The ear-splitting frequency of the Trillion-Debtor Soul-Scream Engine tore through the void like rusted iron hooks dragging across bone.
Inside the Chairman’s gaping fourth furnace, trillions of glowing phantom chains twisted around a bottomless vortex of cynicism. The screams were not mere noise. They were the recorded agony, betrayal, and hopeless despair of a trillion honest souls across one hundred thousand epochs.
The insidious voices slithered directly into the minds of every living being across three thousand galaxies:
“Good people always finish last... Kindness is a fool’s tax... The honest man starves in the ditch while the thief drinks wine... Betray your brother today, or become collateral tomorrow...”
Across the mortal fleets and viewing pavilions, the golden merit armor began to flicker.
Mortal soldiers gripped their spears with trembling fingers, their knuckles turning white. Junior audit clerks on the legal bench lowered their heads, wondering in sudden panic if Su Wan would sacrifice them to balance the budget. An icy chill of mutual distrust spread through the ranks like invisible poison.
Shen Qiaoqiao slammed her bronze gavel against the legal bench with a loud, ringing strike:
“Snap out of it, everyone! Focus on the statutes! Unsubstantiated cynicism has zero legal standing in this court! Keep your eyes on the ledger!”
