CHAPTER 838: CHAPTER 838: THE GUNSHOT THAT SHATTERED THE DARKNESS

The development of events was just as Old Stick predicted; the one kneeling on the ground crying was indeed not that Absek.

But a guy named Horse King.

At first, he cried fiercely, shaking with anger, and then drew his gun, pointing it at the perpetrator, Anvo.

Everyone present was startled.

Even Anvo, who knew he was acting, felt his heart pounding, worried that this guy might take the act too far and silence him for real.

However, remembering Yishel’s instructions and Absek’s promise, he managed to maintain a composed posture, standing there motionlessly with a stiff expression.

"Damn, this guy can’t die..."

Seeing the mission target might get wiped out, Dog Brother exclaimed in a low voice, frantically exchanging looks with the Eagle beside him, asking what to do.

Old Stick, however, chuckled softly and coaxed him in a quiet voice.

"Don’t worry, he won’t die."

No way mission targets die in cutscenes.

The Eagle thought the same but didn’t dare to gamble on that probability and stepped forward at Old Dog’s call, persuading fluently in Human Union language.

"Ahem! All of you calm down, regardless of your conflicts... are you pretending we don’t exist?"

I’m at least the Alliance’s messenger!

Though the messenger’s identity was somewhat false, the Alliance’s banner still held some weight!

It seemed his words resonated, having some effect.

The Horse King indeed "calmed down" a bit, lowering the trembling gun barrel by an inch, though not entirely.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall, and Lion King Absek finally arrived belatedly.

Though he orchestrated this coup himself, seeing Yanu lying on the throne with open eyes, Absek couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache.

The man who called himself "the only king under heaven" died so carelessly...

The face twisted with pain gradually distorted, seemingly morphing into his own.

This was not a good omen.

He didn’t doubt he did the right thing, but perhaps it set a very bad precedent.

Absek took a deep breath, dispelling the chilling hallucinations from his mind, and said to the Horse King.

"Shaluk, calm down... put the gun down first."

The Horse King glared fiercely at Anvo but ultimately uncocked the gun and dropped it on the ground.

Anvo finally sighed in relief, unaware his back was soaked in cold sweat.

Even knowing Shaluk was an old soldier from the front lines, unlikely to have such an accidental discharge, being pointed at by a cocked gun still made his legs weak.

This is purely human instinct.

The spot where it pointed almost felt like there was already a hole...

Absek then turned to the Eagle and the other Alliance messengers, bowed deeply, and said.

"Sorry, this should have been a moment to celebrate the friendship between the survivors of Poluo Province and River Valley Province, yet such an incident occurred in this solemn occasion... On behalf of Poluo Province’s survivors, I extend my apologies to you and sincerely hope for your understanding."

"Please believe me, we will surely provide you with an explanation for this incident!"

Hearing the pompous rhetoric, the Eagle couldn’t help but roll his eyes inwardly.

You think I don’t know you staged this?

But he hadn’t expected them to act at this time.

Even Battlefield Old Soldier, who stirred things up, might not have expected such brazenness and decisiveness from these people.

After brewing his emotions for a moment, the Eagle collected the shocked expression on his face and spoke in a softened tone.

"This is your internal affair, and we have no intention of getting involved, but I hope you resolve issues more civilly rather than resorting to bloodshed... Honestly, I’m a bit overwhelmed right now; the person we spoke with earlier just died before our eyes. I think my companions probably feel the same."

"I am truly sorry!"

With his head lowered, Absek continued earnestly.

"I understand how you must feel right now, but I can assure you, building an equal nation in Poluo Province wasn’t merely the late Heavenly King’s ideal; it’s the shared dream of all of us. Even without him, we will continue down the path he paved."

After a pause, he added.

"Moreover, our attitude and stance toward the Alliance and you remain unchanged; his promises to you still stand, and we still long for your recognition."

Looking at Absek with his sincere expression, the Eagle remained silent for a while before sighing and saying.

"Yanu didn’t promise us anything, but... if you truly seek our recognition, at least make some changes worthy of it."

"As for today’s meeting, let’s end it here. I think you also need some time to handle the current chaos and decide the future path."

With that, he exchanged a glance with his companions and headed towards the hall’s exit, temporarily leaving this place of turmoil...

...

Initially, a warehouse caught fire, which then spread throughout the port, engulfing the entire settlement, and with a sweeping momentum, it covered half of Poluo Province, eventually ending with a hastily unexpected storm.

Most wildfires end this way.

In eras before civilization, the raging wildfires were merely nature’s cycle, beginning with a thunderclap and ending with the rolling of thunder.

The Heavenly King’s Army was the same.

Its birth wasn’t entirely accidental, but it carried an inevitability of its own.

The thousand pillars standing in the City of Thousand Pillars were suddenly awakened, like night sweats.

They attempted to break free from the curse entangling them, freeing themselves from the bloodied soil, causing mountains and forests to sway, birds and beasts to flee, and the entire earth to tremble...

Everything seemed to succeed.

At least it was grand and vigorous.

And at that moment that should have been celebratory, a few pillars suddenly realized, it was never really the blood-stained crimson beneath their feet that bound them, but the roots driven deep into the soil, and the hands clutching them tightly.

That was the red soil in their hearts...

Or rather, their souls.

The entirety of Tiandu was engulfed in an atmosphere of fear and unrest for a whole day.

One second, the entire King’s Army was celebrating the arrival of the Alliance delegation, and the next, they were suddenly tense for no apparent reason.

As if the music had suddenly stopped, and ghosts began to grab people.

The bandage moved from the left arm to the right, and waves of armed soldiers dashed through the streets.

Their goals were clear, and their actions were swift.

That flurry seemed even more intense than the night of the assault on the Imperial Palace!

This time, however, no one knew who they were going to attack or kill...

People avoided eye contact, dared not speak, and dared not linger in the streets.

Vendors packed up, shops closed, and every household shut their doors and windows tight, fearing even the slightest sound.

The once lively market became deserted, as desolate as the wild burial mound outside the city, with only a few mice and cockroaches occasionally scurrying out from the nooks and crannies.

The tense atmosphere lasted the entire day until news finally broke the next day at noon. Anush’s head of the guard committed suicide out of guilt, and three of the six cabinet members he appointed were taken away, supposedly for looting on the night the city fell.

This reason seemed utterly absurd even to the survivors in Tiandu City who had suffered through the military disaster.

Who didn’t help themselves when the city fell that night? If that were truly the reason, how many more than three might be killed?

As expected, more explosive news followed: their cheaply acquired King Anush was dead!

No one expected that he would die.

What was even more unexpected was that he was shot dead on the throne by a Thousands of leaders named Anvo, right in front of the Alliance messengers during a meeting!

The Anush Dynasty, which was established less than a week ago, collapsed just like that...

...

"Extra, extra! Something big happened in Tiandu again! Anush is dead!!"

In the port area of Jinjaron Harbor, loud voices and hurried footsteps startled a flock of Seagulls.

A newspaper boy, with a satchel on his back, loudly hawked papers as he dashed through the streets.

Hearing the shouting, passersby, whether in long robes or short garments, all stopped in their tracks and cast surprised glances at the newspaper boy.

Anush?!

That King...

Is dead?!

People swarmed towards him, eagerly grabbing all the newspapers from the boy’s satchel.

Sun Ni, an outside instructor working at a nearby school, was passing by. Seeing people jostling to grab the extras, he squeezed in and asked for one too.

"Give me one too!"

Throwing four Gallons into the newspaper boy’s hand, he quickly grabbed a paper and took a look, his eyes suddenly widening.

"Another Coup in Tiandu! Anush Shot Eight Times to Death!"

Goodness gracious.

The headline alone was much more interesting than the previous interview with the "last emperor"!

[... The day before yesterday at noon, the leader of the King’s Army, Anush, was shot dead in the main hall of the Imperial Palace by his subordinate, a Thousands of leaders named Anvo, during a meeting with the Alliance delegation!

It is reported that this person was a reformist officer within the King’s Army, influenced by publications of the Silver Moon Sect and works related to the Workers’ Association during the West Sail Port period. He advocated for the abolition of the monarchy and union promotion, hence was exceedingly outraged by Anush’s various tyrannical policies.

In coincidence with the arrival of the Alliance messenger, Anush used his silver tongue to cunningly argue, portraying enslavement as equality and evil as nobility, and even recklessly claimed that both sin and nobility were the same, which he could no longer tolerate, thus drawing his gun to break into the hall and execute him.

The editor privately believes that while his vigilante action was indeed improper, his heroic spirit of sacrifice in the cause of justice can hardly not be praised with thumbs up.

In front of ten millimeters, everyone is equal; no matter how powerful, one cannot resist a bullet.

All those who mask vile deeds under the guise of justice should shudder at the hearing of Anvo’s noble act!

Currently, Anvo has been imprisoned, his fate still unknown for the time being.

However, the gunshot within the palace sparked a call among the reformists in the King’s Army to "purge the ranks and draw clear boundaries."

Some radical reformists officers first set examples, successively initiating military advice actions to express their support for Anvo, and cleared the confidants of Anush and feudal remnants of the same faction.

According to informed sources, several officers from the Anush faction, including the King’s Army "Bull King" Ami, were executed by firing squad in this round of clearing.

Moreover, over ten thousand basic soldiers and middle-ranking officers implicated were also caught up in this purge.

The local residents’ emotions and reactions to this cleansing operation were rather calm.

It is rumored that the deceased were mostly marauders who committed atrocities at West Sail Port and Tiandu, hence they did not gain local sympathy and even saw some cheering as a result.

After two days of chaos, the situation in Tiandu has been completely taken over by reformist officers, led by General Absek, and had largely stabilized by the time of this report.

In his public speech, he declared his disinterest in the throne, wishing only for the light of unity to descend upon the Poluo Province, thus establishing the Poluo United Federation in the name of the Jinjaron Harbor Union.

As for himself, he served as the first Chairman of the United Federation and the first Leader of the "Poluo Country."

Meanwhile, reformist senior officers like Shaluk, Nigle, and Duwata also assumed senior positions within the United Federation and became popular candidates for the next Leader.

According to the relevant resolutions of the Poluo United Federation, they will overturn all decisions of the Anush period and completely abolish slavery.

Henceforth, whether Sun People or Moon Clan people, all will enjoy equal personal freedom and rights in the Poluo Province as its Residents.

In addition to abolishing slavery, the measures taken by Absek also include implementing public education, convening industry representatives to form a committee, exempting agricultural tax, converting the Royal Mint into a joint-stock bank, and encouraging women’s participation in production, and so on.

Additionally, they specifically called the newspaper office, inviting it to set up a branch in Tiandu, to strengthen exchanges between the survivors of Tiandu and Jinjaron Harbor.

Objectively speaking, compared with Anush’s reckless rewards and secretive manipulation, the Poluo Province United Federation clearly demonstrates a firmer resolve for reform.

Although the future remains uncertain, at least they are willing to start fulfilling their promises now and welcome us to supervise them.

However, their sincere desire for progress, which moves listeners, also makes one worry for them.

Such a sweeping reform can be described as earth-shaking, but it’s unlikely to be easy to implement it effectively.

Moreover, due to the sudden death of the Heavenly King, the Reformist officers have independently established the Poluo Country, and have distanced themselves from the old flags. Currently, the entire Heavenly King’s army is leaderless.

Besides the five armies involved in the rebellion and absorption, there are still seven armies in the wild, currently fighting under the name of the Anush Dynasty against the remnants of the old West Winds Empire.

These seven armies number over a million and are equipped with a large amount of legion-standard equipment, remaining a significant force on the land of Poluo Province.

Faced with the change of hands in Tiandu and the newly aligned allies, it remains to be observed what choice the "King" of these seven armies will make.

More news about Poluo Country will be continuously tracked and reported by our reporters and editors!

]

Having read the entire report from start to finish, Suny finally grasped the happenings in Tiandu over this period but felt both joy and worry.

He could tell that the editor of the Survivor’s Daily must have been extremely excited when writing this special edition.

It was as if, while writing at his desk, he happened to look up to see a swallow flying past the window.

He felt the same way.

Although he was a resident of Ring Island in the South Sea Union, he had been teaching here for almost half a year now and had some affection for this land.

In fact, he had already started to consider this place as his second hometown.

However, because he understood the true thoughts of the people here, he could not completely hide the hint of worry within his joy.

As the newspaper said, such a sweeping reform is not easy to implement.

Every decision made by Absek costs money, and the total sum is an astronomical figure, even if all the wealth in Poluo Province were added up and multiplied, it might not suffice.

Is it really this simple?

"...Education is of the utmost importance. I just hope that in the end, regardless of success or failure, it won’t dampen the confidence and passion of Poluo Province’s survivors."

He sighed softly, folded the newspaper in his hand, put it into his briefcase, and continued heading to the school where he worked.

While passing through Tulip Street, he happened to see Alliance military trucks heading from the port’s warehouse district toward the suburban military base.

The trucks’ cargo bays were filled with green-painted boxes, undoubtedly containing ammunition inside.

Heavy equipment, including tanks and self-propelled guns, had been landing at the port in recent days.

Clearly.

This is the Alliance’s response to the Army’s reinforcement of the western front.

Having experienced a civil war once, he suddenly had a bad premonition in his heart.

War.

It’s drawing closer...

...

Suny wasn’t the only one smelling gunpowder; Poluo Province is rich with smart and overly smart people.

The Witch Camel floating near Jinjaron Harbor’s estuary is the best proof of that.

Even the emperor, the last to sense it, can see that it’s going to be the end, let alone others.

Recently, there have been continuous arrivals of survivors landing on the Everflow River and locals leaving Jinjaron Harbor, heading to the sunny Baiyue Strait or the budding Haiye Province. This has led to the Alliance’s various settlements having to raise the threshold for issuing ID cards time and again, even facing criticism from some representatives as "Ideal Cityization."

This can indeed be considered criticism, as the Alliance’s banner is the union of suffering survivors, and raising the ID issuance threshold undoubtedly bars those who are suffering from entry.

Although criticized by the City of Dawn’s representatives, the local representatives have their reasons.

After all, as the Manager said, only by uniting our own can we unite more people.

Every community has a population capacity limit determined by local public resources; they can’t just abandon refugees to the Wasteland to fend for themselves, watching them get assimilated into Looters.

A house meant for two people could tolerate one more, but suddenly stuffing in five or six people would be unbearable for anyone.

Settlements do not oppose helping survivors, but they must act according to their means.

As for helping survivors, that’s the central authority’s affair.

The reason they agreed to spend precious tax money on stabilizing the situation in Poluo Province and building hospitals and schools for Jinjaron Harbor’s survivors is to hopefully reduce the number of refugees there.

Of course, it should not be none at all, but preferably a thin stream flowing slowly.

Concerning the debates between representatives of the City of Dawn and local representatives, Chu Guang was pleased to watch, so he did not intervene.

Even if the representatives argued heatedly during meetings, it was never because of deep-seated enmity; their starting point was always to make the Alliance better.

One person’s wisdom always has limits, and adding his players is the same.

He cannot always consider every aspect thoroughly, but there will always be someone to perfect what he overlooks, and that’s enough.

Even if no one considers it, it doesn’t matter; falling once will naturally make it clear.

Standing up is more important than running fast; people learn to walk and run by continuously falling...

However, while the survivors of Poluo Province were squeezing eastward, there were also some people going against the current.

For example, Niyan.

After confronting Duke Garava and resigning from the embassy, he immediately took the train to Silver Moon Bay and transferred to a ship heading to Mammoth State.

He didn’t go to Jinjaron Harbor.

The people there were doing well; every line of work was thriving and literary works were flourishing, so there was nothing for him to do even if he went; at best, it would be embellishing something already beautiful.

On the contrary, Mammoth State needed him more, or rather all of Poluo Province needed him more!

The failure of West Sail Port’s "New Culture" movement revealed many problems; the residents of Poluo Province cannot arm themselves with borrowed ideas.

The Silver Moon Sect is the secularizable outcome of the Residents of Silver Moon Bay, which doesn’t even suit the like-minded Male Lion Kingdom, let alone the purely foreign West Winds Empire.

"Pol" is the same.

It’s a monument erected by the survivors of Giant Stone City; it can be a torch pointing them in the direction but they must light their own torch.

The survivors of Poluo Province originate from the Thousand Tribes and Thousand Gods and must first confront their beliefs and culture before secularizing anything, rather than nullify their imprints completely.

In short!

They need their own newspaper!

And a school!

Only by reclaiming their soul can they hope to embark on a new era!

Getting off the ship, Mr. Niyan, carrying a briefcase, stood on the dock of the parish.

His travel-worn face was filled with exhaustion from the journey, yet his bright eyes glowed with brilliance.

He had visited Mammoth City before, and its drastic changes made it almost unrecognizable to him.

However, precisely because of this, he was filled with hope for achieving his goal on this trip.

Just then, a hearty laugh suddenly came from the port.

"Haha, welcome! Niyan! Or should I call you Mr. Mouse!"

Retrieving his gaze from the crescent moon atop the church roof in the distance, Niyan looked towards the direction of the laughter, and saw a man in a sharply dressed military uniform walking towards him with open arms.

That man was Laxi.

Although he wasn’t handsome in reality, he was young enough and exuded the same charisma as the photo on the newspaper’s front page, so Niyan recognized him at a glance.

Before arriving here, he had indeed written to the authorities, but he hadn’t expected Laxi to personally come and meet him.

"General, feel free to call me whatever you like; a name is just a code." Seeing the passionate Laxi, Niyan felt a bit reserved, not daring to give a warm hug, only extending his right hand.

"Haha! Let’s stick with the name then!"

Laxi didn’t mind, smoothly retracted his arms, and instead grasped his hand firmly, giving it a vigorous shake.

"Brother Niyan... ahem, Mr. Niyan, I’m a straightforward person, and sometimes my words might not sound pleasant. If you feel uncomfortable, just let me know! You can even scold me if you want!"

His face bore a fervent smile, surely if Ah Xin was here, he’d be quite surprised.

After all, this person wouldn’t even accompany Ah Xin for a drink, sipping one himself and leaving, yet he seemed to get along so effortlessly with this first-time encounter, even addressing as brothers.

Seeing Laxi’s overly enthusiastic demeanor, Niyan smiled awkwardly and joked.

"Since the General said so, I won’t be polite with you."

Laxi waved his hand with a laugh.

"No need for courtesy, Mammoth State needs people like you!"

He’s a crude person.

Apart from fighting wars, he can only copy the tasks from Jinjaron Harbor and can’t do anything else.

Mammoth State’s development relies heavily on the talents from Jinjaron Harbor and Silver Moon Bay, and he’s somewhat aware of this.

Precisely because of this, he wishes fiercely for Mammoth State to have its own talents.

Not to mention someone as capable as Mr. Mouse!

That’s why he placed himself lower, perhaps even excessively so.

Niyan did not know what he was thinking but seeing that he was in good spirits, he took the opportunity to speak.

"Since the General said so, I’d boldly ask the General for two more things."

Laxi patted him on the shoulder and spoke with a smile.

"Go ahead! I’ll certainly clear the path for you!"

Niyan shook his head.

"There’s no need to clear the path; just follow the rules written in black and white."

Pausing for a moment, he continued sincerely to Laxi.

"There’s no shortcut in saving the nation, only one path, which is enlightenment. And today, I’ve come to Mammoth State to do two things related to this—one is to establish schools, and the other, newspapers."

He earned quite a bit of money from the Dawn Garden Post from West Winds Empire, and now it’s time to use this money on its residents.

Upon hearing that this gentleman brought the "solution to the problem," Laxi’s face lit up with joy.

"No problem! Anyone can do this in Mammoth State; naturally, you can do it too!"

Seeing Laxi promising wholeheartedly, Niyan smiled meaningfully.

"Let me be clear; the school I want to establish is like the university at Camp 101, and the newspaper I aim to run is like Survivor’s Daily, one that dares to speak the truth. These two things must be independent of the Alliance system, so I hope they can also be independent of Mammoth State’s system. General, are you willing?"

Laxi replied with a smile.

"Why wouldn’t I be willing? Not only am I willing, but I’ll also approve funding for you to do it!"

Niyan shook his head.

"There’s no need for funding; I’ve previously... saved some ill-gotten gains, enough to do this. When the schools and newspaper offices are on track, self-financing will not be an issue. I have no other requirements; just hope you can write what you said into the law or leave me a document, as evidence for the future."

"No problem!" Laxi agreed promptly, feeling nothing amiss.

Niyan let out a breath upon hearing this and bowed deeply.

"Then on behalf of the Thousand Tribes of Poluo Province... thank you."

Seeing Niyan bow to him, Laxi reached out quickly to lift him.

"What are you doing! I’ve said I’m a straightforward person; can’t accept your bow!"

Niyan insisted on completing the bow before stepping back.

"No, no, you misunderstood; this is a gesture before taking action. Do not think I’m being polite."

Laxi paused at his words, then burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! What a gesture before taking action! Alright! Let me learn about your tactics then!"

Watching the two happily chatting, the guards standing at the port exchanged glances, their faces filled with disbelief.

Is this really their decisive General?

It feels as though he’s become a different person...