Chapter 73: A Question of Annihilation
At the end of the passage lay a pitch-black atrium. No light pierced its depths, rendering everything within utterly invisible.
Ordinarily, faced with such a dark, unknown ahead, Zheng Yanfu and Zhong Guangdao would have surely paused to investigate, observing before proceeding. But this time was different. With "government soldiers" hot on their heels, they scrambled in panic, abandoning all caution. There was no time to observe; only to run.
The darkness ahead no longer mattered.
They sprinted desperately forward, the bandits close behind them. It wouldn't be long before they plunged into that pitch-black atrium.
Just then, from the atrium came the synchronized shouts of two men: “One, two, three... strike!”
CLANG!
Two metallic impacts sounded almost simultaneously, as two large hammers struck the metal mechanism of the "Divine Great Cannon," sending a shower of dazzling sparks flying.
In the fleeting brilliance of the sparks, Zheng Yanfu and Zhong Guangdao saw it clearly: in the atrium ahead, stood an enormous metal object.
But their knowledge was limited. In that lightning-fast moment, they couldn't identify what it was, only that it was massive, filling the entire atrium.
Fire erupted!
The barrel of the bronze giant cannon spewed forth a long tongue of flame.
More than ten feet long, it shot straight into the narrow passage.
The blaze illuminated the pitch-black passage once more, and, at the same moment, engulfed Zheng Yanfu and Zhong Guangdao, who were at the very front.
“Agh...”
“Aaah!”
They barely had time to utter a cry before they were consumed by the flames, instantly transforming into two blazing figures. The bandits pressing close behind them were likewise swept in, and perished together in the fiery inferno.
Utter chaos erupted in the narrow passage. Those running forward stopped short, recoiling violently, but the men behind continued to press ahead. Several individuals at the front, who hadn't been directly caught by the flames, were forcibly shoved into the inferno by the surging crowd behind.
“Aaah!”
“Retreat!”
“Fall back, quickly!”
“There's a huge fire up ahead!”
The bandit soldiers in the passage fell into a complete panic, screaming in terror. The stench of burning flesh and fabric instantly permeated the entire passage.
Fortunately, the range of the "Divine Great Cannon" was only a little over ten feet, so only the bandits at the very front of the passage were burned to death. Those behind were unharmed. The bandits quickly turned, intending to retreat and fight their way back.
Behind them, the narrow entrance to the passage had already been secured by Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu, who had arrived shortly after, leading young, armored villagers.
The bandits couldn't fight their way out; all were trapped in the passage.
Just then, Li Daoxuan's hand descended from the sky once more.
The tiny people couldn't budge this bronze cannon, which to him resembled a lighter, but he could.
He extended a single finger, placed it behind the lighter, and slowly pushed it forward.
The cannon's massive wheels began to roll forward. Its long barrel continued to spew flames, slowly advancing towards the remaining bandit soldiers in the passage.
The bandit soldiers screamed in terror: “Help!”
“Save us!”
“I don't want to burn to death.”
“What is this monstrous thing?”
“It's so huge, how is it moving?”
“Help us, aaah...”
“The flames are coming for us!”
“Retribution, this is retribution! Punishment for betraying our leader!”
“Wuwuwu... I was wrong... I'll never dare again...”
“Leader, save me!”
The bandit soldiers in the passage collapsed completely.
Their will to resist vanished in an instant. Everyone fell to their knees, shouting for mercy.
Had they surrendered?
Li Daoxuan's hand, pushing the cannon-lighter, paused.
Here, he needed a moment, perhaps three seconds, to consider: Should he kill them all?
One...
Never mind, one second was enough. He wouldn't need three.
With a soft *click*, he switched off the cannon-lighter's mechanism, and the flames vanished.
The terrified bandit soldiers breathed a collective sigh of relief, their bodies slumping as they collapsed to the ground. The few at the very front, who had been seconds from burning, had been so terrified they soiled themselves, and a foul stench now filled the passage.
Bai Yuan, standing on a nearby rooftop, had personally witnessed the giant cannon move and then retract its flames. He immediately understood: “The Heavenly Lord has spared their lives.”
Gao Chuwu, in his usual earnest manner, asked, “Why? Shouldn't all these villains be burned to death?”
San Shier climbed onto the rooftop, sighing. “Though these bandits are detestable,” he began, “many in their ranks were forced into banditry. If we, having gained the upper hand, were to kill them all, how would that be any different from when they gain the upper hand and defile wealthy women and maids to their deaths?”
Everyone thought to themselves: *Master San is truly too soft-hearted.*
The Village Chief of Gao Family Village poked his head over the fortress wall. “So, we let them go?” he asked. “There are still over a hundred bandits here; if we release them all, what if they attack us again someday?”
A ripple of awkwardness spread through the group.
The situation grew awkward.
San Shier looked up, his eyes appealing to the heavens.
However, Li Daoxuan remained silent. He was observing the 'Salvation Index' displayed outside the box. Interestingly, even though he had spared over a hundred captives from death, the 'Salvation Index' had only increased by a meager 5 points, reaching 330. On average, each person accounted for only a few hundredths of a point.
Indeed, as he had suspected, this concept of 'salvation' was a complex one.
For some, simply saving their lives was enough. For others, however, mere survival wasn't enough; they also needed guidance on the path forward.
Some required bodily salvation, while others needed their souls redeemed.
If a nation lay before him, waiting for salvation, it wasn't merely about its continued existence, but about its rebirth, its rejuvenation.
Damn, this is complicated. I just want to keep a box of pets, but there are always demanding subjects trying to force my hand.
Just then, Bai Yuan suddenly spoke.
He turned his head and looked at a villager nearby, asking, “During the fierce battle just now, you picked up a stone, intending to throw it down, but then you hesitated and threw it in a different direction. Can you tell me why?”
The villager grew flustered. “Ah? I... I didn't...” he stammered.
Bai Yuan *fwooshed* open his fan, and with a tone that turned the very concept of a gentleman on its head, declared: “Your subtle actions might escape the eyes of others, but they do not escape mine. Tell me, why did you throw the stone in a different direction? Who were you trying to spare?”
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
San Shier suddenly had a realization. “You're... from Zhengjia Village?”
The villager, recognized by San Shier, looked even more embarrassed. “Forgive me... everyone...” he stammered, “I... I am indeed from Zhengjia Village. Earlier... among the crowd below, there was an old neighbor from Zhengjia Village... so I... I didn't hit him. I threw the stone in another direction.”
As soon as he spoke, everyone else suddenly understood.
Zhong Guangdao and Zheng Yanfu's faction had led villagers from Zhongjia Village and Zhengjia Village, as well as desperadoes recruited from surrounding areas. Gao Family Village, besides its original forty-two residents, also housed over a hundred people from various neighboring villages. For example, Zheng Daniu was from Zhengjia Village. He practically knew every person named Zheng in the bandit army, and might have even played in the mud with Zheng Yanfu as a child.
Suddenly, a man on the rooftop knelt down and exclaimed loudly, “Heavenly Lord, forgive me! I... I am from Zhongjia Village. Earlier, I also saw a familiar neighbor in the crowd below... so... I also deliberately threw a stone wide of the mark.”
PLOP! Another sturdy woman knelt down. “Heavenly Lord, forgive me! I, too... I also deliberately threw a stone wide of the mark...”
PLOP!
PLOP!
Before long, twenty or thirty people had knelt down.
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