Within the King's Court district, those plotting rebellion were gathering. Each of them carried makeshift weapons—metal rods wrapped in sharp iron sheets, rusted pitchforks, and even cobbled-together broken firearms.
In the increasingly scrutinized King's Court district, acquiring such things was no easy task.
Inside the dim, rundown shelters of the slums...
A masked spy from the Hoffman family started a tin-covered machine, stained with thick blood, grinding an unknown pile of meat.
Then, starch from corpses was added to the mixture, creating a large bucket of sticky meat paste.
In one corner, faintly visible were human bones.
The rebels crowded together, greedily eyeing the bucket of meat, barely holding back their saliva.
The spy distributed the meat paste to the crowd, stirring up their emotions.
It was as if, the moment they rushed out to loot and pillage, endless food would await them!
Soon, the rebels, their mouths stuffed with meat paste, had bloodshot eyes, their violent urges nearly uncontrollable.
The spy looked on with satisfaction.
Similar scenes unfolded in dark corners across the territory.
The people's rage had been brewing.
Once the time came, the King's Court district would burn in flames!
However, just as the spy basked in his triumph, the sound of a flying communicator's alarm came from outside.
The flying communicators, flashing red and emblazoned with a skull emblem, played a repeated message after the alarms blared:
"The great and merciful Governor, following the guidance of the God-Emperor, has found food in the land blessed by the Emperor!
Starting tomorrow, food supplies in the King's Court district will be fully restored!
He has kept his promise—none of the loyal citizens of the King's Court will go hungry."
After the broadcast ended, the Governor's cold voice was heard:
"I am Eden Grant.
To all loyal citizens, effective immediately, the King's Court district is under martial law.
Return to your homes and protect yourselves.
Anyone who dares to take to the streets in disloyalty will face the punishment they deserve!"
The recording ended with a phrase:
"Loyalty is a sacred virtue. May the God-Emperor protect you all..."
The flying communicators floated throughout the King's Court district, playing the recording over and over again.
Those loyal to the district wept, moved by the Governor's kindness.
They immediately rushed home, locking their doors and windows, eager to display their loyalty.
Inside the dark shelter, people exchanged glances.
The food supply was being restored in the King's Court district?
The spy was resolute:
"That's a lie! Don't be fooled by that deceitful Governor!
If there was food, why didn't he give it to you sooner?"
"But..." someone hesitated.
In the next moment, their throat was slit, blood splattering over the others.
"A cowardly fool like you doesn't deserve to be with us!"
The spy, holding a bloody knife, declared:
"We'll storm out, overthrow the decaying King's Court!
Drag the fat Governor from his throne and take everything from him!"
With that, he pulled aside the curtain and stepped outside, shooting at a nearby flying communicator.
The communicator exploded on impact, its flames illuminating the area.
As the explosion sounded, the rebels in the shelter screamed and rushed out.
But what awaited them were the arriving law enforcers.
From the balcony of the spire mansion, Eden gazed over the district's territory.
He could hear the sounds of gunfire echoing across various areas of the King's Court.
In the distance, flashes of fire lit up the sky—it was the law enforcers clashing with the rebels.
Loyalty is only granted once.
Eden had given the rebels a chance, but they did not cherish his mercy.
Now, what awaited them was the ruthless slaughter by the law enforcers.
There would be no chance for pardon!
In truth, Yusef's plan wasn't bad—he had successfully incited the rebellion.
Once a rebellion began, no matter how the King's Court responded, it would cause widespread fear and chaos.
But that was only if the district had no food.
Now that the King's Court had ample supplies, the rebels were nothing more than clowns, unable to stir up any significant trouble.
Yusef's rebellion had, in fact, helped Eden.
It allowed him to wipe out all the disloyal and dangerous elements.
With those troublemakers gone, the security of the King's Court district would rise to a new level, making it easier to manage.
As Eden pondered, he ordered someone to deliver a letter of gratitude and an award to Yusef.
A token of thanks for Yusef's contribution to the security of the district.
He hoped Yusef would be pleased when he received it.
...
In a room within the Drake residential area.
Plu and the workers, clutching mops, brooms, and sticks, exchanged uneasy glances.
Every boom of gunfire from outside made them flinch.
They had planned a revolt.
Plu, unable to kill, had mixed corpse starch into a paste for the workers he had manipulated.
But just as they had eaten the paste and were ready to riot, they heard the King's Court district's warning.
Plu had been about to lead the charge but hesitated.
And now, they were stuck in this awkward situation.
The sounds of gunfire and screams outside had drained all their courage. None dared to go out anymore.
"What do we do now, leader?" The others looked to Plu for guidance.
Plu, panicking inside, wondered how the law enforcers could have skipped right to shooting people instead of merely suppressing them.
He had just joined the Hoffman's spy team, earning two corpse starch bars a day.
No way he was going to risk his life!
Plu gritted his teeth:
"We'll stay put, and go nowhere!"
"But what if the law enforcers find out what we did? What then?"
The others were clearly terrified, but Plu was even more scared.
From their looks, he could tell they might offer him up as a scapegoat, hoping for the district's mercy.
Plu hurriedly warned them:
"No one says a word, or we're all exposed!
The...great Governor said it himself—those who stay indoors are loyal citizens!"
"Yes, yes!"
"That's right, we're loyal!"
The workers, grabbing onto this lifeline, quickly chimed in.
Plu and the workers decided to stay put until dawn, then scatter and return to work as usual.
That way, no one would ever know!
Finally, they made it to dawn.
Like the others, Plu left, dragging his hungry, tired body to the factory to work.
He had a legitimate worker's identity in the King's Court district.
Upon arriving, the workers were gathered together.
None knew why, but they nervously discussed the food situation.
Would the food supplies really be restored today?
Soon, they got their answer.
The overseer announced that food would be distributed—one corpse starch bar per person.
Plu scoffed—just one bar.
But when he received it, he realized it was almost twice the size of the corpse starch bars from the Hoffman family.
Though surprised, he still sneered.
So what if it was bigger? It was still sour, fishy, and foul—far worse than the Hoffman's corpse starch bars!
However, Plu heard the workers gasping and exclaiming in delight.
"By the God-Emperor, this is delicious!"
"Praise the Governor!"
Most people couldn't even speak—they were too busy eating.
Plu smiled slightly—these workers clearly hadn't tasted anything good.
Feeling a little hungry himself, he held his nose and bit into the corpse starch bar.
Immediately, a rich wheat fragrance filled his mouth.
Delicious, absolutely delicious!
Plu was stunned. Like the other workers, he had never eaten wheat and had no words to describe the taste.
All he knew was that this corpse starch bar was incredibly tasty!
As he ate, tears welled up in his eyes.
The Hoffman family's corpse starch? Utter garbage!
He made up his mind—he would stay and work in the King's Court district.
Although he had somewhat expected this, the commotion caused by the new corpse starch bars had still surprised Eden.
The bars, made with a blend of powdered wheat husks, had become a gourmet delicacy, even though the wheat content was less than one-twentieth of the bar.
People wept, falling to their knees in gratitude for the Governor's generosity.
Some knelt before the image of the God-Emperor, repenting for their previous disrespect.
How could they have doubted the Governor for any reason?
Once the bodies were cleared from the streets and food supplies fully restored, Eden went to find Moss.
It was crucial to the next series of plans.
In a secret chamber.
Eden, wearing a skull-shaped welding mask, held a welding torch, sparks flying from the tip...
(End of Chapter)
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