45: assembly

Dawn, rather than dispelling the darkness, seemed more like setting up a pale stage for torture.

All the Mine Slaves, regardless of age or gender, along with the disarmed Guard Team, were driven to the main square.

In the center of the square, the Scavenger Unit had erected a high platform overnight. No nooses hung there, but several instruments glinted with a cold metallic light under the searchlights, their twisted shapes making their purpose self-evident.

The entire square was illuminated by the blinding lights as if it were day, yet it felt colder than any night.

"Look..." someone in the crowd whispered, teeth chattering. "Isn't that Steward Bachmu?"

"My God, and Captain Reno... why is he... standing behind that demon?"

Chen Feng mingled with the crowd, listening to the whispers around him with an expressionless face.

On the platform, Xing Zhan paced out leisurely, followed by two soldiers escorting a deathly pale Bachm. Xing Zhan ignored Bachm's pleas, simply pointing casually at a nearby chair.

"Sit down, Steward Bachmu." His voice wasn't loud, yet it carried an unquestionable tone of command. "Take it all in. This is your mining area; you should see where its sickness lies."

Bachm slumped into the chair like a puddle of mud.

Then, Xing Zhan's gaze fell upon Reno.

"Captain," he beckoned, "come stand behind me. You are the old order here, so you should stand in the most prominent position to let everyone see how... smooth the transition from old to new can be."

Reno's body moved stiffly, every step like walking on knives. He walked behind Xing Zhan, ordered to hold a flag representing Mining Area No. 7. Like a soul-less statue, he was forced to become the backdrop for this horrific ritual.

Chen Feng's gaze quickly swept over the Scavengers' defenses and weapon configurations, finally settling on Xing Zhan's expression, which looked as though he were enjoying a play. Alarm bells rang in his heart—this wasn't just venting anger; it was a meticulously designed psychological slaughter. Xing Zhan was using the most direct method to lure out anyone who still had a shred of spirit, only to crush them in front of everyone.

He had to endure.

On the platform, Xing Zhan didn't give any long speeches; he simply made a gesture.

His Adjutant stepped forward, unfolded a data pad, and began reading in an emotionless tone.

"Miner No. 3491. During yesterday's inspection, his eyes were evasive, suggesting a suspicion of insubordination. Listed as the first batch of those to be educated."

"Guard Team member Arno. Slow movements during the weapon handover, harboring resentment. Listed as the first batch of those to be educated."

"..."

A series of absurd "charges" were read out. Those named were roughly dragged from the crowd by the Scavenger Unit and pushed onto the platform.

Xing Zhan took off his black gloves, tossed them to his Adjutant, and then picked up an Energy Whip crackling with electricity from the torture rack.

"No, sir! I didn't!"

"I was just... just too tired!"

Those dragged onto the stage cried out for mercy.

Xing Zhan turned a deaf ear to their wails. He didn't even hand the whip to his subordinates; instead, he gripped the handle himself and flashed a nearly elegant smile at the crowd below.

"Discipline is the cornerstone of civilization," he said softly. "And fear is the best cement for discipline."

"Zzzt—!"

The Energy Whip let out a piercing shriek in the air, landing precisely on the back of the first miner.

Flesh split instantly, blood splattering, but the man only let out a muffled groan and didn't immediately lose consciousness.

Every strike of Xing Zhan's whip skillfully avoided vital spots while maximizing the tearing of flesh and nerves. It was as if he weren't performing an execution, but a cruel anatomical demonstration.

"Ah—!"

"Help!!"

Simultaneously, a low, nauseating hum filled the entire square. A Low-frequency Sonic Device had been activated, amplifying the victims' screams several times over. Like a blunt knife, it repeatedly sliced through every onlooker's eardrums and nerves, inducing physiological nausea and headaches.

"Blegh..."

In a corner of the crowd, a young Mine Slave could no longer bear the dual mental and physical torture and bent over, vomiting violently.

"Disorderly scum."

A Scavenger next to him immediately plucked him out like a chick, preparing to drag him to the platform as a new subject for punishment.

"Papa!" A boy of about seven or eight rushed out from the crowd, clinging tightly to his father's leg, letting out a heart-wrenching cry. "Don't take my papa away! Please!"

The Scavenger frowned, seemingly annoyed by the crying, and reached out, intending to take the child away as well.

This scene fell clearly into the eyes of Adjutant A Yong of the Guard Team.

He stood not far from the father and son. Looking at the child, who was about the same age as his younger brother back home, and seeing the despair mixed with snot and tears on his face, his heart felt as if it were being squeezed hard by an icy hand.

"My duty is to protect everyone in the mining area..."

"Regardless of who they are..."

"With my life..."

The oath from the day he joined the Guard Team echoed in his ears like a ghost. This oath was now being whipped into a bloody mess by Xing Zhan's whip on the platform.

The moment the Scavenger's rough palm was about to touch the child,

A Yong's body moved before his reason could.

He didn't draw his gun.

He didn't shout.

He didn't even utter a single question.

He simply walked forward silently, step by step, using his not-so-burly body to stand between the terrified father and son and the tall Scavenger.

A fragile barrier built of flesh and blood.

In an instant, the sound of the whip on the platform stopped.

The amplified screams in the square also came to an abrupt halt.

Thousands of gazes, including Xing Zhan's cold eyes that now held a hint of fresh amusement from the platform, instantly focused on A Yong.

The entire world fell into a deathly silence.