Cthulhu America, I can see the kill line.

"Why do you seem unhappy, Kong?"

Squich lay lazily on the worn-out sofa, its tail drooping limply to the side, exuding a deep weariness.

A faint glint appeared in Kong Jiu's eyes as he looked up at the cave.

After receiving the parchment map from Sofia, he bid farewell to the Church of the Prophet and went to find the first "person" he was truly looking for in the lower city.

Unable to contact the rat Squich with the ring, he could only activate the trans-space transfer station and teleport to the place where he first met this rat god.

Now, Kong Jiu stood in the cave, his gaze piercing through the layers of the earth, looking up at the various people passing by on the lower levels, a look of worry in his eyes.

"Suf suggested that I should embark on a path to seek the highest."

Countless health bars still flickered red, like dying refugees passing by Kong Jiu's gaze.

At the end of each person's health bar, there is a thread that is almost imperceptible unless you look closely, but it extends to the higher sky, connecting with the remaining traces of the iron curtain and the empty health bar.

"But what will happen to these people if I leave?"

Kong Jiu frowned slightly, his voice growing increasingly lower, "Winter still has more than a month left, what if another cold wave comes..."

He seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps questioning someone.

"We destroyed the Iron Curtain, but I always feel... we didn't really save that many people."

Kong Jiu rambled on and on.

Since the Iron Curtain disappeared, Kong Jiu's psionic abilities have stabilized at a C-level.

He could clearly sense that a certain force that had once suppressed people's thoughts had indeed lessened.

But it has absolutely not completely disappeared, absolutely not.

Like a ghost, a ghost called capitalism, it still lingers in the sky above Hills, silently enveloping every inch of land.

"Arthur, with the Iron Curtain gone, will the suffering in the Lower City disappear?"

With his spiritual vision activated, Kong Jiu's gaze pierced through layers of sewers, staring straight at the sky above Hills and asking a question.

"I never guaranteed that the suffering in Downtown would disappear, did I?"

Squich slowly stroked his whiskers: "I only said that I would ensure the survival of humanity, the survival of the largest possible number of people."

"This is a promise, a promise of survival; if you humans can obtain the productivity to survive by exploiting your fellow humans and creating suffering, then I will support you without hesitation."

Under Kong Jiu's somewhat surprised gaze, Squich spoke very naturally, jumped off the sofa, and slowly walked to his side.

"But the Amerigo Vespasians clearly cannot do that. Over the past few decades, through World War II, they have gathered the most advanced technology of humankind, occupied the most fertile lands, and achieved a lofty international status—and what have they done?"

As Squich spoke, a green glint appeared in his eyes.

Kong Jiu silently shook his head.

He was a time traveler, and his understanding of this world was inherently limited.

Moreover, being in Amerigo, the history he encountered had long been covered up and carefully embellished by the Federation.

Squichet's rat-like eyes darted around, meeting Kongjiu's gaze.

During their brief eye contact, countless fragmented images flashed before Kong Jiu's eyes.

In the dense forest, a tall and strong Amerigo modified soldier grabbed an East Asian-looking soldier wearing a straw hat and punched him repeatedly until the man collapsed to the ground.

In the desert, modern armored vehicles rolled over sand dunes, and blond-haired, blue-eyed soldiers jumped out and surrounded the oil field. Several locals with turbans, their faces bruised and swollen from beatings, shakily led them toward the next resource point;

On the island's shore, a banquet was laid out. The short, Japanese man bowed and smiled obsequiously, toasting each of the white officers. Even the young girls serving the dishes couldn't escape the fate of being frivolously teased…

Kong Jiu noticed that all these illusions were viewed from a very low angle.

It was so low it seemed to be looking down from the ground, from the eyes of some huddled creature.

These perspectives originated from a mouse?

"For thousands of years, these white people set out from the continent of Europe, sailing on the Mayflower to this land, from exploring the dark North America beneath their feet to becoming the world's most powerful nation today..."

Squich's whiskers twitched slightly, and the sound seemed particularly desolate against the backdrop of the illusion:

"Whenever they become extravagant and forget their roots, I always launch a civil war, a plague, or a rebellion... I always hope that these small punishments and warnings will teach these white monkeys under my jurisdiction to be vigilant in times of peace and to strive for self-improvement."

The Rat God remained silent for a moment, then the green light in his eyes dimmed:

"Unfortunately, they never learn their lesson."

As the last sentence fell, the illusion vanished like smoke.

Immediately afterwards, a spot of light flashed on Kong Jiu's chest.

"You have already seen the four most basic mechanisms that constitute this country's oppression and exploitation of the lower classes: fanatical faith, fragmented grassroots power, and forced births due to the inability to have abortions."

The shimmering light peeked out from Kong Jiu's clothes.

"And the most deadly and insidious of all, authoritarianism."

The jade seal was caught by Squich's front paws. The Rat God lowered his head to sniff it, then looked at Kong Jiu.

He paused, then touched the surface of the jade seal with his fingertip, drawing out a wisp of pale purple light—a pure concept independent of the physical body.

"And the most deadly and deeply ingrained—authoritarianism."

Squich held the radiant light and the jade seal on his two front paws, his gaze calm yet solemn:

"We are friends, Kong. But even brothers should keep clear accounts."

The mouse paw pushed the light forward a little.

"Your path ahead holds many possibilities. If you want to see the whole picture, you can follow me."

Then, the other claw pulled the jade seal forward again.

"Or, take this jade seal and find your way home."

Kong Jiu lowered his eyes and looked at the two completely different choices on the rat's paws, and fell silent for a moment.

"The whole picture... includes what?"

Kong Jiu calmly asked, "Are there threads connecting everyone's heads to the heavens? Has the Iron Curtain truly been destroyed? Or is this what you, Arthur, intend to do next?"

"Yes, we have them all."

Squich said calmly, "But that doesn't include what I'm planning to do next. I might as well tell you my plans."

He raised his eyes, a cold glint flashing in his green pupils:

"I want to plunge Amerigo into civil war, and crush that president who tried to establish an authoritarian federation..."

The moment the words left his mouth, the entire cave trembled violently!

Dust settled down, and a faint cracking sound came from the stone wall.

Kong Jiu steadied himself and looked up at Squich: "Does your voice even have a trembling effect?"

"It wasn't me." The big rat shook its head, its ears perking up alertly. "Something seems to have happened outside."

Kong Jiu immediately focused his mind, and a glint of inspiration appeared in his eyes again.

The view penetrated the rock layers and streets, reaching the distance of the lower city, where flames soared into the sky and thick smoke billowed from the territory of the Purple Light Sect.

That eerie cathedral is burning.

The Purple Light Cult... has been attacked.