68: Declare war on laughter! Comrades of the 'Sorrow Front', take action!

Led by Chen Mo, the Joint Squad endured their physical weakness and mental revulsion.

They left the dark sewers and returned to the surface.

The pervasive, cloying background music and fake laughter enveloped them once more.

"Remember, smile," Chen Mo's voice was extremely low.

"The happier you smile, the safer we'll be."

The five followed his instructions.

Their previously cold faces now bore the radiant smiles characteristic of this world.

Yet, beneath those smiles, everyone's eyes held an ancient, unmelting chill.

They walked through the vibrant, colorful streets.

The buildings and the pedestrians' attire here were like a spilled palette, dazzlingly bright.

Just then, a live program on the giant screen of a skyscraper ahead captured everyone's attention.

The show, titled "Daily Surprise Delivery," featured a female host with exaggerated heavy makeup and a smile stretched to her ears.

She shrieked in an almost frenzied tone: "Good evening, viewers! Today, our city welcomes another exciting 'City Renewal Party'!".

"A 7.8-magnitude surprise earthquake has given our West District a brand new look! It's simply fantastic!".

Below the screen, scenes of the disaster area showed crumbling walls and raging fires.

The live stream's bullet comments were filled with "Fantastic!" and "Excellent!".

"And now, the most, most, most exciting moment is upon us! The names of the next batch of 'lucky graduates' are about to be revealed!".

"Are all you viewers here not ex-treme-ly excited? Are any of your family members among them?".

"Please don't go anywhere; let's first watch an advertisement for 'Haha' brand energy bars, to help you smile with more vigor!".

Explosive music began, and a group of girls in pink miniskirts sang and danced energetically on stage.

The lyrics were full of phrases like "Congratulations on your graduation" and "Going to a happier paradise."

Meanwhile, the smiles on the faces of the Joint Squad in front of the screen had become as stiff as masks.

During the commercial break, the screen began to play a promotional video for a novel.

The book was titled "My Overbearing Grim Reaper Fell in Love With Me: My Funeral Must Be the World's Wildest Party!"

The narrator's voice was full of passion: "The year's bestselling tragicomedy! It'll make you laugh until your heart stops!".

The commercial ended, and the female host reappeared, holding a golden envelope.

"Alright! Let's count down together! Shout out your family's names loudly and cheer for them! 5 ~ 4 ~ 3 ~ 2 ~ 1!".

On the screen, a long list of victims scrolled by like lottery numbers.

The audience below erupted in thunderous cheers and applause.

Some people, seeing their father's name on the list, embraced each other excitedly, weeping with joy.

Of course, their tears evaporated before they could fall.

"Viewers who didn't find anyone, don't be discouraged! The next batch will be here soon! We'll meet again tomorrow at the same time!".

The arc of Gu Yanci's smile remained unchanged, but the air temperature around him plummeted by more than ten degrees.

Ye Liuli's shadow twisted wildly beneath her feet, as if countless vengeful spirits were struggling within it.

Ye Qiong's hand was pressed firmly on the hilt of the blade at his waist.

They silently followed Chen Mo, turning into an alley.

They passed a cinema displaying posters for its latest films.

One was a war movie titled "Landmines Are So Fun," with a poster showing a soldier stepping on a landmine and flying into the sky, laughing.

Another was a medical drama titled "Cancer Serendipity," its poster depicting the male and female protagonists holding their respective critical illness notices, embracing happily.

This world was no longer merely absurd; it was the most thorough desecration of life.

Finally, in a repair shop reeking of oil and ozone, they met their inside contact responsible for the broadcast station's maintenance—Old Sun.

Old Sun was a man in his fifties, wearing greasy work clothes.

His face bore the same standard smile as everyone else, but his eyes held a pure void, all light extinguished.

"You're here, haha," he said, smiling, as he handed Chen Mo a folded blueprint.

His hands, however, trembled violently and uncontrollably.

"This is the internal structure diagram of the broadcast tower and the Smile Guard's shift schedule, haha, I drew it for a long time."

He paused, as if recalling something amusing, and continued to laugh: "Haha, let me tell you a joke. My neighbor, Old Li, his family of five 'won the lottery' on TV yesterday! Haha!".

"He laughed so hard he passed out and 'graduated' right then and there! Hahahaha!".

"The city government even posthumously awarded him the 'Happiest Family of the Year Award'! Don't you think it's funny? Hahahaha..."

He laughed and laughed, as two silent, scorching streams of liquid slid from his hollow eyes.

They were instantly evaporated by the Law of Happiness, leaving only two blurred tear tracks on his cheeks.

Cang Xuan silently took the blueprint and unfolded it.

Just then, Old Sun suddenly leaned in, lowering his voice with all his might.

His stiff smile, twisted by fear, became extremely distorted: "You can handle the ordinary Smile Guard... But... guarding the core broadcast unit... is the 'Joyful Chorus'..."

"They... they are Her Majesty the Empress's most beloved children... Their singing isn't just sound... it's a weapon..."

"It can directly purify all 'sadness' and 'anger' from your mind, making you... making you, from the depths of your soul, become just like us..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Old Sun's body suddenly convulsed, and porcelain-like cracks began to appear on his face.

He was suffering the backlash of the Law for revealing an "unhappy" secret!

A flicker of sorrow crossed Chen Mo's eyes, and he chopped him unconscious with a hand strike.

"No time left," Chen Mo said, his voice hoarse, looking at the blueprint.

"We must act."

Inside the repair room, he picked up an old walkie-talkie, took a deep breath, and spoke into it:

"Comrades, the time has come."

"For our deceased loved ones, for our stolen tears, for... our right to be human."

"For weeping—act!".

As his words fell, a silent revolution, sweeping across the entire Land of Joy, officially erupted!

In every corner of the city, those members of the Grief Front who usually disguised themselves with smiles, at the same moment, dropped their smiles.

They stood there silently, expressionless, looking at the vibrant world around them, becoming the most glaring "blemishes" in this joyful nation.

Some climbed to rooftops, using makeshift projection equipment to cast a giant, crystalline blue tear onto the headquarters building of "Daily Surprise Delivery."

Others rushed directly to the street speakers, smashing the unchanging, cloying songs to pieces with hammers!