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Chapter 149: Earth Wasteland Arc (Fifteen)
Chapter 149 Earth Wasteland Arc (Fifteen)
“Ah, Miss Mo Li… you… hello.” Hank turned around and immediately recognized the woman. He stammered his greeting.
“I’ve told you countless times, Hank—just call me Mo Li,” the woman replied. She looked about the same age as Hank, though slightly shorter. Her white attire marked her as a resident of the Third District.
“These two are your Friends? Huh? Why are they wearing protective suits?” Mo Li asked, puzzled.
“Miss Mo Li.” Hank’s expression tightened, sweat dripping from his temples. Summoning his courage, he spoke before Feng Bu Jue could intervene. “My Friends and I have urgent matters to attend to. Please forgive me, but we’re busy right now. I’ll return later to apologize and explain everything…” With that, he tried to walk past her.
“Urgent matters?” Mo Li frowned at Hank. “In the Third District?” Her gaze shifted to Feng Bu Jue and Kuangzong Jianying. “Why haven’t you two changed out of your protective suits?” Her eyes narrowed further, noticing the unusually tall height of the two players. “Are you Scavengers too? What urgent business do you have?”
Hank glared. “This is an official order,” he emphasized. “Please, Miss Mo Li, don’t interfere.”
“Hank, what’s gotten into you?” Mo Li countered. “You’ve never spoken like this.”
“Ahem…” Feng Bu Jue finally spoke. “Actually, he’s trying to help you.” He paused. “Unfortunately, I’ve decided not to let you leave.”
“This is a public street! If you kill someone here, you’ll be surrounded immediately!” Hank hissed at Feng Bu Jue.
“Lady Mo Li.” Feng Bu Jue ignored Hank, addressing her directly. “I regret to invite you to accompany us for a while.”
Mo Li instinctively stepped back. “Who exactly are you?” She turned to Hank. “Hank, what’s going on?”
“Hank has been taken hostage. If you scream, run, or do anything to attract patrol officers, Hank dies immediately.” Feng Bu Jue delivered his threat first to prevent rash actions. “I know you might doubt my words, but please consider the situation calmly based on your understanding of Hank, and judge whether my next words hold truth.”
“We possess weapons capable of killing instantly and efficiently,” Feng Bu Jue continued. “Moreover, our speed, jumping ability, and survival skills far exceed your human cognition.
“If we’re exposed, Hank dies instantly, and we’ll kill every villager who tries to approach or stop us. Your village will suffer the loss of at least a thousand lives, not to mention material damages.
“But if you cooperate—take us to the area ahead—we’ll leave quietly after achieving our goal.
“So now, you choose: cooperate, or start screaming.”
………
Five minutes later, in the Third District.
“Incredible that you’d bring foreigners into the village,” Mo Li whispered bitterly to Hank.
Walking beside her, Hank murmured back, “I was forced… just like how we’re stuck now.”
“What do you mean ‘we’… From now on, I’m cutting all ties with you,” Mo Li snapped. “I should’ve listened to my family and stayed away from people from the First District.”
“Sigh…” Hank opened his mouth but said nothing. Often, his thousand unspoken words dissolved into silence.
Behind them, Feng Bu Jue and Kuangzong Jianying followed. Since Mo Li took the lead, no patrol officers approached. Clearly, having a Third District resident as a guide worked.
“No need to worry, Lady Mo Li,” Feng Bu Jue said. “You only need to accompany us to the border between the Third and Fourth Districts. After that, you’re free to leave.”
Mo Li hesitated. “You’re entering the Fourth District?” She asked immediately, “What about Hank? Will you release him?”
“Hmm… Probably not,” Feng Bu Jue replied.
“Hmph… Thanks anyway,” Hank muttered bitterly.
The answer shocked Mo Li, but Hank’s next words, spoken in a resigned tone, clarified everything: “I realized the moment I led you into the village—I can’t stay in this village anymore.”
“Oh? Finally figured it out,” Feng Bu Jue said.
“I should’ve understood when you prevented me from reporting earlier,” Hank said. “I was indeed too slow, only realizing this now.”
“Then I’ll speak plainly,” Feng Bu Jue said. “No matter the outcome, if you fall into Kouben’s henchmen’s hands, you die. Only if we succeed do you have a chance to live.”
“I don’t even know what you’re planning,” Hank replied.
Kuangzong Jianying, with a deadpan expression, glanced at Feng Bu Jue. “Same here… Mind explaining?”
“Our main goal isn’t to massacre villagers. If that were the case, we’d have started killing the moment we entered the residential area,” Feng Bu Jue said. “Nor is it just casual sightseeing—we wouldn’t expect you to believe that. My primary objective is acquiring the technology knowledge inside the Temple. The secondary goal is reforming this village’s social system.”
“Technology knowledge?” Mo Li interrupted. “The Temple holds nothing but divine inheritances—classics reserved only for a few priests to study.”
“These are lies you’ve been brainwashed into believing before understanding right from wrong,” Feng Bu Jue countered. “The Kouben Family monopolizes natural scientific knowledge, keeping you ignorant to control you with religious lies.” He sighed dramatically. “Ignorance and panic are twin beasts gnawing endlessly at humanity’s heart. Only civilization can defeat them, yet they guard the staircase of human progress, devouring pioneers.
“In your era, a thousand years ago, innocent women were burned as witches to secure peace or harvests. Five centuries ago, Darwin’s theories were twisted, with schools forbidden to teach evolution—‘We’re not monkeys!’—yet those people differ little from monkeys.
“And two centuries ago… the Kouben family seized the spark of knowledge, leaving you in darkness and cold, fearing and ignorant, ensuring their long reign.”
“I don’t believe your nonsense!” Mo Li retorted. “Priests warned us foreigners are devils spewing lies. You can’t twist my faith with blasphemy!”
“They ensured you wouldn’t believe the truth when you heard it,” Feng Bu Jue sneered. “Didn’t they order you to kill foreigners unconditionally?”
“Abandon your plan. When you meet guards, you’ll die. They’re nothing like patrol officers—they’ll kill anyone storming the Fourth District, hostages or not…” Mo Li refused to yield. “If you release me and Hank, I can help you escape the village.”
“You negotiate better than Hank,” Feng Bu Jue mused. “But our goals won’t change.” He chuckled. “Besides… Hank can’t return to Kouben’s side anymore, can you, buddy?”
Mo Li turned, startled, at Hank, who stood unusually calm. “Sorry, Miss Mo Li. My path now is clear—I must act with them. There’s no turning back.”
“Hank…” Mo Li whispered. “Have these foreigners ensnared you with evil sorcery?”
“No, I’ve never been more clear-headed,” Hank said firmly. “Though these foreigners threaten my life, at least they don’t manipulate my thoughts with deities. If the Chosen of God’s words are true, I’m a criminal helping foreigners to overthrow divinity. The outcome? At worst, death. Even if I kill them myself, will priests spare me? No. I’d still be executed. Better to fight.”
Kuangzong Jianying’s lips curled into a smile. “Well said, Hank. Go on.”
Hank continued, “What if these foreigners are right? What if the Chosen of God and priests are the ones lying?”
“You know what you’re saying? Hank, how could you…” Mo Li tried interrupting.
“Why not?” Hank countered, facing her. “Since birth, I’ve been told I’m God’s child, that everything follows Kouben Family and priests’ orders. Disobey their words, and I defy God’s will—punishable by death. My father and brother toiled endlessly, barely surviving, while priests live lavishly doing nothing.
“I learned only what they allowed, spoke only what they permitted, did only what they ordered—worshipping them like gods.
“If this is God’s will, such a deity deserves no devotion. He treats us like beasts, while only the Kouben Family and priests are human.”
Mo Li stared at Hank, stunned. “You’re mad…”
“Perhaps,” Hank said. “But I’ve never felt better. For the first time, I hold my fate. Even if it costs my life, I won’t regret it.”
“That feeling is called ‘freedom,’” Feng Bu Jue declared, his voice stirring. “When the chains on your mind shatter, whether imprisoned or dying, from this moment—you are free. As long as you live, no one can steal it again.” He leaned closer. “Help us overthrow Kouben Family and priests’ monopoly on knowledge, expose their lies… and you’ll survive, becoming a hero. You and all your people, including you, Lady Mo Li, will taste freedom.”
(End of Chapter)
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