Disaster Simulator, global collapse begins.

The only exception is the anti-addiction system for minors.

Like the elite girls' school Karin attended before, the teachers implemented an anti-addiction system that cut off internet access, so Chen Jie had to skip school to play games.

Children who are banned from the internet due to being minors can actually make several emergency calls, including to the National Guard.

But in this desolate Sargon, no one had ever taught them these things.

"It can be basically confirmed."

To be able to fabricate such a large fake school in the wilderness and get it approved by the House of Representatives...

It wasn't just Druci; there must have been many Sargon chieftains, and even elders, involved in this.

Next, she ventured into the subconscious of those adults.

What do you usually do during the day?

"Playing games, and having children."

"Where does the food come from?"

"The clan leader will give us food... but I'm still very hungry, there's not enough to eat, and I can only lie in bed all day without moving."

"Was everyone given the same amount of food?"

"Different."

"Who gets more food?"

"Those with many children should have more children, and there are also young people."

"Will any children be taken away?"

"Yes, but the subsidies are substantial, enough to feed you for several meals, so everyone still has to have children."

unambiguous evidence.

Beast!

Subconscious people don't lie, unless they've undergone special training. These zombie-like, numb people addicted to virtual reality can't do that.

Where is the old man?

"The chiefs say that if the elderly make enough contributions, they can go to heaven."

When that person answered, a look of longing was clearly visible on their face.

"It's a permanent home built for those who live in reverence and obey the chief's decrees, a pristine realm where both mind and body can enjoy lasting peace, where you can play games every day and have endless delicious food..."

These words don't sound like something someone with his level of education would say.

But this person spoke extremely fluently, as if he had heard it spoken by someone else, or even memorized it many times.

No need to listen anymore.

Just like in the movie "The Island," where clones are tricked into going to Paradise Island, the old people who are considered useless by the kings are definitely taken away to burn as firewood.

Instead of being the one burning firewood, I became the firewood.

By this point, she had fully understood how these kings and chieftains controlled the common people—

Water and food (material) + religion (spiritual)

Brainwash them when their minds are most active in their youth, and cut them off from the internet to prevent them from accessing too much outside information. As adults, those who remain are mostly compliant and numb. Then, they are dealt with when they are old.

"Has the chief made you do anything else strange?"

"Yes, I have to have my blood drawn every month... It feels like they prick me really deep, it hurts a lot, and for half a month after the blood is drawn, I feel weak, dizzy, and very tired. During the worst days, I didn't even feel like playing games."

Well, they didn't even let the living go without finding a single bit of value.

Besides blood draws, they'll probably also cut kidneys and such. Given the lack of moral bottom line among those kings, they'll sell anything as long as it's profitable and there's demand.

What a blood and flesh production line.

What were his feelings when he founded this nation that encompasses the entire continent? And how did everything become so distorted as it is now?

If we firmly believe now that we will never establish the Shinra or build high walls, will things change in the future?

"So, what should I do?"

The Guard Bureau's resources are insufficient to resolve these issues; otherwise, things wouldn't have turned out this way.

The Assassin Brotherhood?

Leaving aside the fact that it's impossible to kill all the participating chieftains, even if it were possible, there's no guarantee that the next batch of people would be better.

Connect the two? Introduce new forces?

Each choice seems to have its own difficulties and problems, like a tangled mess of wires that can't be straightened out.

Cut constantly, the rationale is still chaotic.

Unless a powerful external force comes along to overthrow and change everything!

"I've made up my mind!"

She materialized a golden hourglass in her hand. In this simulation, because she had hardly done anything supernatural, she still had more than two hundred years left—even her body might not be able to live that long.

"Before the hourglass runs out, change everything on this continent as much as you can..."

Hyperdimensional hacking!

A secret code was typed into the Black Tower network, and the next moment—

It's raining.

This is a rain of soul steel.

Launched from the black tower into the sky, the raindrops dripped onto the ground, intertwining and coalescing, slowly forming and rising in all directions across the land as mechanical soldiers reflecting a cold, metallic gleam.

I had no intention of vying for power, but I know the suffering of the common people...

"Holy Rome, your Emperor has returned!"

I don't think now is a good time...

The simulator begins with persuasion.

This world still holds many mysteries, such as the emperor's story, how you disappeared in the future, and the matter of time. Haven't you always been curious why all the historical documents on this continent use approximate dates?

Despite the existence of a virtual Terra, it lacks even a timeline, as if someone is constantly erasing all traces of time from the internet.

And there are so many other threats to this world besides Originium...

Last but not least, when I communicate with you in this world, I always feel a strange sense of distance!

Your sixth sense also detected a certain crisis.

This is the real reason why you've been subconsciously hiding your special qualities all these years; the talk of self-cultivation and such is just a superficial excuse.

"I understand everything you're saying," Chen Jie nodded.

"You can restart if you die in the simulation, it just takes an extra day of real life and you get a different identity... But if I'm unhappy, then I'm really unhappy!"

……

PS: This simulation is now in its mid-to-late stages. Much of the groundwork and foreshadowing from the beginning will be resolved, and there will be some new, unexpected developments. (121776)

Chapter 151 He Will Return Like Lightning

"Unbeknownst to them, locusts have ravaged the land, causing immense suffering to the people and the king's subjects!"

This is a line from the Seven Killings Stele, meaning that it is unknown whether those kings and generals are the ones who spread locusts and other pests throughout the world, causing the common people to suffer.

Chen Jie specifically took the time to study the laws of the Holy Roman Empire.

It can only be said that the law itself is not the problem; the problem lies with the people responsible for enforcing the law.

Originally, the military, the Royal Guard, and the Assassin Brotherhood were supposed to be complementary and cooperative law enforcement agencies.

The Konoe Bureau is responsible for handling cases and conducting investigations and law enforcement.

If you encounter a group with a large private armed force and strong military power, then mobilize the military and take them down!

When encountering corrupt officials or nobles who make dirty money but have never committed any outward crimes, who use others as scapegoats, and who have a whole bunch of white gloves, the Assassin Brotherhood will sneak in at night and carry out justice.

Unfortunately, the three companies are now all doing their own thing.

After being betrayed by his brotherhood and almost ruined once, he became completely withdrawn and shut himself in to do his own thing.

The military was originally a combination of powerful troops from various countries and regions. While the emperor was alive, he could forcibly suppress it, but after his death, the empire disintegrated, and control of those former troops from various countries and regions naturally returned to the hands of the elders and councilors.

Some even declared themselves kings and became warlords, carving out their own territories.

The remaining Guard Bureau is like a tiger without claws and fangs, left to be ravaged by various corporations like a kitten.

"So what I need to do is actually quite simple," Chen Jie explained to the simulator.

"Too many people have forgotten to revere the law, so I will use fear to remind them of it!"

……

Changquan Town.

What was initially thought to be a very complex task turned out to be a simple investigation by the four members of Rhodes Island, who discovered the truth behind it.

"I truly never imagined that medicinal herbs would actually be living human beings..."

The forest ranger's voice trembled slightly; after all, this was his homeland.

Blood products, whether used in medicine or sold as food to the Sarkaz blood demons, are products that sell extremely well.

The anti-aging drug they were investigating wasn't an extract of the juice from some desert plant, but rather a substance extracted from the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of young people.

"I thought I'd found a way to make a fortune, but I never expected it to turn out like this." Black adjusted his crossbow and then looked at the forest ranger.

"We can't handle this. Even if we brought all of Rhodes Island's large land carriers here, it wouldn't solve the problem in this region."

"A deep-rooted problem."

Rumbling--

The ground trembled, unlike a traditional earthquake, more like the prelude to a volcanic eruption.

The four Rhodes Island members quickly left the building.

Something did erupt; the distant black tower hurled torrents of metal in all directions, like a giant mushroom cap.

“It’s the Black Tower making noise,” Franka pondered. “Could it be that a natural disaster is about to strike?”

But the large metal umbrella in the sky did not solidify as usual.

Suddenly, it started to rain.

Tiny, yet heavier than mercury, droplets of molten metal rained down like hail, forcing the Rhodes Island group to run back into the room.

As a heavy-armored unit, the slowest Razer can only use its shield to block the overhead damage:

"What happened?"

One after another, massive metal soldiers rose up, each complete with its own background music player!

Some familiar melodies rang in the ranger's ears, and the elderly white lizardman actually started humming along.

He suddenly noticed the gazes of the three people:

"This is a song that I heard an elder named Safra (note) who was nearly a thousand years old hum when I was young."

(Note: The chieftain of the Safra has a long tail covered with smooth scales. Most Safra can camouflage and mimic the human form using their own body color, and can accurately sense vibrations from the ground through their skin.)

(This race is also known for their incredible vitality; even the elderly Safra retain astonishing energy and agility, and the oldest known Safra has lived for nearly a thousand years.)

"This is a very old ballad, commemorating Holy Roman Emperor I... I think it's called 'You Will Return Like Lightning'!"

……

Qinjiao Black Market.

After completing the installation of the personal terminal, Flash found the way using the navigation function.

Considering their identities and the situation in Sargon, he and his teammates decided to go to the black market for supplies after discussing it.

The only problem now is...

"Aren't you going to let me go?" Blitz asked.

“Sorry, Kuz.” Ash shook his head. “After seeing what just happened, we really can’t be sure if you’ve been controlled.”