NOVEL NEXT Chapter 27
Chapter 27: Taken Away
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Stella Shane was sitting in her office and staring blankly out of the window. The sun had risen.
A new day had begun. She couldn’t remember how she got through the night.
She had lost any hope to live on. All kinds of vicious comments online had drowned her.
She was all on her own that night. No one tried to help her, not even her family members. They had remained silent and had even switched to Himmel Soan’s side. They insulted her and revealed her old “dirty secrets”.
Why stay alive at all?
Life had lost its meaning.
After taking one last look at the webpage on her phone, she picked up the knife on the table. The internet was where she gained her fame, but it was also the place that had buried her. From now on, she would have to live with all the humiliation. Everyone could recognize her as soon as she went outside.
As vast as the country was, there was no place for her anymore. And now, there was some military maneuver going on outside. High-tech equipment driven by special force soldiers that no one had seen before was hovering over the city.
Perhaps all borders had been shut down.
It was almost impossible for her to leave the country.
Just then, some angry fans banged on her door, which wouldn’t withstand the force much longer. That door was her last hope and her last psychological defense. Once it opened…
Stella sighed and was ready to give up.
“I never knew how well-connected that old fool was. As it turned out, I’m the clown. If that old bastard had told us who he was, I would never have to live such a hard life!”
But it was too late to regret now. She picked up the knife, ground her teeth, and aimed the blade at her wrist.
At that moment…
There was a loud bang on the front gate.
Stella involuntarily looked up, and her suicide attempt was interrupted. A fully-armed special force wearing military masks appeared in the doorway.
“We’ve secured the target. Stella Shane is safe!”
“Sir, we’ve found Stella Shane, one of our chief targets!”
“Copy that. Take her into protective custody.”
The soldiers grabbed Stella by her arms and moved her toward the door without giving any explanations.
“Who are you?”
“We’re here to help you, Miss Shane. Don’t be afraid. We’ll take you somewhere safe! You’ll stay there for the time being.”
“But why?”
“You’ll have the answer once you get there.”
They led her out of the office that was surrounded by curious onlookers. They watched as Stella was escorted to a helicopter, which then flew her out of the city.
The news went viral again.
“The government has taken Stella Shane away! I saw it with my own eyes, and I have pictures to prove it!”
“Holy smokes! I didn’t know it was so serious! Even the government is involved!”
“OMG. Who on earth is that old man?”
“Why do you even ask? He’s definitely more important than we think. Even the government is involved! He can’t be just a common folk!”
“Oh no! Guys… I think I’m in danger! I heard footsteps outside!”
Someone with the user-id “useless_scholar” created a post.
The internet seemed to freeze for a second. After that, the comment section went wild, almost overloading the server.
“@useless_scholar: Bro, what’s going on?”
“@useless_scholar: You still there? Who’s coming?”
“@useless_scholar: My friend, what’s going on? Are you alright? Talk to us! Who’s there? Are they from the government or the old man?”
But no matter what they asked, useless_scholar never replied. It was as if the person had been wiped off the face of the earth. He had left no comments or messages after that.
“Oh no, that person is a keyboard warrior. Check out his homepage!”
“Shit! He really is! That’s it. No more questions. He’s as good as dead!”
“Everyone is apologizing now. Not only wouldn’t that guy apologize, but he also didn’t even delete his old posts and comments. He was ranting only a minute ago. He must have a death wish! The old man’s people must have found him!”
Someone found useless_scholar’s old posts. There were over a thousand of them, and all posts were insulting Himmel Soan.
“That old man is an animal!”
“He should go to hell!”
“Stella Shane, I love you! You’re my goddess!”
“Old bastard, I’m going to send you a funeral wreath made of marble! Can someone tell me which hospital he’s in?”
“IF Security has taken him away. I bet that woman is a bitch! She looks so mean!”
…
All his posts had similar content, and there were more than ten pages of them. After the truth was revealed, he didn’t apologize. Instead, he went on making excuses.
“We’re victims, too. It wasn’t our fault!”
“That bitch Stella Shane tricked us! We shouldn’t be blamed! It’s all her fault!”
“Hey guys, I have these bloody words on my screen. What’s that about? Anyone experiencing the same thing? Please let me know.”
…
After reading through his posts, everyone concluded that he was dead. He was beyond the average keyboard warrior. Usually, none of them could create so many posts. To post thousands of comments overnight, the person wouldn’t have time to sleep!
The man was Johnny Sims. He was in a helicopter at the moment, and beside him were two other keyboard warriors that had made as many “achievements” as he did. The three of them were as tame as kittens and didn’t dare to utter a word.
They were surrounded by special force soldiers in uniforms. There was a stern look in their eyes, and they all gave off an indimidating air. The only sound came from the spinning propeller overhead. It was disturbingly quiet otherwise.
“Who… Who are you?”
Johnny couldn’t hold it back anymore. He swallowed and asked the question.
One of the soldiers said, “We belong to the Fire Dragon Unit of Moon. The authorities have sent us to protect you. You don’t need to be afraid. Someone is hunting you down, and we must take you to a shelter before they find you. You’ll be safe there.”
“A shelter?” Johnny and the other two men grinned. “You’re from the government! I was so scared! I thought that old bastard sent you!”