Ye Chen Plays Dead

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Ruthless cannonballs howled through the sky, one after another, hurtling straight toward the Tree of Knowledge at the center of the island. In an instant, smoke and fire engulfed the Tree of Knowledge as cannon fire blasted it and sent thick black smoke billowing upward. Its heavy branches still stood firm, but many leaves and smaller branches had already been torn from the trunk. The bombardment grew ever more intense. After enduring the artillery barrage without pause, the great tree gradually reached its limit. One branch after another snapped apart. Even the library hidden within was struck by shells. Merciless flames soared into the air, roaring as they swept overhead. Before long, the once-azure sky was shrouded in smoke and fire.

"Oh no, the Marines have opened fire!" Robin cried out and hurried toward the library. Her frail body had not gone far before she fell to the ground. Yet she ignored the pain. As an archaeologist, she could not allow the Marines to destroy those precious research materials.

Dr. Clover and the others went mad as well, charging toward the library. "Put out the fire! We must protect those books! Even if it costs us our lives, we cannot let the Marines destroy them!"

These archaeologists, none of them physically strong, all willingly rushed toward the library. Every face was filled with worry and hatred. Just as swordsmen cherished their swords, these precious research materials meant more to the archaeologists than their own lives.

"Heh... how foolish. Let's go. Ignore them. They can do whatever they want. Everything here will soon be reduced to ashes anyway."

Cold and heartless, Spandine found the archaeologists' actions laughable and shook his head disdainfully. Just then, a cannonball whistled down beside him. Though it did not hit him directly, the blast wave sent Spandine flying. He scrambled up from the ground in embarrassment and cursed, "Damn bastards! Who gave the order to fire? Don't they know I haven't left yet? Retreat at once!"

"Report, sir! We caught a woman. She appears to be Olvia, the criminal we've been hunting!" As Spandine was about to flee Ohara, he had barely gone a short distance when several CP9 agents shoved a woman before him.

"Olvia... Hahaha! Excellent! Take her away immediately. We've searched for this woman for a long time. Who would have thought she'd return to Ohara?"

"Olvia!" Robin and Ye Chen, who had just run over from the beach, froze at once. Upon hearing that familiar name, Robin's eyes immediately welled up. All the grievances she had suffered since childhood surged into her heart at once. Clenching her teeth, she ran toward the CP9 agents. When she reached Olvia and looked up at her, Robin did not hesitate for even a moment before crying out and throwing herself at Olvia.

"Mom! Mom!"

"Damn it! You bastards, let her go right now!"

Seeing that Olvia was the very woman he had met on the beach—and realizing that she was the mother Robin had been searching for all along—Ye Chen charged forward without a second thought when he saw the Marines had captured her.

Seeing a boy running toward him, Spandine did not take him seriously at all. The moment Ye Chen reached him, Spandine sent a flying kick at him. But Ye Chen twisted strangely to the side, suddenly grabbed Spandine's ankle with his left hand, clenched his right fist, and, without stopping, drove a punch straight into Spandine's crotch.

"Argh! Argh..." Struck by Ye Chen's punch, Spandine immediately doubled over and howled in agony. Ye Chen landed and followed with a sweeping leg kick. Without any suspense, Spandine was knocked flat onto the ground. Ye Chen then furiously charged toward the CP9 agents escorting Olvia. But though Ye Chen knew some martial arts, CP9's strength was far beyond anything he had imagined. One CP9 agent glanced at Ye Chen expressionlessly, raised his leg, and kicked at him. "Rankyaku!"

With a boom, a crescent-shaped air blade slammed viciously into Ye Chen. He flew away like a kite with its string cut. When he hit the ground, a bloody gash had opened across his chest. Cold sweat poured down Ye Chen's forehead from the pain, and he nearly passed out. Fortunately, that CP9 agent had not used his full strength. Otherwise, Ye Chen would not have survived.

"Damn it! Bastard, bastard! You damned little brat!"

Spandine struggled to his feet, clutching his crotch with both hands as he stormed over to Ye Chen. Cursing as he went, he kicked Ye Chen several times. Still not satisfied, Spandine pulled out a pistol from his waist and aimed it at Ye Chen.

"Ugh..." Suddenly, Ye Chen let out a pained cry. His body convulsed violently several times, then he lay completely still.

"Dead?" Spandine bent down and checked Ye Chen's nose. Seeing that he truly was no longer breathing, Spandine cursed, "Lucky brat. Hmph, you saved me a bullet!"

Robin, who had thrown herself toward Olvia, was pushed away by the CP9 agents. In that brief moment, Ye Chen had suddenly died. Robin was terrified. Seeing her mother about to be taken away, tears streamed down her face as she cried, "Mom, I'm Robin! Don't you recognize me?"

"I'm sorry, you have the wrong person!" Afraid Robin would be implicated, Olvia forced down the grief in her heart and shook her head, refusing to acknowledge Robin. Whether it was the World Government or CP9, they needed no reason to kill people. Ye Chen was the clearest example. So was the living proof of Ohara itself. Olvia started walking away. Spandine snorted, but seeing that Robin was merely a little girl, he paid her no attention.

After taking only two steps, Robin chased after her again. "Mom, Mom, I'm Robin! I've grown up! Don't you remember me? I've been waiting for you to come back! Are you really not my mother? I always wished there was someone who could hold my hand and go for walks with me. I studied hard and became an archaeologist, and I learned to read Poneglyphs—all so I could be with you, Mom!"

Olvia's heart lurched. Sure enough, Spandine suddenly stopped and spun around. "What did you say? You're an archaeologist too? You can read Poneglyphs?"

Whether Robin was Olvia's daughter or not no longer mattered. That fact alone had sentenced her young life to death, because she was not only an archaeologist—she could also read Poneglyphs.

"Robin, leave this place quickly." Olvia turned around as well and desperately shook her head at Robin.

At that moment, Robin had done nothing wrong. After all, she was only eight years old. After all, every moment of every day, she had longed to see her mother. She believed the woman before her was her mother.

As for the fact that historians would be killed by the Marines, she did not understand it at all. She was still too young to understand why her identity had made her someone the government was determined to erase.