Man is free. Man is free.
"Repeat after me, world. Man is what?"
Some of the people staring at the scene began to feel drawn in, the words slipping out of their mouths without them even realizing it.
"Man… is free?"
"Yes, repeat after me. Man is what?"
"Free."
The voices began answering louder and louder.
Man is free. Man is free.
"Yes, and that's exactly what we stand for. We are the ones who want to free humanity from the false freedom that binds it, from the brainwashing that controls you, from the emptiness that fills us all."
While Johann delivered his words, some people were more afraid than others — the bald man was the most terrified of them all.
It's not every day you see the people least welcome in your life come dropping down from the sky right on top of you, every precaution you'd taken suddenly rendered useless.
The four robots around him stood motionless, doing absolutely nothing no matter what orders he sent them.
In fact, it looked as though they were even surrounding him, boxing him in so he couldn't move.
And what about his armed security guards and every other precaution he'd taken?
Only one thought crossed the bald man's mind at that moment.
"Have I been abandoned?"
The security technology in the museum was supposed to be impossible to hack — so how could it be breached this easily?
None of the robots at the party showed any reaction, unlike the humans, some of whom had fainted while others were in a state of panic — though most seemed to be enjoying this more than the actual scheduled event. One person even kept right on eating popcorn.
Once Johann finally landed on the platform near the bald man, he continued his speech:
"Ladies and gentlemen, do you still believe you're free? Ha ha ha, what a joke. Tell me, you brainwashed human — why did you come to this party? Don't tell me—"
Then something shiny was tossed toward him, which he caught with ease — a crystal skull. All eyes turned to see who had thrown it. It was a robot.
Everyone then learned something important: the robots had never actually stopped functioning.
Johann's smile widened beneath his mask, and he continued:
"Don't tell me you came here to see this junk. I know that you know that I know you don't care about things like this. You're just looking for something to fill your emptiness, because the real thing has been hidden from you."
The onlookers were struggling to understand what was happening, yet at the same time they seemed to be witnessing something entirely new — both afraid and entertained.
"You watching — do you really have freedom of choice? Can you guarantee there isn't a bomb falling on you from the sky right now, ready to end your pitiful little life?"
Suddenly, panic and terror spread among many of those present.
"What, are you scared? Hehehe, I know exactly why you're scared. All of you know the possibility is real. You've all seen with your own eyes what happens in this world, and you know what happened to others could happen to you too. And worse still, you all know the solution — you know the choice is in your hands."
"I'm not joking." When he said this in a serious tone, images appeared in the air, and the robots moved in to seize several people.
Of course, the hall filled with screams and curses, but the only voice that could be heard clearly was Johann's.
"You want proof that your actions aren't truly your own? Look at these lowlifes standing in front of you. Aren't these the very people you claim you chose to represent you — chosen because they were the best, chosen by your own free will? No. You never did a single thing by your own will. They manipulated your minds with their filthy money, money that helped destroy our humanity, that stripped us of our real freedom. They turned us into hollow monsters just to be their slaves. Look at every crime committed by these filthy figures — to them, we were nothing but pigs."
Black was watching everything unfold. Every word being said, he already knew. And every piece of evidence being shown proved something — the organization itself was either being manipulated, or it wanted to manipulate others. The evidence being presented was the very same evidence people like him had kept stored away as ammunition. A few threads had begun to appear. He just needed the right moment, and the most important threads would soon reveal the answer to the puzzle of this insane world.
"Are you convinced? I know you're not really interested, but if there's anyone here who is, what should they do?"
The bald man and several other people on the platform were now on their knees on the ground. Johann turned his gaze toward him.
"The right answers are always so obvious that they end up being the very first thing we deny."
Then, suddenly, he threw a treacherous punch straight into the bald man's face, and at the same time the other three members began delivering their own punches to the other accused, each of the three clearly having their own distinct style of torment.
"By now, the whole world should know who we are, and should understand what we're striving for. We do not harm those who cause no harm. We do not destroy what doesn't deserve destruction. We simply want freedom for humanity. We want to give every human being what they deserve. We want people to live because they want to live, not merely because they can. We want to affirm one truth: that man is free."
Suddenly, everyone heard the chant echo once more.
Man is free. Man is free. Man is free.
Johann raised the crystal skull high in one hand and looked at it, while his weapon in his other hand stayed aimed at the bald man.
"To be or not to be — that question is too trivial for me to bother answering. Tell me, thief, what's the last thing you'd like to say?"
The bald man breathed with difficulty as he tried to speak:
"If I go, everyone goes with me."
"Don't worry, we're not fools. Farewell."
Now!
This was the moment Black had been waiting for. He swiftly removed his glasses and looked into the bald man's eyes.
Then, for Black, the world shifted.