Chapter 405 - 280: Gluttonous Devourer

The bizarre kidnapping, the bizarre actions, the bizarre words... the news just broadcast has diluted the New Year celebrations, casting a shadow of unease across the entire city.

In front of the television, KK covered her mouth in shock: "Oh my God... what’s going on, is that person mentally ill?"

Su Mo watched the replay, a hint of darkness in his eyes, and after some thought, he said in a deep voice, "Shangguan, don’t you think this feels a lot like something ’those people’ would do?"

Shangguan Li squinted his eyes and said softly, "It does, very much so."

KK asked in confusion, "Those people? Who are you talking about?"

Shangguan Li and Su Mo said in unison: "Fools’ Association."

"Fools’ Association?" KK had never heard of the name, appearing somewhat puzzled.

Su Mo explained, "The Fools’ Association is a mysterious club entrenched in New Moon City, with members all from the high society elite."

"They’re a group of extreme thrill-seekers who formed the Fools’ Association with only one goal, to unite and share each other’s social resources for amusement."

KK: "Thrill-seekers... like Chu Nanyi?"

Su Mo helplessly said, "Xiaochu doesn’t really count as a thrill-seeker... okay, maybe half, but it’s still not the same."

"Compared to normal people, Xiaochu does have quite a knack for fun, but compared to the Fools’ Association, he’s practically mild."

"Members of the Fools’ Association are thrill-seekers of the deepest kind, doing extremely radical things for the sake of thrill, regardless of cost."

"I’m not sure if you remember, late last year there was a huge shootout in the Rust Wall District, with fifty civilians using guns and grenades to play real-life battle royale on the street."

"That was orchestrated by the Fools’ Association behind the scenes, they found fifty civilians at the end of their rope due to economic problems, promised them a hefty sum, to have them kill each other on the street, and the last person standing would take all the money."

KK widened her eyes: "I’ve seen movies with similar themes, where the wealthy put a lot of people in one place to play death games."

Su Mo nodded: "Right, but the Fools’ Association is more daring, they don’t capture people to play secretly, they play right in the public eye, just for the thrill."

"I remember that all fifty civilians were wiped out by the Anti-Violence Fourth Section. This incident made a hot search at the time, but later all related topics were mysteriously removed."

Shangguan Li added: "And there’s another incident from the year before, which our industry all believes was done by the Fools’ Association."

"At that time, there was a father in the city hospital, his 8-year-old daughter had a severe genetic defect disease, and the treatment cost was tens of millions."

"The father was an ordinary person, couldn’t afford the money, so the Fools’ Association found him, promised to pay for his daughter’s treatment."

KK: "And then? Did they trick him into playing some demented game again?"

Shangguan Li: "No, the Fools’ Association really paid with real money, and it wasn’t a loan, it was genuinely direct funding without asking for anything in return, moving the father to tears."

KK asked dumbfoundedly: "Does that mean the Fools’ Association can do good deeds too?"

Shangguan Li sneered: "I haven’t finished yet. The Fools’ Association paid in phases, front and back, more than ten million."

"The girl received aid, got the best treatment, and her condition was improving day by day, the father already saw hope for his daughter’s recovery."

"But then, at the most crucial moment of treatment, the Fools’ Association suddenly cut off all funding, intentionally letting the girl’s condition worsen."

"The father watched hopelessly as his daughter improved and felt hope rise in his heart, only to see her condition worsen, himself powerless."

"Eventually, unable to afford continued treatment, his daughter’s body deteriorated day by day, dying right in front of him alive, unable to bear the disparity, he committed suicide by jumping."

KK listened, her anger rising: "The Fools’ Association is insane, right?! What benefit do they get from doing this?!"

Su Mo shook his head: "I said from the start, this is a group of extreme psychopath thrill-seekers, they play regardless of cost. As long as it’s thrilling enough, they’ll do anything."

"Take that sick girl, for instance, the initial more than ten million spent on her treatment was genuinely spent by the Fools’ Association, no fraud."

"In the end, did the Fools’ Association get any profit or return? No, that more than ten million was all washed away, not a single Lunar coin was taken back."

"But they just found it too thrilling to give that father hope and then plunge him into despair, this matter was simply too fascinating, too interesting, so they went ahead and did it."

"That’s the Fools’ Association, all the things they do are solely for one thing, entertainment — what they find entertaining."

KK furrowed her brow tightly: "These people are thoroughly demented, completely incomprehensible..."

Su Mo: "It is incomprehensible, and you shouldn’t even try to understand. If you can get in sync with these people, you should find a psychiatrist."

KK asked puzzled: "Doesn’t anyone control these lunatics? Committing such heinous crimes, doesn’t the Public Security Bureau go after them?"

Su Mo chuckled helplessly: "People who can casually throw out tens of millions of Lunar coins for thrills, what kind of status do you think they have?"

"I mentioned earlier, this is a club formed by high society elites, they’re the actual powers of this city."

"Not to mention making the Public Security Bureau investigate, it’s possible some of the high-ranking leaders in the Public Security Bureau are members of the Fools’ Association themselves, and there might even be people from giant enterprises in there, the Public Security Bureau simply can’t touch them."

Shangguan Li also sighed: "So crimes committed by the Fools’ Association are either pinned on scapegoats or dealt with coldly."

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