Chapter 416

Chapter 416: "Welcome the New"

A nearly invisible Energy Shield swiftly enveloped the individuals displaying abnormal behavior.

Holy Shield, who had long since left the scene, emerged from backstage with a smile. With a single gesture, he lifted several superpowered individuals from their seats and brought them before Arthur.

Those who had intended to commit suicide or self-detonate found themselves immobilized, their bodies straightened by the unseen energy, until they knelt on the ground, hands on their heads, under immense pressure.

“Mr. Speaker, how should we handle them?”

Arthur observed the unfamiliar faces, some filled with anger, others with fear, and a few who seemed somewhat relieved.

He smiled at them and turned to Holy Shield:

“Has the research institute received the components?”

“Yes, they are preparing for surgery. We will soon extract those components.”

Arthur nodded:

“Then please have them implant ability suppressors in each of these individuals first for detention; I will have use for them later.

“As for the person responsible for this…”

Arthur paused briefly:

“Since they are all going for surgery, let’s leave it to Luke, given his extensive experience in this area.”

“Understood.”

Holy Shield gave a slight bow, then turned to escort the superpowered individuals away.

At this moment, Infinite Scroll, who had finished reading the verdict, abandoned her previous mechanical demeanor. She addressed the microphone connected to the spaceship system:

“The trial is over.”

“The Temporary Court is dismissed.”

A cold system sound echoed from the speakers, and the solemn atmosphere of the trial seemed to dissipate from the hall, transforming it back from a courtroom to an auditorium.

However… in less than eight hours, the number of speakers had dwindled from eleven to one.

Using telekinesis, Arthur cleared away the now useless tables and chairs and returned to the center of the vast stage.

The stage appeared empty, with even the originally paired long table and high-backed chairs torn and moved, leaving only one set for Arthur.

“Bang bang.”

Arthur gently tapped the microphone twice to confirm it still had sufficient power after hours of continuous use.

Everyone, exhausted by nervousness and drowsiness, found their attention drawn once again, feeling somewhat numb.

Over the past several hours, they had witnessed the mood in the hall shift from joyful camaraderie to a tense environment where everyone felt unsafe. From the council members who had been on high for decades to the individual seated beside them, all could have plummeted into irreversible disaster at any moment.

At this moment, whether it was a duel or a coup, the winner was strikingly evident.

From now on, they all had only one supreme leader, who was about to deliver a victorious speech.

What would he say? Although still somewhat afraid, a faint sense of anticipation arose in the hearts of everyone below.

“It is now eleven fifteen at night. I will let everyone leave this place before the New Year.”

Arthur began his victory speech.

“As previously reported by Wencheng, the memories of everyone in Hope City have been tampered with. Unfortunately, that device lacks the capability to reverse the alterations, which means the modified memories cannot be restored. Therefore, let me reveal the truth about this world today.”

Arthur’s steady and magnetic voice echoed throughout the hall, resonating in every factory and along the streets of Hope City, reaching every location where an alarm could sound.

“About a thousand years ago, humanity faced a life-and-death crisis. To preserve the form of life known as ‘humanity,’ all people at that time initiated the ‘Dandelion Project.’

“It involved a herbaceous plant native to the human home planet, characterized by its tenacity and seeds adorned with white fluff, capable of drifting far on the wind to take root and grow anew.

“And the Dandelion Project was similar, with a total of one hundred colony ships constructed by striving all of humanity, each destined for a specific target planet.

“This enormous undertaking took over one hundred years just to prepare, followed by over seven hundred years of travel in the dark sea of stars, with the council members who ruled this city for decades being the crew of that time.

“By this point, you should have realized. The land beneath our feet has never been our home planet; rather, it is a new homeland where a dandelion seed has arrived after a long drift.

“So, there have never been any meteors; only a massive spaceship descended from the sky, crashing near the coastline of this planet. The first group of awakened humans, aided by various machines, completed the construction of this city, which is the origin of Hope City.

“However, after that, the expected development did not occur. In a bid to seize greater power, the council members of that time erased the memories of all the awakeners and fabricated the history we now know. They themselves became the high and mighty council members, sitting in that spaceship called the spire and controlling this city.

“Yet, things did not unfold as those council members anticipated. The reason for the spaceship’s forced landing on this planet and its inability to take off again was due to an attack by an unknown object during descent, and that assailant is the mycelium creatures now lurking outside of Hope City, eyeing humanity with hostility.

“I once traveled and explored outside the city for a long time. Those creatures, with their strong assimilation capabilities, devoured biological samples from the spaceship wreckage and bred them. This is the essence of the beast tides we have faced over the past few decades.

“And beyond the beast tides lies an endless mycelium forest. These creatures have encircled Hope City from the northwest in two directions.”

At this point, Arthur let out a sigh and said:

“This is why I must unite humanity, for our time is truly running short.

“Every superpowered individual who dies in the Exploration Plan provides new genetic samples to the mycelium, allowing them to learn new abilities and tactics. In other words, extraordinary beasts cannot be exterminated. If we rely solely on defense, Hope City will eventually fall.

“But we need not worry too much. Humans today are not without the possibility of a comeback; this is not due to my arrival, but because of every human in Hope City.

“Our race has explored and adventured across numerous star systems, completing countless grand quests and drifting freely among the starry seas for centuries.

“So I believe humanity still holds infinite potential. We will ultimately defeat the mycelium and become the true masters of this planet.”

Arthur stood up from his seat, bowing to all those present and everyone behind the projection:

“Thank you all for your trust in me, allowing me to accomplish what I aimed to do today. All glory and low points are now the past. Beginning in the 53rd year of the New Era, we, this branch of humanity, will welcome a new beginning.

“Also, I appreciate everyone for listening to my ramblings. From January 1st to 3rd of the new year, all residents of Hope City will have a holiday. If you have no other business, please do not go out.”

As the New Year’s bells rang on time, the humans on this planet… seemed to welcome a different future.