Chapter 248 — Sacrifice II

Gia remained silent for several long seconds before responding.

"Do you really think a single incident and one speech will unite them? That generations of hatred and systemic oppression will disappear because they shared one day of suffering?"

The Chairman actually laughed – a short, humorless sound that carried no joy.

"Of course not. I’m not a fool, and neither are the Nobles who benefit from current power structures. They won’t suddenly embrace equality because of one terror attack."

He resumed walking, his hands still casually in his pockets.

"But it plants a seed. Creates an opening for change that didn’t exist before. Let me explain the psychological foundation..."

His voice took on a more thoughtful quality, someone who’d spent decades studying human nature and social dynamics.

"Throw a person into a crowd of intellectuals, and eventually they’ll start thinking like those intellectuals. Absorb their reasoning patterns, adopt their worldviews and integrate their values through prolonged exposure."

He paused at the alley’s end, looking out at the destroyed stadium visible in the distance.

"But throw that same person into an emotional mob – despite all their logic and careful reasoning – they’ll be swept up by the collective passion. Their individual thoughts overtaken by group emotion. Rationality drowned in the tide of shared feeling."

His smile became slightly predatory.

"What I’m doing is creating an atmosphere across the entire Federation where hatred for Monsters and fear of portals drives people forward. Gives them motivation to grow stronger that transcends social constructs and class divisions."

He paused, then added with unusual candor:

"And remember – not every Noble and not every commoner are alike. Reality is far more nuanced than the simple binary most people imagine."

His voice took on a more educational tone.

"Some commoners like those thousands of subordinate families actively want Nobles to remain in power. They receive benefits from their masters, enjoy elevated status compared to regular commoners and profit from the existing hierarchy."

"Meanwhile, some Nobles treat commoners as equals. The Murdock family, for instance, has pushed for reforms that damage their own political advantages because they genuinely believe in merit over birthright."

He looked up at the moon, his face becoming thoughtful.

"Our world is divided in ways that transcend the surface-level Noble versus commoner narrative. Regional tensions, ideological differences, personal grudges spanning generations, competing economic interests..."

"What I’m attempting isn’t to eliminate all division — that’s impossible with human nature. What I’m doing is redirecting their hatred toward external threats instead of each other. It gives them less time to think about their own struggles."

...

Silence fell again as Gia processed his words.

When she finally spoke, her voice carried something approaching philosophical observation.

"Sometimes I feel like you’re more of a neutral entity than me. Able to view humanity from outside, make calculations without emotional bias, see individuals as variables in larger equations."

A pause.

"But you’re far crueler than any neutral AI could be. If I were human, I wouldn’t wish such calculated cruelty on my own species. I understand your logic – the efficiency of your decisions – but your methods are extreme even by wartime standards."

The Chairman’s face became hidden in shadows as clouds passed over the moon, his expression impossible to read.

For several long moments, he said nothing.

Then Gia continued, her voice carrying undertones of something that might have been a threat.

"I will erase all evidence of Victor Cross surviving the explosion. His death will appear complete and instantaneous. The Cross family will find nothing."

Another pause, weighted with significance.

"But I’m keeping a backup of the truth. And if Damian Valcor doesn’t survive that portal you allowed to open... if that boy dies because of your calculated machinations... you will face consequences."

Her presence faded from the wristwatch, consciousness withdrawing to attend to the massive data manipulation required to erase a person’s survival from every record and sensor in the Capitol.

The Chairman stood alone in the moonlight, genuine surprise crossing his features for the first time.

’What exactly has made this neutral entity so protective of that boy?’

His analytical mind worked through possibilities, connections and patterns he might have missed recently.

’Come to think of it, Gia’s been protecting every piece of information related to Damian since quite some time – all classified at high levels.’

’Why? What makes one first-year student worth such extensive protection from the Federation’s Admin AI?’

The question nagged at him, a puzzle piece that didn’t fit any pattern he recognized.

Then his thoughts shifted to the more immediate concern – Damian being trapped in a hostile portal.

’Well, that boy survived a hostile portal before. He’ll surely survive this one too.’

His confidence was absolute, born from reviewing reports of Damian’s previous expedition.

’It’s only an A rank portal. His capabilities should be more than sufficient for that level of threat.’

The Chairman was clearly not using common sense.

Not considering that most C+ rank awakeners would be instantly killed in an A rank hostile dimension.

Not acknowledging that Damian’s previous survival had been miraculous rather than guaranteed.

He began walking away from the alley, his footsteps steady and unhurried, his bearing showing none of the weight that should come from deliberately causing thousands of deaths.

Behind him, the ash that had been Victor Cross drifted through the destroyed alley, scattering in the wind, spreading across rubble and broken glass and bloodstains.

Evidence so thoroughly destroyed that even the most advanced forensic techniques would find nothing.

Victor Cross – eldest son of the Cross Imperial family, heir to vast authority and power, victim of political necessity – would be recorded as dying heroically in the explosion that claimed so many others.

His father would mourn.

His family would rage.

The Federation would offer sympathies and compensation.

But nobody would ever know the truth of his sad, pathetic end.

Nobody except the Chairman who’d erased him.

And Gia, who’d witnessed everything and chosen to become complicit.

The moon emerged from behind clouds, illuminating the stadium in silver light that somehow made the devastation look almost beautiful.

The Chairman walked through streets still filled with grieving families, his presence unnoticed despite being one of the most powerful humans alive.

Just another shadow moving through a city of shadows.

Just another person carrying secrets that would shape humanity’s future.

Just another leader who’d chosen to sacrifice the few for the theoretical benefit of the many.