Chapter 173 Holding the Tai'a Axe Upside Down (10)
“Of course, there’s me too.” Shu Ningmiao rolled up her slightly loose sleeves to a comfortable level and dropped a bombshell before giving them any time to prepare: “I’ll help you.”
Eric: "No..."
"Wait, wait, I didn't agree!" Allen exclaimed in despair. "I wasn't prepared for this at all. I'm not the captain of the self-defense force. I can't make the decision. No, we have no chance against Pines. There are still executors in the capital."
Shu Ningmiao's calm eyes concealed a threat: "Whether you agree or not, I won't let you leave tonight."
Erice also realized what was happening, and glared at him with a fierce but weak expression. He already knew about Prometheus's relationship with her, and he couldn't let him leave!
The minority must submit to the majority. With both of them looking at him at the same time, Alan raised his hands in surrender and said, "Okay, even if I agree, will others agree? The Self-Defense Force members all participate voluntarily, I can't control them."
“Just let volunteers participate,” Shu Ningmiao said calmly. “There are more than two million people living in the new land. It’s impossible for all of them to be willing to wait to die.”
"You think this isn't just waiting to die?"
Allen couldn't help but say, "Ordinary people going up against superhumans is just sending themselves to their deaths."
“Zhao won’t come,” Shu Ningmiao said. “The other wielders are no match for me.”
"How can you be so sure Zhao won't come?" Allen asked suspiciously.
"Because being a politician is much more troublesome than being a hero."
Shu Ningmiao's brows concealed a hint of impatience, not from his endless questions, but from her annoyance at the person he was referring to: "...Besides, he probably wants to avoid me more than anyone else right now."
Allen remained silent for a long time—not because he wasn't tempted, but because he dared not be tempted.
Breaking down the barrier between the two places—what an alluring and whimsical idea! They voluntarily formed a self-defense force to protect the order and people of the new land, all in order to change the status quo of the new land. But is change so easy to achieve?
After a long pause, he gritted his teeth and poured out his heart: "Can we really do it? Even if we can break through the isolation line, the people in the capital will never accept us. In your hearts, we are not even the same species!"
"It can be done."
Shu Ningmiao didn't explain immediately. She leaned back against the mottled wall behind her. He questioned her, but she remained expressionless: "Humans are best at first classifying themselves, drawing up various circles, then excluding those who are different, attacking each other, the upper and lower classes, Pines and the New World, natural people and those with superpowers. Now, you can reshuffle and classify them, because there is a major contradiction right in front of you."
Shu Ningmiao suddenly stood up straight and took a step forward, a movement that made Alan subconsciously hold his breath.
“Mara disease.” Her eyes were fixed on them, her calmness even frightening him: “There are no fewer Manra disease patients in the New Land than in Pigne. The sense of identity that arises from life and death far exceeds any artificially created barriers. Manra disease itself has already confined its infected individuals to the realm of ordinary people.”
Alan's lips moved a few times, but he didn't know what to say next. She wasn't acting on a whim; in some ways, she even knew more about New Land than he did.
She wanted them to use the Manla patients in the new land to form a force distinct from the power center of Pinheis, an idea that was disgraceful, but he couldn't refuse.
He said, "I... need to talk to the captain first."
“And what about you?” Allen calmed down, his expression turning slightly serious. “Why did you do this? You’re not from New Land at all, and you’re in such good health. This won’t do you any good.”
Shu Ningmiao thought for a while. Wei Shengqianheng wanted Pinie to fall into division and chaos because of Manla's illness and Zhao's power grab, but she did not do as he wished—he would not understand even if she said such a thing.
She downplayed the issue: "I am no longer a member of Pigne."
"What do you mean?" Allen followed her closely.
“That means…” Shu Ningmiao stretched out her arm, gesturing for him to move away, and decided to tell him directly, since the whole of Pinne would know about this soon anyway: “I will soon be on the wanted list—as the murderer of Lucicolai.”
"Did you kill Lucico?"
Having received too much information in a short period of time, Allen's mouth gaped open, his brain on the verge of crashing.
“No.” She lowered her eyes and said, “But it doesn’t matter anymore.”
Kovina felt threatened by her and knew she had to take the blame. Pigne might not be able to catch her, but issuing an arrest warrant would restrict her movements across the entire planet. Most countries on the planet still considered Pigne the dominant power and dared not offend this Pandora superpower.
"...So you're a fugitive now?" Allen pondered.
“Yes.” Shu Ningmiao turned her face away, revealing that annoying, half-smiling expression again: “You can also sell my information to Pine, if you can do it.”
Allen paused for a moment, then said seriously, "I will not betray my friends."
Eric turned his head to look at him: "Really?"
They looked at each other and suddenly felt a sense of kinship, then gave each other a high five behind Shu Ningmiao's back.
Shu Ningmiao sighed softly.
She had already lost the Xi Jin longsword she always carried in the Union Building when she was disguised as Weston. The [Jealousy] and [Lust] states were used on Zhao at the same time, and her superpowers were almost weakened by half. Her condition was not ideal.
First, we need to find a suitable weapon...
She turned to Erice and said, "Take us to Prometheus's base."
Eric nodded, jogged over, and walked ahead.
"How many people in the base are currently sick?" Shu Ningmiao asked her.
Erice bit her lip: "About 60% or 70%."
That's why they were so anxious, and others also pinned their hopes on Yuan. They didn't know that even the Manla patients in Pines had given up, let alone the outcasts in the gray areas of the new land.
Alan added, "The recent rate of Manla patients in New Territories is similar to what you mentioned. There has been a sudden increase in the number of people. Based on my previous observations, the elderly and children seem to be more susceptible to the disease than young people. I haven't seen many people with superpowers get infected, which may be because there are fewer people with superpowers to begin with."
He has been observing things carefully in his daily life.
According to Pinhes' data, the chances of ordinary people contracting Manla disease are higher than those of people with superpowers.
The information about the Manla disease was limited to this much. The three of them stopped talking and Erice led the way, groping his way into the narrow sewers. After twisting and turning seven or eight times, they finally entered a damp underground space.
Water droplets dripped from his head and landed on the back of his neck. Allen jerked his neck away, already smelling the faint stench: "You...you're just going to stay here?"
It's no different from a rat hole.
He had cared for patients with Manla disease, so he couldn't imagine so many patients crammed into one place—a group of patients slowly rotting in a confined space, the smell must be terrifying.
Shu Ningmiao's expression changed for a moment as she smelled the odor in the room. The space was filled not just with a simple stench, but with a putrid smell that fermented in the humid air, as if it had come to life, clinging to the skin and seeping into the pores.
It was the lingering smell of death.
People in the enclosed space were either lying or sitting, and there was a deathly silence. No one was curious about their sudden appearance, and they even held back their breath.
In this tomb of the living, they are more like outcasts.
Eric was already used to it. He carefully took Shu Ningmiao's hand and led her inside, skillfully bypassing the "person" lying on the ground. Shu Ningmiao turned her head and glimpsed maggots crawling out from under the person's clothes. The clothes were completely soaked with black liquid, like a damp shroud.
She turned her face abruptly, her knuckles white from the force.
Allen said with some reluctance, "You can actually go up there, I won't arrest you."
“I don’t believe you.” Erice shook his head. “They don’t believe you either.”
The situation improved as you went further in; there were some emergency food items scattered on the ground, along with a Pandora generator and basic communication equipment.
There were quite a few healthy people left at the base. At first, everyone was able to take care of the patients wholeheartedly, but as time went on, they all became tired and resentful, and gradually boundaries were drawn between them.
Eric explained to her, “The generator was bought by stealing things from the church. I told you before, but later the signal from the new land was blocked by Pine, so it became useless... Moreover, the price of Pandora was too high. It increased several times after the war started, so we couldn’t keep supplying it.”
Allen hesitated, wanting to speak but then stopping, and finally decided to pretend he hadn't heard her mention of robbing the church.
The entire underground base was without electricity, with only occasional flickering lights.
Shu Ningmiao quietly walked around for a moment, then returned and asked her, "Can these people be moved now?"
“We can, we can.” Erice fiddled with her hair, then looked hesitantly at the other person. “But will we be okay after we move to the ground?”
Allen didn't hesitate this time: "I guarantee that the Self-Defense Forces will not interfere with you. Besides, Pinhes has completely abandoned the new land now, so even if someone betrays you, it won't matter."
Eric breathed a sigh of relief, hesitated for a moment, and then looked at Shu Ningmiao expectantly: "Actually, I have another idea. If we are to cooperate, could we also cooperate to build a shelter in the new land?"
Allen pursed his lips, the freckles on the tip of his nose wrinkling slightly. This idea had never crossed the minds of the Self-Defense Forces. Everyone agreed that those who contracted Manla disease were doomed to die.
In the new land, even the living must fight for insufficient resources; only gods and believers care about the suffering of others.
but……
“Okay.” Shu Ningmiao answered for him directly.
His concentration was instantly shattered, and he couldn't help but yell in frustration, "You think it's okay just because you say so?!"
Shu Ningmiao calmly said, "It's not that it's possible, it's necessary. The new land must be tolerant of the Manla patients, otherwise the Manla patients in the capital will flow here. The high wall between the new land and Yingjian District is easy to tear down, but after it is torn down, you will still be outsiders who start terror and riots. The real high wall is the barrier of people's hearts. For the new land to truly become a part of Pinhe, the most important thing is people's recognition."
Allen's frantic hands gradually slid down his hair.
"Go back and discuss it with the Self-Defense Forces." Shu Ningmiao turned and left, walking outside, and reminded him in a deep voice: "We need to take action when the United Building is in the most chaos right now. Zhao wants to completely seize power in Pinne and also has to deal with a group of old foxes in the council, so he can't spare too much energy for the time being."
This is probably the only advantage of Zhao taking the throne. With internal strife in Pinnech, she no longer has to worry about Shu Changyan, who is temporarily out of contact.
As the most famous superhuman in Pinne, Zhao had no motive to harm other superhumans.
Allen said, "I understand."
Eric clenched his fist.
Although Shu Ningmiao had her own purpose, achieving the same result was enough—she could get what she wanted, and these Manla patients could also have a place of their own.
Thinking of this, Eric gave him an encouraging gesture, followed Shu Ningmiao, walked alongside her, tugged at her clothes, and stuffed something into her hand.
Shu Ningmiao lowered her head, and in her palm lay a silver-white cross-shaped pendant.
"Symbol of Life".
Eric said in a soft voice, "...You made one before, and there's one left. Here, take it. You're one of our companions now. By the way, this is also a superpower item."
Shu Ningmiao looked up and picked up the Life Symbol. Through her curled fingers, she saw the faint flow of Pandora on it: "What kind of superpowered item is this?"
“Usually it’s for teleportation.” Eric looked over with her. “But I’m not sure about this one, because he didn’t distribute it to anyone else after he finished it. It might have some other use.”
Shu Ningmiao gazed at it for a while, feeling inexplicably melancholy. She stopped studying it and put the Life Talisman away.
On the other side, Allen stood there for a long time, then looked up and stared at her firmly.
His voice was resolute: "I've made up my mind. No matter what the outcome, I agree. Even if no one else agrees, I'm willing to give it a try with you."
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