Chapter Ten: The Ring (2)
The so-called psychological breakdown involves first presenting a statement that sounds like a blatant lie, prompting people to ridicule you; then, you reveal its truth, causing astonishment and regret—regret born of their mistrust and mockery.
When these steps are completed, a full psychological breakdown is achieved. The reward: those whose minds have been shattered are likely, even in the short term, to believe the next outlandish, seemingly false claim made by the person who orchestrated their breakdown.
A simple example is Shang Yang’s wood at the south gate; a modern one is Bayern manager Hoeness’s handling of Leverkusen’s Daum.
—Wang Luo
August 15, 1993, 8:03 PM
12 Nost Street, 10.1 km south of the rally point, Grizzly City First Television Station
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“Hello everyone, this is Grizzly City First Television Station. I’m Jim, and we’re bringing you a breaking news report.”
“Today, an employee of the Umbrella Corporation has provided us with several documents. He has asked me to disclose them to the public.”
“According to the documents from the Survey Department, at latitude 38° north, longitude 104° west, three hundred meters underground, there may lie the world’s largest gold mine. My God! Is this real... It is recommended to establish an underground mining division in Grizzly City, Colorado, and to employ the most advanced chemical extraction techniques. For this purpose, it would be best to set up a pharmaceutical company as a cover.”
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“To satisfy the demands of greedy politicians and foolish citizens, we need to provide them with comfortable conditions. The optimal solution: take over all municipal construction in Grizzly City, which would allow us to build our underground gold transport channels.”
“Ha! The survey was successful! Another rich deposit has been discovered underground! It is estimated to yield at least five hundred tons of gold! Perhaps a portion should be allocated to form an armed force, to prevent accidents and ensure the safe transport of the mined gold.”
“The above is the report from Grizzly City First Television Station. Today, an employee of Umbrella Corporation came to us secretly and gave us these documents. He claims that, while Umbrella Corporation is ostensibly a chemical company, their main profits actually come from the theft of Grizzly City’s underground resources!”
The scene cuts to a vault from a certain film.
“Everyone, take a look! This is footage the employee captured in their underground laboratory! It is publicly declared to be a research lab, but in truth, it is a secret vault! And this is said to be only a small corner of the vast treasury! Everyone knows Umbrella Corporation has contributed substantial funds to Grizzly City’s development over the years. But compared to what they’ve plundered from the underground, the donations don’t even amount to one percent!”
“They pillage Grizzly City’s wealth, and then leave scraps for the citizens! This is what Umbrella Corporation is doing! While doing so, the managers and directors of Umbrella must be laughing, mocking all those citizens who still thank Umbrella Corporation!”
“This is fake.” As Jim read Wang Luo’s documents with a melodious cadence, Yang Wentian, who had hurriedly returned from downstairs, said to Wang Luo, still wearing the clown mask.
“I never said it was true. It’s just a story,” Wang Luo replied, his voice tinged with laughter. “Is the trap ready?”
“We can put the trap aside for now—even if the police come, I can get away, but you...”
“Oh dear, I thought we were friends. So what do you want?”
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“Give me a clear explanation! This was your plan from the start, wasn’t it? You never intended to release the virus citywide?”
“If I released it, people would die...right.”
Yes, that’s the correct answer.... Yang Wentian fell silent for a moment.
So he never really trusted us. “Then what’s the point of broadcasting all this? Who would believe it? What good does it do?”
“Of course they will... Why wouldn’t they? People want to believe.”
As if to bolster his claim, Wang Luo picked up a nearby box, walked over to the host, stepped into the camera’s frame, and poured out the gold bars onto the table.
Instantly, the breathing in the room grew heavier.
“My God! My God!” Jim the host exclaimed. “Is this the gold from beneath our city?”
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