Chapter 438
His smug look, as if to say, "I know you want to kill me, but you can't," is truly infuriating.
Just as he was about to launch his attack, the Norbert District forcibly detached itself. The underground Power Furnace was operating at full capacity, making it taller than the surrounding blocks.
Before Logos could even contact Amiya to verify what had happened, the Norbert District Plot, which had been gradually floating in the air, was forcibly pulled back.
The intense feeling of weightlessness made the Shapeshifter seem to have discovered a new continent. Its eyes widened in surprise as it gazed at the location of the Temporary Camp, muttering to itself:
"Ah, what a wonderful power! I have never seen anything like it before."
Logos, completely unable to understand, demanded sharply:
What are you talking about?
Upon hearing this, the Shapeshifter grinned, the corners of its mouth curving into a bizarre arc that looked utterly unsettling.
"I'm afraid I won't be able to see it now."
As soon as he finished speaking, he pulled a sharp dagger from his pocket and plunged it into his heart.
As blood gushed from the wound, the Shapeshifter's smile grew increasingly unrestrained and insane:
"I'll go check on the others!"
Ten minutes after the Norbert District Plot was released.
After confirming that the high-speed warship had crashed, Manfred returned to the airship's Main Control Room.
There are many Sarkaz here, receiving battle intelligence from Reconnaissance Squad from various locations.
Teams with fewer than one hundred people generally don't need to be reported. If the various Duke want to launch a fierce attack on Londinium, they must send at least several thousand or tens of thousands of troops to cooperate with high-speed warships.
The airship departed from The Shard Building in the Central City District and hovered over the Norbert District Plot in the Mid-level District.
Manfred stood with his cane on his side, eyes closed, in front of the large window of the Main Control Room. Battlefield intelligence reports were pouring in.
"The Duke of Duke Windermere is speeding toward the Norbert District."
"The Duke Kester has not made any personnel moves, but several high-speed warships have already taken to the air. Once the ground forces are fully prepared, they can be deployed to the battlefield at any time."
"The Duke Wellington's entire army advanced and set up camp ten kilometers from Londinium. If they wished to join the battle, it would only take them about half an hour to reach the entrance to the Outer District."
"The Duke Normandy has undergone personnel changes..."
"Duke Godot shows no abnormalities..."
"Duke Faf has dispatched a large number of Messenger..."
Listening to the intelligence reports from his subordinates, Manfred felt an unusually heavy burden on his shoulders.
For a moment, he felt he carried the fate of the entire Sarkaz on his shoulders. If he messed things up today, even suicide wouldn't be enough to atone for it.
Whether Manfred was nervous or excited, he maintained a serious expression.
Because he is a general and the commander-in-chief of this operation, he cannot allow his personal emotions to affect the combat readiness of the other Sarkaz.
Among the numerous pieces of information, a piece of intelligence that was temporarily interrupted caught Macfred's attention.
"General, the Norbert District Plot that had separated has been rejoined."
Upon hearing this, Manfred opened his eyes abruptly.
The Norbert District Plot in the Mid-level District needs to be pushed forward to the Outer District of Londinium after it is separated.
Using the local populace as leverage, they restricted the various Duke from launching large-scale military operations in the area.
The re-entry of the land parcels will seriously affect subsequent plans, forcing him to take this matter seriously.
"Why are the plots stuck together? Did they fail to detach successfully? Was the Power Furnace checked beforehand? Which part of the process went wrong?"
The barrage of questions left the Sarkaz Technician in charge of the content sweating profusely.
"General, we have inspected the Power Furnace. Even now, there are no problems. We have checked every part repeatedly, and it is impossible to reassemble it."
This is utterly baffling. The plot of land had successfully detached, but for some reason it fell back down and reattached itself.
"I don't know, again I don't know. You assured me there wouldn't be any problems before the operation, but now that something's happened, you know nothing. What use are you to me?"
Manfred was furious, feeling that everything he had been handling lately was inexplicably going wrong.
To prevent plots in the Outer District and Mid-level District from detaching themselves without permission, Londinium revoked the autonomy of non- Central City District plots from the outset of its transformation into Mobile Cities.
Engineers can use a special key to open the heavy door and enter the space beneath the site for inspection.
However, for the land parcel to successfully be released, it can only be accomplished by issuing an instruction through the terminal in the Central City District.
Sarkaz Technician reported the issue to their colleagues in the Oktriug District.
Their response was that the command was successfully issued, and all data were normal. The Power Furnace showed no signs of damage and is currently operating normally.
If the equipment was functioning normally, why did it reassemble itself? This is a puzzling question.
The central control Technician couldn't answer, and neither could they. There was no other way but to go down and check.
"General, shall we send someone down now?"
"No, not now."
After sinking Duke Windermere's warship, the airship became the target of everyone's ire.
Intelligence agents from various factions are now closely monitoring every move here from different locations.
Sending people down from the airship to investigate the interior of the Norbert District Plot would easily trigger actions by the Dukes, leading to a chain reaction.
Manfred felt like he was having the worst luck lately; nothing he did went smoothly.
This mission, in particular, concerns the future of Sarkaz, forcing him to be cautious. To avoid making a mistake, Manfred would rather do nothing.
"Letting people down in broad daylight would be too conspicuous and difficult to hide. As long as we remain in the air, we're safe for now. Don't rush down; wait until nightfall to send a small team to escort the engineers for inspection."
One hour after the Norbert District Plot was released.
The focus of attention from all sides is now on the airship hovering over the Norbert District. However, it is about a kilometer above the ground, making it impossible to touch from the ground.
Upon hearing from the Doctor that he would be going to the city with Amiya to care for the injured civilians, Shi Lei naturally agreed to accompany her.
Considering that Victorians' hatred of the Sarkaz would reach its peak after the outbreak of war.
Therefore, for this trip, Shi Lei left the Sarkaz, including Mudrock, Shining, Broca, to stay at the camp.
He then took Texas and Yu with him to protect the Doctor and Amiya.
Just as every city has Pantalone neighborhoods, working-class neighborhoods, and Slums, even in the predominantly middle-class Norbert District, there are differences between different streets.
As the group walked further in, the streets initially seemed reasonably clean. However, as they ventured deeper, they discovered numerous shops with smashed windows. The scene was a complete mess, resembling a typical USA free shopping experience.
Amiya saw a citizen lying on the roadside and quickly went to check on him. Shi Lei had already put Jade Shield on everyone and was not worried about her being attacked.
The moment he was touched, the person lying on the ground weakly opened his eyes, his parched lips pleading for mercy:
"No, don't kill me..."
Amiya saw that he was emotional and tried to calm him down:
"Sir, please don't worry. We are a medical organization and will not harm you. We just saw you sleeping on the street and wanted to check if you were injured."
The citizen breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and expressed his gratitude:
"Oh, thank you. I was just starving and took a nap by the roadside. Don't try anything with me, I don't have anything valuable on me."
Seeing the wariness in his eyes, Amiya continued to reassure him:
"Sir, we don't need anything."
Some citizens were skeptical, looking the person up and down with disbelief.
"Real?"
"Of course, we will not only not harm you, but we will also provide you with some food."
At this point, Amiya took out a few compressed biscuits and a clean bottle of mineral water and handed them to the other person:
"These are food, remember to keep them safe. You're very weak right now, you definitely won't be able to compete with others."
This act of kindness deeply moved the residents of Norbert District who were sleeping in the street.
But upon catching a glimpse of the black Originium crystal on Amiya's arm, he swiftly retreated to create distance.
Infected? Holy crap, this is an infected person!
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Chapter 515 The Appearance of a Leader (Bonus Chapter)
In the past, this citizen would never have accepted any supplies offered by an infected person.
In their eyes, these were all dirty, infected foods that would cause Originium-related illness if eaten.
Even though this claim is completely unscientific, people with low levels of education still firmly believe in it.
This is the prejudice against those infected in this land.
It is an inherent concept formed by all commoners under the subtle influence of propaganda from the aristocratic class.
"Gentlemen..."
The other person's swift retreat made Amiya feel uneasy. She bit her lip lightly, staring at the weakened man in front of her with a complicated expression.
The residents of Norbert District are also conflicted.
Faced with the choice between surviving and refusing the gift, his hunger forced him to choose the former.
"Thank you, I'll be leaving now..."
The citizen accepted the compressed biscuits and water, repeatedly turning back to wipe the packaging paper with his clothes as he went.
It seems that only by doing this can the 'Originium bacteria' that may cause Originium-related illness infection be wiped away.
Even if this substance doesn't exist, people believe it does, so the Originium bacteria exist.
Watching the departing figure, kind-hearted Amiya couldn't help but remind her:
"Sir, you've been hungry for too long. Don't eat too quickly; let your body recover its functions slowly."
"Ah, I understand, goodbye!"
A perfunctory answer, a cold gaze.
The barrier called discrimination is like an insurmountable obstacle that stands in my heart.
Shi Lei saw everything but didn't offer any words of comfort. Instead, he handed two palm-sized miniature Rock Constructs vases to Texas and Xi.
"Amiya, we've brought a considerable amount of food and water this time. It should be enough to feed everyone in this area for at least three days. Giving too much at once makes them vulnerable to looting. Hopefully, these supplies will alleviate their survival pressure. Also, the Doctor..."
The Doctor was a little confused when he was suddenly mentioned.
"Ah?"
Shi Lei smiled and reminded him what exactly he wanted to do by hiring him to come to Londinium:
"Now that war has broken out, the situation in the city is changing rapidly. Whether to help the various Duke conquer Londinium or to help the Sarkaz is a question you urgently need to consider. Perhaps dragging it out is one way, but whether it can be dragged out to the end is still an unknown."
The Doctor raised his hand to his forehead, looking very embarrassed.
It wasn't that he didn't want to choose, but that he had no choice.
With Doctor Zhongli's abilities, any one of these options could directly alter the outcome of this war.
The Doctor felt that neither option was ideal and wanted to delay further to explore a completely new path.
"I..."
Seeing that he was hesitant and unable to make a decision, Shi Lei knew he couldn't make the choice for his employer.
"If you can't figure it out, take your time. Let's go distribute the supplies further inside."
Considering that sending supplies out of rock bottles would seem very abrupt, they spotted a used van on the road and bought it to carry food and water.
If you encounter homeless refugees along the way, give them supplies for two to three days. If asked which force is behind it all, always answer Rhodes Island.
Shi Lei's original intention in bringing supplies was to help those struggling to survive during the war. Fame, fortune, and reputation are all fleeting; there's no need to promote Liyue City here.
As they were walking, the group encountered members of the Glass Gang, led by Vigna, at a street corner.