Killing Marriage [ABO] - Chapter 23
Chapter 23; Public Opinion
It was a Friday night.
Most working people had finished a busy week and were ready to relax and have fun, with plenty of time to surf the web for gossip, and the weekend was coming up. If something big broke at this time, the buzz would definitely be astronomical.
What’s more, this was a major event that concerned everyone.
Private videos of couples’ intimate lives, required for submission to the Marriage Monitoring Center, had been leaked and were being sold on the dark web for a clear price.
After the news broke, almost all social media platforms crashed. No one involved went to sleep that night, and all other news was buried by the heat of this incident.
Comments, shares, arguments, articles, videos…
This night wouldn’t end. At the very least, it would last for three days and three nights.
The dark web’s servers and URL were not within the country’s borders, but the website’s content was flowing out from within.
An ordinary user could pay the most basic membership fee to unlock marital life videos classified as D-tier.
The “quality” of D-tier videos was mixed. The couples in the videos often didn’t have high looks or good bodies, the home decor was usually not great, the videos were typically no longer than 5 minutes, and there were many videos of couples who had faked their way through the AI’s loopholes.
By paying a higher membership fee, one could watch all C-tier and D-tier videos, and watch 5 B-tier videos for free each month, with extra payment required for more.
C-tier video content guaranteed that it looked like a real sexual encounter, but key body parts might be obscured or not clearly filmed. B-tier videos guaranteed that key areas were visible most of the time.
The next tier of membership was already quite expensive, but a large number of viewers still bought it to unlock the right to watch A-tier videos.
After all, videos with explosive scenes, handsome men and beautiful women, and enjoyable or unique gameplay were rare, even in films shot by professional actors and directors.
The highest-level members could even watch S-tier videos featuring public figures like officials, celebrities, and the wealthy. Of course, unlocking these secrets required a membership fee that was almost astronomical.
The number of golden, top-tier badges in the comments section showed how many people were prying into the private affairs of the upper class.
Before the dark web link was blocked, countless marketing accounts, journalists, and self-media bloggers rushed to the site for material, editing and publishing content immediately to earn clicks while giving the internet a chance for a second wave of public opinion.
Almost everyone was in a state of unprecedented panic.
After all, under the forced-matching marriage system, even if the currently unmarried population was not affected, they would one day be matched with someone and have to upload private videos every month.
To use entertainment to cover up the seriousness of the issue, a compilation of funny videos of couples deceiving the AI was forcibly placed on the trending list.
Using a projector to play a pre-recorded video to earn points, using a pornographic film as background music to increase the audio index, and using a silicone mannequin as a stand-in… these absurd acts, accompanied by canned laughter and cheesy special effects, deliberately created a lighthearted and joyful atmosphere.
But this time, the public wasn’t buying it.
[Get lost!]
[Making fun of others’ privacy is a complete lack of morals.]
[They are us tomorrow. I know people have no privacy in this era, but at least I don’t want to completely lose my last shred of dignity this way.]
[I just want to ask how many couples haven’t faked it? Who’s to blame when a leave request from the Marriage Monitoring Center is harder to get approved than a book’s ISBN number.]
[This f**king rule is disgusting.]
At the same time, another related topic started trending.
“Domestic Violence” footage.
Marital sexual violence and domestic violence recorded by the camera were everywhere. Ironically, these videos usually didn’t score too low in the Marriage Monitoring Center’s AI.
After all, hitting also counted as a physical contact index, and screaming and crying for mercy also counted as an audio index…
[Excuse me, does your monitoring AI only play deaf and dumb when it comes to domestic violence? @MarriageMonitoringCenterOfficialAccount]
[Come in and get yelled at! [Vomit][Vomit][Vomit]@MarriageMonitoringCenterOfficialAccount]
[You’re beating your wives and children on camera. Aren’t you even more brazen when the camera is off? Don’t hide. What do you all even do? @MarriageMonitoringCenterOfficialAccount]
Many people censored important parts and edited them into compilations, questioning the Marriage Monitoring Center and hoping to secure the victims’ rightful interests.
Long-dormant conspiracy theorists jumped out to take advantage of the situation, latching onto every detail of the incident and letting their imaginations run wild. For a time, all kinds of rumors spread.
But soon, all videos related to this leak were deleted and blocked from the websites, and users discussing the incident were suspended in large numbers.
However, the people at the top, busy with damage control, didn’t realize—this time, it was different.
The speed of deletion could never catch up to the speed of posting. Countless ordinary people and self-media accounts spontaneously saved, shared, and rebuilt related topics.
Unless every single account was silenced, as long as one account survived, it would continue to discuss the leaked marital life videos.
All the deletions and bans… these attempts to muzzle the masses were like pouring water on a raging pot of oil. Not only did they fail to extinguish the fire, but they made the flames leap up like a fountain, threatening to burn everything down.
In the chaotic explosion of public opinion, amidst the normal people, some dark and disgusting comments began to breed like viruses and bacteria.
[Found the class beauty’s video. Not a loss.]
[Fixed camera angles are lame. Our group-shared videos of wives/girlfriends/little O boyfriends are way more exciting than this.]
[That little O in the A-tier video is so kinky, I want to f**k him.]
[You don’t just have to want to; you can go. The AI’s facial recognition combined with comprehensive analysis of the reflections from the home decor has already pinpointed the little O’s address. This little O is a dance student and now seems to be a kindergarten teacher.]
[Help me find this Beta woman in the video. Let’s get a group together to r*pe her. URL link…]
Soon, the first unexpected victim appeared in the crowd.
[Young Omega woman jumps to her death late at night, unable to face people after her marital life video was leaked.]
In a short video filmed by a passerby, a girl in pajamas jumped from the roof of an 8th-floor building.
Without any hesitation, without any regret.
The fire department that had just arrived on the scene below didn’t even have time to take any action.
…
“Ah! She jumped! Ah!”
The passerby filming the video shrieked as the woman fell from the rooftop.
Zhang Qingyuan watched this video over and over again.
He had sharp hearing and could hear the voices of other passersby in the video’s background.
A male voice seemed to be saying, “She’s been standing there for ages. Are you going to jump or not?”
Another person said something like, “My neck is tired from looking up. My phone’s almost out of battery. Just jump already.”
Cold sweat beaded on Zhang Qingyuan’s forehead.
Since the video leak scandal broke after the honeymoon ended, he had only slept for a total of four hours over the past two days.
[Police latest announcement: As of now, the police have received reports from numerous citizens. Affected by the “marital life video leak incident,” a large number of Beta females, Omega males, and Omega females have shown suicidal tendencies. We ask all residents…]
Zhang Qingyuan knew he had to get some proper rest and stop scrolling through these news stories and videos. He forcibly shut down his phone, placed it face down on the table, and pushed it far away.
Even with the phone turned off, the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground kept replaying in his ears.
“Thud, thud, thud!”
One after another, as if it would never stop.
“Thud, thud, thud!”
One figure after another flashed past his eyes, falling. There was everything on the ground, shattered bones piercing internal organs. Bright red bl00d flowed everywhere, mixed with bile, gastric juices, and brain matter.
“Thud, thud, thud!”
One fresh life after another was extinguished in extreme agony.
They might have been busy at home just yesterday, reminiscing about their school days and imagining what their lives would have been like if they hadn’t gotten married but had instead pursued their studies and careers.
Now, everything was gone.