Inside the stronghold's main hall, the commotion among Suroma's official Ascendants continued.
Ever since Bruce had publicly revealed the existence of the modified bodies, the application channels had been opened. Ascendants from both inside and outside the country could sign up.
Suroma's Ascendants had the easiest access since they were already stationed here. If they wanted to sign up, they would have done so long ago. The fact that they hadn't signed up until today meant they had no intention of undergoing the modification.
Now the welfare supplies that were supposed to be distributed to the official Ascendants had been replaced by a crate of Modification Consent Forms. This undoubtedly filled the Ascendants present not only with anger but also with a deep sense of dread.
It seemed the number of Ascendants willing to undergo modification was far smaller than expected.
Guan Tong watched in silence.
Previously, Suroma's government had heavily advertised the modification, putting all its supposed benefits on full display. Coupled with the super welfare perk of free memory backup, everyone had assumed the number of applicants would be enormous.
But upon closer thought, it was clear that this assumption had been heavily inflated.
Ascendants who had survived this long all had their own survival philosophies and their own understanding of Mind Power and the Doomsday Rules.
Why would they rush into something just because someone was promoting how great it was?
They would first consider the consequences.
In particular, many doubts had already surfaced online earlier. People believed that after undergoing the modification, they would be subject to numerous restrictions. They would become puppets manipulated by Bruce, and if they disobeyed, backdoors would be used to destroy them.
This wasn't surprising at all. Even in times of peace, there had been numerous cases where official agencies in some regions hid wiretaps inside phones or even used software to disable temperature control systems, causing batteries to explode.
Let alone in this era where almost anything goes. People generally believed that those in power would do whatever it took to protect their own interests.
The second doubt was related to memory backup.
Earlier, both the Dialoguer and Suroma's government had clearly stated that memory backup technology consumed enormous amounts of energy.
This meant that even if one could secure a free backup qualification by becoming a modified body, they would still have to wait in line.
How long was the line? How many people were in it? What position was each person in? How long would it take to move forward one spot? None of this was clearly listed. It was a complete black box.
Suroma's government had not provided any explanation for either of these doubts. Naturally, Ascendants with lingering concerns were not going to sign up easily.
After all, they had struggled to survive this long, living through half of the Rules. Every Ascendant wanted to continue surviving through the other half until the final end.
Just then, a voice echoed from the hall.
"Dear Ascendants, please calm down."
The voice came from speakers embedded in the walls, but the speaker never showed themselves.
The crowd quieted down momentarily, listening as the voice continued.
"Thanks to the assistance of this Rule, our government has made new breakthroughs in smart modification technology and memory digitization technology.
"Currently, Suroma faces a harsh external environment, surrounded by powerful enemies. Those restless foes are trying to take away the survival opportunities of us Suromans.
"For the sake of national interests, and for the sake of each of your personal interests, His Majesty the King hopes that everyone will sign the Modification Consent Form and become a part of the nation's strength.
"Only by doing so can we resist external threats and ensure that every Suroman can witness the arrival of the dawn."
The moment the voice finished speaking, the Ascendants on-site erupted in uproar.
"Are you kidding me! If I wanted the modification, I would have signed up already!"
"Is this a forced implementation? If we don't agree, we won't get welfare benefits anymore?"
"You talk about powerful enemies and harsh external environment... Other countries hate Suroma because of what Bruce did. What does that have to do with us..."
Voices of opposition rang out without end. Guan Tong, who was in the corner, suddenly looked toward the entrance of the hall.
His surveillance Shadow, stationed outside the building, had detected multiple small war weapons approaching.
Deploying such intelligent devices during the Rule Period carried an enormous risk of malfunction.
If they were being sent here under these circumstances, there was only one reason: to force the unwilling official Ascendants to sign the consent forms.
*Rumble, rumble...*
Accompanied by the heavy clatter of tracks, several tank-like war weapons rolled up to the hall's entrance. The weapons mounted on them were all activated, ready to attack at any moment.
The Ascendants inside the hall were shocked and horrified at the sight, unable to believe their eyes.
At the same time, the official's voice came through the speakers again: "Suroma's 'Patriot Act' has been updated to include clauses related to modification consent. Refusing to sign the consent form constitutes a violation of this act. Those who violate the act will be considered enemies of Suroma and must be eliminated.
"You have ten minutes to consider."
The voice fell silent, leaving only the countdown ticking away in everyone's minds.
Many people broke down. One Ascendant near the entrance screamed, "I won't sign!" and rushed out of the hall.
In an instant, the autocannons and homing missiles on several war weapons fired in unison, blasting that person into a mess of scattered fragments.
The sight terrified many, turning their faces as pale as paper.
These war machines had sealed off the stronghold, not allowing anyone to leave.
If they had a teleportation-type item, they could escape, but such items were prohibitively expensive. Even among these official Ascendants, few could afford one.
"How can the government do this? I'll expose them! Everyone, expose them!"
"Because no one can access the internet during this Rule, that's why they dare to do something like this..."
Just like in the era before the Doomsday Rules, some violent organizations would cut off power and internet before carrying out mass violence, preventing information leaks that might bring outside intervention.
Now, under the influence of the new Rule, the internet was naturally cut off. Information simply couldn't be transmitted, and even if it could, no one would see it.
This seemed to leave the Ascendants on-site with only two choices.
Either pick up a Modification Consent Form and sign it, or be annihilated by the war machines after the ten-minute deadline.
There was, of course, a third option, but it required both courage and strength to choose it.
And these official Ascendants, who regularly came to collect welfare benefits, naturally lacked people who possessed both.
"I'll just have to sign. Otherwise, I'll die here, and no one will ever know..."
Many people wavered under the threat of death and picked up the consent forms from the ground.
Others still hesitated, some clenching their fists.
Guan Tong deactivated the Camouflage Coat's ability and stepped up onto the platform, treading on the scattered consent forms.
At first, no one recognized him. It wasn't until one Ascendant stared at his face for several seconds that they finally reacted.
"Shadow?!"
"Wait... it really is him!"
"Oh my god, why is he here?!"
The Suroman Ascendants on-site were all stunned, utterly baffled as to why Guan Tong was here.
"Tap."
Guan Tong raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.
*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*
A series of continuous explosions came from outside, shattering the glass windows. At the same time, everyone saw the war vehicles outside reduced to a pile of wreckage.
"I've already taken care of the encirclement of war weapons. You can continue signing the consent forms, or you can leave on your own."
No matter how powerful these war weapons were, as long as they couldn't resist Mind Power infiltration, they were nothing but decorations against Guan Tong's Shadows, which could switch between physical and non-physical states and infiltrate anywhere.
With a single move, he had destroyed all dozen or so war vehicles, completing the third option for everyone present.
"They're all... blown up?"
"It really is Shadow! Only he is this strong!"
"We can't escape! Suroma's Security Investigation Bureau will keep hunting us down!"
"I can't leave. My family is still alive..."
People had different attitudes. Some even looked at Guan Tong with a hint of resentment.
They believed that what he had done might, to some extent, bring disaster upon them when the government settled scores later.
But Guan Tong didn't think too much about it at the moment. He had simply offered another choice. What these people did with it was their own business.
After finishing what he came to do, he turned to leave, but many people stopped him.
"Bruce is a mad king! We want to leave Suroma. Will Beixing, or some other place, accept us?"
"I don't know," Guan Tong said. "I suppose they would."
"Can you represent Beixing and let us join?"
"No."
Hearing this, the people's faces fell with disappointment.
Guan Tong knew they wanted his promises and protection, but he couldn't provide either.
After Ye Dang died, he had come to realize that he didn't have the ability to protect everyone. Even how long he himself could survive was unknown.
Under such circumstances, promising to provide protection for others would be like building a castle out of sand—it would collapse at the slightest breeze.
In the distance, sirens blared loudly. The government's new armed forces were rushing toward this location.
The people made their choices.
Most hurried away, while a few remained, holding the consent forms.
After leaving, Guan Tong formed an idea based on this incident.
Since there were so many of Bruce's opponents within Suroma, he would use his personal strength to weaken Bruce's sphere of influence from all sides, destroying the foundations that supported the establishment of the "Divine Kingdom of Modification."
Bruce could hide in his Hall of Halls and refuse to come out. He could keep the laboratory inside there. But the facilities and factory sites that provided energy and materials for the experiments were all outside.
The production factories that supplied metal modification components for the Ascendants' modification project, the energy facilities that provided massive amounts of power for the memory backup project... they would all be his targets.
By continuously striking and weakening Bruce's royal authority like this, if his control declined, perhaps the opposition forces within Suroma itself would be enough to bring him down.
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