Chapter 363

Chapter 363: Reversal of Fate

What right?

At that moment, Sharma’s expression completely broke, her eyes widened uncontrollably, resembling a halibut just pulled from the water.

This is Hope City, their Hope City!

A superpowered individual who had never been registered, someone who had only taken from them without ever offering his abilities—what right did he have to say such things?

Sharma’s lips moved, and the man across from her effortlessly read her thoughts:

“You’ve got guts!”

Oh, so he wants to award himself? Then let’s see!

Let millions witness his arrogance, let everyone know that this savior is so full of himself.

Sharma had already lowered her hand, resolute that no matter how reckless the man in front of her was, she would not feel anger anymore.

It didn’t matter whether his earlier actions were a genuine act of defiance or just a ploy to gain leverage; it made no difference now.

The blonde had permanently lost her vote.

During the upcoming awarding process, Sharma remained still until the man in front of her realized his mistake.

It seemed they shared a certain understanding; seeing Sharma return to her usual self, the blonde offered no additional expressions.

He slowly raised the medal in his hand, turned it over, and naturally extended it toward Sharma’s chest.

Extending toward Sharma’s chest…

Wait! What was he about to do?

This time, Sharma did not ponder the origins of everything. Looking at the back of the medal, she instantly understood the significance of the blonde’s actions—

He intended to pin the medal on his own chest!

He actually planned to award himself!

How could he?!

How dared he?!

At that moment, even as her sharp mind took over, Sharma instinctively lifted her right foot to step back half a pace.

She could not comprehend why someone would be so brazen; she could not accept being awarded by a low-ranking individual—this would be a lifelong humiliation.

In Sharma’s mind, she had already retreated multiple times, but the other party relentlessly advanced, showing no signs of giving her even a little grace.

However, just as she was about to lift her foot, something seemed to block it, and then the strength gradually increased, pressing her foot, which had barely left the ground, back down.

Sharma suddenly saw the man’s eyes in front of her.

Those were eyes filled with concern and sincerity, yet there seemed to be a hint of killing intent swirling within.

Sharma could no longer determine if her movement was interrupted by that inexplicable superpower or solely by the opponent’s menacing glare.

But one thing became clear to her when she realized she could not move—

She could not escape.

No, don’t come closer!

Sharma had already realized the consequences that would arise when that medal was worn on her.

She would be the first elected official ever honored by a low-ranking individual. Decades later, today’s events would be condensed into a brief joke etched on her ash urn, reading:

【The great third-generation Sharma, an elected official awarded by the common people, her tale will surely be told.】

What awaited her was an endless nightmare, yet she could not make any effective resistance.

She watched as that nearly perfect male hand gently removed the pin from the back of the medal, allowing the sharp needle to pierce through her jacket as if it were stabbing the veins in her chest.

Lin Qingliu pushed the pin into the folds of Sharma’s clothing, and after a “click,” everything settled.

The heavy pure gold medal was thus pinned on Sharma’s chest, even though it certainly did not belong to her.

At this moment, Sharma’s face was ashen, and aside from being a genuine corpse, the only difference was that she still had a flicker of warmth left.

But it seemed there was still a force driving this body forward, as Sharma and the blonde man simultaneously turned to look at the cameras situated right in the center below.

The blonde man placed one hand on Sharma’s shoulder and pulled her closer, while the other hand gave a thumbs-up, as if to acknowledge her achievements.

And Sharma, at that moment, relied solely on her last instinct to keep this body from collapsing.

As for the corners of her mouth, they curved upwards, barely perceptible, as if manipulated by some invisible force.

From this moment on, the image of the blonde man was firmly bound to that of a government official distributing aid, while the one receiving aid was naturally the guy standing next to her, whose face was pale from hunger.

“Click!”

“Click!”

“Click!”

In the front row of the auditorium, amidst countless shutter sounds, several officials were continuously pressing the emergency stop button on their chairs.

As long as they pressed this button, the current live stream would cease.

After all, so many infrastructures in Hope City often broke down; a small glitch during the live stream would be inconsequential.

Once they stopped this damn live feed, the twenty or so superpowered individuals nearby could rush in and force that guy away, retrieving Sharma.

As for the audience, a signed agreement would easily seal their lips.

Even though they belonged to different factions, as fellow officials, their positions were generally similar.

Thinking of this, more and more officials began pressing the glowing red emergency stop button. That thing was tethered to all live stream terminals, yet surprisingly, it had no effect at all.

The nearly thousand people in the auditorium watched this scene, falling into an eerie silence.

In fact, they wanted to cheer, as such excitement was not common.

But at that moment, none dared to take the lead; a moment’s thought revealed that anyone who acted on such a matter wouldn’t be able to settle down in the inner city for three generations.

Moreover, everyone had the same question in their hearts—

Why did he dare to go this far?

If awarding oneself in such an occasion was a matter of pride, a display of reckless bravery, then allowing an elected official to do this was truly courting death.

What gave that guy the audacity to act like this?

As if he had heard the voices of the crowd, the blonde man withdrew his arm from around Sharma.

When he eased his strength, Sharma almost swayed, as if the pure gold medal weighing over several kilograms had bent her proud spine like a penguin’s.

The man stepped forward, and the spotlight above followed him.

Without using any amplification device, he spoke loudly:

“Nice to meet you all; please allow me to introduce myself:

“My name is ‘Arthur,’ the current Speaker of the highest authority in Hope City, the Hope Council…”

“Speaker.”