Chapter 408

Chapter 408: I Report

It wasn’t time to return to their seats, share good wishes, or celebrate a birthday. Among the hundreds present, no one expected such a strange turn of events.

Over the past thirteen years, Wencheng had left the strongest impression as a calm leader, with eyes that were profoundly deep, no matter what happened.

He never yelled, nor did he speak much, but every word he uttered could decide the fate of countless people or extraordinary beasts.

He rarely smiled, and his face almost always bore a single expression, yet he handled matters with a strictness mixed with a hint of warmth.

And it was this respected leader who, in this moment, made such a demand in such a setting.

Some people nearby had already noticed that today, although Wencheng wore a military uniform, he did not wear any insignia or symbols to prove his identity.

He stood below the Speaker and the other council members, looking more like a civilian with grievances than a soldier.

Sitting in the center of the eleven council members was Arthur with his golden hair. His convincing looks and steady demeanor made the nearby golden-haired Sharma appear like a late-stage albino.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the supreme Speaker turned his gaze to Wencheng below, as if a god were watching an ant:

"I’ve heard you; go ahead and speak it out here."

Without cutting off the live broadcast, and under the gaze of millions, Arthur gestured for Wencheng to make his revelations public.

The council members were either confused or sensed something was awry; some even thought they should cut the live signal due to this embarrassing situation.

However, they had no power to cut the live broadcast; they hadn’t had it last time, and they wouldn’t this time either.

Wencheng received a definite response, so he took a deep breath and continued shouting in a voice everyone could hear:

"I, Wencheng, a resident of Hope City, hereby report that council members Matthew, Yang Suyan, Haines… and eight others maliciously caused an alien creature leakage incident 52 years ago, resulting in a total of nineteen infections, twenty-five deaths, and a significant loss of Old Era data, which indirectly led to a break in the inheritance of civilization."

He remembered!

Although the council members sitting in high-backed chairs showed little change in their expressions, they were shocked by this fact.

Because of a backdoor left by a researcher long deceased, their memories during that brief period were a muddled mess.

Even after so many years, they could only vaguely recall what they had done; they couldn’t clearly remember specifics like actions and the death toll.

But how could Wencheng, who they had conspired to design and erase his memories, recall such details so vividly?

Did he just remember it, and in a surge of blood, take the rare opportunity to self-detonate?

But didn’t he realize that he himself had executed the death sentences on those Infected?

How could he implicate himself in this?!

The council members struggled to maintain their composure, while the auditorium fell into complete silence.

It was a silence so shocking that even breathing seemed to vanish; as people listened to Wencheng’s unbelievable claims, they began to wonder when this general had turned into a madman.

An obvious fact was that Wencheng wasn’t even fifty-two this year; how could he report a murder case from fifty-two years ago? Did he see it with his own eyes?

As everyone busied themselves processing this rare, fifty-year-old heavyweight revelation, Wencheng spoke again:

"I report that in the 31st year of the New Era, council members Matthew, Yang Suyan… and eight others maliciously cut off wartime communications, leading to the Southern District outer wall’s breach for six hours, resulting in eighteen hundred soldier fatalities and three blocks completely devastated, with civilian casualties approaching ten thousand."

At this point, he felt it wasn’t enough and continued:

"I report that in the 31st year of the New Era, council members… murdered former council member Vladimir, carrying out a purge within the military, resulting in…"

One shocking revelation after another almost exploded the minds of those present, and the millions of residents of Hope City were also in a state of frenzy.

Under the propaganda that had started a week prior, more people were watching and listening to this speech than during the last medal ceremony, and this time… the news was far more shocking than before.

Last time, it was merely the Speaker returning from outside the city, leading to a series of misunderstandings simply because people hadn’t seen him before, and it ended up being just a tedious show-off.

But now, no one could refuse to watch a battle of words, especially one involving high-ranking officials!

The usually bored civilians seemed to have been injected with enthusiasm; they gathered around the nearest broadcast stations or public projections, straining their ears and widening their eyes, eagerly awaiting the upcoming revelations.

Inside the auditorium, Wencheng’s eyes were bloodshot, unsure if it was from his hoarse shouting or the excitement of knowing everything was finally about to end.

But he hadn’t finished speaking.

Facing Arthur’s gaze and the murderous stares of the council members, he shouted his final words:

"I report that all members of the Hope Council, over the past fifty-two years, have altered and erased the memories of Hope City residents, concealed the truths of the Old Era, silenced those in the know, and misappropriated the heritage of the Old Era—"

Finally, he took a deep breath and, gritting his teeth, enunciated each word clearly:

"Traitors to humanity!"

The crowd erupted in chaos, and at that moment, all of Hope City boiled over—

What grievances you have with the council members are none of my business, but why is the fire now burning at your own feet?

Wencheng spoke in the universal language of humanity, and everyone certainly understood what he meant.

In an instant, tens of thousands, even millions, began to fall into a primal panic.

Memory is one of the foundations of a person’s existence; if even memories are false, then what is real?

They wanted to scream, to roar, to rush into the inner city and demand an explanation from the council members.

But they could not deny the truth that was within reach; it seemed that as long as they continued to listen to Wencheng’s shouts, the mysteries that troubled them would be unraveled.

As decades of pent-up anger exploded, Wencheng’s body began to feel weak.

Yet he still maintained his previous stance, glaring furiously at all the council members.

In this tense atmosphere, council member Kande suddenly stood up from his high-backed chair. This council member, who had sat for who knows how many years, trembled as he stood.

He extended his aged palm, pointing at Wencheng, not caring at all that the intravenous line embedded in his wrist had come loose.

With murky eyes looking at Wencheng, who was almost in tears, he shouted sharply:

"What evidence do you have?"