novelraw Chapter 892 - 484: Facing Hell
Chapter 892 - 484: Facing Hell
The woman looked about thirty years old, but there wasn’t a wrinkle on her face. There was a small scar from a burn near her left eye, but it didn’t affect her... beauty?
Were those well-defined features something that could be called beautiful?
Could a woman be described as beautiful, rather than hardworking, brave, righteous, or strong?
In Kalem’s impression, the word beautiful was far off from the Frost Plated women with shaved heads, muscular bodies, slightly short stature, who stand up against difficulties and never throw problems at men.
So he instinctively asked:
"Are you a foreigner?"
"No, I’m Frost Plated, but I wasn’t born from an artificial womb."
"What do you mean?" Kalem was stunned for a moment before he realized: "You’re saying you’re a naturally born Frost Plated? But naturally born people are at least 45 years old. You don’t look it at all."
"Yes, I’m not just 45; in fact, I’m already 58. I just have a youthful appearance."
The woman finished a bowl of fried rice and smacked her lips:
"You guys eat really well here, much better than in the Outer World."
"You mean the Outer World? Did you come from there?" Kalem became excited: "I’ve heard people in the Outer World are very free, everyone lives carefree, various relationships occur between men and women, and they take care of each other, is that true?"
"Freedom is quite free, it’s just hard to survive."
The woman poured herself a cup of hot tea and casually said:
"People in the Outer World have long struggled on the line of subsistence, most people live with their families. They spend their lives in cars, and die because there’s no gasoline; even a cup of hot water could get someone to sleep with you—if you don’t mind them being skinny and small, with skin paler than a corpse."
"How romantic," Kalem said enviously: "Traveling all one’s life, roughing it with different people, and getting sweet love through exchanges is not bad. Unlike us Frost Plated workers who are busy all the time, eating nothing but lobsters and steaks every day, it’s too monotonous."
"Oh please."
The woman glanced at him, her purple eyes filled with sarcasm:
"That’s not romantic at all. If you took this plate of food to the Outer World, you could get two adults to kneel down and lick your sphincter, not just once, but for a month! People in the Outer World have no dignity, no capital for living, and even cannibalism is common."
Kalem froze, stammering:
"Uh... it can’t be that bad, can it? Just not being able to afford food, not like that, right? Impossible, right?"
"Believe it or not." The woman rested her chin on her hand: "Anyway, I’ve been eaten."
"You’ve been eaten..."
Kalem’s eyes widened:
"What nonsense are you talking?"
"Listen, kid, when I was young, I was always in the Outer World, during Madeleine’s old witch rule, the Outer World was not as wonderful as you imagine. I just came back from the Outer World, and I assure you, it’s the scariest place on this planet."
The woman crossed her arms, speaking seriously.
"Do you mean the Outer World is like a purgatory?"
"The life you’re living now, they’d trade lifetimes of slavery for."
The woman ran her fingers through her hair, a shadow passed over her purple eyes, seeming to recall something unpleasant, and she muttered:
"Has David Lyn spoiled you all too much that you’ve forgotten how you used to live?"
"...I see."
Kalem wasn’t good with words, he shoveled a few mouthfuls of the remaining food, suddenly remembered something, and asked the woman:
"You said you were always in the Outer World, so are you going to work here next?"
"Yes, Frost Plated is my homeland, the Underground City’s construction needs more people to help, so I’m here."
The woman shrugged:
"Don’t be surprised, although I’m over fifty, my body doesn’t seem to have aged at all, and my outward growth is slow, seems a little related to my Arcane Energy."
"You even have Arcane Energy? Aren’t Arcane Users all on the Red Arrow Empire’s side?" Kalem became enthusiastic when talking about foreign matters: "I heard the Red Arrow Empire’s state religion, Monolith Church, can widely cultivate Arcane Users, and even provide them education and social status. As long as you convert and believe in that deity called L something, you can become a decent cultivator—isn’t it better to develop there?"
"The Red Arrow Empire? Yes, in the past, Red Arrow was indeed the light of Azure Star, they had the most advanced technology and medical methods, and treated their people well. It was once the hope of the world. But now, when the Emperor disregards the safety of the world, rashly launches military actions, and provokes the Sky Ring Republic, they have no right to say these things."
The woman snorted disdainfully:
"I don’t want to be with criminals who disregard human fate."
"You’re from the past, and you’ve been to many places... Can you tell me what was it like during the Frost Plated Republic?"
Kalem asked expectantly:
"I think, in the past Frost Plated Republic, although life was tough and there was gender inequality, people could fall in love and have children, what could give more hope to life than having a family and offspring?"
"During the Republic era, men understood romance, women knew how to dress up, such a country, putting aside wealth gaps and gender discrimination, at least they were happy."
"Although this might sound inappropriate... but I think the White Plum Army’s ideas aren’t wrong, and the leadership always talks about pacifying the White Plum Army rebellion and unifying the Federation—but think about it, why should we let those who freely love and enjoy family share the same life as us?"
Kalem rambled on, only to find the woman’s face growing colder.
"Actually, I think gender inequality isn’t so bad, at least it’s better than forcing equality in everything now, which makes men and women feel there’s more humanistic care."
Before he could finish his thought, the woman cut off his fantasy:
"The former Frost Plated Republic was a prison for all, where everyone was equally discriminated against by the Fourth Rule Agency that ran rampant capturing people—men, women, colonies, it didn’t matter who you were... The Frost Plated Republic was a prison for all."
The woman paused and said:
"Once, people fought tirelessly, shedding blood to overthrow Madeleine’s rule over the Frost Plated Republic. President David Lyn was wrongfully imprisoned, even though women legally held sway, at work, it was men who were always laboring hard. In the long run, gender conflicts grew deeper, and when the entire nation faced the threat of Sky Ring’s invasion, women didn’t even appreciate the soldiers’ bloody battles on the frontlines."
"The food you’re eating now, ninety percent is from the Grante Republic, but during the Frost Plated Republic era, Madeleine dispatched female Fourth Rule agents to massively invade the newly-independent Grante Republic, creating a blood feud—if it weren’t for President David Lyn, the Grante Republic would have long separated from the Frost Plating Federation’s system and despised us, and you wouldn’t have access to this food."
"This is just the tip of the iceberg of the crimes committed under Madeleine’s control of the Frost Plated Republic."
......
The Outer World started to rain again, cold freezing rain.
Du Zexin continued to wait in the cavern.
The sound of the rain became orderly, like a powerful march, rising and falling steadily on the oscilloscope.
It symbolized the present, representing the future.
A flash of lightning, like a silver dragon, tore through the sky.
Crack——————!
Then, thunder rumbled, shaking the heavens and earth.
A drone slowly flew into his camera view, a synthesized electronic voice sounded from the speaker:
"Mechanical Mentor, the first batch of apprentices has gathered."
"Good."
Du Zexin slowly straightened his body, the dilapidated chassis covered in ice shards and rust. He picked up a slag battle axe from the ground, turned the camera to look at the Mechanics behind him, and calmly raised the battle axe:
"This planet never belonged to the empire’s Great Powers, it belongs to the masses."
"Red Arrow wantonly wages war, Sky Ring plunders resources from the Outer World for development, and David Lyn betrayed the promises he made when he came to power, turning Frost Plated into a new hell."
"The time has come, it’s time for the Four Nations to pay the price."
"The end is near, we’re about to conduct the final Judgment!"
"Judgment! Judgment! Judgment!"
The Mechanics raised their guns, cold gray steel banners fluttering in the air, waving in the wind.