From the Soul Motion Machine onwards, the Mechanized Douluo

Chapter 161 Sing My True Name, Grant You New Life! [Humorous]

In the darkest corner of a brightly lit, luxurious city, a filthy creature hugged his knees, dressed in thin clothes, huddled with a group of emaciated children in a dark and damp corner, trembling as he looked up at the streetlights in the distance that emitted a faint glow of soul power.

"Auntie, are you praying again?"

In the dark corner, among the group of children, a bright-eyed boy of seven or eight years old, his clear yet bewildered eyes trembling slightly, gazed at the thin figure not far away, draped in tattered burlap, kneeling on the ground with his hands clasped together, silently praying towards the faint light emanating from the street lamp in the distance.

The little girl, whom the boy called "elder sister," was thin and looked no older than twelve or thirteen. In this world where people mature early, she should have been in the prime of her youth, but she was pale, with sunken cheeks, and looked exhausted and weak.

This situation is extremely rare in Soto, a megacity known to the outside world for its abundant resources and affordable prices. But behind this little girl, there was a group of people who looked almost identical.

The little girl did not answer the boy's question, but instead knelt silently on the ground, praying without a sound.

"Sister, Xiao Jiu might not make it." The boy in the corner said weakly.

"If Dad knew you were like this... Sister, you should leave, don't worry about us."

Around the boy were seven or eight other emaciated children, their numb and bewildered eyes staring silently at the tiny figure kneeling on the ground in the dim light.

They were not originally residents of Soto City; it was only as Soto City expanded that some of their original villages were incorporated into Soto City's jurisdiction.

Land was seized, houses were bulldozed, and most of their parents went on a long journey with the Soto City construction team. However, in a soul beast attack, the civilians in that construction team suffered heavy casualties. By the time the soul masters realized what had happened, the casualties were already irreversible.

Then the compensation from the Technology Chamber of Commerce came through, but it didn't reach the hands of these families. In fact, these commoner orphans were constantly being driven away by the city patrol team to the worst slums.

"Sister"

"No need to say anything more." As the oldest child, the girl slowly pushed herself up from the ground, a hint of struggle flashing in her eyes, but she finally gritted her teeth and said, "Aunt Lin told me she would provide me with a job. I will definitely be able to support you all!"

The little girl's name was Bai Ping, and the "Lin Ma" she mentioned was a prostitute in this area. Although Bai Ping hadn't developed much due to malnutrition, her eyes were very clear and beautiful, and her bone structure was delicate. If she had received proper nutrition, she would have been a pretty girl in the making.

"My father took you all out. I will definitely take responsibility for you!" Bai Ping said with a firm look in her eyes.

When their village was undergoing development, Bai Ping's father, keeping up with the times, organized a construction team, recruiting villagers to work on construction sites outside. Unfortunately, none of them returned.

The few elderly people who originally stayed at home were all heartbroken and their health deteriorated after learning of the tragedy that had befallen their loved ones. They eventually passed away one by one, leaving only this group of children who persevered to the end.

Bai Ping can only find odd jobs nearby to barely support everyone. But for some reason, everyone's health is deteriorating, just like that old man in the village who watched his health gradually decline, but couldn't stop it.

Bai Ping had considered going to the city lord's mansion to try and get back the compensation money owed to everyone, but every time she tried to approach the inner city, she was stopped and driven away by the guards at the gate. As a commoner, Bai Ping was powerless to resist, and eventually she couldn't even leave the slums. The outer roads had been blocked by guards, who, under the guise of beautifying the environment, strictly restricted the movement of slum dwellers towards the bustling areas of Soto City.

"If...one day something happens to me," Bai Ping hurriedly turned to look at the emaciated children behind her, weakly taking out a small purse from her hand and weakly handing it to the boy named Ye Han, whose eyes were the brightest among the children.

Then, instead of seeing Ye Han reach out to take it, she saw a rapidly growing fear in his widening eyes!

"You...you...after..."

"What if something happens to you?" A young man dressed in a majestic and luxurious black and gold robe, with eyes radiating an eerie glow, slowly emerged from under a streetlamp in the distance and appeared behind Bai Ping, speaking in a calm and peaceful voice.

"Ah?!" The appearance of the man in the black and gold robe startled Bai Ping. She turned around and couldn't help but scream. When she saw the man's luxurious clothes, her already pale face turned completely bloodless!

Bai Ping was terrified and wanted to run away, but her sense of responsibility made her suppress her fear and stand in front of the children to prevent the mysterious soul master from harming them.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

However, the mysterious soul master ignored Bai Ping and walked towards the group of children with fear on their faces. Bai Ping wanted to turn around and stop him, but found that she was trembling all over, every cell in her body was emitting fear, her legs and feet were cold and numb, and she was unable to move an inch!

Wearing a black and gold robe, Chen Hong frowned as he walked up to the group of emaciated, abnormal children. He gently poked at one of the children's heads with his finger, and under the control of his martial soul's mental power, the child's head was turned to the side, revealing several abnormal bruises on his neck.

Chen Hong frowned even more deeply, his eyes turned icy, and an aura of pressure that made everyone present tremble in their souls instantly appeared in everyone's hearts!

"Oh no. We're going to be silenced after all." A chill ran down her spine, and Bai Ping knew that tonight was probably the end for everyone.

However, just when Bai Ping thought she was about to be silenced, she suddenly heard the mysterious soul master calmly laugh:

"Ha, there are still people doing business for 1000 gold soul coins. I've only been gone for half a year, and they've already pulled this kind of trick on me?"

Chen Hong's eyes were as cold as an ice cave. For a Soul Master, 1000 gold Soul Coins was a moderate amount, but for many commoners, 1000 gold Soul Coins could allow their family to live a good life for more than ten years.

This figure represents the amount of compensation that Chen Hong ultimately designed for the Science and Technology Chamber of Commerce's compensation system after careful consideration.

However, Chen Hong still underestimated the greed in human nature.

(End of this chapter)