Who Gave You Permission to Look Up at Me, You Bastard?!

Bridge-on-the-Nation, Taichilawolf.

The wind howled and snow whipped through the air, while thick fog made what should have been a clear sky look gloomy and dark.

Various building materials and equipment were piled up at the bridgehead. Tall streetlights lined both sides, casting a faint glow over the bridge.

Large numbers of people in thin, ragged clothes, with heavy iron balls chained to their feet, wandered across the bridge.

They were all prisoners in Bridge-on-the-Nation.

Their eyes were lifeless, as if they were walking corpses.

They labored endlessly at the same grueling tasks, silently waiting for the day they would die.

All around them

were Overseer Soldiers in thick, padded uniforms, rifles slung over their backs and whips gripped tightly in their hands.

Crack—!

Just then, near the edge of the bridge, an Overseer Soldier standing beside a streetlight suddenly lashed the passing slave next to him.

"Move faster! Do you want to go hungry?"

The middle-aged man, struck across the back, winced in pain, and his legs buckled.

The timber he had been carrying on his shoulder crashed to the ground with a thud.

The Overseer Soldier's face darkened at once. He stormed over and began whipping the man furiously, shouting as he struck:

"Damn slave! Can't even hold on to a piece of wood! You're useless!"

"If you hold up construction of the bridge, I'll beat you to death!"

Most of the slaves nearby paid no attention, choosing to ignore what was happening. They had clearly seen this sort of thing countless times before.

Even though two or three of them stole a glance, a flicker of inner conflict in their eyes,

they ultimately forced themselves to look away.

Whoosh—!

But just then,

the Overseer Soldier heard a rush of air behind him, as if something had shot past his back.

He hurriedly stopped and looked around, but saw nothing at all.

Even so, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Just as he was about to move aside and search more carefully,

the Overseer Soldier suddenly shuddered. His eyes bulged as if some terrifying creature had fixed its gaze on him.

Following his instincts, he snapped his head up—and in the hazy light above, he saw

a towering figure standing atop a nearby streetlight.

Backlit, the man standing on the streetlight appeared in silhouette. The Overseer Soldier stared in shock and instinctively stumbled back two steps, mouth agape, frozen in place.

The man's cold gaze seemed to look upon him as a dead man, making a chill run through the Overseer Soldier's entire body.

Coming to his senses, the Overseer Soldier couldn't help but tremble.

He hurriedly grabbed the rifle slung over his back, raised it, and took aim, shouting a stern warning:

"Who the hell are you?! How dare you trespass in Bridge-on-the-Nation!"

"Get down here, now!"

His shouts drew the attention of the slaves laboring nearby, and they all looked over.

Will stood atop the streetlight with his arms folded. His words were even colder than the snowstorm around him:

"Who gave you permission to look up at me, you bastard?!"

As soon as the words left his mouth,

Will's figure gradually vanished into the snowstorm, as if everything that had just happened were nothing but an illusion.

"W-where is he?!"

The Overseer Soldier's eyes widened. His hands trembled slightly, and he hurriedly looked all around, searching for Will.

"Take a deep breath. Dizziness is normal."

Suddenly, a voice like a demonic whisper from hell slipped into the Overseer Soldier's ear from behind.

His entire body went rigid. His eyes filled with overwhelming terror.

Before he could even turn around, his vision suddenly spun, and everything before him began to darken rapidly.

He didn't even have time to feel dizzy.

The Overseer Soldier's neck had been snapped with ease. He toppled straight down into the snow.

The slaves, long since numb to suffering, couldn't help but show a flicker of shock.

Then, almost instinctively,

they all turned to look at the tall, powerfully built, handsome man standing with his hands at his sides and a cold expression on his face.

Seeing his indifferent expression,

the slaves froze where they stood, not daring to move a muscle for fear of angering this reckless stranger who had dropped from the sky.

None of the slaves there naively believed he had come specifically to save them.

Or perhaps their hearts had grown so numb that they no longer hoped anyone would rescue them.

Meanwhile, the snowstorm and the sheer breadth of the bridge

kept the Overseer Soldiers watching the other areas from noticing what was happening here.

Will paid no attention to the people around him. After sweeping his eyes over them, he asked without expression:

"Does anyone know the details of what's inside Bridge-on-the-Nation? Step forward and tell me."

At his words, the crowd stiffly turned their heads to look at one another, their faces bewildered.

Just then, a bald man with several whip scars across his face pushed out of the crowd.

Bald Man looked up at Will with a numb expression. After a moment's thought, he said in a low voice:

"You must've come here to rescue someone."

"It's no use. The person you're trying to save is most likely already dead."

"Even if they're alive, there are so many slaves on this bridge that you'll never find them."

"Get out of here while those powerful people haven't noticed you yet."

"Oh?"

Will's eyes lit up at his words. Ignoring the warning, he asked, "These powerful people you mentioned—where are they?"

"You didn't come here to rescue someone...?"

Bald Man couldn't help showing a hint of surprise at Will's reaction.

Then, seeing that the man before him still looked utterly calm, he sighed inwardly. His expression returned to its usual numbness as he said:

"Forget it. Since you're so determined to know, I'll tell you everything I know."

"This is the bridge's 'Construction Area.' There aren't any powerful people standing guard here right now."

"More than a dozen Navy warships are permanently stationed right beneath the bridgehead, so nobody can escape from this side."

"That's why the powerful Naval Officers are mostly stationed farther back, guarding the 'Consolidation Area.'"

"That area is larger, and it has just as many slaves."

As he spoke,

Bald Man seemed to remember something. He hesitated briefly before continuing:

"Actually, there's been a rumor these past two days. They say some incredible big shot seems to have arrived in the 'Consolidation Area' farther back."

"Some slaves over there have been whispering about it."

"Even the two most powerful Naval Officers act obsequious and nervous in front of that big shot."

"I don't know whether any of this is true. But since I've already told you so much, I might as well tell you everything."

"Whether you still go farther down the bridge after hearing all this is none of my business."