novelraw Chapter 961: Tyrant
Chapter 961: Tyrant
The airships of Blackwater City were scattered throughout the city, hovering above the buildings.
Like a group of man-eating sharks patrolling and wandering in the sky.
The elderly and infirm residents remaining in the city saw this scene and hurried back to their homes.
Some people also took the elevator to the rooftop, standing at the edge of the rooftop to curse at the airships.
Atop a tall building in the Ninth District, an old man stood on the rooftop, his back hunched, holding a cane, cursing: "Get back to your own continent!" However, as soon as he finished speaking, the machine gun mounted on the bottom of an airship suddenly opened fire, turning the old man into a bloody mist. A burst of uproarious laughter came from inside the airship.
On the ground, people were still pulling banners, protesting against the airships above, but the airships responded with a burst of fire, leaving a pile of corpses in the streets.
In the history of the Roosevelt Kingdom's wars, before the West Continent was covered by the Forbidden Forest, when the entire civilization was still in the wasteland era, massacres were commonplace.
Later, with the rise of slavery, people began to be valued, and the occurrence of massacres gradually decreased. Now, they have arrived in a completely unfamiliar land, looking at the Asians in City 18 shouting at them, as if they were looking at monkeys, without any mercy.
At this time, two airships descended from the Blackwater Air Fortress, heading straight for the Li Clan's Ban Shan Mountain Estate, landing in front of the Baopu Building.
The cabin doors opened, and white soldiers, chewing gum, came down from the gangplank. As they stood on the ground, they casually spat their gum on the ground, swaggering and asking, "Where's Li Yunshou?" The carefree copper bells on the Baopu Building rang tinklingly, urgent and sharp. The white soldiers frowned, "What's that thing? Go and take it down." Li Yunshou came out from the Baopu Building. "I'm here." An Asian man walked down from one of Blackwater City's airships. This was a translator sent by the Roosevelt Kingdom. Looking at Li Yunshou, he asked: "The Duke of Blackwater asked me to ask you, your Li Clan's urgent and forceful conscription, even taking women, is it to protect them?"
The Li Clan's conscription policy was that all men and women over the age of 16 must join the army. But in reality, the Li Clan's conscription was even more exaggerated. They would force children's mothers to take their children away, so even very young boys and girls went with the army to open roads in the southwest mountains.
This afternoon, an undercover reporter exposed a photo: a nine-year-old girl carrying stones to fill the road so that the Li Clan's armored vehicles could pass. In the photo, the little girl was carrying heavy stones, her eyes devoid of light.
However, there were already many voices on the internet condemning the Li Clan, and this was just one more.
However, the Duke of Blackwater knew very well that the Li Clan had driven all these people to the mountains, just to prevent Roosevelt Kingdom soldiers from coming and wantonly insulting and abusing the residents of City 18. The only people left in this city are now some elderly people or disabled people.
The Asian man sneered, "Do you think those residents who were conscripted will thank you? Aren't they still abandoning you online? If you still want to be a humiliated weight-training hero, then you better give up that idea. Since you care so much about the residents under your rule, now, gather all the women aged 15 to 30 in your Li Clan's Ban Shan Mountain Estate and come with us to the Blackwater Air Fortress."
"What the hell are you dreaming about?" A young man from the Li Clan said, "Why don't you call your mother to the Ban Shan Mountain Estate?"
At this moment, a shadow enveloped them from above, and eight airships slowly floated over, their main guns all aimed at the ground.
The translator from Blackwater City sneered, "Don't be too impulsive, impulsiveness won't lead to good results. Is it only by completely breaking your spines that you will obediently obey and stop these petty thoughts? Or should we carve words on your faces?"
Outer World, 1645: The Qing Shunzhi Emperor issued an order, "From now on, within and outside the capital, and in various provinces of Zhili, complete the verdict within the day. If you evade or quibble, you will be severely punished. Officials are not allowed to discuss the shaving of hair; otherwise, they will be killed without mercy." This is the historically famous "Shave Head Order." From high-ranking officials to ordinary people, from this day on, whether to keep one's hair was no longer a matter of personal preference, nor a matter of ethics, but had become a serious political issue. In order to completely conquer this land spiritually, the Qing rulers used shaving as a symbol of submission, and for this purpose, they did not hesitate to use death as a threat. The slogan was, "Keep the head, not the hair; keep the hair, not the head."
At that time, "body hair, received from parents" was a traditional belief for many people. Therefore, many people rose up in rebellion, but were ruthlessly suppressed. When many people watch Qing Dynasty dramas, they easily get caught up in love stories, but they ignore the suffering and humiliation brought by that braid.
It was from that time that many people's spines were broken, broken for more than two hundred years.
Now, the Roosevelt Kingdom wants to carve the word "slave" on everyone's face, which is not much different from that period of history in the Outer World, all for the sake of complete conquest. Li Yunshou raised his hand to stop the young man who was speaking.
The young man shouted, "Patriarch, they are deliberately insulting us! Why should we continue to compromise and yield?! We can't really offer our women!"
Li Yunshou sighed and looked at Li Shu: "Take him away, and have the Garrison Troops bring all the eligible women from the manor."
The young man's eyes instantly reddened with humiliation: "Patriarch, we can't do this! My sister isn't married yet! Patriarch, we can't do this!"
However, Li Shu's face was cold, and he did not hesitate to give the Garrison Troops an order: "Execute the patriarch's order."
The Garrison Troops members looked at each other, Li Shu roared, "Is there anyone else who wants to live in Prison 18 for the rest of their lives? A soldier's duty is to obey orders. Is this your first day as a soldier?" Soon, the Garrison Troops controlled everyone in the manor who wanted to resist and brought all the women from the manor, allowing the Blackwater City soldiers to select sixty to take onto the airships. The entire Ban Shan Mountain Estate was filled with cries, and many people fainted on the ground.
Li Yunshou watched silently.
Someone cursed at him, "Li Yunshou, you beast! What face will you have to see your ancestors after you die?! I will skin you alive and make a drum out of your skin!" Li Yunshou did not respond.
The translator from Blackwater City looked at Li Yunshou: "Please, come with us."
"To do what?" Li Yunshou asked.
The translator sneered, "Didn't you prepare an ambush for us in City 18? The Duke of Blackwater wants you to see with your own eyes how pathetic the means prepared by your East Continent are."
Li Yunshou was stunned, and before he could react, white soldiers pushed him toward the airship.
The Li Clan members looked up in despair as the airships soared away. Li Shu said blankly: "It's over."
"Sir, what are we going to do now?" Someone asked.
Li Shu remained silent for a long time: "Escort the resisters to prison."
In the night, the deck of the Blackwater Air Fortress slowly opened, like a giant beast swallowing two airships.
The Air Fortress hovered at an altitude of 12,000 meters, refusing to descend. Blackwater City, as if it knew something, was always on guard. At this altitude, no matter whether it's the East Continent or the West Continent's surface-to-air missiles, it will be difficult to have much effect. Even if they flew to the front, the Air Fortress already has enough buffer time to calculate the trajectory and intercept.
Even though the Fate Weaver has seen the fate, even though the East Continent has been shattered, the Duke of Blackwater has not given up his vigilance. He is still prepared to deal with all dangers. When Li Yunshou and the Li Clan women were pushed into the banquet hall, everyone saw a huge holographic projection erected in front of the banquet hall.
White officers selected the Li Clan women they liked, and amidst the women's cries, Li Yunshou stood alone amidst the white people's laughter.
The Duke of Blackwater, wearing a robe, stood beside the holographic projection and said to Li Yunshou with a smile, "There wasn't much entertainment tonight, but you can provide some."
At this time, civilian airships suddenly took off from the holographic projection, one after another crashing into the Blackwater City airships patrolling the city. But the Blackwater City airships were prepared, and the airships from City 18 were shot down as soon as they took off. These Blackwater City fleets seemed to have known from the beginning where the Li Clan would launch their counterattack, and they even knew how much strength the Li Clan had prepared. The reason why they dared to patrol so recklessly in the city was because they had seen the fate.
Military-grade A-class airships faced the Li Clan's civilian airships like adults beating children, rendering them completely helpless.
The people in those civilian airships were not soldiers; they were spontaneously organized civilian groups from the Central Plains Chamber of Commerce. Every airship company, without exception, was ready for a suicide attack.
However, it was futile.
Li Yunshou watched silently, and the Duke of Blackwater asked, "Did you organize this?" Li Yunshou shook his head. "No, they organized it themselves."
The Duke of Blackwater sneered, "Denial is meaningless now."
"This is indeed not organized by me," Li Yunshou shook his head, "It's the Eternal Society, and the Knight Messengers, Su Xingzhi, leading the Central Plains Chamber of Commerce."
"Knight," the Duke of Blackwater sneered, "The Knight Order can only do these petty tricks." Li Yunshou suddenly said, "To my knowledge, the Knight killed the Silver Duke. You shouldn't underestimate them."
The Duke of Blackwater looked straight at Li Yunshou, "It seems that you have also prepared something, so your tone is harsher. It doesn't matter; I'll let you see how they are destroyed."
In just half an hour, the Li Clan's prepared civilian airships fell one after another, setting City 18 ablaze.
The next moment, outside City 18, countless airships flew in, as many as 500. The Duke of Blackwater laughed, "So, this is what you prepared."
Li Yunshou did not speak.
The next moment, outside City 18, countless airships flew in, as many as 500. The Duke of Blackwater laughed, "So, this is what you prepared."
Li Yunshou did not speak.
This ambush gathered all the Li Clan's civilian airships in the city—318, and military airships—191.
The civilian airships formed a solid wall in front, protecting the military airships behind, launching an assault towards the sky. They flew towards the Air Fortress from all directions, like countless tiny moths rushing towards the black island in the sky.
They did not hesitate to destroy their nuclear power plants and engines at the cost of exceeding their load, relentlessly crashing into the Air Fortress. However, the Blackwater Air Fortress was fully prepared and did not descend.
If the Duke of Blackwater had smugly landed in City 18, if he had landed the Blackwater Air Fortress below 3,000 kilometers, these civilian airships might have really been able to protect the warships and fly to the Blackwater Air Fortress.
However, there are not so many ifs in this world.
The 72 main cannons of the Blackwater Air Fortress slid rapidly on the tracks, one after another, the electromagnetic cannons charging and firing.
The alloy projectiles pierced one civilian airship after another. The once solid and dense wall was broken into pieces in just ten minutes, revealing the military airships behind it. In the military airships, the Li Clan commanders commanded their warships.
They watched as one civilian airship after another completed its mission and fell to the ground. The people inside were not soldiers; they were volunteers from the Central Plains. The mission of those people was to send the Li Clan soldiers a distance at the cost of one airship and their lives.
An officer whispered, "Success or failure depends on this battle. I'll go down to accompany you later."
In the airship. "Power plant temperature warning!" "Engine temperature warning!"
"We have entered attack range. Should we launch missiles?"
"Launch!"
Nearly 200 military airships fired simultaneously; they did not hesitate to fire all their ammunition.
At the same time, the Li Clan soldiers could see the airships around them falling one by one.
When nearly a thousand missiles flew towards the Blackwater Air Fortress, something astonishing happened. The Blackwater Air Fortress suddenly opened protective decks below, and tens of thousands of arm-thick interception missiles spewed white smoke, forming a large white net in the sky.
All of the Li Clan military airships' missiles were intercepted.
The Duke of Blackwater sneered, "Have you seen the gap? Your airships are useless against our new Air Fortress. Not to mention airships; even if your Air Fortress comes, it won't work. According to our calculations, you need at least two Air Fortresses to exchange for one of ours."
Li Yunshou remained silent.
The Li Clan soldiers below the Blackwater Air Fortress were in despair. They stared blankly as their missiles were shattered into fireworks, none of them hitting the Blackwater Air Fortress!
"What should we do now?" An officer asked in an airship.
The commander laughed and cursed, "What the hell else can we do? We can't run away now. None of you are allowed to retreat! Keep charging for me! No deserters! Don't disgrace the Li Clan! Those civilian airships escorted us here. We can't retreat now. This is the flight altitude they bought with their lives! Charge!"
In the Blackwater Air Fortress, everyone watched the holographic projection, watching the Li Clan airships charge again. Even without ammunition, they would fly up to die.
The Duke of Blackwater sneered, "Meaningless sacrifice."
"Meaningful," Li Yunshou said suddenly.
The Duke of Blackwater turned to look at him, his eyes slightly narrowed, "I originally thought you would become my loyal servant, that you would care about the 31,922 lives of the Li Clan, that you would care whether they become slaves, but now I think you don't care at all."
Speaking, the Duke of Blackwater pulled over a Li Clan woman, putting his hand into her clothes, "Have you decided to let the entire Li Clan become slaves?"
Li Yunshou calmly looked at the holographic projection, watching the Li Clan airships continue to charge towards the sky. The billowing black smoke from their bodies was like the waving banners of warriors.
Charge, then be hit and fall.
Li Yunshou thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I don't want to be the patriarch. If my seventh brother hadn't taken the position, I might have wanted to be a Knight. In fact, the Li Clan are descendants of the Knight, Li Yingyun. That's why I corrected you just now—never underestimate the Knight."
Li Yunshou bowed slightly to the Li Clan women, "I'm sorry. I'm incompetent. I, as the patriarch, failed to protect the Li Clan. If Old Master were here, he would have done better than me."
The Duke of Blackwater stared at Li Yunshou, trying to see something from him.
Li Yunshou looked at him without flinching, "Over thousands of years, countless people have come to this land, wanting to conquer it, to defeat it. We have indeed been conquered and defeated, but in the end, we still stand here. I'm not trying to boast, but I want to tell you that you may be able to enslave this place temporarily, but sooner or later, someone will drive you all out, or kill you all."
The Duke of Blackwater sneered, "With you?"
Li Yunshou calmly shook his head, "I can't."
The Li Clan women gradually stopped crying. They didn't know the inside story, so their crying was real.
The curses against Li Yunshou were also real. Li Yunshou endured it all without saying a word.
But now, they suddenly realized that things might be different from what they thought. The patriarch's spine was still straight.
The Duke of Blackwater sneered again, "Since you think you can't, then what can kill us? Qing Chen?"
Li Yunshou shook his head again, "Our unyielding will."
The Duke of Blackwater was stunned, then burst into laughter. All the white people burst into laughter, as if they had heard a funny joke.
Someone asked in an exaggerated tone, "Can an unyielding will be a weapon? Are there ambushes in the sky? The Zhushén hào and Qingshan Fortress? Let them come out."
Li Yunshou said, "They have arrived in the southwest."
"Then you're about to see what will happen to your women," the Duke of Blackwater said, "Words can't save the world."
Li Yunshou suddenly smiled, "Four months ago, I had a conversation with the Old Master on Ginkgo Mountain. We talked a lot—humanities, philosophy, Go, and the future. This morning, the day before yesterday, someone named Qing Ji came to Ban Shan Mountain Estate and asked me if I regretted it."
"Hmm?" The Duke of Blackwater frowned, "What nonsense is this?"
Li Yunshou said, "The Qing Family always belittles others. They say they have the belief of "achieving success without needing my presence." They say they have the determination to overthrow everything and start anew. They always boast that their army is the most elite and fearless in the Federation, as if everyone else is inferior to them. Now, let you see, let them see what the Li Clan's belief is."
Time's up.
"I will use the lives of 31,922 people of the Li Clan, and the lives of the remaining 810,000 elderly, weak, sick, and disabled in this city as a price to drag you all down to hell."
"Qing Chen and the others have done a lot for this land. Now it's our turn."
In the eyes of everyone, Li Yunshou had always been a gentle and refined gentleman. He was unhurried in his actions, even somewhat slow.
No matter how angry he was, he wouldn't get angry with anyone.
But now, Li Yunshou stood in this vast and empty Blackwater Air Fortress, as firm as a warrior.
The Duke of Blackwater subconsciously felt that something bad was about to happen, but he didn't know what it was.
Could it be that there is a fate that the Fate Weaver couldn't see?
At this moment, Li Shu had escorted a group of prisoners to Prison 18.
The gate opened, but it was different from the prison Qing Chen first saw. There were no cells, no prisoners, only staff members in white coats walking back and forth.
In the center of Prison 18 was a nuclear bomb: 8 meters long, 2.1 meters in diameter, weighing 27 tons. After the establishment of the Federation, all nuclear weapons were destroyed, but the research data on nuclear weapons was not destroyed, and now the Qing Family had quietly obtained it.
This sword, you may not need it, but you cannot be without it. This nuclear bomb, named "Tyrant," was urgently manufactured by the Qing Family four months ago, but the Qing Family did not launch it. Instead, under the pretext of rebuilding Prison 18, it was transported back here.
The old man on Ginkgo Mountain took the Forbidden Artifact ace-002 from here, but this was not the end.
After negotiating with the Li Clan, he placed the Tyrant by the Li Clan's bedside, which was the final stroke of this plan.
And Li Yunshou, this gentle and slow person, actually allowed the Qing Family to do this.
This was the Li Clan's territory. Without the Li Clan's consent, this Tyrant could never have been placed here.
The informants from Blackwater City had been monitoring the recent changes in the Li Clan, but they never expected that someone had been preparing for today four months ago.
Four months ago, some people already knew their fate, and Li Yunshou was one of them. They remained silent, observed, waited, and carefully protected it step by step according to everything they saw in their fate, not daring to make any changes. Because they were quite satisfied with this outcome.
So, with apprehension and great courage, they went to embrace their fate.
At this moment, Li Shu led the Li Clan's resisters into Prison 18. Those who had opposed Li Yunshou stared blankly at this scene.
"How powerful is it?"
"Fifty million tons of TNT equivalent. The shockwave will reach a radius of 600 kilometers. Within 46 kilometers, nothing will survive. Everything will be annihilated, including those in the sky. At that time, even a glance from 200 kilometers away would cause burns to the eyes, and even the glass of buildings in City 10, 600 kilometers away, would be shattered."
Even if the Blackwater Air Fortress flew high enough, it was only at an altitude of 12 kilometers.
This altitude was insignificant in the face of Tyrant. If they couldn't find the exact location and route of the Blackwater Air Fortress, they could even achieve this short-lived victory at a smaller cost.
The Duke of Blackwater thought Li Yunshou and the Li Clan wouldn't risk the lives of 31,922 Li Clan members, but they really dared.