Chapter 936

Somehow, Mr. Li Ang actually pulled it off…

Alger, who had hung his ears on roadside loudspeakers and listened to the entire morning’s “mini-drama,” couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath inside his chest.

When he first heard Mr. Li Ang’s plan, he’d thought it was implausible—surely a few minutes of broadcast through loudspeakers couldn’t possibly shake Andre’s rule—but now it seemed…

Opening his eye stationed atop a building fifty meters away, he watched the stunned crowd below; then he opened another eye embedded at the edge of Zone 1, observing the scholars locked in fierce debate—Alger couldn’t help but silently whistle.

The effect is more than just good!

Though the broadcast alone couldn’t directly topple Andre, it had severely undermined his authority; the Kingdom of Krok was no longer the solid, unshakable entity it once was.

Every day this situation persists is a massive threat to Prince Andre’s rule; for a long time ahead, he’ll likely be too preoccupied with stabilizing things to spare any energy against me or Mr. Li Ang.

Since Mr. Li Ang has done so well, I must push even harder—every extra hour I can delay him is one more hour gained!

Watching the soldiers frantically repairing the signal station in the distance, Alger closed his eyes briefly—then, thin threads finer than spider silk, nearly invisible to the naked eye, drifted silently on the breeze toward the signal station.

“Duu! Duu!”

As the threads drew within twenty meters, the soldiers’ strange devices immediately flared red and blared violent alarms.

“That thing’s back again!”

“Quick! Find a way to block it!”

“How do we block it?!”

Amid the soldiers’ frantic expressions, the base of the signal station—half-rebuilt—suddenly emitted a shrill metallic crunch; a metal pole as thick as a thigh silently snapped and was yanked down by immense force, crashing straight into an empty spot.

Even the instruments in their hands and the repair tools they’d brought were violently snatched away, hurled from above, or torn apart on the spot—yet they had no idea why.

“No good! This batch of materials is destroyed too—the signal station can’t be repaired!”

“Then find another way!”

“What other way? Report it upward first—see what the higher-ups say!”

…

Sudden destruction by invisible force, with no trace left behind… This must be Alger the Threadman’s ability.

Upon learning that the signal station had been sabotaged by an unknown force, preventing all repairs, Andre furrowed his brow tightly, pondering Li Ang’s true intent.

The immediate goal is clearly to block access to Zone 1 and prevent me from using Atifi-00 to control the kingdom—but he must know this only buys me a few days of trouble.

Zone 1 uses signal stations because they’re the most effective and stable; even if repairs never succeed, with Krok’s entire technological foundation, it would merely take a little more time to switch to a less efficient but safer method.

And the opponent isn’t the type to waste effort; with the Scorpion Director captured and all other Cleaners dead, leaving only two of them, it’s unlikely he’d send Threadman Alger to risk staying nearby and continuously sabotaging the stations just to delay things a few days—he must have another plan.

So if I were him, what would I want to do right now? Rescue the two captured men? Attack Zone 1? Or… escape Krok Kingdom while chaos reigns?

“Stop thinking about it.”

Glancing at Andre’s increasingly knitted brows, Atifi-00 spoke:

“Focus instead on tonight’s event—he’s had someone impersonate your men to announce you’ll attend the celebration tonight and publicly explain today’s incident. What will you do? Send troops to surround the streets where the celebration’s held?”

“I’m still considering…”

Hearing Atifi-00’s question, Andre’s cheek twitched, then he muttered irritably:

“The broadcast building was blown up entirely—the underground sound pipes were severed into pieces; it’ll take two or three weeks to fix. Now, aside from a few minor local broadcasts, there’s no other channel left to speak to the entire kingdom instantly.”

So in everyone’s eyes, the officer who ordered the shooting is my man, and his words represent my will—and anyone still daring to attend the celebration is either my supporter or someone who doubts the broadcast’s content.

These are all people I can win over; if I don’t go, I lose the chance to explain to them, and without their support, the kingdom’s unrest won’t be quelled anytime soon.

But if I do go, to those who didn’t show up, it’s as if I’m admitting that officer is mine—and admitting that Filia’s words are true, leaving me with virtually no room to recover. So whether I follow his instructions or not, it’s bound to end badly.”

“Then how about this?”

Hearing this, Atifi-00 proposed:

“Your father’s body is still intact, isn’t it? When the celebration begins tonight, take him along and control him to explain on your behalf?”

“Could try it, but the effect probably won’t be good.”

Prince Andre frowned:

“According to the broadcast, my ‘ambition’ is to use the new tech from Zone 1 to control every citizen’s brain—so even if I bring my father’s body, I can’t fully dispel suspicion.”

“True… the morning broadcast was too effective—even many scholars in Zone 1 now suspect such research might actually exist… a bunch of fools!”

After muttering an insult, Atifi-00 rubbed his temples in exasperation:

“You’re already the prince—if you want the people to do something, why not just order them directly? Why go through the trouble of controlling their brains? How could anyone believe such nonsense?”

Prince Andre sighed again.

Precisely because the excuse was so absurd, it made things troublesome for me.

Though the vast majority of Krok’s citizens can read and possess some knowledge, nearly all of it is scientific; their understanding of politics and intrigue remains stuck in the seventeen or so staged dramas they’ve invented—completely clueless.

So for ninety percent of ordinary people in this country, seemingly reasonable explanations hold little credibility, but outlandish claims like this? They’re far more believable—and since they concern personal safety, even if they doubt it inwardly, they’ll still investigate a little.

But the deadly problem is: though “Filia” is fake, her words aren’t entirely false—after all, I did slaughter every single royal family member.

Once the opponent finds proof that the royal family has been wiped out, following the principle of “one truth implies all truth, one lie implies all lies,” most people will believe I truly intend to control every citizen’s brain—and then…

Damn it!

As he reached this realization, the fog lingering in his mind finally cleared; Prince Andre shot to his feet in shock:

“The Wang Gong! His target is the Wang Gong!”