Cyberknight: One Path

⁕ The Lynching Game (part 9)

Said Kadyn in a sad tone.

A silence ensued as Kadyn cried quietly in her hands. As much as Mike tried to comfort her, his hand would simply phase through her solid body.

[Kadyn] - "I thought you were back. I really did. "

Whispered Kadyn before bursting into tears.

The sight of Kadyn's pain touched Mike's heart despite him being nothing more than a ghost.

[Mike] - "I wish I could come back too. I wish I could protect you like before. "

Meanwhile, back in reality, Kadyn's unconscious body remained motionless, confined to a white hospital bed locked within a heavily reinforced room. The rows of machines hooked to her body ensured that she could maintain vital functions while imprisoned in her medically induced coma. To Jagger, she was nothing more than a toy, an object to be admired and used without consideration for feelings or health.

[Jagger] - "I like you better this way. No endless chatter or rebellious phase. Just a silent statue without a will or thoughts. "

Said Jagger as he kissed Kadyn on the forehead.

Now without the need to conceal his identity anymore, Jagger tainted Mike's fiery red hair black with a manbun in the back instead of the previous messy arrangement. This was his true self, this was Jagger, the mastermind behind The Lynching Game, in the flesh.

*In a flashback

"The Lynching Game: A ploy making use of humanity's fear and helplessness in the face of overwhelming odds to force public action against a perceived enemy."

Said Jagger while sat at the host seat of a long table.

On each of the twenty-five seats, a trusted member of Jagger's plot listened to the word of their future emperor. Each knows their role within the upcoming Lynching Game and is ready to commit the necessary actions to ensure Jagger's victory.

Meanwhile, Dane handed a chip to one of his trusted friends who was also a scientist like him. Day after day, Dane would continue to carefully hand sensitive information crucial to exposing Jagger's plot to his trusted friends or those who were seeking to take revenge or take down Jagger's movement.

[Dunkel] - "Why should we keep Doctor Dane around if he is an enemy of our movement? "

[Jagger] - "Dane and others like him must be kept around while cornered because their presence would be more than vital for the Lynching Game to succeed. "

After receiving the information chip, the other scientist quickly left the scene and went back to their previous occupation. While the Lynching Game immediately silenced the vocal critics and apparent opposition, people like those Dane trusted remained hidden. However, they are unaware that they are being silently followed and observed.

"Anyone who came in contact with Dane and our other baits will be marked as a person of interest. Meanwhile, the atmosphere of fear and suspicion will keep anyone with a loud mouth from speaking up and any of these people of interest from going public with their information. Once we've got eyes on all these people of interest, a coordinated strike will be launched, eliminating all these rats within such a short period of time none of them will be able to run, speak or defend themselves. "

[Jack] - "What about our crystal users? "

[Jagger] - "As you are aware, these cyberknights I hired are leagues above the capability of any of our crystal users. Any of our crystal users marked as a person of interest shall be fed into the grinder where they will be sent on a one-way mission to capture the cyberknights. "