still singing hymns inside the church. The eaves blocked the moonlight, obscuring half of the portrait, and the upper part of Jesus' head was hidden in the dark shadow, as if his eyes were covered.

"I want to die! But I lack an apology, I lack everyone saying sorry to me... So I can't die, or if I'm already dead, what's the point of me still breathing?"

A small cutting machine was picked up, and Kyle, filled with hatred and rage, plugged it in, making a sharp noise, took a deep breath, and placed it on his feet...

After sparks flew, the cutting machine pierced the flesh, and blood gushed out instantly, soaking his trousers. He didn't care at all, threw the cutting machine on the ground, and, under the influence of his drunkenness, pushed open the door, letting in a gust of wind and snow.

Blood melted the snow, forming bloody footprints. He burst into the church, and amidst screams, grabbed the nearest supermarket employee, staring wide-eyed and frantically demanding answers…

"Can you see my heart?"

Then he grabbed the sheriff who was trying to escape and shouted at the top of his lungs...

"Can you see my heart?"

Principal Shirley, the obese woman, Catherine's supervisor, the students' parents, Reverend Crow—he asked everyone until the Carls stood before him.

"Can you see my heart?!"

He punched Karl, pulled him up from the ground in front of his wife, and Karl pointed to his chest and shook his head.

"Did you see that? There's nothing in there... absolutely nothing... Pshaw!"

He left laughing, and no one dared to stop him, let alone beat him up. Everyone looked at him like he was a monster, unaware that Kyle was the only "person" in the church...

It's like an interesting effect: the psychologist tied himself up, blindfolded himself, took sleeping pills, and let others do whatever they wanted to him. At first, people just gently touched his face, but then they became bolder and kicked him a couple of times, hit him a couple of times, and finally pulled out a gun...

But when the experiment ended and he woke up and was untied, those who had even tried to kill him while he was asleep fled in fear, just like the people in the church.

shameful!
……

After that, Kyle did not leave Ilklóu Castle, but continued to live there for twenty years. After that Christmas night, people no longer targeted him. Instead, they dared not look him in the eye and asked their children not to associate with him.

Twenty years later...

A man and a woman were walking on a path covered with fallen leaves, their hands clasped together and swinging back and forth. They were clearly a young couple with a very good relationship.

"Is this where you grew up? It's really beautiful..."

The girl smiled and didn't answer, but simply accompanied him to every corner. For her, getting into a good university, meeting an excellent boyfriend, and escaping the shadow of her parents were the greatest blessings of her life.

As the two walked to the very end of the path, a house covered in ivy came into view. In the yard, a disheveled man was vigorously swinging a hoe, looking somewhat sinister.

"Who is he? Why does he live here?"

"Him? I heard from my family that he committed a crime before, and then settled here. He rarely interacts with the outside world."

"What...crime did he commit that warrants living here alone?"

"I forgot, it could be murder? Or it could be rape, in any case it's a serious crime."

The man seemed to hear the noise, turned around and glanced at the two of them, then casually picked up the hoe again and, with one stroke, two strokes, lifted layer after layer of soil.

"He... he's not burying someone, is he?"

"What are you thinking? If someone in the village went missing, he would have been suspected long ago. Stop overthinking."

“That’s true, but it looks a bit scary, let’s go… Judy.”

After the two left, the camera slowly panned towards Kyle. He had indeed dug a big hole, and he was indeed going to bury someone, but not someone else, but... himself.

A tombstone, hand-carved, bears the name and date of birth, with an epitaph below.

The screen went black, leaving only the epitaph intact. What was originally engraved on the tombstone was now clearly visible, as if it had been redrawn in red ink.

It says:

"People will never pay for the atrocities they commit, and death may be the best proof of the wronged..."

The movie ends.

"..."

This is the first time Huochai has adapted a real-life film. It contains a lot of Huochai's personal interpretations and personal opinions, which I believe you can all see. The content is quite sensitive. Even now, I'm not sure if these two chapters will be blocked. If they are, I'll revise them.

Writing is indeed a real headache. I've been going around in circles writing it, and I don't feel like I've written it perfectly, but if I had, it definitely would be... So please bear with me, I'm really exhausted from writing it.

Finally, thank you to the third Silver Alliance member of the Ball Emperor, and thank you to the great author Tinglin Tianxia for the one million points. I am truly grateful. There will also be extra chapters, but my ability is limited. Please don't mind if I add more or less. I will do my best and should not disappoint the readers who are looking forward to extra chapters. Thank you all.

I've been writing since 7 a.m. and I'm so tired. I haven't eaten yet, so I'm going to grab something to eat first. See you tomorrow.

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(End of this chapter)