BANG! A political gunshot rang out.
The prime minister who had just resigned and stepped aside was shot dead by an assassin named "Tetsuya."
Perhaps having seen too many adult videos, the female bodyguard on duty immediately rushed forward and pressed frantically on the former prime minister's gaping chest, effectively nailing the last board on his coffin.
After being arrested and interrogated by the police, the great god Tetsuya said he was worried that if Academy City developed further, it might not be so easy to kill these people, and they might even find new ways to escape punishment.
He was deeply concerned about this, so he acted before Academy City did, ensuring the former prime minister would go peacefully on his way.
The people of the Far East all speculated whether Hikigaya Hachiman had secretly arranged the assassination.
What simple and terrifying political strife!
"Dammit! What do you mean I did it? I haven't even had time to do anything!"
Hikigaya Hachiman was pissed. His mood instantly soured. The damn son of a bitch was just about to purge the Far East's political scene, but the people of the Far East themselves couldn't hold back and started taking matters into their own hands, even thinking the current leadership was too conservative.
The common people of the Far East couldn't stand the thought that these former officials might escape the punishment of the old era, so they took action.
This was also thanks to Cocolia's repeated promotion of Academy City's laws, which gave the common people a glimmer of hope.
The common people, with clear consciences and no fear of judgment, immediately began to secretly target the officials. They even believed that even if they made their actions public, no one would think they were wrong and come after them.
They even believed that more people around them would protect and support them. As long as they didn't go too far out of their circle, they might even become local heroes.
After a quick calculation, the masses immediately decided to go on a killing spree. There were even corresponding organizations popping up, already preparing for the Stigma battlesuit assessments.
The officials of the Far East were terrified. They hurriedly contacted their people inside Academy City, wanting to get more Stigma battlesuits so they could train properly at home and not have their chests opened up the moment they stepped outside.
Of course, the officials of the Far East didn't dare to suppress them now, because Academy City wanted to take over a complete and peaceful Far East. If they made the first move, Academy City would only retaliate more fiercely.
And so, they entered a vicious cycle.
The common people thought that Academy City's punishments were insignificant to them anyway. They had been struggling in a half-dead state like this before. It was just a matter of continuing to be half-dead for a while longer.
To Academy City, depriving an individual of their social rights was a terrifying punishment.
To the common people of the Far East, you're going to punish us by taking away something we never had? Is there such a good thing?
Everyone was overjoyed.
Horikita Manabu had never expected a situation where the common people would unite to strangle the officials.
The "Brothers' Association" gathered once again to discuss what they should do.
"Should we act before the people do?"
The question Ayanokoji Kiyotaka asked was truly amusing, but it was the biggest social conflict they were currently facing.
"It's all my fault..." Horikita Manabu sighed. "We shouldn't have made such a big move. Now everyone in the Far East knows that our Academy City is going to establish a new national order here."
Hikigaya Hachiman felt that this problem shouldn't be pinned on him. Who could have thought that the common people of the Far East had been exploited to this extent?
The moment Academy City opened the floodgates, they immediately started a nationwide battle royale.
The common people were also incredibly resourceful, even making shotguns out of taser devices.
"I'm saying, if this goes on, people on the outside will think that Academy City only brings panic and chaos. The best thing to do at this time is to maintain the overall old order first. Dammit! Can't I just kill those people?!"
Hikigaya Hachiman was furious. The memory of being conscripted in the past filled his heart with frustration.
"And if the chaos continues, nothing good will come of it. Soon, some not-so-good people will start hunting down ordinary people. Academy City's system of rights and responsibilities won't be able to threaten this group of people either. The trouble caused by internal harm is far greater than what those officials did."
"I understand..."
Horikita Manabu had underestimated the complexity of political contradictions. He had never thought that just by leaking a little information, Academy City could cause such great social chaos.
Horikita Manabu immediately made arrangements. "Let's deal with this as soon as possible. We can't let Dr. Tesla just come down and interfere with the work here. At that time, it won't just be a matter of a few officials dying."
Dr. Tesla didn't have much interest in dealing with matters outside the Far East at the moment.
The current Far East was like the early days of Academy City. It had the beginnings of genetic modification, but not much, and there was no specialized Stigma organization to handle the work. To completely control the political situation in the Far East, they would have to walk the path Academy City had walked all over again.
And the ones who could feel the greatest difference between the inside and outside of Academy City were not the people inside, nor the people outside.
It was the people who had just recently entered Academy City.
They looked up to the power of the Stigma organization members, but they couldn't accept going back to the stagnant, swamp-like world of the Far East.
Kasumigaoka Utaha was like this, Toyokawa Sakiko was like this, and Yuigahama Yui was even more so.
The three of them were latecomers who were holed up in Academy City, trying to find their new place.
Sakiko's current job was to study continuously, and to actively engage with Stigma-related education, in order to cultivate the power that a new human should have.
To become a true talent who could produce new genes. Only then could she bring in more points issued by Academy City.
"You're saying you want a pair of more sensitive and easy-to-use hands for typing? But that's not necessary. I think you can go and rent Anti-Entropy's quantum... um... sorry, which model do you need? It was rude of me to speak out of turn."
Toyokawa Sakiko realized she had made a mistake. She looked at the beautiful girl who had come to pick out new organs.
Things like "beautiful girl" didn't really matter anymore. With Academy City's genetic modification, there were basically no ugly people, unless they modified their appearance for the sake of a unique new aesthetic.
Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed and explained, "Academy City has too little demand for this kind of virtual, spiritual need. You might not understand. I just want a pair of hands to make myself feel a little better."
"Whether it's Academy City's Androids, the various Stigma battlesuits, or genetic modification, they've made all the spiritual needs of the modern... no, or rather, the old era, including reading, anime, television, all kinds of needs, become less important."
"Because you can simulate and create them in reality, and experience the feeling firsthand. There's no need to read so-called novels."
She said with a dazed expression, "The thing I was proud of has been completely eliminated by the new era."