67: The Funeral of a Tyrant

"Begin."

Chen Feng's voice was as calm as stagnant water, not causing a single ripple in the silent command room.

Reno's bloodshot eyes were fixed on the main screen, where Bachm and three of his confidants were ecstatic around a newly discovered high-purity associated mineral vein. Their mouths were wide with greed, and the silent footage was full of grotesque behavior.

"Copy that," Reno's voice was hoarse. He reached out with a slightly trembling hand and entered the final command on the console.

In a corner of the screen, a bright red structural demolition countdown popped up: 60.

"Boss, why are you letting him see this?" Reno asked, unable to understand this almost cruel arrangement. "Wouldn't it be more... straightforward to just do it?"

"Straightforward?" Chen Feng leaned back in the Commander's chair that once belonged to Bachm, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest. "Reno, death is too cheap, especially for people like him. I don't want his life; I want the sound of his spirit... being crushed inch by inch."

"I don't understand."

"You will." Chen Feng's gaze never left the screen. "Watch closely; this is a lesson. About fear, and about power."

At that moment, deep within the trap mineshaft of Sector C, a screen used for displaying geological data suddenly lit up.

What appeared on it wasn't a mineral vein analysis, but a real-time feed from the command room.

Bachm was dancing with joy, fantasizing about how to use this mineral vein to make a comeback, replace his superiors, and become the true master of Ashen Earth Star. When he inadvertently caught a glimpse of the screen, the ecstasy on his face instantly froze.

He saw Chen Feng.

The ant in his eyes, that number 734 Mine Slave, was sitting on his former throne, staring at him coldly as if looking at a dead man.

"Ah... Aaaaaah!!"

A beast-like roar erupted from Bachm's throat. He charged frantically at the surveillance camera, smashing it with his fists, cursing and questioning with the most vicious language.

"Chen Feng! You bastard! How dare you?! How dare you sit in my seat!!"

"What is he saying?" Reno asked.

"It's not important," Chen Feng said indifferently. "Just the wailing of a dog before its death."

He toggled another command.

Countdown: 30.

The first dull thud came from the mine entrance, followed by a chain of explosions. The sturdy alloy gates were blasted into twisted shapes, and tons of rock and soil instantly sealed off all exits.

Billowing smoke poured in. Bachm's three confidants fell into utter despair, frantically shoving each other and cursing one another's stupidity.

"It's all your fault! You were the one who urged the Manager to come here!"

"Bullshit! You were the one who first said you found treasure!"

Chen Feng watched the farce with interest and switched the surveillance feed again.

This time, the screen showed the scene outside the base. Countless miners and rebel soldiers were gathering in the square, throwing their weapons into the air and erupting in deafening cheers.

Chen Feng synchronized this image and transmitted it to Bachm deep underground.

"No... No!!!"

Seeing that he had lost everything, and watching those slaves he once viewed as insects celebrating his downfall, Bachm's mental defenses completely collapsed.

He no longer roared; he just collapsed to his knees, letting out a silent, venomous howl, his face twisted with fear and covered in snot and tears, a pathetic sight.

"Reno," Chen Feng spoke.

"Here."

"Remember this image," Chen Feng's voice was bone-chillingly cold. "This is the fate of traitors, and... the tyrant's funeral."

Countdown reached zero.

A dull, heavy boom echoed from deep beneath Ashen Earth Star, causing the entire Mining Area No. 7 to shake violently.

On the surface above Sector C, a massive area of land collapsed, forming a bottomless crater. The resulting dust cloud rose a hundred meters high, blotting out the sun.

At the Scavenger Unit camp several kilometers away, everyone was startled by this sudden, disaster-like earthquake.

Xing Zhan suddenly stood up from his cot and threw open the tent flap. He gazed toward where the dust was rising, and for the first time, a look of immense gravity appeared in those eyes that were usually full of mockery and bloodlust.