A look of astonishment dawned on Joseph's face as he scanned across the crowd.
He thought he was listening to some kind of madman when he first got the recording, and now he was confident that all of them had truly gone mad after he listened to the old man's babbling.
Joseph relapsed into silence. It took him a long while to recollect himself and speak up again, his face clouded over in confusion. "Have you gotten bees in your bonnets? Did you go and check your brain at the hospital?"
The old man was not infuriated by Joseph's remark. A forgiving smile blossomed across his face as he replied," Joseph, I know you may not be able to comprehend what I'm talking about right now. It doesn't matter. After all, the truth of the world is often known to only a small group of people. In the past, you were a member of the public, mediocre, and unambitious. However, as long as you join us, your eyes will be open and you will be able to see what we're all seeing right now. Come, don't hesitate, join us. Everything will be alright.”
"Yeah, boss, join us." The rest of the people looked expectantly at Joseph.
Joseph looked around indifferently, jerking his gaze from one man to another whom he regarded as his family. After a long while, only then he began to talk, his voice hoarse with emotion. "Since you were on their side from the beginning, then the virus..." "It's true.” One of the men added, "All of us have been injected with the virus."
"You've been injected with the virus?" Joseph found it impossible to fathom their thinking at all. He pointed at the old man and continued, "He used you to develop his virus, and you are still dead set on following him?"
There was no resentment on their face.
One of them even had a dreamy expression on his face as he said, "Sacrifice is bound to happen along with the birth of something phenomenal, and we all are willing to sacrifice ourselves to bring forth such wonderfulness into the world."
The rest of the people nodded in assent, and they all looked as if they were willing to go down to their graves without any regrets.
Joseph was on the verge of breaking down, and he closed his eyes.
'What the hell is this? When did they become like this? Why are they willing to sacrifice their own lives for some nonsense like this?'
The old man looked at Joseph with a grin tugging at the corners of his lips. "They all made the right choice. What about you, Joseph?"
Commanding himself to calm down, Joseph opened his eyes once more. All emotions were gone from them, leaving only a blank coldness behind. He turned to the old man and said, "Sorry, but I'm not interested. I don't care about these traitors, but the remaining men are still my brothers. I can't see them die before me. I suggest you tell me the true prescription to get rid of the virus." "Why are you so stubborn?" The old man ignored his demand and sighed slightly. Then, he said, "In that case, you leave me no choice but to speed up my plan."
"What plan?" The alarm in Joseph's heart blared out.
At this moment, a commotion came far away from the door. A triumphant grin appeared on the old man’s face as he said, “ Since things have developed to this point, Joseph, I might as well be frank with you. After all these years of operation, your palace is already under our organization's control. Just now, I've contacted the people outside through a special device. I guess they'll be here very soon."
As he spoke, he looked pitifully at Joseph." The nation you built through blood, sweat, and tears will not be yours anymore. On behalf of our organization, from today
onward, I’ll take over as the ruler of this country."
The footfalls behind the door were getting louder and nearer, and the smile on the old man's face grew even wider.
Suddenly, a loud thump as if someone was banging the door could be heard.
The old man turned to look confidently at Joseph. "You still have time if you want to change your mind now."
However, the old man was surprised to see that there was a faint smile tugging at the corner of Joseph's lips.
'He can still smile in his current condition?'
The old man was confused, but he soon calmed himself down.
He was under the organization's control, so there was no way Joseph could turn the
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