Heroes' Prison

Chapter 739 - 704: Killing, is Another Kind of Redemption

Huang Yi and Thunder God were drinking beer and watching the advertisements on television. It was quiet in the prison, nearly all the criminals were on the forum, synchronously watching the live broadcast.

"Countdown to The Second World’s annual grand ceremony, 10, 9, 8..." Finally, after a series of advertisements, the countdown to the third annual grand ceremony’s opening ceremony began!

At this moment, media from countries all over the globe were counting down in their own languages!

More than nine billion viewers were following this year’s grand ceremony through various channels. The Second World had become deserted, as almost all players had logged off to watch the opening ceremony!

When the countdown reached the final second, all viewers around the world held their breath, staring intently at their screens!

The big screen at the event started playing the promotional video for this year’s grand ceremony. With shocking background music, the video reached the eyes of every viewer worldwide—

Under the moonlit night, a team of five hundred rode fierce mounts, tearing across the plains and kicking up a trail of dust. The thundering Ironhoofs were unstoppable, like a raging torrent, making the entire screen tremble slightly!

The camera passed over the group, focusing closely on their leader—a bald man with blue eyes. He was T.N.T, whose fame had soared last year. The few hundred people behind him were members of his Divine Nation Guild, which had a mere five hundred members, the size of a team, but they had achieved an unbeaten record of thirty-one consecutive victories in the martial arts tournament team competition!

"The most explosive substance isn’t T.N.T, but rather human rage," boomed T.N.T’s deep voice at that moment.

The scene switched to a desert under a scorching sun, where a man was walking through the vast sands. He was wrapped in bandages like a mummy, cradling a woman in his arms.

As a sandstorm approached, blotting out the sun, the man’s figure remained steady. Carrying the woman, he walked toward the camera, and through the hazy dust, his face became clear—it was none other than the Egyptian leader, the Pharaoh! Looking down at the woman in his arms, he whispered softly, "Even if I become a mummy, I will never forget you."

Next, the camera rapidly switched between various recognizable masters, each with a line that matched their identity, as if revealing their inner monologues:

Some say I am in Heaven, but in truth, I’ve always been on the road. — The Pope (Founder of Heaven’s Church and Heaven’s Guild, leader of United States players)

Every hunter was once the hunted. — Giant Bear (The world’s number one hunter, leader of Russian players)

Even the mightiest Martial Emperor cannot be invincible. — Miyamoto Musashi (Winner of the individual martial arts tournament, leader of Japanese players)

Ordinary people are so because they commonly share one particular flaw, thinking they’ll always be ordinary. — Yang Yuheng (Leader of the ordinary players, Draenei Race Chief)

Heroes struggle with the allure of beauty, but what about female heroes? — Zhitian Shi (The world’s number one female master)

A blade is only sharp, it shines only with light. — Dao Feng (Former world number one, best individual of the first annual grand ceremony)

The most frightening sword is always sheathed. — Sharp Sword (Best individual of the second annual grand ceremony)

...

Finally, the promotional video came to an end.

The scene depicted a vast field of corpses and demon gods’ bodies. Amidst the endless sea of corpses stood a large throne. Upon the throne sat an emperor, holding a War Halberd dripping with blood, his expression filled with brutality, like a tyrant. He surveyed the vast sea of corpses and slowly said—

"Slaughter is another form of salvation!"

As his voice faded, the music stopped, and the video ended.

The last person in that promotional clip was none other than Huang Yi!

In last year’s promotional clip, he also appeared last, but that felt more like being ranked last.

This year, however, he still appeared last in the clip, but now as the climactic figure.

In just one year, he had grown incredibly fast.

"Ah-Yi, Era Corporation made your scene way too cool, but I like it, haha!" Thunder God turned to look at Huang Yi and joked.

"Let’s keep watching, I want to see who the flag bearer for the China team is," said Huang Yi, picking up a cigarette from the table, lighting it, and continuing to watch the live broadcast while smoking.

"Ladies and gentlemen, hello! This is the greatest annual gathering of mankind..." At that moment, the main stage appeared on television, with the host delivering the opening remarks in both Mandarin and English, the two most widely spoken languages, to all of humanity. The flashlights from tens of thousands of spectators became a sea of stars.

Next, the host introduced the heavyweight guests in attendance, including senior members of the Era Corporation, high-ranking officials from the World Federation, presidents or chairpersons from several superpowers, and some super-first-class masters from The Second World.

Following that was the artistic performance segment, which showcased some of India’s local customs and culture.

The overall process was pretty much the same as last year’s annual gala, with no significant changes.

...

"Next, please welcome the delegations from various countries to enter!" Finally, the opening ceremony reached the most anticipated segment!

Countries’ delegations began to enter in succession, with flag bearers holding their respective national flags, leading the qualified contestants from their countries on the red carpet.

"Now approaching us is the Indian delegation. They have a total of 2,744 people qualified for all the awards this year, and the flag bearer is none other than Mr. Ganges, a super first-class master from India..."

One by one, the delegations emerged, and the host introduced them each in turn.

After a long wait, Huang Yi and Thunder God finally saw one of the largest delegations approaching, with the flag bearer in front holding the familiar Five-starred Red Flag.

"Now approaching us is the Chinese delegation, the one with the highest number of qualifiers in this year’s annual gala, totaling 3,446 individuals, similar to last year. The flag bearer in the forefront, who is very famous in the China region, is Desire Arises from the Heart!"

"Eh? Why him? Even Gentleman would do!" Thunder God was slightly startled, finding it odd. Normally, the flag bearer role was filled by a national player leader, and both he and Huang Yi were eligible, but they were not present. Besides them, the flag bearer should have been chosen from amongst Dao Feng, Dragon Spike, or Sharp Sword.

While Desire Arises from the Heart was indeed a master, he was a level below them, and even Gentleman seemed somewhat better.

The Chinese delegation was so numerous that their entrance took a long time, giving the host a chance to provide a more detailed introduction: "China is the strongest nation in The Second World, with as many as five super-first-class masters, and if we add Gentleman to the count, that makes six. However, it’s regrettable that none of these six top masters are present at this year’s annual gala..."

Thunder God and Huang Yi realized in a flash!

It turned out that all of China’s super-first-class masters were absent! Aside from these individuals, the top masters in China were now Unbeaten, Desire Arises from the Heart, and Second Brother Who Studies Medicine, among others.

Among them, Desire Arises from the Heart was indeed the most suitable. He had a powerful political background, but Dao Feng was above him, similarly politically backed, preventing him from standing out.

Now, with all super-first-class masters away, Desire Arises from the Heart finally got to be a leader for once, truly a moment of triumph!

On the television screen, Desire Arises from the Heart held the national flag in one hand and waved to the audience with the other, with a demeanor slightly proud, as if he were the King of the World.

"Desire Arises from the Heart, real name Zheng Jing, 25 years old, a standard second-generation military and financial elite. His father’s lineage includes high-ranking officials in the military and political spheres, while his mother’s family consists of titans in the financial sector. Even his girlfriend’s side possesses a strong background! By this measure alone, even Dao Feng can’t compare to him!" Thunder God watched Desire Arises from the Heart on the television screen, introducing him to Huang Yi. Previously being from China’s military, he was familiar with political powers.

As for Huang Yi, his understanding of Desire Arises from the Heart was primarily within The Second World. In The Second World, Desire Arises from the Heart had founded a guild named Desire Kingdom, ranking just below the Hero Guild, Sun Guild, Xuanyuan Clan, Hall of Famous Generals, and Styx Sect. Their guild’s main influence was in the western parts of the continent, quite far from the sphere of the Hero Guild.

During the recent incident when Miyamoto Musashi held hostages, none of the top members from the Desire Kingdom were captured.

Neither Huang Yi nor the Hero Guild had much to do with the Desire Kingdom. They’d always kept to their separate ways.

...

Meanwhile, on a beach in Hawaii, Miyamoto Musashi, T.N.T., and the Pope gathered together, watching a wireless television in front of them, enjoying the cool sea breeze.

"We three just appeared in the promotional video, what a coincidence!" T.N.T. revealed a cynically amused smile, focusing on the television screen.

"These are all empty titles; what I want is to reach Hero’s Continent as soon as possible," said Miyamoto Musashi with a somber expression. He was not pleased with his appearance in the promotional video, evidently still troubled by the recent national war.

"Indeed, our fleet needs to speed up!" The Pope stroked his thin stubble, speaking gravely, "Now is the best moment for our allied forces to invade Hero’s Continent. Among China’s super-first-class masters, Dao Feng is still in seclusion, God of Slaughter has just undergone Reincarnation, and Dragon Spike hasn’t appeared for a long time and seems to have left Hero’s Continent. As for Sharp Sword, he’s secretive and unlikely to meddle. The only one left is Thunder God, who will have a hard time stopping us. Moreover, these days they are all focused on the annual gala, so invading now will meet with much less resistance."

"If only we knew the location of God of Slaughter’s Reincarnation!" Miyamoto Musashi clenched his fist, Huang Yi’s image once again rising in his mind.