The story continued to unfold.
With Kallen transferring into his class, Lelouch quickly came up with a plan—using her as a bridge to connect himself with the resistance forces in the Tokyo area of Area 11.
First, Lelouch concealed his true identity and approached Kallen under the alias Zero.
Of course, during this process, Kallen also suspected that her classmate might be the mysterious figure who had commanded their rebel forces to victory against Britannia just days ago.
But each time she tested him, Lelouch—who had already prepared in advance—smoothly deflected her suspicions.
As Chu Yi kept watching, he found himself getting more and more drawn in.
What kind of drama was Su Yan trying to create?
Lelouch was just an ordinary student—no money, no army, no status, no prestige. All he had was the Geass power given to him by that mysterious green-haired girl.
How was he supposed to achieve the main objective of the story—
Overthrow the Britannian Empire, a nation that occupied half the world and was described as the most powerful empire in human history?
With just the ragtag resistance forces in Area 11?
From a worldbuilding perspective, just a few years ago, an army of a million in Area 11 had been crushed into surrender by Britannia's Knightmare forces. Even if Lelouch took control of what remained, what difference could it make?
At its core, all cultural and entertainment works are a battle of wits between creator and audience. As far as Chu Yi could tell, Lelouch's most obvious path would be to use Geass to control the Emperor of Britannia.
But the problem was—while the answer seemed clear, the real challenge was how to even get close to the Emperor.
While Chu Yi was still thinking, the story pushed forward.
To cover up Prince Clovis's death, the corrupt Britannian military pinned the blame on Lelouch's friend, Suzaku, turning him into a scapegoat and preparing to publicly execute him.
If this were real life, Chu Yi would probably choose to betray his friend, shed a few tears, swear revenge after Suzaku's death, and then eventually forget about it.
But this was a drama. And Lelouch was not him.
When Lelouch saw his childhood friend being persecuted in his place, his first reaction was anger.
His second reaction was to save himself.
This kind of story, one that goes beyond what ordinary people would do, was exactly why people watched.
From here on, a subtle atmosphere began to take shape.
When Lelouch appeared on the subway, dressed in a black cloak and wearing a sealed helmet—concealing his true identity—as he introduced himself to Kallen and her rebel leaders as Zero—
Chu Yi was already getting hyped.
Men are children at heart.
As kids, they loved masked heroes and giants of justice.
As adults, they loved figures like Batman, Spider-Man, the Joker—and of course, Zero.
In fact, Su Yan himself had realized that even up until before his transmigration, the most popular works over the decades all followed similar patterns. Even something like 'Attack on Titan', which many considered groundbreaking, was essentially just a variation of that same formula—just with a darker twist.
The storytelling might differ, but the core appeal—the way it grips audiences—remains the same.
And just as it captivated hundreds of millions in Su Yan's previous world, it was doing the same in the Xia Nation, in the overseas countries where it aired, and on NKNet.
Without realizing it, all distracting thoughts vanished from Chu Yi's mind.
Faced with Kallen and her comrades questioning why he refused to show his face, Lelouch replied:
"Showing you my face has no meaning. What matters is showing you power. What should make you believe in me is not what I look like—but that I can turn the impossible into possible."
Chu Yi's expression turned strange.
Clearly, Lelouch needed help to save Suzaku—he was basically recruiting cannon fodder.
So how did he always manage to package it in a way that made others feel like they were the ones benefiting?
[But… I like it.]
Even if the lines felt a bit over-the-top, they were undeniably cool.
After Lelouch, in disguise, met with Kallen and the resistance, the story reached its climax.
The public execution of Suzaku.
The streets were filled with onlooking civilians—like in ancient times, when people would gather to watch executions and even throw in a few curses.
Escorting Suzaku was an entire military force—Knightmare units, tanks clearing the way, fighter jets sealing off the skies, thousands of fully armed soldiers on guard, and towering ten-meter-tall mechs advancing down the wide streets.
As the scene played out with hyper-realistic effects, Chu Yi felt an overwhelming sense of suffocating pressure.
Even knowing it was fiction, the despair felt incredibly real.
An empire like Britannia in this drama didn't just dominate its fictional world—if it existed on Xia Nation's Earth, it might conquer the planet in under three months.
Then came the peak of the episode.
Just as Suzaku was about to be executed—
Lelouch, along with Kallen and a few newly recruited rebels, drove onto the scene in what was rumored to be a poison gas transport truck—actually an armored vehicle carrying the green-haired girl they had seized in Episode 1.
Chu Yi's eyes widened.
["What the hell? It's this direct?"]
He hadn't even finished thinking about how Lelouch would rescue Suzaku—only for Lelouch to charge straight in.
Then—
In front of hundreds of media outlets at the execution site, broadcast live across the world—
Lelouch, wearing that sealed spherical helmet, clad in a black cloak and suit, appeared as Zero before the entire world.
Chu Yi, who wasn't usually shy, suddenly curled his toes in secondhand tension.
Not from embarrassment—but from excitement, thrill, and fear.
He was fully immersed, enjoying Lelouch's moment in the spotlight—
But he couldn't figure out how Lelouch would escape.
Because making a grand entrance is only satisfying if you can pull it off.
Otherwise, it's just a spectacular failure.
And right now—that was exactly the situation Lelouch was in.
He openly declared that he was the one who killed Governor Clovis.
Right there, in front of a global live broadcast.
Then, he revealed the "poison gas" truck behind him.
Only Clovis had known that there was no poison gas inside. Everyone else—including the military at the scene—believed it was real. If released, it would wipe out the entire city, leaving no one alive.
[?]
["Wait… you can do that?"]
Chu Yi blinked.
This was deception at its finest.
Whether the weapon was real didn't matter—as long as others believed it was, its deterrence was just as effective.
But even so, the commanding officer couldn't simply let Lelouch go because of that.
The truck's purpose was only to prevent Lelouch from being immediately gunned down—but after publicly admitting to killing a prince, escaping wouldn't be that easy.
At this moment, Lelouch proposed a private negotiation with the commander.
And the commander had no choice but to agree—because Lelouch held everyone's lives as leverage.
At that point, Chu Yi finally realized—
[Oh… Geass.]
[So THIS is how you use it.]
The power was indeed strong—but controlling a few random soldiers was meaningless. Britannia had millions of troops. Lelouch couldn't possibly control them one by one.
Moreover, Geass could only issue specific commands—it couldn't enslave someone for life. It had limits.
So the best way to use it was—
To create opportunities through strategy to meet key figures, then use Geass at critical moments to execute decisive actions.
And Lelouch had done exactly that.
He created the opportunity, revealed his eyes beneath the helmet, and issued a command to the commander—
And then, right in front of the entire Britannian force, Lelouch and his newly recruited rebels escaped.
Yet the enemy commander ordered no pursuit.
This "illogical" scene had Chu Yi laughing and slapping his thigh.
[Everyone in the story probably thinks the commander was threatened or blackmailed…]
[But in reality—he literally had no control over himself!]
As for what followed—
Suzaku was rescued. But because he wanted to die honorably and clear his name, he refused to flee as a criminal and instead chose to return to the Britannian military.
Chu Yi frowned.
It made sense. People from Area 11 were already discriminated against. If Suzaku, as someone who joined the Britannian army, couldn't clear the charge of killing a prince, it would only worsen the situation for his fellow people.
His choice wasn't wrong.
It was just… boring.
In essence, it was choosing to walk toward death—leaving everything to the mercy of the enemy. A decision that seemed righteous, but was ultimately naive.
Then Chu Yi thought about Shirou Emiya from 'Fate/stay night'.
The two had similar personalities—and were even played by the same actor.
["Sigh… that old sadist really loves writing stubborn characters. Whatever…"]
The ending theme began to play.
Chu Yi let out a long breath.
For the first time, he had this feeling—
That was insanely satisfying.
And this episode had such a high density of plot.
Even if some lines felt a bit embarrassing… that was part of the fun.
Viewers like Chu Yi were not few in number.
Even if many of them were no longer young—
That chuunibyou passion never truly disappeared. It was just hidden.
And when they encountered a high-quality work that resonated with them—
It ignited instantly.