In Ark Simulator, why do I always get a tough start?

Chapter 12 Treason, Arrest
"We are the people!"

"We must resist exploitation and oppression!"

"The Gemini Queens are incompetent! Resign!"

On the busiest street in the mobile city, a grand scene is unfolding at this time!
Thousands of angry civilians, workers, the unemployed, students, and even those infected took to the streets in unison, holding up pre-prepared signs and banners and chanting slogans!

Those standing at the front of these lines were almost without exception ordinary people dressed simply.

They were all members of Chen Qi's "Son of the Witch King" organization.

Most of them have meager incomes, and some are even highly infected, so they can't afford nice clothes on a regular basis.

But today, they choose to participate in this revolution in their most glamorous and cleanest form, even knowing they might die, they still go without hesitation.

As their leader Chen Qi said, if they did not resist, they would still face certain death.

Therefore, even knowing that hell lay ahead, they resolutely chose to die in the most generous and dignified manner.

At least in this way, they can still be called "heroes of Letania".

More importantly, they knew.

Their leader is also fighting on the front lines of this turmoil!
Amidst the excited and fervent gazes of the "Son of the Witch King" members, Chen Qi, with his tall figure, unusual horns, and the Letanian military flag he held aloft, became the pillar of support for everyone in the group!
This is their leader!

In the event of a crisis, whether it involves injury, arrest, or death, their leaders are always the first to be affected.

But he was not afraid of difficulties, standing proudly at the forefront of danger, waving the flag, and using his body to protect everyone behind him!

With such a leader, how could they possibly be afraid?
With such a leader, how could they possibly be afraid!
As the march progressed, more and more people joined in, and the number of participants grew from a few hundred to a thousand... two thousand...

To this day, Chen Qi no longer knows how many people are cheering him on.

All he knew was that everyone's footsteps, voices, and beliefs had coalesced into one at that moment.

This march and demonstration will be the best opportunity for his organization to break out of this mobile city and enter the sight of all the oppressed people of Letania!
Therefore, he was determined to make this a grand spectacle.

The more fiercely they resist now, the more he will be able to gather the strength of more disillusioned people like them in the country in the future, to overthrow the rule of the Twin Queens!
"stop!"

A furious roar stopped Chen Qi and the others.

Accompanied by a sharp whistle, in an instant, a well-equipped team carrying shields and spears suddenly emerged from both ends of the street amidst a series of rapid footsteps.

They surrounded the marching group in the middle of the street, trapping them in a pincer movement.

"Be careful." X2
Jian and Gertrude, who were standing next to Chen Qi, almost simultaneously shielded Chen Qi behind them.

One of them raised the mace at her waist, and the other raised the staff that had been prepared beforehand, as if they were Chen Qi's left and right protectors.

"Surrender! You traitors! I am Count Dilov!"

Behind the well-equipped soldiers, a nobleman, whose presence could be heard but not seen, also used Originium Arts to transmit his voice to Chen Qi and his group.

"Do you know that your actions constitute treason? According to the laws of Letania, I can have you all executed right here and now!"

"His Excellency the Elector has shown great mercy and does not wish for excessive bloodshed. I urge you to abandon your resistance! Abandon your illusions!"

"Think of your children, family, and parents; your resistance only adds to your suffering!"

"—Let me deal with him."

However, before Chen Qi and Jian could react, unexpectedly, the person who stepped forward was Gertrude, who should have been the least willing to risk everything.

This surprised both Chen Qi and Jian.

But Gertrude paid no attention to their reactions. Instead, she raised a signature wicked smile and fearlessly took a few steps closer to the army in front of her.

“I am Gertrude Strolo, Count of Viseheim.”

"Let your superior officer come out and speak."

As expected, when Gertrude announced his identity as a count, the soldiers in front of him were taken aback and immediately lost their previous aggressive demeanor.

"Count Gertrude?"

As the soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment, the count, hiding behind the army, tentatively asked after a moment of disbelief:
"Why are you here?"

"Oh, I see, you must have been kidnapped by them, right?"

"Please rest assured, we will not allow these despicable traitors to harm you! We can negotiate—"

“Count Dilov.” Gertrude interrupted the other party with a cold voice before he could finish speaking.

"This march was conducted with my authorization and support."

"Please do not obstruct us, Your Excellency. This is merely a permitted procession."

"..."

For a moment, silence filled the entire street.

Apart from the rapid heartbeat and breathing sounds caused by nervousness, it seemed that no other sound could be heard.

“...That’s a real shame, Count Gertrude.”

“I received orders from Lord Werner von Hochberg to suppress this rebellion.”

“If Count Gertrude is willing to persuade them to withdraw voluntarily, then I am willing to plead with Lord Werner to classify the situation as a ‘march’.”

"if not."

As he spoke, Dilov's tone suddenly turned icy.

"I cannot guarantee your personal safety and will have to use violence to suppress the rebellion."

"Please, do not associate with these traitors; it will not be good for your reputation."

"—Traitor?"

However, Dilov's words made Gertrude burst out laughing.

Dilov is such a foolish and arrogant fellow.

If he had been willing to soften his stance earlier and characterize it all as a "protest," then his subsequent hardline approach might have actually deterred many people.

But now that he has labeled everyone a "traitor," does he still expect these people not to resist his suppression?

Gertrude didn't turn her head, but she could sense it.

Behind her, what happened to the people who were suppressing their immense anger after hearing their conversation...?

What were they just saying?

"Nonsense! Count Gertrude is backing us up! But the other side insists on suppressing us as traitors!"

"Huh? Then, what should we do? Should we run away?"

"*Leytanian slang*! Run! Run my ass! Didn't you hear they all think we're traitors?"

"Fleeing means death! Staying means death too! I'd rather die today on the road to sacrificing myself for my country!"

"That's right, we can't survive like this anyway! We might as well fight them!"

"*Leytanian slang*! Go for it!"

Listening attentively to the emotions that had been stirred up among the crowd behind her, Gertrude obediently gave up a seat for Chen Qi, gesturing to him with her eyes.

"The rest is up to you."

“…Thank you, Ms. Gertrude.” Chen Qi was somewhat surprised, to be honest.

I was surprised by Gertrude's performance in this series.

After all, unlike the penniless Jade who was on his side, Gertrude was, after all, an earl, and at the very least, she would end up as a wealthy man.

What he did, at best, was a demonstration; at worst, it was a rebellion that could wipe out nine generations of his family.

Aside from the hopeless lower classes of Letania who had no chance of resistance, almost no one was willing to gamble with him.

Even if Gertrude, a count of that rank, harbored resentment towards the Twin Queens, she would likely be a fence-sitter who sides with whoever wins.

But to his complete surprise, Gertrude had been helping him from the very beginning of their collaboration.

It not only brought his organization far more funding than he had imagined.

Even for this parade, Chen Qi didn't expect her to participate at all. He only hoped that as an earl, she could restrain the actions of the noble circle and create more momentum for them.

But he never expected that Gertrude would not only come to the scene, but would even be willing to rush to the forefront of the revolution with him.

This made Chen Qi re-examine himself.

Do I really have that much charm?

Or was it that she, like a little butterfly, inadvertently changed Gertrude's life trajectory?

Regardless of the circumstances, Chen Qi now has no choice but to trust Gertrude because of her actions.

If this isn't called "comrade," then what is?
Since Gertrude has gone all in, how could I, as the leader, possibly back down?
With this belief in mind, Chen Qi stepped forward in full view of everyone.

Facing the well-equipped army, he remained calm and composed, responding with neither arrogance nor servility:
"Traitor?"

“My lord, all I see are countless civilians who have been driven to the brink of despair and have no choice but to fight for their survival!”

"If you insist on taking action against unarmed civilians today, tell the people of Letania that they are not even worthy of the will to resist."

Chen Qi took a deep breath.

"—Then, you'll have to step over my dead body first!"

Mace: "?!"

Jian stared in disbelief at Chen Qi's resolute gaze and listened to his voice, which showed no fear of death. For a moment, he was lost in thought.

Although Jian was not well-educated, she knew that everyone wanted to live.

Especially someone like Qi... He now has connections, money, and power; by all accounts, he's already a big shot.

But he still chose to be at the forefront, taking on all the most demanding tasks himself.

Was all of this just for his revenge?

No.

This is not revenge.

This belief, which transcends life itself, is what sustains him forward!
Jian remembered what Qi had said to her when they first met.

"Save Letania".

Yes, he did it to save Letania!
He has never changed!

"—Take him down!"

Count Dilov, who had already sensed that something was wrong, did not hesitate any longer and immediately issued orders to the army.

But just as the army took a step forward, a violent aura forced back the soldiers at the very front.

But when everyone looked closely, they saw that the blonde woman holding maces in both hands was blocking Qi's way, her face ashen.

"Want to mess with him? You're not qualified."

"I'm protecting this person."

With no more confusion in her mind and no more worries, she unleashed a terrifying power that she had suppressed for so long, a power that even surprised herself.

For the first time, she was willing to risk her life to protect someone.

He showed himself that on this land, there was a belief more important than life itself.

She wanted to witness it.

Witness this belief; may it live on forever!
"Mace..."

Looking at the mace blocking his way, Chen Qi was moved for a moment, but his expression showed no more hesitation.

He gave a final word of encouragement.

"If we die today, we will be martyrs fighting for freedom!"

He held the flag high, the Iron Cross on his chest shining brightly.

Protected by the mace and Gertrude, he led thousands of people and sounded the clarion call for this rebellion!
"Long live Letania!"

"—Long live Letania!!" XN
The response to Chen Qi came from a united and restless group of rebels who could no longer contain themselves!
But at that very moment, several dark figures rushed out from the army and immediately pounced on Chen Qi!

Just a second before Jian and Gertrude were about to make their move, several ghostly figures blocked their way.

In those few seconds, Chen Qi spotted several figures rushing towards him, thanks to his sharp eyesight!
Instinctively, he wanted to raise his arm.

But with a whooshing sound, Chen Qi's right arm was pierced by a thin sword!
In an instant, blood stained the ground and even splattered on the mace and Gertrude, causing the previously out-of-control scene to pause in shock.

Upon closer inspection, he saw that several well-equipped Golden Law Guards had surrounded him as if afraid that Chen Qi would escape, and they had drawn their thin swords from their waists and pressed them against Chen Qi's throat.

But Chen Qi did not make any move.

Even with his arm pierced and blood flowing freely, he didn't utter a single cry of pain, standing proudly at the forefront of the crowd.

He was like that, calm and composed, gazing at the sorcerer in front of him, who wore a black embroidered cloak and a mask.

Chen Qi knew their identities.

Such attire could only belong to someone from the Gemini Queen's confidante, the "Voice of the Queen."

Even in such a predicament, Chen Qi still stood tall and stared at the Empress's voice before him, a voice that could not even reveal her true face.

At this moment, he, as a rioter, seemed more like a hero who had a clear conscience and was willing to sacrifice himself than the Golden Law Guards in front of him.

"...Foolish fellow, do you really think you can shake the rule of the Twin Queens?"

Wearing a mask and speaking in a calm tone, the Empress held up an arrest warrant in front of Chen Qi as she spoke.

On it was clearly printed a portrait of Chen Qi, along with the words "Son of the Witch King" leader.

And, most conspicuously, two scepters, one black and one white.

This represents the highest level of arrest warrant issued by the Gemini Queen.

"You are arrested, Mr. Qi, on charges of treason."

"It's not so easy for you to become a martyr, a flag bearer against the rule of the Twin Queens."

“We will make you stand alive in court, stand trial, and ruin your reputation.”

(End of this chapter)