Chapter 400

Chapter 400: The Heart of a Small Man

As soon as these words were spoken, the members of the first team, already startled several times, could no longer hold back. "Disaster Core" and "Fortress" stood up immediately.

Their intense reaction was entirely expected by Arthur, who looked at the two agitated individuals and said:

“I feel deeply sorry about this matter. Lucas shouldn’t have died; it was my impatience that led to this tragedy.

“At that time, I didn’t have the authority to interrupt the triggering process of his implants, but you are different.”

With that, Arthur’s gaze burned intensely as he looked at the five people before him, including the new "Holy Shield," Lucas’s successor.

“Now, I have regained my authority through the aftermath of the beast tide, so… I hope to help you.

“This system hardware, derived from the spaceship, was originally designed for artificial intelligence use. For humans, once implanted, the body inevitably experiences some rejection reactions, and this device also poses severe risks to the brain.

“Otherwise, why do you think Lucas fell ill?”

After hearing Arthur’s explanation, the new "Holy Shield" uncomfortably covered his chest.

His heart had recently been sending out alarms, a body’s warning mechanism. Despite trying to minimize strenuous activities and harmful behaviors, the combined effects were still no match for the pressure caused by a barrier that required maintenance and regulation for 24 hours.

The others also showed various signs. "Starfall" had recently experienced a noticeable decline in vision, while "Disaster Core" appeared unnaturally thin and "Fortress" exhibited changes in skin color.

“So, please tell me, before undergoing implantation surgery, did the council members fulfill their obligation to inform you? Did they provide detailed explanations of the potential complications and aftereffects? Did they discuss the immense pressure you would carry for the rest of your lives?”

The group fell into thought.

The answer to the question was not complicated; it was simply “no.”

As they shook their heads one by one, a slightly ironic and helpless smile appeared on Arthur’s face:

“Look, you all clearly have the resolve to sacrifice for Hope City and humanity, but they cannot completely trust you. Not only did they fail to inform you before the surgery, but they even added self-destruct devices to prevent you from colluding…

“I can feel that each of you is not loyal to the council; it is your sense of responsibility to humanity that drives you to persevere until now.”

A look of emotion crossed "Disaster Core’s" face as he raised his high cheekboned face to look at Arthur:

“What… do you want?”

“I promised not to pursue the mistakes the council members made from the establishment of Hope City until a month ago, but their persecution of you continues. Moreover, before the foundation of Hope City… they committed irreversible atrocities.

“What awaits them will be a trial, and you are all victims and witnesses.

“After the trial, I will revoke their authority, and you will gain a new life.”

“No…”

"Starfall," perhaps accustomed to decades of suffering, looked at Arthur with fear:

“Are you saying there will be no council members in Hope City?”

“Yes.”

“No, it can’t be like that.”

"Starfall" actually didn’t know what she wanted to say. Although she harbored hatred for the council members’ actions and their usual arrogant demeanor, she also genuinely understood that it was those old bones and various young individuals who ruled the current Hope City.

Without the council members, this city might… collapse.

“There is nothing that cannot happen.”

Arthur seemed to use some ability to quickly calm the anxious and fearful "Starfall":

“Hope City will operate as usual without anyone. The council members are not essential, and neither are any of us present, so don’t view anyone as overly important.

“You also needn’t worry about safety issues in Hope City after removing the devices; my body can withstand these things. If necessary… I will have other ways. In short, no one will die because of this, and these devices will not fail as a result.”

Arthur glanced around once more and spoke seriously:

“I will solve the issues, bear the responsibilities, and judge the guilty. So now, is there anyone who opposes my plan?”

The members of the first team seemed to hear an unwavering promise. Even though they had only met this Speaker a few times previously, his actions over the past month had already instilled a sense of trust in them.

Ultimately, they all nodded in relief, both for their past deception and for the possibility of enjoying their remaining lives in the future.

“Good, then, everyone, let us begin the meal.”

A sunny expression appeared on Arthur’s face as the group looked at the nutritional paste before them, momentarily exchanging glances.

The golden giant smiled and said,

"I have been eating this for a while now; let me show you how."

With that, he tore open a corner of the packaged nutritional paste, allowing the gooey substance to naturally enter his mouth under the pressure of his palm.

“This nutritional paste should be savored slowly.

“At first, you may find it a bit fishy because, during the storage period after it was made, the nutritional paste experienced some layering, causing some extraordinary beast fluids—especially those from Second Level insect-like extraordinary beasts—to seep into the top layer.

“If you let it sit in your mouth, you will notice a slight bitterness, which is determined by the proteins from those insects. However, our stomachs can handle it without much concern.

“Carefully enjoy it; when you swallow, you might detect a slightly greasy sweetness. This is due to certain special substances within the extraordinary beasts, which they usually use to communicate with one another.

“If you occasionally taste something reminiscent of meat, it means you have been fortunate enough to consume tissue from a First Level extraordinary beast, as they, despite looking like they could be edible, actually taste disgusting; only their texture is somewhat close to meat…”

At that moment, the few people sitting around the conference table had already grown somewhat numb. This feeling had begun the moment they entered this room, which was named the conference room but was effectively functioning as a dining chamber.

There were no opening remarks or preliminaries; the Speaker directly and straightforwardly explained today’s theme and then reached an agreement with everyone in just a few minutes, before diving into the dining segment.

Such efficiency was something the group could never have imagined before, as the council members they remembered never seemed to make such swift decisions about anything, even trivial matters often resulted in mutual evasion…

But how to put it? This feeling was surprisingly pleasant…