Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

The front of the fleshy sac was smashed and dented in a large area. Ino's face instantly cracked open, and half of his face was shattered, revealing the wet, red fibrous tissue underneath.

But this thing had an astonishingly strong vitality. The depression quickly swelled up again, and more roots around it rushed towards Xilun like madmen, trying to wrap around the gun barrel and drag him into the core.

"Governor!"

Rena cleaved three lateral roots with a single stroke, but even more were already sprouting from beneath her feet.

Instead of retreating, Xilun stepped onto the swirling main root, using the momentum to rise another three feet. He slammed his left hand down on the middle of the gun barrel, and his Xuan Yin breathing technique and Thunder Sound breathing roared simultaneously within his body.

A chill ran through the gun.

The thunderous sound penetrated to the bone.

The tip of the golden spear was suddenly covered with a layer of eerie white light.

"open!"

Xilun shouted.

This shot is no longer just a smash.

It's a thorn.

*Pfft*

The spear tip pierced through the top of the fleshy sac like a long, gleaming golden nail, forcefully penetrating the core of the entire mother plant.

The chill spread rapidly along the crack, frost formed layers on the surface of the fleshy sac, and the throbbing flesh inside was shattered inch by inch by the thunderous sound.

Ino's final, distorted face remained frozen between a smile and a cry.

He opened his mouth.

It's like they want to say something more.

But he only coughed up a clump of black blood mixed with white threads.

The next moment, the mother plant went mad.

The entire flower field erupted in unison.

Exclamations and gunshots came from the outer circle, clearly indicating that the root networks outside were also launching a simultaneous counterattack.

The stone walls on both sides of the cellar began to collapse, and countless white roots no longer protected their master, but instead scurried around like an out-of-control swarm of snakes, coiling around whatever they could find.

Xilun's eyes flashed, and he suddenly drew his gun.

The moment the gun was removed from the body, a fist-sized, dark white seed core rolled out from deep within the core of the mother plant. Its surface was covered with fine acoustic patterns, like a solidified throat bead.

This is the root.

The true lifeblood of the mother plant.

It's still jumping.

Without a second thought, Xilun grabbed the thing, squeezed it hard with all five fingers!

Crack.

The seed kernel broke.

A cold, sticky substance, accompanied by countless tiny, weeping sounds, suddenly burrowed into his flesh from his palm.

A sharp, needle-like pain shot through my ears, throat, and chest, as if some invisible membrane was slowly spreading through my bones.

Xilun frowned slightly, but didn't utter a sound.

He knew this feeling all too well.

The power of the alien species is merging into him.

It wasn't a brutal, forceful break, but rather a swift and quiet establishment of a place, following the path of his now ridiculously powerful physique and genetic lineage.

He could even clearly feel—

It felt like there was an extremely thin "empty membrane" deep inside my throat.

All the sounds of vibration, breathing, falling gravel, and thrashing roots suddenly became more three-dimensional, clearer, and more controllable.

It's not just about hearing it.

Instead, it is about being able to "grasp" it.

Echo chamber.

The name flashed through Xilun's mind.

At the same time, after losing its seed nucleus, the mother plant finally collapsed completely.

The enormous fleshy sac first expanded violently, then collapsed from the inside, as if all its vitality had been drained away.

Countless white roots quickly turned gray and black, the songs in the sea of ​​flowers gradually faded away, and finally only the sound of the wind and the intermittent gunshots in the distance remained.

Rena wiped the white fluid and blood from her face and took a breath.

"Dead?"

"Completely dead."

Xilun glanced at the decaying and collapsing mother body, then turned and left.

"go out."

As soon as the two stepped onto the collapsed stone steps, a loud crash came from behind them, and the entire cellar collapsed completely, burying rubble and rotten roots.

The outer edge of the flower field.

Kusso's sleeve was half-torn, and he was leading his men in a desperate defense against the last few wildly flailing sidearms. When he saw Xilen and Rena emerge from the ravine, his eyes lit up.

"Governor!"

Almost immediately after that sound, the white flowers and roots that were still twitching all around seemed to have their necks snapped at the same time, and they all went limp.

The wind blows.

The sea of ​​flowers lay flat and broken.

There are no more songs.

Everyone was stunned for a full two breaths before someone finally plopped down in the mud, panting heavily as if they had just been pulled out of the water.

Adel, holding his daughter, watched this scene with trembling eyes, then suddenly knelt down with a thud, his forehead slamming into the mud.

"Thank you, Governor... thank you..."

His daughter also knelt down, crying uncontrollably.

Feru stood not far away, his robes covered in mud and blood, the blade curled up.

He gazed at the now completely silent sea of ​​flowers, and the long-suppressed gloom in his eyes seemed to finally crack open a little.

It is not liberation.

But at least, there is no longer only despair.

Rena had already hurried to check the bodies and survivors around the perimeter.

Soon, she retrieved a lead box, half-sealed with mud, from a pile of rotten wood next to the collapsed well. The box was also wrapped with a piece of unburnt tarpaulin.

"Governor, look at this."

Xilun took it, and with a flick of his finger, the lock broke.

There was no money or medicine in the box.

There are only three things.

A map showing the distribution of flower fields in the four towns, a thin silver whistle engraved with a black dove emblem, and a letter that has not yet been sent.

The letter paper was mostly damp, but the words were still legible.

"When the mother plant is just maturing, the potting mix can be used; young plants need to be transferred after four days."

If Scamay falls, the towns of Black Birch, Mist Creek, and Cold Spring can continue to supply soil. The former site of the Black Dove Church must be personally taken over by the chanting deacon Rom; this must not be delayed.

Kuso's face darkened after reading it.

"There's more than just this one place."

"And they buried them in other towns as well."

Rena unfolded the map and traced her fingertips across the red circles.

Scamay was just one of the ones on the very edge.

Further out, there are wetlands beside the black birch forest, an old vegetable garden on the north slope of Misty Creek, and the abandoned monastery grounds south of Cold Spring Town...

They are all fields of larks.

They are all roots.

Xilun looked at the picture, his gaze calm, yet so intense that one dared not breathe.

This one died tonight.

The line has only just begun to emerge.

The Whisper Choir is not involved in a smuggling business.

They are quietly weaving a network beneath several towns in the northern district.

A net fed with the bones of the poor, the voices of the displaced, the land of the town, and the money of the rich.

"Governor."

Ferru came over.

This time, he did not hold the knife.

Instead, he knelt down on one knee in the mud, his head bowed low.

"The Knights of Scamander, led by me, committed a crime. Those who should be imprisoned shall be imprisoned, those who should be killed shall be killed, I admit it."

"But if the remaining three towns also have this kind of thing, further delay will only lead to more deaths."

"If you still need me, I'm willing to lead the way, to testify, and even to take a bullet... I just ask that you completely eradicate this connection."

Xilun glanced at him.

"You're acting like a knight now."

Ferru's lips twitched, but he didn't say anything.

It looked like he wanted to laugh.

I can't bring myself to laugh.

Xilun folded the letter, put it in his inner bag, and then looked eastward.

The sky was already faintly turning white.

But as the night passed, Scamay did not experience a true dawn; instead, she stepped out of a nightmare and into an even greater undercurrent.

"Four days later, Black Dove Church."

He spoke calmly.

"Since they want to receive the goods—"

"Then we'll go and collect their bodies."

The sky was just before dawn.

The field of larks that used to bloom so beautifully and vibrantly in the south of the town has now collapsed into a black, rotten mud. When the wind blows, a cloyingly sweet and bitter fishy smell rises up from the gullies, like a pot of stale honey that has gone bad overnight, making people feel nauseous.

No one in Scamay dared to approach.

The sounds of gunfire, screams, and ghostly wails from the night before have not yet completely faded from their ears.

Xilun stood at the edge of the Mother Gully, the cool sensation of crushing the seed core still lingering in his palm.

The extremely thin membrane behind my ears, in my throat, and deep in my chest cavity no longer hurts; only a strange, slight tremor remains.

It was like the wind blowing through the mouth of an empty bottle, or like someone gently plucking a string in his throat.

He closed his eyes.

The next moment, the entire morning world seemed to suddenly split into layers.

In the distance, someone was crying; it was the third alley in the east of town. The crying was very low, as if afraid of disturbing something. In the backyard of the old mill, a wooden barrel rolled, as someone tried to steal grain in the chaos. Under the low wall to the north, two knights whose guns had been disarmed were cursing each other in hushed tones. One of them was teeth chattering, saying that he had never seen a flower that could sing...

It's not just about hearing.

Instead, every slight vibration felt like falling into an invisible net.

Xilun's vision blurred slightly as familiar handwriting flashed across the depths of his field of vision.

[Talent: Echo]

[Source: Prayer Mother Plant]

【Characteristic: What you keep in mind will always resonate!】

He didn't look at it much, but simply suppressed that information.

Newly discovered plant species often carry residual habits of their original owners, and hastily investigating them may not be a good thing.

The more important thing now is to stabilize the town.

"Governor."

Rena walked over from the other side, carrying a knife, her face still covered in mud and blood. "The survivors have all been taken down. The account books, deeds, and banknotes found in the old mill have all been sealed. Herman tried to play dead, but he was dragged out from under the table."

Xilun nodded, his gaze sweeping over the group of people kneeling not far away.

Mayor Herman, several of the most ruthless members of the Knights, Moen's old men, and several Flower Field Gunmen... were all tied up like sacks and thrown into the mud, their faces ashen.

Herman's lips turned pale. When he saw Xiren looking over, he struggled to take two steps forward.

"Your Excellency! I can tell you everything! I know the contact person in Black Birch Town, and I also know Cold Spring Town—"

"Shut up."

Xilun didn't even look at him; his voice wasn't loud, but it felt like a cold iron pressing down on him.

Hermann shuddered and fell silent on the spot.

On the other side, Feru stood upright, leaning on his chipped longsword, but his face was ashen.

He wasn't unfamiliar with dead people.

But last night, the singing flowers, the collapsed ditch, and that grotesque thing in the cellar made of bones and flesh...

All of that arrogance he had built up in his life was utterly crushed into dust.

He looked at Xilun, remained silent for a long time, and then said in a low voice, "There are still seventeen people in town who were forced to sign land deeds. There is a cellar behind the old knights' barracks, and there may still be corpses inside."

Xilun looked at him: "Lead the way."

Without saying a word, Feru turned and left.

Rena took two steps forward and whispered, "The townspeople are all huddled inside their houses, afraid to come out. Some families had people dragged away last night, and they're crying terribly now."

Furthermore, the grain depot has been inspected, and Herman and Moen have embezzled a considerable amount of grain, enough to feed the entire town for a while.

Xilun kept moving: "Move the grain to the square, start a fire, and cook porridge."

"Have people go door to door—tell them that if anyone is missing a person, land, or livestock before nightfall, they can report it."

"Tell them again that there will be no taxes, no arrests, and no gates will be sealed today."

Rena paused for a moment, then nodded: "Understood."

She had only taken two steps when Xilun added another sentence.

"Furthermore, anyone who dares to take advantage of the chaos to loot grain, settle personal scores, or dredge up old grievances will have their legs broken."

"Yes."

As orders were issued, the Brotherhood musketeers, who had been dazed by the fierce battle of the night, finally regained their composure and quickly got to work.

Some people went to move grain, some went to search houses, some piled up the confiscated guns and knives, and some dragged prisoners to the square.

The stench of blood lingered in the air, but the town was finally starting to turn again.

……

The old knights' barracks were in the north of town. The walls were gray and black, and weeds grew in the corners. When the door was pushed open, a damp smell mixed with musty and wound medicine wafted out.

Ferru walked at the front, his voice hoarse.

"This place used to be used to imprison drunkards and thieves, but later... after Moen took over, he used it to imprison those who refused to sign the land deeds."

"Later on, even I didn't dare to come anymore."

He led Xilen through the corridor to a cellar entrance in the backyard that had been boarded up.

As soon as the wooden board was lifted, an even stronger stench of decay rushed out.

Ferru's face turned pale, and his grip on the knife tightened.

The torchlight revealed five corpses lying haphazardly below. They were all adult men from the town, their hands and feet bound with hemp rope. Two of them had sunken chests, as if they had been kicked to death.

There were three living people in the corner, their faces sallow and their lips cracked. When the firelight suddenly shone in, their eyes were initially blank, but then a little life slowly emerged.

One of the middle-aged women practically crawled over to her.

"My lord... my lord, what about the girl from the Adel family? Is she still alive?"

"To live."

Xilun said calmly.

The woman was stunned for a moment, then tears streamed down her face. She kowtowed repeatedly, her forehead thumping loudly.

Xilun didn't help her up; he simply turned to look at the two musketeers behind him.

"Take the people out, give them water and food."

"The deceased's name will be recorded, and the body will be taken to the square for the family to identify."

"yes!"

Ferru stood to the side, his Adam's apple bobbing as if something was blocking it.

He wanted to say something, but in the end he only muttered a curse: "These beasts..."

Xilun glanced at him but didn't respond.

The word "beast" is too mild.

If you actually put the money on these people's heads, it would be like saving them trouble.

……

By the time the sun had fully risen, three large cauldrons had already been set up in the square in the center of Scamay.

The porridge was bubbling away in the pot, steam rising and mingling with the aroma of firewood, which diluted the eerie silence of the town.

At first, no one dared to come.

It wasn't until a woman holding a child hesitated for a long time behind the door before gritting her teeth and walking out; then an old man, so thin he was almost unrecognizable, followed him along the wall, took a bowl of hot porridge, his hands trembling so much he almost dropped it; and then, like the first crack in ice, more and more figures slowly peeked out from behind the doors.

The way they looked at Xilun still carried an instinctive fear.

He was the one who started the attack last night, he was the one who stepped into the flower field, and he was also the one who killed the monster.

Many people didn't even understand whether the young governor had come to save lives or to confront an even bigger wolf.

Xilun stood on the stone platform in the square, the hem of his trench coat fluttering slightly in the morning breeze.

He didn't give a long speech; he simply looked at the numb, frightened, and skeptical faces below and spoke calmly.

"You all saw what happened last night."

"The mayor, the Knights, Moen's old men, and those filthy things in the flower field have colluded to force us to give land, lives, and food—we'll settle these scores one by one starting today."

"Open the granary first, and check the accounts first."

"Release those who are imprisoned, and continue searching for those who are missing."

"All land deeds are suspended today. Whoever owns the land will have it returned to them first."

It was eerily quiet down there.

The only sound was the bubbling of the hot porridge, bobbing against the side of the pot.