Before everything goes out

"I knew those bastards were up to no good..."

Beside Lin Wen, one could hear Niu Wenbing muttering curses.

In the blink of an eye.

A dozen or so dark gun barrels surrounded them and several dozen other villagers.

It goes without saying that they're not letting us leave.

"Gentlemen, I didn't mean to make things difficult for you, but if we can't reach a mutually agreeable cooperation, then we'll have no choice but to..."

The woman's voice remained calm.

However, this time she was interrupted by Lin Wen before she could finish speaking.

"I can go with you."

As Lin Wen spoke, she stepped out from the huddled crowd.

Almost simultaneously, several guns were aimed at her, but she did not waver. Instead, she walked straight up to the woman.

"If you need to take people away, whether as slaves or for experiments... take me with you, and I will cooperate."

Lin Wen's eyes were resolute.

Upon hearing this, Niu Wenbing tried to speak up to stop him, but something seemed to be stuck in his throat, preventing him from speaking.

Given the current situation, this may be the best solution for them.

"First, let me correct you, it wasn't about slavery or experiments, secondly..."

The woman glanced at Lin Wen and shook her head.

"You are very courageous, but you can't replace anyone else."

"Why can't it be me? Didn't you take so many villagers away before?"

"It can only be children. We're not bringing anyone this time, except for those children whose origins are unclear."

The woman spoke in a steady tone.

The voice, however, carried an undeniable absolute certainty.

This absoluteness even weakened Lin Wen's momentum somewhat.

"If I'm not mistaken, you've been taking care of the child all these years. Thank you for your hard work. If possible, I hope you can take us now..."

No, I refuse.

Lin Wen gritted her teeth and shook her head, her eyes regaining their resolve.

She didn't know how to stop it all, but instinctively she wanted to argue something.

Just as she was about to speak, she saw the woman in front of her slightly move her eyes and look behind her over her shoulder.

"Looks like I don't need to trouble you."

Lin Wen turned around, trembling, as the woman smiled.

Before she knew it, Bai Xiaowu was already standing behind her, with all the children in the family.

Mantou, Erya, Axin...

Even Xiaodou, who hadn't yet learned to walk, was being held in Bai Xiaowu's arms, sleeping soundly with her eyes closed.

"Teacher Lin."

Bai Xiaowu smiled at Lin Wen.

Lin Wen had seen that smile a thousand times.

She knew that Bai Xiaowu would show this smile whenever he said one thing but meant another.

"Teacher Lin, let us go with them."

"Little Five..."

Lin Wen's eyes trembled.

She squatted down in front of Bai Xiaowu and opened her arms to embrace him.

She knew what was about to happen; she knew that even if Bai Xiaowu didn't come over on his own, she couldn't stop it.

"It's alright, don't worry about us."

Bai Xiaowu whispered in her ear.

"If we go inside the wall with them, we can have a better life. I want to eat candy, I want to eat cookies, and so do Mantou and Erya. The village is nice, and I like everyone there, but we can't live here forever..."

Don't worry, I'll take good care of them. They might even have gained weight by the time we come back in two months.

Hearing Bai Xiaowu's cheerful voice, two streams of tears flowed down Lin Wen's face.

She knelt in the rain, unable to speak, only holding Bai Xiaowu even tighter.

"Teacher Lin, don't cry."

"Teacher Lin, we will listen to Sister Xiao Wu."

"Teacher Lin, we will bring you gifts and new clothes."

The children around her gathered around and said goodbye one by one.

She wiped away her tears, looked up at the woman a few steps away, and her eyes regained their resolve.

"Let me go with them. I'll take care of them, and whatever you do, I promise I won't cause you any trouble..."

"no."

The woman shook her head.

His face remained calm.

"Please, I'm begging you..."

"Believe me, this is the best outcome for you."

The woman shook her head again.

Then she waved her hand, and several rings stepped forward.

Without any forced pulling, Bai Xiaowu consciously led her younger siblings and the others to the tent.

In the mud, Lin Wen struggled to get up, wanting to do something more, but was held back tightly by Niu Wenbing who had rushed over.

"Let them go, we can't stop them."

Niu Wenbing's persuasion finally made Lin Wen give up completely.

She knelt helplessly in the rain, covering her face and weeping.

From choking back sobs to weeping.

She cried very softly, her sobs drowned out by the sound of the rain, and even Niu Wenbing beside her could barely hear them.

Not far away.

On the dirt road leading out of the village, the woman was leading Bai Xiaowu away quickly.

In the rain.

Bai Xiaowu, carrying Xiaodou, walked while glancing back at Lin Wen, but could only see a row of gun rings.

She bit her lip, and before leaving the village, she suddenly remembered something, and with red eyes, shouted towards the village entrance:

"Mom!! Wait for us to come back!!"

Lin Wen raised her head.

After a slight pause in the direction from which the sound came, she finally burst into tears.

The crying was loud and carried far in the rain.

then.

Several large boxes of recovered supplies were pushed back into the rain.

Under the villagers' complex gazes, the rings packed their belongings, finished packing everything, and quickly left the village entrance.

...

...

...

On the loess road.

The convoy formed a long, impressive line.

Trucks carrying heavy machinery, pickup trucks for passengers, and off-road motorcycles roaming around.

You can see all kinds of modern vehicles here.

Leading the pack was a black bulletproof Hummer, its body covered in mud, yet its fierce presence remained undiminished.

In the back seat.

The woman and her adjutant sat side by side.

The adjutant wore a pair of frameless gold-rimmed glasses, the raindrops clinging to the lenses being quickly dried by the heat inside the car.

Through the gradually clearing lenses, his originally composed gaze began to tremble with excitement.

"Consciousness Chimera".

A consciousness chimera that can keep the corrupted rational.

This discovery is truly significant.

On a smaller scale, everyone involved in this field operation could get a promotion or a reduced sentence.

On a larger scale, this could completely overturn the current situation and push everything in the direction they want.

"However, Chief of Staff..."

now.

The adjutant looked through the rearview mirror at the village entrance that was almost invisible behind the convoy.

Looking at the villagers carrying various things, he unusually raised a question.

"There's another question I don't understand."

"explain."

"Since they already know these villagers are corrupted, why send them so many supplies?"

The adjutant looked away.

Those supplies, while not precious to them, were not entirely worthless either.

At least for subsequent reconciliation, a trivial entry needs to be added to the reported data.

They gave their limited supplies to a group of corrupt beings who were no longer human...

In his opinion, it was a real waste.

Why...?

The woman didn't answer; she simply rolled down the car window.

At this moment, she had taken off her leather raincoat, and her well-maintained long hair was draped over her shoulders.

It is rose-red in color, with a glossy sheen and a smooth texture.

"If I had to say, it's because..."

As the woman spoke, she stuck her hand out of the car window.

He opened his palm, and raindrops fell into it, but instead of wetting his skin, they gathered and condensed, twisting into a vortex in his palm.

From the size of a sesame seed to a coin, and then to a fist.

As the vortex continued to expand, the woman's originally smooth hair ends also began to curl slightly.

It's not just the ends of the hair.

Her neckline, her pupils.

Even the hem of the adjutant's clothes was slightly distorted by an invisible force.

"Because it is my kindness, but..."

The woman's palm trembled slightly.

The vortex rose into the air and drifted towards the village in mid-air.

Its drifting speed is not fast, but it keeps picking up more and more things during flight.

Rain, dust, mud.

Tree branches by the roadside, pebbles on the ground, even the rearview mirror of a car.

Various things were caught up in it.

After being twisted, crushed, and mixed, it converges into an even larger vortex.

As the soldiers in the vehicle looked up, the vortex moved silently, passing over mountains, rivers, and everything on the ground, finally stopping directly above Shuanghe Village.

"However, my mercy is limited, so to end their long and painful lives in joy is the best possible outcome."

The woman spoke calmly.

The vortex plunged down.

...