LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 36: 36
Simple tasks. Infinite power.
When the military, education, and propaganda—three pillars of human society—were fully controlled by the Committees, the remaining functions of government could no longer maintain independence.
Twisted, bloated, and corrupt, the Committees loomed over every nation like a vile shadow.
Their families sought to pass this authority down through generations, desperately clinging to their inherited power.
With no oversight, no checks to their control, and their dynastic ambitions unchecked, decay was inevitable.
And with this rot came the inevitable victims: the powerless superhuman youths, branded as humanity's natural enemies.
They became the Committees' perfect toys, commodities, prey, and entertainment.
From the Superhuman Island Survival Games in the Japanese Archipelago to the Forest Cabin Trials in Amerlica, the Chainsaw Maniac Series, and the Haunted Manor Experiments in Anglia, every conceivable depravity and filth gathered under their rule, both imaginable and unimaginable.
"Enough!"
Zhongli swiftly removed the glowing [Feather of Warding Dust] from Hegang's body.
He had heard enough.
Even for someone who had lived for six millennia, weathered by the indifference of ages, the horrors revealed were unbearable. To hear more was unnecessary.
Especially for those under twenty.
The superhuman youths stood frozen in place, their faces pale with shock. Even Nana, the one most familiar with the Committee's atrocities, was ashen.
The cruelty of the world had far exceeded their ability to comprehend—or endure.
Some of them began to retch violently.
"Damn it! Goddamn it!"
Behind Zhongli, Accelerator erupted in a string of expletives.
He stomped the ground furiously, the violent manifestation of his abilities reaching its peak. Small, pitch-black feathers radiated from his back, floating outward like shards of darkness.
Above him, winds and thunder gathered ominously, the energy contained within forcing even Zhongli to glance over with interest.
"Calm yourself," Zhongli said, his voice steady. "They will face the punishment they deserve."
He paused before continuing, "But mindless rage serves no purpose. What you should be thinking about is what you can—and need—to do."
"Tch!" Accelerator snarled, his fury simmering. Zhongli's words had turned him from a powder keg ready to explode into one merely lit at the fuse.
After a moment of brooding silence, Accelerator sneered darkly.
"Then why don't I stop this planet's rotation for five seconds? With my current power, I can absolutely do it—and send this sh*thole world straight to oblivion."
"Don't waste your breath on absurdities," Zhongli replied with a calm tone. "You know as well as I do that it's not an option. Too many innocents would suffer."
He added, his golden eyes sharp, "The weapon of criticism is no match for the criticism of weapons."
"If you truly want justice, uncover the truth and wield your power to silence those who are not worthy of being called human."
"Fine." Accelerator snorted but didn't argue further. His quick mind had already turned over the possibilities and settled on a plan.
Turning toward the disheartened superhuman youths, he barked at them, "You—anyone got a phone? Or some kind of computer I can use?"
After a tense moment, a young girl hesitantly stepped forward, clutching a pink flip phone.
"Here… please use it," she said nervously, holding it out to him.
"Thanks," Accelerator muttered, taking the phone.
Extending his superhuman ability through the device, his unique powers infiltrated the world's network systems.
Within an hour, he had uncovered vast amounts of data, peeling back layer after layer of the Committees' darkest secrets.
The more he learned, the angrier he became.
When he finished compiling the information, he downloaded it onto the phone and handed it to Zhongli.
"Hmph! The nearest Committee base is in Kyoto. I've already mapped their location," he said, his voice dripping with malice.
Before Zhongli could respond, Puri Puri Prisoner, who had been silent until now, stepped forward and clapped a hand on Accelerator's shoulder.
"Boy, I'll go with you," he said, his voice jovial but resolute.
"Do whatever you want," Accelerator replied, shrugging off the gesture but not rejecting the offer.
"Go," Zhongli said, his tone even. "Start with the nearest one. Hearing those revelations… I will need time to process this world's history. It will take me roughly a month. In the meantime, cleanse as much of this filth as you can."
He added, "Nana and I will be here, so don't worry about any other disturbances."
"Got it."
A wicked grin spread across Accelerator's face, his expression feral. "I've been waiting to shove those bastards' heads so far up their own asses they can taste their own filth."
"Boy, that kind of language is an NG behavior," Puri Puri Prisoner chided playfully.
"Shut up!"
With that, Accelerator stomped the ground, creating a gust of wind that launched him skyward. He stretched out a hand, pulling Puri Puri Prisoner into the air with him from a hundred meters away.
BOOM!
The deafening sound of a sonic blast echoed through the park, rattling everyone's eardrums.
Within seconds, the two had vanished from sight, leaving only a faint trail in the sky.
Clapping his hands twice, Zhongli brought the remaining group's attention back to the ground.
"Now then," he said, his voice steady. "We'll be here for the next month. Take some time to rest. I've prepared something for you."
Breaking off one of his fingers, Zhongli tossed it onto a nearby patch of empty ground.
A colossal stone wall, nearly 100 meters high, rose instantly from the earth.
What happened next left everyone stunned.
The wall began to sprout strange, fruit-like objects, each one resembling a perfectly square box. Within moments, the "fruit" ripened and dropped to the ground.
"Each of you, take one," Zhongli instructed.
Though puzzled, the superhuman youths obeyed, retrieving one box each.
"Open them."
They complied. As the lids lifted, a rich aroma filled the air, its mouthwatering fragrance spreading quickly.
Inside each box was a set of exquisitely prepared meals.
Everyone exchanged bewildered looks, their confusion evident.
"These are something I've just created," Zhongli explained. "I call it the [Stone Fruit Tree] for now. Each day, it will provide three meals. The types of dishes may repeat occasionally, so bear with it."
He concluded with a calm smile, "If you're staying here for a month, you'll need sustenance."
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T/N: jesus how dark is this world
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