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Chapter 428: Let It Out!
Chapter 428: Let It Out!
Such incidents were endless in 30 Area. The Navy ordered everyone to return home, forcing all tourists to board ships—some departed immediately under the cover of night, while others had no choice but to spend the night aboard.
Beyond that, everyone was subjected to searches. They claimed it was a crackdown on pirates, but even nobles from other countries who had brought slaves with them found those slaves confiscated.
This caused widespread outrage, but the Navy simply followed Kuro's orders without flinching at the nobles' threats.
The Navy was the Navy—bound to obey Headquarters' commands, not some nobles' whims.
The searches continued deep into the night.
After dealing with 30 Area's tourists, the Navy turned to the residential zones, conducting house-to-house investigations.
Three thousand Navy troops surrounded 30 Area's perimeter, enforcing strict control, while the rest launched a full-scale sweep.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Open up! We're the Navy!"
"We suspect pirates are hiding here. Cooperate with the search!"
"We're here to protect your safety!"
Such shouts echoed across 30 Area.
"Check everything!"
At a dilapidated corner of 35GR, Sazil led his squad, pounding on a heavy gate.
Beyond the gate lay a cluster of low, shabby houses—Shabondy's slums, usually segregated from the wealthier districts.
Exactly the kind of place they needed to investigate.
Bang! Bang!
After two knocks, Sazil glanced at the glaring lights above and waved a hand. "Bring the cannon! Blast this gate open!"
"Ensign, using a cannon might be—" a Navy officer hesitated.
"Do you want me to hand you a toothbrush to scrub it open?!" Sazil snapped, spinning around.
"Yes! Preparing now!" The officer saluted and rushed off.
Soon, a group of Navy troops wheeled a cannon into position.
Sazil pulled a cigarette from his coat, lit it, and took a drag. "Inside! I'll count to three. If the door's not open by then, I'm blowing it to pieces!"
"Three!"
He didn't even finish counting. With a flick of his wrist, he signaled, "Fire—"
Creak!
The gate swung open. Several ragged figures stood inside, panic etched on their faces. "We're opening! We're opening! Don't attack, Navy officer!"
"Tch, troublesome."
Sazil stepped in, scanning the anxious crowd. "The Navy's conducting checks. Return to your homes and stay put."
"Navy officer."
A tall man stepped forward, rubbing his hands together. "This is a slum—pirates wouldn't come here. We already gathered everyone outside as ordered. Let the Navy officer inspect."
He gestured behind him.
In the dim light of the doorways, groups of people stood in twos and threes—mostly families, adults clutching children, or a few kids huddled together, staring at the Navy with fearful eyes.
"You're the local representative?" Sazil asked.
"I'm the liaison for this area", the man said with a smile. "Navy officer, you see how peaceful we are. No pirates here. Your sudden arrival startled everyone, so I gathered them all. That's why we were slow to open the door."
"Hmph." Sazil nodded. "Seems fine enough."
"We're just poor folks with nothing to hide. Tomorrow, we have to work for our survival. A house-to-house search would waste precious time", the man added with a nervous chuckle.
"Why search us poor folks? Go hassle the rich!"
"Yeah! Check them instead!"
Two ragged figures muttered behind him.
"Silence!" The man glared, then turned back to Sazil with a forced smile. "Navy officer, you see—"
Sazil studied the tall man's burly frame, then the gaunt figures beside him. Something felt off.
Logically, everything seemed normal.
Why waste time searching slums this late? He should be targeting the rich, the slaves, the black gangs instead. If Kuro found out, he might get an earful.
But...
"Something's not right."
Sazil couldn't shake the feeling, though he couldn't pinpoint it.
He glanced at the crowd again. "Fine. Stay alert. Report any pirates or suspicious figures immediately. We have orders to investigate all leads and prevent pirates from infiltrating."
"Navy officer, don't worry. We all know each other here. No strangers around", the man grinned.
"Move out!"
Sazil waved and turned to leave.
"Uh—"
As he spun, a child at a nearby doorway instinctively opened his mouth.
A sharp glare from a nearby figure silenced him. "Want to die, brat?" a voice hissed.
"Brother..."
A younger girl clung to the boy's back, trembling.
"It's okay. It's okay", the boy whispered, closing his mouth. His eyes dimmed.
What was the point of shouting?
His father once said to cry out when in trouble—someone would always hear and help.
But that never worked.
Every time he screamed for help, the Navy came, but the pirates vanished until the troops left. Then came the beatings, followed by forced begging and thievery.
What was the point?
At least this way, they survived.
"Wait—"
Sazil paused at the gate, turning back toward the tall man.
The man's grin froze. He bowed deeply. "Any further orders, Navy officer?"
Sazil, cigarette dangling, studied him a moment, then scanned the crowd. "Forget it. Don't let me keep you."
"Of course! Safe travels, Navy officer!" The man's smile returned.
They survived.
The boy watched the Navy retreat through the closing gate, his heart hollow.
Was survival all that mattered?
"Shout if you're in danger. Asking for help is the best choice. If you keep it bottled up, no one will ever know", his father's smiling face echoed in his mind.
"But if Father failed, we'd all be doomed. My siblings too", the boy murmured.
"Waaah—"
A woman's sob broke the silence. Near another building, a couple clung together, the woman burying her face in her husband's chest.
The gaunt figures around them looked on in despair, too terrified to speak under the watchful eyes of the burlier men.
"Brother, I'm scared", the girl whispered, clinging tighter.
The boy clenched his fist, watching the gate close. Memories surged—his parents gone, the brave ones beaten into submission.
He'd stopped shouting. Stopped asking for help.
But maybe...
His eyes snapped open. As the gate slammed shut, he roared.
"Help US!!!"
Boom!
The gate exploded inward, splinters and debris flying as a cloud of smoke and dust erupted.
A wispy afterimage shot through the haze, slamming the tall man's head into the ground.
The impact drove him into the earth, carving a crater as teeth flew. Sazil rose slowly, eyes cold as he surveyed the stunned crowd.
"I figured it out. Your body types don't add up. These people are all thin, yet you lot are built like oxen. Someone care to explain why?"
(End of Chapter)
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