The slums are scattered on all sides of the Cerberus Dome, guarding this man-made domed fortress. The Wall of Sighs outside Cerberus still has scars from the war with the Empire many years ago, but this has not affected the
Its solemnity only made the descendants of the empire attached to the victorious side sigh and surrender even more, because even the weapons that could leave such huge scars on the Wall of Sighs failed to break through this glorious barrier and are now reduced to
The poor people of the empire on the defeated side can only act as humble prostrate repentants at the bottom of the pyramid.
However, there will be people who insist on humanitarianism everywhere. Even the descendants of the Empire who committed unforgivable crimes still have people who are willing to give them charity without asking for anything in return.
Today is the 19th of July in the 103rd year of the Era, and it is also the third weekend of the month. Those people from the Rusteven family opened the passage under the Wall of Sighs as usual and sent relief supplies to the slums regardless of the cost.
…
"Sir, the military council has reached a consensus. They have agreed to our proposal and are willing to support us in the final voting stage of the council!" the old butler put down his coffee and said respectfully.
Standing in front of the window, Rusty Runk's cold eyes did not waver at all. He stared at the motorcade slowly driving into the slums in the distance and asked: "What about their conditions?"
"Thirty million Thanes in conventional military equipment, what they mean is that they don't want to pay for the funeral themselves!"
"Ah...funeral..." Langke tasted the word, and a smile came to his lips, but there was no joy. He could only vaguely see a cold and handsome face in the mirror of the floor-to-ceiling window.
"Just give them 50 million. Let's just say that the extra 20 million Thain is used by the Rustyven family to comfort the soldiers on the front line! It can also be regarded as a gift to Lucis~~"
"I understand, Master!" The old housekeeper left the house. Langke was still standing in front of the window, with a little pity in his eyes. But as soon as he thought of what those beasts had done, the one hundred and seventy-nine-year-old patriarch became distraught.
There is no room for any sympathy anymore.
…
"Brother!" A crisp voice cut through the noise.
Lin Sen, who was walking indifferently in the crowd, stopped, quietly put the things in his hands behind him, and his unchanging expression changed into a smile.
When he turned around, a girl had already thrown herself into his arms.
"Brother! Look what I got! Antelope legs!!" The girl who showed her merit did not shy away from the bloody relief in her hand. Although the thing was very fresh, it looked a bit...
Lin Sen's eyes lit up when he saw the fresh meat. He hadn't eaten fresh meat for a long time. Because he had to make money, Lin Sen had no time to fight for the relief supplies.
Lin Sen fondly wiped away the tears on his sister's cheeks, and felt a sense of sadness in his heart. It was obvious that Lin Xue, a seven-year-old girl with a petite figure, must have suffered a lot to snatch such a thing.
Lin Xue put her arm around her brother's neck, her face full of joy. Lin Sen also took out his money bag and said with a smile: "Then we can buy some vegetables and a cake for our little princess! Have a good birthday!"
After receiving the reminder, Lin Xue remembered that today was her birthday, and she was even more excited at the moment.
Lin Sen took the python leg tightly held by his sister, hugged her and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
The figures in the distance who were still coveting the delicious food in the little girl's hands had no choice but to leave angrily, because they knew that it would not be a good outcome for provoking Lin Sen.
The night is getting darker, but the slums are still noisy. This is not because these poor people have enough energy to bother, but because the relief convoys have not left yet.
Lin Sen gently patted his sleeping sister on the shoulder and walked home carrying his things.
It was a simple hut hidden at the foot of the mountain. There were some dusty vegetables in the wire-tied yard. The lights in the house were on. As soon as Lin Sen arrived, the front door opened, and a woman in a wheelchair came out.
.
Seeing this woman who was about the same age as Lin Sen, dressed in white but with half a black gauze covering her head, Lin Sen shouted: "Sister! I'm back!"
Lin Yan didn't speak, she just opened her mouth and made a few gestures, being very careful not to wake up Lin Xue.
The communication method between siblings was clear to Lin Sen. Lin Sen knew that she had prepared bath water for him and made coffee.
Putting his sister in the room, seeing that she wouldn't be able to enjoy the fresh delicacies tonight, Lin Sen opened the basement, where there was a "refrigerator" he built himself.
After a simple dinner, I watched the lights still swaying in the distance in the night. Lin Yan, holding the kitten, was bathing in the moonlight and humming softly.
Lin Sen came over and naturally put his hands on her shoulders to soothe her stiff body.
"We almost have enough money! In one month, Lin Xue can have her DNA replaced!" Lin Sen said softly.
Lin Yan nodded. She knew that Lin Sen had only one purpose for working so hard, and that was to give the remaining members of the family a chance at a new life. That was to get rid of the shackles of being descendants of the empire and become legal citizens of a unified government. In this way,
No more struggling on the edge of life and death, begging, and seeking alms.
"After she replaces the DNA, another year will be enough for you to enter the Cerberus Dome. Then we won't have to work so hard!"
Lin Yan didn't say anything when she heard this. She knew her situation very well. How could a useless person who could barely move his body let Lin Sen risk his life to work again? So she secretly made up her mind that after a year, it would be her turn.
It's time to leave.
However, she would not say it now, because she knew her brother very well, so she smiled and took Lin Sen's hand and said: "You don't have to be so anxious. Maybe one day that kind person can open the door directly and let people in."
How about we go in as we are now?"
Lin Sen laughed, of course he knew his sister was joking.
"Hey, there's no need for them to be so kind. I'm already satisfied if they can provide us with meat!"
Lin Yan touched her brother's calloused hands and thought of the little boy who played the piano on the stage more than ten years ago, but she couldn't understand it now... The two siblings watched the night getting darker and entered the house.
, the noise outside stopped after a long time.
When Lin Xue got up early the next morning, Lin Sen had already taken advantage of the darkness to go to her work place, and there was a not-so-elegantly wrapped gift beside her pillow.
Lin Xue opened it with great anticipation. Inside was a well-made violin and a few tattered music books, but these were enough to keep the little girl happy for a long time.
…………
Bringing simple tools and tying the mine car's cable around his waist, Lin Sen turned on the miner's lamp, took a deep breath, and walked toward the depths of the dark mine again.
As a squad leader, Lin Sen lost a worker under the garrison wall yesterday whose name was unknown, but there was no shortage of workers at the construction site, because many people would squat outside the mine even if they had no work, waiting for a position.
One person just "left" yesterday, and one was added today.
The new guy is a young and strong guy. When he first met Lin Sen, he was so reserved that he only remembered one of the three rules Lin Sen told him: "Don't talk nonsense", but left the other two "Don't leave the team."
"The words "No private hoarding of minerals are allowed" were ignored.
And Lin Sen would not repeat it a second time. After handing over things, a team of more than 20 people began to mine.
After two hours of marching, a group of sweat-soaked workers finally arrived at the mining site. This is a private mine near an underground abyss, located about 200 meters underground. From the outside, it looks like a vast expanse of land.
Below the barren hills, there is only a weak wind in the dry mines. Although it is not suffocating, it is enough to torture your heart and lungs.
The ore that Lin Sen mines is a strange blue-colored stone. They are hard in texture but wrapped in a viscous liquid sac. Therefore, it is said to be mining, but the working method looks more like a group of people.
Collect fruits from the mountains, and the ore is the core.
There was only one shift of mercenaries responsible for the mechanical work. Lin Sen still maintained his silence during the work, but the other workers were different. Even if they were very hot, they would still tease each other from time to time.
For example, their most common joke is to compare the fluid sac to each other's egg sac, then laugh and curse at each other, and then squeeze it to burst it.
Of course, during the process of crushing and exploding, liquid will inevitably fall into the mouth. Although this liquid is not toxic, it has a weird hallucinogenic effect. Lin Sen once tasted it accidentally.
Although it's just a little bit, the taste is something you'll never forget. At first, it's a fishy smell with an unspeakable bitterness, but strangely, it begins to please your tongue after a while, becoming cool and sweet, and what's in front of you is that it tastes cool and sweet.
Everything is no longer turbid, but the sounds in the ears begin to become distant.
And the most deadly thing is that if you consume as much as one finger, the people you see will become distorted and discolored, and become a ball. Lin Sen has not experienced this feeling, but he has heard of it.
In the dark depths of this two hundred meters underground, Lin Sen didn't think that letting himself fall into hallucinations would bring any good luck, so he always wore a heavy mask when working. Although it was hotter, he completely avoided this.
Ingestion of mucus.
After working for a long time, it was time for lunch. Lin Sen had already filled a cart of ore and pushed the cart away on time.
The others also began to leave one after another. Only the young guy who had just arrived was still busy throwing the unbroken liquid sacs on the ground into the car one by one.
The lazy mercenary saw this scene and sneered: "Hey, new guy! You only need a few stones to load a car like this, and you don't want stones with liquid sacs in cigarette butts! You will suffer a lot when the time comes.
Don’t blame me for not reminding you!”
After that, the mercenary stopped staying. He would not wait with an idiot in the dark depths of the underground, so he picked up his gun and followed the others.
The young man wanted to persuade him to stay, but he couldn't speak. He anxiously took out the liquid bags from the mine car one by one. He was the only one working beside the dark abyss in the lonely depths of the underground. Although there was enough light to
He felt brave, but as the sound gradually disappeared in the distance, the young man became afraid.
While he was hurriedly breaking up the liquid bag and loading the ore into the truck, he looked around uneasily.
All the shadows under the dim light became as terrifying as demons. This little thing who looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old almost collapsed.
And the current situation can better reflect the importance of "no leaving the team" among the principles Lin Sen explained.
However, there were not many liquid sacs left at his feet. Although he wanted to continue collecting some to fill the empty mine cart, he had neither the courage nor the strength.
And while he was still looking around, he didn't notice at all that a liquid sac he grabbed randomly in his hand seemed a little different from the others.
The fluid sac had been pressed down. Although the fluid sac had not burst, the ore inside had broken apart. Just when the poor boy squeezed it hard without paying attention, he heard a cry of pain.
The sharp edge of the cracked ore easily tore open his palm, and the blood was mixed in the liquid. Then the liquid that was originally like dead things began to drill into the palm of his hand. Before the poor guy could react, all the liquid
All have disappeared.
Watching blankly as the palms that had turned into a blue color slowly grew into pieces of scales, this poor guy finally collapsed!!