Chapter 35: To All Who Can Hear Me

The Principal of Yuncheng No. 1 High School nodded with great satisfaction as he observed your immense popularity. Even with the Red Heart Society developing as it had within his school, he felt no sense of crisis regarding the potential loss of his authority. How could one who considers himself an educator possess such a narrow mind? He wanted his school to produce a formidable battle group by graduation season, while you were desperate to expand the Red Heart Battle Group; you were a perfect match.

In this process, even if your methods were somewhat extreme, as long as the results were positive, all the details of the process could be overlooked. As you had mentioned before, the Red Heart Society was a cradle for nurturing idealists and a sanctuary for those yearning for a better world. Before true success, any sacrifice is worthwhile, including the disregard for one's own reputation.

Of course, there was another minor, insignificant reason: you would graduate sooner or later. Therefore, no matter how dazzling your performance was during your time at school—even if it overshadowed the image of every administrator—once you graduated, these events would simply become a brilliant, indelible chapter in the history of Yuncheng No. 1 High School. He also understood that your sights were set on giants like the Battle Group; thus, you would inevitably not stop at Yuncheng No. 1.

In June of the 129th year of the Extraordinary Era, you accepted your second-rank advancement quest for the Warrior class. However, the Red Heart Society had already collected all the necessary materials for your advancement, and the various squads under its command had even prepared the elite Abyssal monsters you needed to hunt. As you set out to hunt these monsters and collect soul energy, multiple second-rank squads accompanied you. When the time came, they cleared the path, whittled the elite Abyssal monsters down to a sliver of health, and left them for you to execute.

Looking at the second-rank combat plan jointly presented by Lin Xue and Xiahou Chuan, you felt for the first time the marvelous utility of wielding power. When you need something done, you only need to propose the idea, and everything else is naturally arranged for you.

Before your departure, you returned to your old profession, delivering a passionate speech at a campfire bar owned by the Red Heart Society. As a gathering place for members, this bar was, in every sense, far from a simple tavern. The five-story structure differed entirely from the boisterous style of a traditional bar. Built entirely by the Red Heart Society, the building featured their signature grandiose, alternating color scheme, while the dense array of bright red "Ultimate Victory" flags hanging around it added a sense of solemnity. Especially with the massive, thousand-square-meter podium inside and the carefully curated atmosphere, it is no exaggeration to say that even a steadfast fighter would find themselves involuntarily drawn toward the Red Heart Society under the influence of such an environment and architecture.

This was no bar. This was an alternative sanctuary for the ideological propaganda of the Red Heart Society. As the de facto founder of the Society, the creator of the Battle Group, and the object of devotion for all core members, your appearance caused a massive stir. Soon, news of your speech spread like wildfire throughout Yuncheng No. 1 and No. 2 High Schools. Even though the second school was some distance away, members of the Red Heart Society there, upon hearing the news, rushed over regardless of the journey. As the one who changed their destiny and forged their ideology, they wanted to behold you. Even if it were just a glimpse from afar, it was enough to bring peace to their hearts.

Your speech centered on a single premise: for all professionals who refused to be mediocre, who refused to accept the domination of fate, and who were rebels unwilling to be exploited by financial hyenas—from this day forward, the Red Heart Society and the Red Heart Battle Group would be their backing! From this moment on, no Red Heart Society member would ever need to bow and scrape for job opportunities from other conglomerates. The chambers of commerce under the Society would soon begin hiring from within.

Once this news broke, it ignited excitement among the underprivileged students of both schools. They lacked strength, talent, and fortitude, so they had no grand ambitions; they simply wanted a well-paying, easy job before graduation so they could prepare for marriage and homeownership. But in this world, all manner of loans were rampant: bridal loans, childbirth loans, housing loans, car loans, aircraft loans... These debts were a web that ensnared everyone’s fate. Even if one were lucky enough to find a decent job, once their salary reached a state of equilibrium with their debt, it meant they could never again afford to resign.

But now, you had brought them hope. Furthermore, the Society’s welfare program, which helped arrange jobs for the parents and relatives of Battle Group members, moved everyone deeply. If the screening process for the Battle Group hadn't been so strict, they all would have joined! But even so, the news you delivered was already tremendous good news for these ordinary professionals. Soon, you shifted your tone, leading the topic toward the various injustices and exploitation present in current society.

As your speech reached its climax, the surrounding atmosphere became intense and boiling. The entire bar was filled with a sense of determination to break through the clouds and reach the heavens. At this final moment, at the perfect peak of the roaring crowd, you slowly raised your right hand.

"Our future will surely lead to the light! And all the pain we have suffered in the past will transform into the beautiful tomorrow awaiting us! Let us cheer for the future! Let us applaud for the future! Ultimate! Victory!"

With the fall of this rallying cry, the atmosphere in the bar broke through its limits, entering a state of absolute, boiling resonance. Everyone’s faces were flushed, their eyes burned like torches, and they were filled with overwhelming excitement. Because in you, they saw a hope that had never existed in this world before. Even the rational individuals who felt that the atmosphere was slightly off were quickly assimilated and infected by the tsunami-like ideological fervor, transforming into participants in the cheering. Under the absolute oppression created by the web of financial extraordinary forces, this was the perfect cradle for the growth of the salute and new cooperative ideologies.

Taking advantage of this excellent moment, you closed your mouth and held your breath. At the same time, you transmitted a message to everyone present through your Loyalty talent:

"Now! Everyone who can hear me, eyes straight ahead! Sit down immediately! Stay silent!!!"

In an instant, nearly two-thirds of the people present stopped talking and sat down on the spot. Their actions were like those of a strictly trained performance troupe—uniform, orderly, and disciplined. Then, they stared intently in your direction, their eyes filled with fanaticism.