Mark's roar echoed across the square.
But his desperate cry did not awaken the villagers' rebellious hearts. Instead, it only earned him a harsher punishment.
The long white staff pressed him down with inhuman force. Mark's body trembled, but he could summon no strength to fight back. His arms flailed weakly, his knees buckled, and in the end he curled into a pitiful ball on the ground. His face twitched with pain, crimson streaks across his skin, but his body refused to move.
The sight of Mark being crushed and broken left the villagers even more terrified. No one dared speak, no one dared intervene.
Among them, Lucas stood silently, his sharp eyes scanning every face. Fear and despair dominated the expressions of the crowd, but here and there, he caught sight of something different—anger, defiance barely suppressed.
And then the system chimed in his mind:
[Risk assessment generating based on host's current strength…]
[Player Jason: Advanced Danger]
[Player Ethan Walker: Approaching Advanced Danger]
Lucas's gaze shifted toward those faces, and sure enough, he spotted clenched jaws and burning eyes. Jason, Ethan Walker, and two other players were seething with rage as they stared at Mark lying helplessly on the stage.
"Can't you bear it anymore?" Lucas muttered to himself, his lips barely moving. He understood that the time for silence was nearing its end.
Yet the man with the hooked nose, standing at the microphone, remained calm. He did not seem disappointed that no one had yet rebelled. His voice was steady, chilling, as he began another countdown.
"It is now six twenty-eight… In ten minutes, if no intruder is revealed, then one intruder and two villagers will be executed."
The words dropped like stones into the hearts of everyone present. Murmurs spread like wildfire. People whispered frantically, accusing one another, asking who might be hiding the intruder.
Lucas glanced at the four players again. Their faces were pale, grim, but their mouths remained shut. They said nothing, betraying nothing.
"Only players would risk protecting an intruder…" Lucas thought, his brow furrowing. "Such a reckless, radical choice."
Tick… tick… tick.
The faint sound of the pocket watch in the hooked-nose man's hand became louder in everyone's mind. Each second dragged on like a blade scraping against bone.
When the ten minutes ended, the man snapped the watch shut. His expression didn't waver.
"The time has come. Since no one has confessed, the executions will proceed."
At his gesture, another intruder was dragged forward. A thin staff pierced through the prisoner's chest, nailing him upright like a grotesque statue. Blood ran down the stick, dripping onto the stone, blooming into a red flower at his feet.
[Risk assessment: Villagers of Birta Town – No Danger]
But it wasn't over.
Two guards drew out more of the pale staffs. Their steps echoed ominously. One of them yanked Mark up by his hair and forced him to his knees. His swollen face was barely recognizable, blood streaming down to stain his shirt. His body sagged lifelessly in the guard's grip.
[Risk assessment generating…]
[Player Mark: Intermediate Danger]
[Player Mark: Danger level declining rapidly]
Lucas clenched his fists. Mark's eyes fluttered open weakly, but even the act of raising his eyelids seemed impossible. His body was nothing but a puppet in the hands of the guards.
"His life force is ebbing away…" Lucas whispered under his breath. The numbers flashing before his eyes confirmed it.
And still, he reminded himself— "Impulse is the deadliest danger of all."
The guards prepared to end Mark's life. But before the blow could fall, a shout ripped through the square.
"WAIT!!!"
The voice shook the air, halting the executioner's hands.
Every head turned.
It was Ethan Walker.
[Risk assessment: Player Ethan Walker – Approaching Advanced Danger]
The hooked-nose man did not rage at the interruption. Instead, he smiled faintly, as though this was exactly what he had been waiting for.
"Finally," he said smoothly. "A villager with courage. Speak, then. What do you know of the intruder?"
But Ethan didn't look at him. His eyes burned with contempt as he turned to the crowd.
"Look at what's happening!" he shouted, his voice raw. "Innocent people are being slaughtered before your eyes, and you cower in silence. Doesn't that spark even a shred of anger in your hearts?"
The villagers stared at him blankly. The hooked-nose man's expression hardened.
Ethan raised his arm, pointing directly at the stage.
"The knife in the enforcer's hand will sooner or later fall upon the rest of you!"
His words echoed like thunder. Murmurs rippled again through the villagers. Some looked shaken, others fearful.
"I know you fear the enforcers, and you fear the system," Ethan continued, his chest heaving. "But you haven't noticed, have you? The surveillance cameras across the town have all gone dark. The all-seeing eye that ruled over you is gone!"
Gasps spread through the villagers. They turned, whispering, glancing at the black, lifeless cameras that indeed no longer glowed.
"They can't control us with their numbers alone!" Ethan roared. "Order has collapsed! This is our chance! Stand with me, and take back your freedom, your right to choose life or death!"
The villagers' whispers grew into louder chatter. For the first time, chaos cracked through the neat, terrified silence of the square.
Lucas felt the air change, thick with unrest. Instinctively, he stepped back, removing himself from the eye of the storm.
"What a mess," he muttered.
And then the familiar chime of the system rang in his ears.
[System prompt: Player Lucas has triggered a hidden side mission in the worldview of "The Town of Verne" – Rebuilding Order]
[World exploration progress: 66%]
[Complete this hidden mission to gain 34% progress]
[…Rebuilding or maintaining… the choice lies in your hands.]
At the same moment, another notification echoed, but this one belonged to Ethan.
[System prompt: Player Ethan Walker has triggered a hidden side mission – Rebuilding Order]
[World exploration progress: 35%]
[Complete this hidden mission to gain 65% progress]
Lucas's jaw tightened. Ethan's mission reward was nearly double his own. The system was favoring him.
"So that's how it is… Ethan's gamble is being rewarded."
Around them, the live audience could see the same notifications.
"Wow, the system's biased toward Ethan!" one viewer remarked. "He gets 65% from one hidden quest, while Lucas only gets 34%?"
"Guess that's what happens when you have low luck value," another snickered. "No favoritism for Lucas."
"But still, Ethan's sharp. He saw the surveillance blackout before anyone else. He deserves the edge."
"He's always been one of the most promising players. And look at his speech—he's already turning the tide."
"And what about Lucas? He's hanging back. Doesn't look like much of a hero."
Indeed, Lucas had withdrawn further. He didn't want to be dragged into the frenzy Ethan was stoking.
"When passion outweighs reason, it always becomes dangerous," Lucas thought grimly.
On stage, Ethan paused to catch his breath. He gazed at the villagers, expecting to see fire in their eyes.
But what he saw instead was chilling.
The villagers stared at him expressionlessly. Their faces remained confused, blank, as though his words had struck nothing.
Ethan's pulse quickened. His voice cracked as he shouted again, "Don't you understand? The surveillance is gone! There are only a handful of guards! You don't need to be afraid anymore!"
The silence stretched. Then, at last, a voice spoke hesitantly from the crowd.
"What does that matter to us?"
Ethan froze. His chest went cold. His words had failed to reach them.
And then came a sound that silenced the square entirely.
Clack… clack… clack…
The sharp rhythm of high heels striking stone echoed from afar, growing closer with every step.
All eyes turned toward the sound.
Lucas's breath caught.
For the first time since entering Verne, he saw color. Amid the monotone black, white, and gray of the town, a brilliant red emerged. A woman in crimson walked toward the stage, her presence radiant, slicing through the dreariness like a flame.
"Red… the fourth color of Verne," Lucas whispered.
[Modeling…]
[Risk assessment generating…]
[Entity: Lighthouse Executive – Extreme Danger]
And with her arrival, the balance of Verne shifted again.
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