111 Liberty

Have you heard?

"The Red Squad is going to attack the prison? What's the reason?"

"Tell me, how could anyone believe such rumors? The Red Squad is just a bunch of kids."

"It's not just a rumor. I overheard the guards talking while I was working in the laundry room. They said the Red Squad members are gathering, and I wonder if they're coming for us."

"Really...?"

Gretvor carried his tray down the corridor, his gaze calm, and waited in line to get his special meal.

After a morning of labor, the inmates were covered in a layer of frost. The temperature inside the room seemed to be far more than the minus ten degrees Celsius the guards claimed. They could hardly bend their fingers. They tucked their hands under their armpits as if they had ice cubes stuffed into their hearts, instantly waking them up from the exhaustion of heavy physical labor.

He casually found a spot, and immediately someone brought over a plate, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Are you Gretvor, the one who took the bullets?"

"It's me."

"Awesome." The newcomer immediately sat down and shook hands with him. "The prisoners here have long admired you. Most of them are anti-royal party members and anti- Hojo Family members who were arrested by Sky Ring. Everyone saw how you stood up, withstood machine gun fire, and overturned tanks. You were really awesome."

The man's voice was quite loud, immediately attracting the attention of those around him.

"This is Gretvor!?" someone shouted. "You shouldn't be locked up here, you're a hero."

"Save it. So what? This world needs tycoons, politicians, emperors, and beasts, but it doesn't need heroes."

"Holy crap, it really is Gretvor. So you've been imprisoned here all this time."

Gretvor never expected that being released to participate in collective labor would cause such a huge reaction. Several Beta-rank powerhouses even came over and bumped his shoulder with their fists to show their approval.

"Gretvor, you are a remarkable person."

These people's praise left Gretvor somewhat bewildered. He scratched the back of his head and said, "You flatter me. I just did what I was supposed to do. I'm nothing special; I'm just an ordinary person."

"Ordinary people wouldn't have the courage to stand in front of a cannon."

A Beta-rank [Martial Artist] shook his hand firmly, glanced enviously at Gretvor's tall and strong physique, and said admiringly:

"Those who go against the current are always remarkable people."

Then, he introduced himself:

"Li Chu Xi, a member of the Self-Reliance Party, was arrested because I opposed the Hojo Family's monopoly."

"Gretwar Night Song, second-in-command of the Celestial Blaze Ring Red Squad, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"I am Jin Zai Yun, and this is my partner Zhou Xu. The Hojo Family, in collusion with the government, forcibly annexed our hometown and turned it into a factory. It's so good to see you. You have inspired many people in our hometown."

"I also come from Outland, and I thank you for your fight for freedom and rights."

"I am Yamagami Koshu, a former official of the War Department. I was falsely accused of being a political prisoner and imprisoned. I agree with the Red Squad's position. You young people are the future of the country. I am very gratified to see young people like you stepping forward."

"Thank you for your support..."

Gretvor spoke with each person and was surprised to find that the Shiratori Town Prison was teeming with talent. There were local rebel leaders, impoverished nobles, political prisoners, a renowned phantom thief, and even a scientist and an ordinary woman.

Without exception, they were thrown here under the pretext of 'endangering national security,' but if you randomly pulled one of them out, they would all be seen as patriots by others.

"In the past, we always felt that the Red Squad's methods were too radical, but it wasn't until we ourselves were imprisoned that we realized that it was we who had not yet awakened."

Yuina Yukio former diplomat from the government, said dejectedly, "I thought I was also a member of the ruling class, but they don't take me seriously at all. I was wrong, I was so wrong. The Sky Ring is just a tool for monarchs and groups to rule the people, and I am just a cog in the machine... Perhaps only by defeating the Ring King can we truly find salvation."

The prisoners held here, having endured torture and imprisonment, had lost their love for their country and were filled with a sense of disillusionment. Gretvor could clearly sense the lack of a guiding ideology within them.

"But without the Ring King, does our nation still have any meaning?" someone couldn't help but question. "The Sky Ring can exist because of the Ring King's unbroken rule. The royal family is a living fossil of the Old Era. What can compare to the products of the Old Era?"

"What you're saying... We're clearly from the Future Person, yet we treat things from the Old Era as gospel. Don't you feel ashamed?"

Gretvor glanced at the objector and said:

"Does a nation-state necessarily need to be governed by a master?"

As soon as he said this, almost everyone looked at him.

Previously, their eyes were full of admiration, but now they are filled with suspicion and fear.

Someone then shouted, "Gretvor, you're the second-in-command of the Red Squad, what are your thoughts?"

The gathering of people attracted the attention of the prison guards, who shouted, "Hey, get out of the way!" and then used electric batons to hit them, trying to drive the crowd away.

The jailer seemed unusually cautious and irritable today.

Has something happened? Gretvor's eyes flickered as he recalled the conversations of those around him earlier.

' The Red Squad is going to attack the prison?'

... This time should be the Nine Dragons Gathering.

Could it be that they're targeting a time when manpower is depleted? That's possible; if it were Jing, he'd be capable of doing something like that.

So he straightened up, stood up, and deliberately shouted loudly, "Can't we become our own masters?"

"Hey! You bastard, what nonsense are you spouting!"

The jailer, seeing that someone was being picky about food, flew into a rage and walked towards him:

"Get down here right now!"

Gretvor glanced at the jailer, then turned to the prisoners and said:

"The Heavenly Ring People are not worthy of being called human beings because they have the Ring King. He is clearly the Ring King. If he didn't have the support of the Heavenly Ring People, he would be nothing but a piece of trash."

These provocative words immediately enraged the jailers, who roared in terror, "Insolence! How dare you insult the Ring King! Throw him into the icy pool!"

"Good! You've got guts!" A Beta-rank Martial Artist prisoner laughed loudly, suddenly stood up, broke the spoon in half, and stabbed it directly into the guard's neck!

Swoosh! Blood spurted out. The instant the jailer was ambushed, several Beta-rank powerhouses acted simultaneously. Although their power was suppressed, their skills remained. They picked up plates and smashed them over the jailer's head. Several prisoners who had been dragged into the political struggle shouted, "Charge out! The jailers are going to kill us all!"

"Are you kidding me!"

"Beat these bastards to death!"

"Damn it, let's go all out!"

Incited, the prisoners quickly banded together and began attacking the prison guards. Gretvor seized the opportunity to find several members of the Red Squad and the resistance organization. In contrast to the sudden, unorganized riot, they urgently discussed countermeasures.

"Mirror may have really launched an attack; we should coordinate an attack from within and without."

"But with such a sudden event, we can't be sure when the boss will arrive."

"But it's still the same. If we do nothing, the guards will teach us a lesson and punish us in the cruelest way."

"We can't let our blood and sacrifices go to waste..."

Just as Gretvor was about to speak, someone in the commotion suddenly shouted, "Where's the doctor! Where's the doctor? Lady Nano is going into labor!"

His shouts were filled with anxiety, followed by a woman's scream that pierced the prison air, leaving lingering echoes.

"Stop!"

Gretvor quickly stepped forward, and several of the main inmates realized something was wrong. They immediately released the guards and threw the disheveled bastards back, leading to a standoff between the guards and the detainees.

Gretvor looked at the man who had shouted. He remembered that the man's name was Miura, a printing factory worker who had been imprisoned for printing documents that did not align with the interests of a certain Sky Ring conglomerate.

Miura, an introverted man, was now surrounded by a group of people and became the focus of their attention. He immediately blushed and hurriedly explained, "Lady Nano is the female prisoner in cell 72. She was just working on the sewing machine when she suddenly collapsed and started crying out in anguish. I think her water broke. She's probably about to give birth now."

"Hey!" A prisoner immediately glared angrily at the guards. "You actually threw a pregnant woman into prison and made her work on a sewing machine, don't you feel ashamed?"

"Heh, you traitorous bastards, you still have the nerve to talk about us." The prison guards wiped the blood from their noses. Even though they had been ambushed and beaten black and blue by these people, they were not flustered at all.

The reason is simple: most of the people imprisoned here are people with a conscience, and their education and morality would not allow them to just abandon the life of a pregnant woman.

Therefore, Ozawa Izumitaro believed that in order to guard political prisoners with a conscience, the people supervising them should naturally be a group of scum and degenerates, so that they would not be lenient.

Not to mention pregnant women, this prison even has young children.

"Where's the doctor?" a Beta-rank growled. "You beast, go find a doctor!"

"A doctor?" the guard said indifferently. "There's no such thing."

"What did you say?!" the prisoners exclaimed in shock. "We've been imprisoned for so long, and we haven't even been provided with a doctor?"

"Hey, hey, hey, why should taxpayers' money be used to provide doctors for you criminals?" The jailer shrugged. "Aren't you dissatisfied with His Majesty the Ring King? Then don't enjoy our benefits. Honestly, how can you oppose those in power while demanding treatment from them? Do you think you're here to enjoy life?"

Upon hearing these remarks, the prisoners angrily rushed forward to beat the man again. "What a joke! We are citizens of Sky Ring, one of the Four Nations, not warlords! Don't you even have basic Daoism? She's pregnant! It could have been a double tragedy!"

From deep within the prison cell, the screams of a woman echoed once more.

"So what if she's pregnant?"

The jailer, carrying an electric baton, said with a grin:

"You are nothing but a bunch of criminals. It is the greatest mercy that you are alive. Your only purpose in existence is to provide goods through your labor."

"Despicable!" Gretvor pushed his way out of the crowd and shouted, "You don't even have basic empathy, are you even human?"

"I—let me see. You, you, and you Gretvor are all Beta-rank powerhouses, but so what? Even if I were just an Alpha Rank jailer, you wouldn't dare touch me now."

The head of the jailers spoke rudely and arrogantly walked up to the front, raising his chin to see Gretvor's face. He snorted and laughed mockingly:

"What? Not so smug anymore?"

"What do you want?" Gretvor said in a deep voice.

"Oh dear, you flatter me. I'm just a lowly civil servant. How could I dare to do anything to someone like you, Beta-rank? You're an elite, Gretwar Night Song. I know you. You were a famous surgeon before, weren't you? Tsk tsk tsk, doctor. How wonderful, Sensei. People like you can easily become celebrities and elites in society, but you don't understand the hearts of us ordinary people."

The jailer's brows furrowed into slits as he chuckled and said, "I don't want to do anything—but it just so happens that I'm on very good terms with Xiao Ze Ozawa's private doctor, who happens to know how to deliver babies. The problem is, unless I ask him, he won't serve any prisoners."

"Help!" The pregnant woman's pitiful screams echoed down the corridor again, "Save my child, he's stuck! Anyone, please save my child!"

"You stupid pig—" one prisoner gritted his teeth in hatred. "Hey, Gretvor, go save that pregnant woman!"

"No." Gretvor shook his head. "The sanitary conditions here are unsuitable for surgery; it would only lead to cervical infection, and besides..."

He raised his hand, clenched his fist, but could barely produce a single particle of life.

Without this, the safety of pregnant women and fetuses cannot be guaranteed at all.

Even with the current level of medical care in developed countries, the maternal mortality rate is as high as 16.1 per 100,000, which means that about 16 pregnant women will die out of every 100,000 people. Common causes include postpartum hemorrhage, amniotic fluid embolism, and uterine rupture.

Postpartum hemorrhage, in particular, is a serious complication of childbirth and a leading cause of maternal death. Moreover, without examination, if amniotic fluid embolism is present, the mortality rate for this type of childbirth complication can reach as high as 60%, making it a major cause of maternal death.

If any unexpected situation occurs, uterine scarring and obstructive labor could lead to uterine rupture. Because Heavenly Ring People rely on cesarean sections, the incidence of uterine rupture is increasing year by year.

When Gretvor heard Miura say that Lady Nano's water had broken, he knew that normally, after the water broke, one should lie down immediately. If one stands or walks, more amniotic fluid will leak out, and if the umbilical cord leaks out with the amniotic fluid and gets stuck in the cervix, it will affect the blood and oxygen supply to the fetus, which is very dangerous.

However, in such a cold environment, having someone lie flat would undoubtedly cause the patient to lose body temperature rapidly.

Obstetrics and gynecology is by no means an easy task, and dystocia is an even greater challenge that threatens the lives of both the fetus and the pregnant woman. Even now, it cannot be completely overcome—let alone in a prison where there is no sanitation or equipment, and the temperature and humidity are severely excessive.

Worse still, because there is no equipment for physical examinations, the mother herself is unaware of conditions such as gestational hypertension and diabetes during her pregnancy.

Gretvor was unable to make a move.

If such a power exists, that life force of redemption and healing can provide the greatest support to the mother, helping her through this difficult time.

"So, what's it like to have your supernatural powers imprisoned?"

The jailer stood on tiptoe and stretched out his arm to pat Gretvor on the shoulder. He tried several times to whisper in the man's ear, but Gretvor was too tall. He blushed and finally shouted, "Kneel down."

Gretvor opened his mouth and said, "At least let me go and check the situation first—"

"Can't you hear me, sir?" the jailer said slyly, staring at him. "I'll make you kneel down."

"Hey, you beast!" The prisoners were filled with righteous indignation and were about to beat him up.

What a joke! Gretvor is their leader. If he kneels down, wouldn't that mean he's surrendering?

He cannot kneel.

No matter what, you must not kneel.

Gretvor stared at the guard, then suddenly punched him, knocking him to the ground. He then knelt down, grabbed the guard by the collar, and said coldly, "I'm kneeling. You'd better watch yourself."

Having said that, he immediately turned around and rushed into the depths of the prison.

"You bastard!"

The jailer was knocked to the ground, and the next moment, the prisoners rushed up, surrounded him, and were about to give him a severe beating.

Boom! Suddenly, the sound of artillery fire rang out outside the prison, and then the gate was kicked open instantly.

"Stand up."

Her purplish-gray hair was whipped by the cold wind, and her face was covered in smoke and blood, but that didn't stop her from dragging the warden's corpse and throwing it in front of the jailers. "You are free."

Safety.