SSS-Class Profession: The Path to Mastery-Chapter 200: Unveiling the Truth

The living room was suffocating, the quiet weighing on us like a thick shroud. Camille’s fingers danced over her laptop’s keys, her motions exact, yet the atmosphere in the room was heavy with untold reflections. The screens’ light brightened our faces while we gathered closely in a circle, still processing the aftermath of the livestream. Outside, the world was on fire both literally and metaphorically. Our reality, my reality, was now in the possession of millions, and the responses were flooding in every second.

I reclined on the couch, my body sore from the battle, the tension, and the turmoil of the previous hours. The gravity of what had just occurred was sinking in, yet I still couldn’t release the pressure in my chest. I revealed the reality. I had announced it publicly. But what was the significance of it all now? The timer on Camille’s laptop blinked in the backdrop while she reviewed the comments coming in rapidly.

"So," Alexis said, breaking the silence with a sharp edge to her voice. "That’s it then. You’ve really gone and done it, Rey. You’ve put the world on notice. Now what?"

I rubbed my eyes, the exhaustion catching up to me. "Now we wait," I muttered. "For the fallout."

Alexis sat on the edge of the chair, arms crossed tightly, her face unreadable. "I’m not so sure this is the moment for waiting, Rey. Did you really think challenging the World President, going after the highest power in the world, was a good idea?"

I didn’t answer immediately, my mind wandering to the last subject in the NovaCore report, Subject 3840, Jobmaster. The realization had hit me like a ton of bricks during the livestream, when I read the part about Jobmaster. My job title was Jobmaster too just like the one in the report. Except I was SSS-Rank, and this other subject was... just another test subject. A failed experiment. I shook my head, forcing the thought out. I couldn’t focus on that now. I had bigger problems.

"It’s not about whether it’s a good idea or not," I said, looking up at Alexis. "It’s about doing what was right. Exposing the truth. They’ve been hiding everything from us, manipulating us for years. If I didn’t do it now, when would we ever have a chance?"

Alexis ran a hand through her hair, looking less than convinced. "So you think the whole world was ready for this? You think the governments who’ve been in power for centuries will just sit back and let you tear everything apart? Do you realize what you’ve just done? You’ve made yourself a target for the most powerful people in the world."

"You know that already, right?" Camille said from behind her laptop, not looking up as she spoke. "You’re not just an enemy to the World President anymore. You’ve become a symbol. A revolutionary. A martyr-in-the-making. You’ve exposed everything, Rey. It’s no longer just about them... it’s about how the world sees you. And right now? The world sees a mess."

Sienna shifted in her seat, her hands clasped tightly together. She hadn’t said much since the livestream ended, but her gaze was intense, searching. "I understand why you did it," she said quietly, her voice almost a whisper. "But didn’t that man Connor once say something about how the moment we are deemed a threat they would take us out? In fact, I’m guessing you survived when you were looking for Evelyn because some of the agents had the intention of capturing you and not killing you."

My chest tightened as I looked at Sienna. I didn’t want to show it, but I felt it too, the weight of what was coming. But I couldn’t take it back. I had already made the choice. "I didn’t have a choice," I said, almost too quietly. "The people needed to know the truth and we needed as much breathing room as possible. This should be big enough to give us some space to work with."

Camille finally looked up from the laptop, her face serious. "You’re not just fighting for the truth anymore. You’re fighting for your life. For ours. And they won’t play fair."

A quiet tension settled in the room. Each of us knew the truth. The world had been exposed. The people behind the scenes pulling the strings. The truth behind the Cain Protocol, the manipulation, the experimentation. All of it was out there now. The world was reacting, in real-time. But the question that loomed over us now was how far they would go to protect the status quo.

I turned to Camille. "How are the reactions?"

She paused before responding, her fingers hovering over the keys. "It’s mixed. There’s a lot of support, sure. Some people are already calling you a hero. A symbol of revolution. But you’re also getting labeled as a terrorist, a destabilizer, a criminal. And then, of course, there are the doubters. The ones who still think this is some kind of conspiracy theory."

The comments continued to flood in, the numbers growing by the second. I couldn’t help but glance at the screen behind Camille. Thousands of reactions were pouring in, some with support, others with anger and disbelief. Some were even questioning if this was some sort of elaborate hoax.

"Revolution is here."

"Down with the system!"

"The Masked Syndicate’s leader has been exposed!"

The reactions were just as Camille had predicted, polarizing. For every voice of support, there was a voice of hatred, distrust. Some were demanding my capture, others calling me a hero. The division was already apparent.

A news anchor from South Korea appeared on the screen, her face tense with disbelief as she spoke. "We now know the man behind the Masked Syndicate. Reynard Vale, an individual previously known for his work in labor and industry, is now the leader of a global movement. But is he a symbol of justice or a terrorist responsible for the destruction of the system?"

The anchor’s words hung in the air, only to be followed by a panel in the UK, discussing the moral implications of my actions. "Reynard Vale is more than just an enemy of the state," one of the panelists argued. "He’s a symbol of everything that’s wrong with our hierarchical system. His actions have led to the breakdown of order in multiple countries. If he’s not stopped, the chaos will spread."

The comments section on the livestream exploded with reactions. Some agreed with the anchor, while others demanded answers. I could barely keep up with the flood of messages.

Then came New York. The screen shifted to a man in a small, crowded news station, his eyes wide with anger. "You can’t just ignore the truth anymore. Reynard Vale is a liar. He’s a criminal, and he’s hiding behind some fabricated ideal of justice. He’s the one who’s destabilizing the world. This isn’t a revolution. This is anarchy."

Another came from Argentina. It was a more public news station, the man walked around the streets as he talked. "Reynard Vale, leader of the Masked Syndicate, as just revealed that some governments have encouraged cruel experimentations of a minimum of 3400 subjects, most of which have past away. What does this mean for you?..."

"Look at this," Camille muttered as the comments kept rolling. "There’s no middle ground anymore. People either see you as the answer to their problems, or they want you dead."

I ran a hand through my hair, trying to suppress the growing sense of dread in my chest. But the truth was out there now. And there was no turning back.

As if the weight of the world hadn’t already fallen on us, Evelyn spoke, her voice soft but firm. "You’re not just fighting for yourself anymore, Reynard. You’re fighting for everyone. It’s now more than ever that you must fulfill your role as a candidate of the World President."

I nodded slowly. "I know."

Then, a few moments of silence passed before Alexis’s voice cut through the tension.

"You’re not going anywhere just yet," she said, walking towards me. "Both you and Evelyn need a medical check-up. Now."

I looked up at her, meeting her gaze. "After all this?"

She wasn’t amused. "Yes, after all this. You’re in bad shape, and Evelyn—" she looked at Evelyn, her expression softening slightly. "You both need to see me in my office. Now."

I opened my mouth to protest, but the sharp look in Alexis’s eyes shut me up instantly. I stood, feeling the strain in my muscles, but this wasn’t something I could afford to ignore. The message had been sent. The world was already reacting. But there were still personal battles to face.

Though something bothered me. Lately Alexis has been a bit more rude. Not in a bad way, but more in that she was throwing insults more usually and her body showed signs that she was hiding something.

"We’ll continue this later," Alexis said as she slowly walked towards her office. "You’ve done enough revealing for one day, let’s just make sure your body lives to see tomorrow."

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