Saving the Heartthrob Frenemy-Chapter 425: The truth is revealed

After putting down his weapon he disengaged the mech, its mechanical hum fading into silence. The guards tightened their grip on their weapons, their eyes fixed on Qie Xieling, waiting for any sign of resistance. He didn’t answer the king simply just glaring at him.

From his ornate wheelchair, the king peered at him through piercing eyes. Since he didn’t respond his attendant quickly activated a holographic display, projecting Qie Xieling’s information into the air for all to see.

"You," the king sneered, his voice laced with contempt. "You are the traitor who deserted from the army and became a terrorist."

Qie Xieling’s jaw clenched, his gaze unwavering. This character had fought for justice and avenged his parent’s lives who were slaughtered like pigs to reveal the truth but of course, in their eyes, they saw him as nothing more than a criminal.

Refusing to be intimidated, Qie Xieling remained silent, his defiance burning bright within him. His gaze shifted towards Luo Muchen with a flicker of concern in his expression. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

The king’s attendant under his orders tapped a few commands on the holographic display. The image of Qie Xieling, once a star-decorated soldier and now branded a terrorist, was broadcasted throughout the Zeden Coalition. The people would see him as a threat, a danger to their way of life.

Qie Xieling’s heart sank seeing them broadcast replaying the doctored images of him blowing up buildings belonging to the nobles. This character had undeniably blown those buildings up but there were no casualties. He had watched them push the narrative that he killed thousands of people and even if his game character wanted to deny it no one would believe him. Would people rather believe him or the monarchy? The answer was obvious.

Despite that, he refused to let despair consume him. He had come this far, risking everything for a chance to save Luo Muchen. He would not let the king’s words, or the twisted narrative they spun, break his spirit.

With a steely determination, he straightened his posture, his eyes meeting the king’s icy gaze. "If you wish to display a criminal, then let it be yourself," he retorted, his voice filled with conviction. "The true tyrants who snatch bodies of their children to achieve immortality." With a sneer, he continued, "I must say that is pretty fucked up."

The soldiers who were not clued in on the information shifted uncomfortably, their loyalty wavering for a fleeting moment. Seeing the king not denying it Bi Yu stammered, "Is-is this true? Did... did you-."

"Shut up," yelled the King his thunderous roar reverberating in the room.

Qie Xieling pointed at the portraits of the past kings on the wall each of their faces spotting a graceful smile. "You have lived as each. and. everyone. of them... They had no idea that their daddy dearest would replace them one day and continue their lives... sleep with their wives, let their children call grandpa dad and yet I am the criminal?"

The king’s face contorted with rage, but Qie Xieling stood tall, unwavering in his principles. "KILL HIM NOW!!" yelled the King his roar almost sending tremors throughout the palace.

But the men and women hesitated. The king’s attendant suddenly panickingly called out, "Your Majesty," and showed him the current broadcast.

All the evidence that the king and the nobles had been snatching the bodies of their children to extend their lives had replaced the current broadcast showcasing Qie Xieling breaking into the palace. Now it was playing the footage of an actual session where the King swapped bodies with his unwilling son. The evil king didn’t even sedate his son but had him dragged to the capsule while he cried and begged for his life.

With a sneer, the king had said to him, "This is for the good of the people. You are inexperienced and wouldn’t know how to rule."

The citizens bustling about were now watching the holographic projections on skyscrapers and their communicators footage of a young prince crying and begging for his life as his father forced him into the capsule. The machine hummed and vibrated and the screams the you the prince tore through the air.

Qie Xieling made sure Jolie wouldn’t censor it. He wanted everyone to see how ruthless the so-called ruler of the Zeden Coalition was. They saw everything in high definition.

"Stop the broadcast!" yelled the King and the King’s attendant tried to stop the broadcast but it was pointless. Jolie had already taken control of the entire system wreaking havoc.

"Your Majesty... I I can’t. The system is not responding," said the attendant and Qie Xieling interjected,

"What is in the dark will come to light... Now let go of Luo Muchen or I will kill you where you stand," he said drawing the sword in his mech.

He held his gleaming blade steady, pointing it directly at the king. The heinous truth had finally been unveiled, exposing the monarch’s evil secret of body-snatching his own children to prolong his own life. The shock and horror swept through the room and the entirety of Zeden Coalition, leaving the soldiers and citizens paralyzed with horror.

The king’s guards still loyal to the king, and had long known about the existence of such a technology all these years, instinctively moved to protect him, forming a human shield around him.

Qie Xieling’s eyes narrowed, his resolve unwavering. He knew he couldn’t let the king escape and put Luo Muchen in further danger.

With a swift movement, he lunged forward, engaging in a fierce battle with the king’s guard. His blade danced through the air, deflecting strikes and delivering swift, calculated blows. The soldiers stood frozen, unsure of how to respond to this unprecedented situation.

Chaos reigned in the basement as nobles, driven by self-preservation, scattered in all directions. No one knew who they were as yet as it was only the king who had been exposed. This gave them enough time to flee.

Amidst the chaos, a voice resonated over the broadcast system, Jolie’s avatar spreading a chilling revelation. "You think it’s only their sons that they are snatching bodies from? They have advanced the technology, and it could be anyone, even you or your own child, that becomes a victim," she declared, her voice cutting through the tension like a knife. This news caused a stir in Capital Star.

The soldiers who stood by trembled, their loyalty wavering as the weight of the words from the background sank in.