PTM 89

Chapter 89: Democratic Republic

As though trying to make up for those five years, we nestled together and talked nonstop.

Zong Yanlei revealed he’d run more than one simulation, though previous ones relied solely on virtual data stored by Balaka.

No matter how many times the simulation was repeated, as long as the people of Wo rebelled, Penglai was destined to be drawn into the flames of war.

“It’s no use talking, you wouldn’t listen to me. So I decided to let you experience it for yourself,” Zong Yanlei said. “To ensure the maximum accuracy of the simulation, I’ve brought in most of the people attending the celebration, including myself.”

Most… Meaning, as I thought, there were still some people who were not pulled into the simulation and did not experience those fake five years.

The answer was actually quite obvious.

“Let me guess, Madam and General Zhong did not go in?”

“Yes. They came out as soon as the celebration ended.”

Outside the tent, the sky changed silently, and the soft chirping of birds rose and fell, like a small orchestra tuning its instruments.

A ray of morning light shone through the gap in the curtain, casting a faint golden glow on the edge of the rug.

“What are you going to do with me?” I asked as I glanced towards the door.

Zong Yanlei paused for a moment, then feigned ignorance: “What do you mean ‘do with me’? You’re not a criminal. Don’t worry, with me here, no one will hurt you. But…” He changed the subject and gently stroked my back while chuckling with a hint of warning, “You’d better not even think about running away. You won’t get away.”

Ouch.

The wound on the back of my neck started hurting again. I felt like there was a pair of invisible sharp teeth aimed at my neck, ready to bite down without hesitation the moment they sensed any movement. They would crush my spine, sever my nerves, render me immobile, and then carry me to their den to relish me slowly.

The morning light brightened and the birdsong outside the tent became louder and louder.

Zong Yanlei was still worried, so he had someone invite Dr. Li to take a look at the injury on the back of my neck.

“This is too reckless!” Dr. Li criticized me sternly after examining my wound. “Do you want to die? I have poison here. You don’t need to go through all this trouble.”

He cursed and swore as he used the treatment device to close my wound, then wrapped a bandage around my neck.

“Don’t get it wet for two days.” He placed a few pills on the table and then took out a small tube of topical gel from his bag. “Apply this twice a day, morning and night, don’t forget.”

“Thank you,” I said sincerely.

Dr. Li packed up the equipment without looking up, perfectly demonstrating his eccentric personality.

“Not just this time.” I looked at his profile and said earnestly, “Thank you for those years in the metaverse as well.”

His hand paused for a moment, he turned his head and glanced at me with a strange look.

“That wasn’t me.”

I was stunned for a moment, then I realized that he probably hadn’t entered the simulation sandbox.

“In any case, although it was a data projection generated by Balaka, the goodwill I received ultimately came from you. So you deserve this thank you.”

Dr. Li looked at me for a while, his serious expression softened slightly. He didn’t say anything more, picked up his medical kit, and left the tent. However, just as he reached the exit, he stopped and, without turning his head, said: “Take your medicine on time.”

After seeing Dr. Li off, Zong Yanlei raised his hand to check the time and asked if I wanted to go for a walk.

I had no idea what the situation was outside, so naturally I wanted to.

“Let’s go then.” He didn’t take any precaution, but lifted the tent flap and let me go first.

The morning air was crisp and fresh. Zong Yanlei led me through the open space between visit our site several tents to a military tent that was two or three times larger than the others.

I lifted the curtain and went inside; the temperature inside was much higher than outside.

Hundreds of electronic displays were arranged, each screen was evenly divided into a nine-square grid, and each square contained a peaceful, sleeping face.

Film directors, billionaires, nobles from Penglai… some young, some old, men and women.

In just a few seconds, I realized that these sleeping people must still be lying in the neuro-navigation pods, unaware that the world had changed.

A slender and graceful figure stood in front of the screen, and turned around when she heard the noise.

I barely recognized her.

Chu Luo had cut her long silver hair short, the ends framing her jawline. Instead of the usual royal robes, she wore a tailored dark gray trouser suit and flat ankle boots. All superfluous adornments were removed, leaving only a lean and wiry frame.

“You’re finally awake, Jiang Man.” Read on She walked towards us with a faint smile on her lips.

“Thank you for your concern,” I nodded.

I knew she was in cahoots with Zong Yanlei, or rather, Zong Yanlei was indeed one of her allies.

“Everyone’s here now.” Chu Luo said, she turned her gaze towards Zong Yanlei beside me. “Now, we can sit down and have a proper talk.”

Zong Yanlei didn’t rush to answer her. Instead, he lowered his eyes and asked me, “How are you feeling right now? Can you keep going? If not, you can rest a bit more.” As he spoke, his fingers gently brushed the ends of my hair.

“No need, let’s do it now,” I said.

There was no point in dragging it out. No matter how long I prepared, I couldn’t escape what I had to face.

‎

The meeting was held in a dining room within the palace. Magnificent murals were spread across the high ceiling; the walls were covered with gilded wallpaper; even the dining table was radiant, its surface sparkling with fine gold dust.

When we arrived, everyone else was already in place.

On the left side of the dining table, the two empty seats were for Chu Luo Zong Yanlei, and further behind them, in order, were Zhong Xiaoshan and Shen Jing.

Zhong Xiaoshan was dressed in a military uniform with a medal pinned to his chest. He stood up straight and looked just as he had when we first met, old but still vigorous and full of energy.

Shen Jing wore round-framed glasses and a faded hoodie. He stood out awkwardly among the group of people in formal attire and military uniforms. His fingers flew across the holographic keyboard before him, completely oblivious to the atmosphere around him.

On the right side of the dining table, just like on the opposite side, the first and second seats were empty, while Yu Xuan sat in the third seat.

He seemed to have woken up earlier than me, but he wasn’t treated nearly as well.

His neck was tightly bound by a cold, black metal collar, and every now and then, a red dot on the collar would flash, like a silent warning. His hands were bound in front of him with magnetic shackles, and his ankles were also bound with the same shackles.

When he saw me come in, he raised his eyelids [unauthorized copy]slightly with a smile that was hard to decipher, mockery or bitterness, but he didn’t say anything.

At the other end of the table, Wuxi Li sat in the center of the short side, a stack of documents in front of her. She wore a light blue business suit, her hair was meticulously tied up, and her makeup was light and delicate.

She belonged neither to the left nor the right, but sat between the two sides as the moderator.

“Your brother is here. See for yourself. I’m not lying to you.” As soon as I sat down, Shen Jing flipped the camera on the electronic screen across from me, projecting a 3D image onto the seat next to me.

“Ge!” Ye Shuer, whose body emanated a faint blue aura, saw me and his eyes quickly reddened. “Thank goodness! You’re both alive!”

For a whole day and night, Yu Xuan and I were out of touch. Knowing his personality, he probably cried countless times.

“Has Shen Jing explained the current situation to you?”

“Yes.” He nodded vigorously.

Chu Luo and Zong Yanlei then sat down opposite [stolen content]me. Zong Yanlei faced me, while Chu Luo faced Ye Shuer.

“Knock—knock!”

Seeing that everyone was seated, Wuxi Li tapped the table to draw everyone’s attention.

“Time is of the essence, so let’s get straight to the point.” Her voice was calm. “Everyone here should already have a basic understanding of the current situation. The Zhongyang District is currently under the control of General Zhong, and communication signals have been cut off. Shen Jing has sent text messages to all the families, informing them that the celebration day has been extended and everything is normal. The outside world is currently unaware of what is happening here.”

She paused for a moment, and looked at everyone present.

“This window of opportunity won’t be long. By midnight at the latest, the situation will be out of control. Therefore, we must reach a solution acceptable to all parties before then.”

There was a two-second silence.

“Come sit here,” I suddenly said.

Everyone looked at me, even Yu Xuan glanced at me.

I ignored them, and just looked at Zong Yanlei as I patted the seat next to me before repeating again, “Come sit here.”

Wuxi Li closed her eyes; Chu Luo pretended to look away; Zhong Xiaoshan looked at me, then at Zong Yanlei, and was about to say something but Shen Jing grabbed him.

Zong Yanlei was initially taken aback, but his expression quickly turned to delight. A palpable delight.

“Then I’ll sit over there.” He stood up, and without hesitation, walked around and sat down next to me.

Ye Shuer glared at Zong Yanlei, who was piled on top of him, and pointed at him with a finger: “Hey! You…” He only managed to say two words before Shen Jing moved him to Yu Xuan’s side. “No, why did you move me? That’s my seat!”

“Silence!” Wuxi Li, like a strict headmaster, slammed her hand on the table again.

“General Zhong, you go first.” She called out his name directly.

“Ahem… well, let me first state the military’s position.” Zhong Xiaoshan cleared his throat and began, “My troops can maintain order in the Zhongyang District and expand their control ​visit our site​if necessary. But I won’t be there for you forever. A soldier’s duty is to protect the country, not to be anyone’s henchman.”

I reached out and grabbed Zong Yanlei’s left hand. His fingers curled slightly, but his face remained expressionless, and he didn’t even glance in my direction.

“Your Highness, if you wish to sit on that throne, please do so quickly. A name without proper justification will not be persuasive.” Zhong Xiaoshan looked at Chu Luo.

“There is no more throne.” Chu Luo shook her head and said, “The Chu Dynasty ends here. I will not succeed to the throne, nor will I allow anyone else to. The path that Penglai must take is a democratic republic.”

Upon hearing this, the air at the dining table froze for a moment, it surprised even me.

Chu Luo actually wanted to overthrow her own dynasty?

With Zhong Xiaoshan controlling the army, Wuxi Li controlling the media, Zong Yanlei manipulating the metaverse, and Chu Luo’s popularity among the people… It would be a waste of this combination if she didn’t ascend the throne as queen.

Zhong Xiaoshan frowned. He had heard this idea before and was equally unable to accept it.

“Democratic republic?” He repeated the words as if chewing on something unfamiliar. “The idea is good, but what do you have to guarantee stability during the transition period? The nobles [stolen content]won’t obediently hand over power, and the common people won’t unconditionally trust the new government.”

“I can answer that,” Wuxi Li said and opened the document in front of her. “Chu Luo and I have drafted a preliminary plan. In the first phase, we will establish a joint provisional government, composed of people from Penglai and Wo people, for a period of five years. After five years, there will be a general election.”

“Who will lead the provisional government?” I asked bluntly.

“It will be nominated through negotiation between both parties,” Wuxi Li replied.

Yu Xuan, who hadn’t said a word since entering the room, suddenly let out a cold laugh.

“Negotiation? Just like you ‘negotiated’ throwing me into the metaverse and putting these shackles on me?” He raised his hand, and the magnetic shackles emitted a slight electrical crackling as he moved.

“Yu Xuan,” Zong Yanlei turned his head slightly, his gaze as cold as ice as he looked at Yu Xuan, and said in a cool voice, “Your movements are restricted because you showed extreme radical ideas before entering the metaverse, causing many innocent people to be injured because of you. I’m sparing your life only because you still have some value. Don’t push your luck.”

Yu Xuan’s jaw tightened, and he turned his gaze to Chu Luo. He asked a question that surprised me.

“Where is Chu Shengcheng? What have you done to him?”

He actually cared about Chu Shengcheng’s safety… It seemed I wasn’t the only one changed by the simulation sandbox.

However, unsure if something had happened to Chu Shengcheng, Chu Luo fell silent, her expression somewhat complicated.

“Bang!” Yu Xuan slammed the magnetic shackles onto the table.

“You killed him?” he gritted his teeth, his face turning deathly pale.

“Of course not.” Wuxi Li denied it. “We all know that although dying in the metaverse will not cause any physical damage in reality, there is a certain chance of triggering serious side effects, such as neuralgia, shock, paralysis, coma, etc. After Chu Shengcheng died in the metaverse, he fell into a coma and has not yet woken up. The doctor said that he may never wake up.”

Yu Xuan froze on the spot, his spirits immediately deflated: “…Never wake up?”

Seeing how distraught he looked, I knew he still had a long way to go before he could process this, so I ignored him and changed the subject.

“I only care about one thing,” I emphasized each word: “the sovereignty [unauthorized copy]of the Kingdom of Wo.”

“Wo Province will gain a high degree of autonomy,” Chu Luo said. “It will retain its independent local government with legislative and financial autonomy. However, defense and foreign affairs will be under the unified jurisdiction of the coalition government.”

“Autonomy? What’s the difference between that and now? What we want is independence, not charity,” Ye Shuer interjected.

“And after independence? Are you going to become the king of the Kingdom of Wo?” Zong Yanlei pointed out the problem without any mercy. “We just abolished a dynasty, and you plan to build another one next door? What’s more, millions of Wo people are still living in the cities of Penglai. How are you going to deal with them? Force them to move back?”

“I…” Ye Shuer was speechless.

I entwined my fingers around Zong Yanlei’s and tugged at them very gently. He paused, looked away, leaned back in his chair, and stopped being so aggressive.

The room was silent for a few seconds.

Wuxi Li made a few notes on the document, then looked up and asked, “So, regarding the specific demands of the Wo people, Jiang Man, do you have anything to say?”

Under her gaze, I couldn’t help but sit up straight.

“First, abolish all discriminatory laws and policies against the people of Wo, including but not limited to employment restrictions, residential segregation, and educational inequality. Second, all revenue from the mining of Wo Province’s mineral resources shall belong to the Wo Province state government and be used for local infrastructure development. Third, establish an independent Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate the systematic persecution of the people of Wo over the past decades, release historical records, and provide formal compensation to the victims and their families. Fourth…”

I turned my gaze towards Zhong Xiaoshan.

“The Penglai army must be open to the Wo people. It’s not about letting a few people in as a symbolic gesture, but about giving the Wo people completely equal opportunities from recruitment to promotion.”

Zhong Xiaoshan’s expression remained the same, but his gaze deepened.

“I will oversee matters concerning the military. But one thing is certain: once someone join the military, they are a soldier, regardless of whether they are from Penglai or not. If anyone comes in with ethnic sentiments to cause division, I will be the first to object.”

I smiled at him and said, “Of course.”

Zong Yanlei’s fingers slipped between mine. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, they slid over the back of my hand and reached for my tightly clasped cuff.

“Since my brother has agreed, I have nothing to say.” Ye Shuer’s holographic image flickered. “But if a new regime is established, what about the old emperor and the pope? What will happen to them? They have done so many heinous things, and I will be the first to object if they are not punished.”

All eyes at the table were on Chu Luo.

“They will naturally receive the punishment they deserve.” Chu Luo said in a deep voice, her face expressionless. “I guarantee you will be satisfied.”

“It’s not just these two people,” Wuxi Li added. “Wu Xikunpeng, who arranged the body transplant surgery for them, will also be punished accordingly. In addition, the victims of the body transplant surgery will be compensated with some of the royal family’s confiscated property.”

Before Ye Shuer could say anything more, Zhong Xiaoshan suddenly said, “Wuxi Kunpeng must be handed over to me.” His voice seemed to be squeezed out from a crack in a rock, cold and hard, “This was agreed upon from the beginning.”

Wuxi Li shrugged and said, “Take him. He’s yours now.”

I glanced briefly at Yu Xuan, who was still in a daze.

Framing Wu Xichen for the death of Zhong Xiaoshan’s son; in hindsight, was indeed a brilliant move. At the very least, it successfully sowed discord between the civil and military ministers under the king.

My pulse was lightly scratched twice, and my gaze turned to Zong Yanlei beside me.

He lifted his eyelids slightly, his gaze cold, seemingly displeased with my peeking at Yu Xuan.

I smiled, took his hand, and kissed it.

“Ahem!!” Zhong Xiaoshan suddenly coughed loudly twice, “Well, I can guarantee social order stability during the transition period, but I have one principle, military control cannot be normalized. The new government must establish its own law enforcement and judicial system as soon as possible to take over the responsibility of maintaining public order. As I said before, the duty of soldiers is to guard the country’s borders, not to act as enforcers or patrol the streets catching thieves.”

“Alright, it won’t be more than six months at most,” Chu Luo nodded.

Once the framework was set, the next step involved some tedious but essential details that must be clarified.

The meeting lasted all day, and Yu Xuan listened to everyone’s remarks with a calm expression from beginning to end.

As the sun set and its afterglow streamed into the restaurant, the meeting drew to a close. Staring at his shackled hands, he suddenly said in a hoarse voice, “I have one condition.”

“You have no right to make demands.” Zong Yanlei vetoed the request without hesitation.

“Jin Ke switched the bomb in the concert hall!” Yu Xuan said quickly, then took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “I originally only wanted to kill Wu Qianxue, the pianist. He used charity and teaching piano as a pretext to sexually assault many Wo children.”

The room fell silent instantly, so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and everyone’s expression turned extremely unpleasant.

Children were the bottom line. If Yu Xuan wasn’t lying, this person deserved to die.

“When I found out, I wanted to kill him just like you all do. But Jin Ke replaced the small directional bomb with a more powerful one without my permission, saying he was going to make a big splash.” Yu Xuan closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, a ruthless glint flashed in his red eyes. “I’ll hand him over to you. In exchange, I want Chu Shengcheng.”

At this table, both publicly and privately, only Chu Luo could make this decision.

“I cannot grant that.” She held the upper hand and wouldn’t budge an inch. “In exchange, I can allow you to meet regularly. He must stay in Penglai forever, and you cannot leave Wo Province without permission. Furthermore, you will have to wear the restraint around your neck for the rest of your life.” She raised her finger and pointed to the collar around Yu Xuan’s neck. “If you make any unusual movement, it will blow your head off.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Xuan’s expression changed several times.

He reached out and touched the metal collar around ​Read on​his neck, his facial features contorting slightly: “Deal.”