Arknights? Colonization Ark!

"If you don't tell me, I'll let him go now. It's hard to say what will happen in the future."

The infected people remained silent, but it was obvious that some of them were eager to try.

The first person who mustered up the courage was a skinny boy wearing a piece of cloth so tattered that no one would pick it up if he threw it into the slums.

His frail body looked like it might be blown down by the wind at any moment, and he crawled to Zhang Miao using his slender limbs as support.

There was only anger and tears in his eyes. In front of everyone, he gritted his teeth and read out Sonov's first charge.

"He...he forced my father and uncles to work in the blast furnace, causing my father to be burned to death!"

The temperature in a blast furnace is often close to one thousand degrees Celsius, and a living person would not survive more than a minute if he went in to dig out the materials.

After saying that, the boy picked up a piece of ore on the ground, and his thin body burst out with huge power, smashing it hard on the head. There was blood and screams, and he should have been insulted, but unfortunately his jaw was broken and he couldn't say anything.

The enraged boy tried to strike again, but his hand was caught by Zhang Miao.

In the face of his puzzled look, Zhang Miao spoke words that were tantamount to demonic to Sonov.

"Boy, if you want a second blow, you have to tell me the second crime."

After saying this, he released his hand and motioned for the boy to continue.

The boy, who originally thought that this was the end of it, excitedly read out his second charge.

"He also forced children over the age of six to work in the factory for 18 hours a day, otherwise they would be beaten or given mineral sickness. Moreover, he never paid us wages and only gave us a small piece of bark bread every day!"

Then he pounced on him and ripped off Sonov's ear with his teeth. Blood immediately gushed out.

"Ugh!!!"

The revenge of just one person was enough to make him feel miserable; his clothes were soaked with sweat.

How many years has it been since he was beaten?

The body has long forgotten the feeling of pain.

He no longer had the energy to look at the infected people at the bottom of the slope and could only curse Zhang Miao, the madman, in his heart.

But as a cool feeling came from my face, the pain disappeared in an instant.

Sonov regained some consciousness, opened his eyes and saw Zhang Miao spraying a bottle of unknown substance on his wound, easily stopping the bleeding.

"Okay, you go down first, it's your turn next."

If this young man were allowed to continue talking, there would be no second person's turn until his biological gel was used up.

The young man reluctantly put down his fist. No matter how much he had to say, he had no choice but to go down since Zhang Miao had spoken.

Being able to punch Sonov twice in the face was something he never dared to think about, one punch for his father, and the other punch for himself!

The anger in his eyes dissipated mostly because of these two moves, and was replaced by an indescribable fanaticism.

After the first one, there were soon the second and the third. While reading out the tortures that Sonov had inflicted on them, they used their nails, minerals, teeth and every other means they could think of to repay all the suffering they had endured. The rest of the infected people were affected and began to scramble to climb up the mine slope, fearing that Sonov would be beaten to death before they could do anything.

"He took my daughter away and sold her to a businessman!"

"He deliberately mixed active Originium into the ore pile to infect us so that we can become his slaves!"

"He stole my father's painting and accused my family of being thieves who stole his heirlooms. Finally, he sent someone to drop an Originium bomb on our house!"

"he……"

The crowded crowd almost surrounded Zhang Miao and Sonov, so Zhang Miao had no choice but to yell

"Get in line now, everyone. Each person is limited to one time, or I will kill him right now!"

Right now, the people who least wanted Sonov to die were probably the persecuted people. After hearing Zhang Miao's roar, the crowd that was originally crowded together actually lined up in an orderly manner in a short period of time.

Zhang Miao randomly found a shield guard with good psychological quality, threw the two bottles of biological gel in his hand to him, and specifically told him not to let Sonov die too quickly. Then he jumped down and walked to Tallulah.

Chapter 23: Dispute

"Why did you do that?"

Damn that guy! Tallulah only listened for less than a few minutes, and those infected people listed more than twenty charges against him.

Moreover, these charges are not uncommon in the integration movement, and almost everyone has gone through this.

But she still thought that Zhang Miao's method was too cruel, and that it was a revenge on Sonov by cutting him into pieces.

"Violence will only lead to greater violence. It cannot solve practical problems, and justice cannot be served through it."

Tallulah could not accept Zhang Miao's behavior, which was almost contrary to her beliefs.

She left the duchy because she hated the Black Snake's disgusting coercive ruling methods and political ideas. If she used such methods, what was the difference between her and the Ursus nobles?

She agreed to kill the rulers, but not in such a cruel way.

Zhang Miao didn't expect Tallulah to argue with him about this matter, but thinking back, he felt that he had gone a little too far.

"Okay, I admit that my approach was a bit extreme, but Tallulah, look back at the members of your Reunion Movement."

Tallulah looked back when she heard that, but what she saw made her hair stand on end.

She saw the excitement and...envy in those people's eyes.

Just like they wished they were the ones who went up to chop Sonov down, many of them had also been oppressed and tortured in their past.

Before this, they were all approachable friends and partners, but now he looks like a butcher!

"You have unleashed a demon!"

Tallulah had never regretted so much. Perhaps she should not have agreed to this action from the beginning, and should not have agreed to cooperate with Zhang Miao.

Now she can hear the joyful laughter of the evil god in her heart!

"You're right. I released the devil in their hearts. But even if I didn't, the devil would have broken out one day. Talulah, why do you think these people followed you?"

"Most of them want to stay alive, to have something to eat, and to have a chance to take revenge!"

"If you can't give them an outlet, then when they grow up, the hatred in their hearts will spread. When the flood breaks the dam, it won't be just a noble who dies."

"Do you have any better solution? You don't! I've been watching you for several days and asked you a lot of questions. You can't even keep them fed. A team like this has no fighting power. They will abandon you and leave at the slightest sign of trouble."

"Material, ideological, and organizational, I don't see anything in you except unrealistic ideals."

"As a combat unit, look at the shitty organizational and combat capabilities of the people you lead. They can't even follow orders and work together."

"If you hadn't met Yelena and Bozhukasti, I guarantee that you would have fallen apart within three years!"

Idealists are good, as they are often the pioneers and guiding stars of mankind's path forward. However, an idealist is also lonely and fragile. They bump into the wall called reality and either smash it and move on, or they are shattered and leave unfinished business for future generations, or they fall into despair and completely give up on this path.

A series of questions left Tallulah speechless. Zhang Miao didn't want to be like this, but today he was simply angered by that trash.

If Zhang Miao just showed contempt and disdain, then Tallulah would still argue with him with reason. In the end, the worst that could happen is that they would just stop doing business after this deal.

But he was right. Before this, many people in the Integration Movement had complained that they couldn't even have a decent meal every day. Every once in a while, someone chose to leave, and even more people were unwilling to participate in the battle and would rather hide in the village. This also caused those who were willing to follow her to complain.

She also thought of a solution, but it was useless. Words and ideals can inspire people for a while, but they can't fill their stomachs. People will always return to reality.

She thought this was an opportunity. If she could get enough food from Zhang Miao, her life would be much better in the future.

But this can only solve the problem temporarily. She can't rely on Zhang Miao forever. The other party's demand for source stones is limited, and the source stones she can find are also limited. If she can't find a new way, then this will only be a waste of resources.

"You can't do this either. You've let an innocent child's hands be stained with blood. You've turned originally kind people into beasts dominated by anger. They've lost their bottom line!"

Although she was not as confident as before, she still didn't think it was right to let those people cut Sonov into pieces.

"Innocent? Don't be ridiculous, Tallulah. The oppressors don't care whether you are a child or an adult. No one can stay out of the resistance. This is the common responsibility of every oppressed person!"

"And it's not up to you to decide whether they have lost their bottom line or not. You are making a slippery slope fallacy! Children who avenge their loved ones are not butchers, and they will not lose their bottom line! Only in this way can they face life again. As long as you can continue to be a good moral role model, ensure the material foundation, and restrict them with reasonable rules and regulations, no one will cross the line!"

"What does this have to do with me? Besides, people are born free, how can they be restricted by force?"

Tallulah was stunned when Zhang Miao suddenly brought the topic back to herself.

"Nonsense, where else do you think they can go now except to stay with you? And they are born free? Unfettered freedom is equal to self-destruction! With your brain you still want to rebel? It would be better for you to find a rope to hang yourself, so as not to bring harm to others!"

"You! How can you say such a thing!"

"What? You want to use force to restrict my freedom of speech?"

Bozhukasti stood aside and watched them arguing quietly without stopping them.

Tallulah's idealism and innocence were the reasons why Bozhukas chose her, but it was also what was giving him a headache now.

Black Snake would never let go so easily. He must have left something on Tallulah's body, but the evil god's methods were too secretive and he couldn't see it.

If this can make her down to earth and more realistic, that would be a good thing.

As the quarrel between the two men became increasingly intense, Sonov also died. After all, he was bleeding internally and the biological gel could not save him without surgery.

The shield guard had tried his best to prolong his life, but he still couldn't hold on until the end of the second round and passed away very peacefully.

But his death could not stop everyone. Several people were still beating the lifeless body, crying and wailing as they beat.

Many people also stopped their meaningless venting of anger and squatted on the pile of stones with tears streaming down their faces. It was unclear whether it was because they had avenged their great hatred or because they were remembering the good life they had in the past.

No matter how intense the anger is, it will eventually die down and people will have to return to reality.

With Sonov's death, the infected were filled with great confusion, which made them lose the target of hatred and return to a numb state.

But when their eyes fell on Tallulah and Zhang Miao, a different emotion emerged.

It was they who allowed me to take revenge with my own hands, they were the saviors!

But they will still leave.

Chapter 24: Harvest

"Can I leave with you?"

The person who spoke was a woman wearing glasses, with several thin ropes tied tightly to the glasses' brackets to keep her body, which had been broken into several sections, in its original state. However, the empty glasses frame on the left and the slightly twisted left arm showed others the abuse she had suffered.

"My name is Xia, I used to be a teacher, I can read, and I eat very little, can I go with you?"

She tried to come over but was stopped by the snow monsters, but she did not stop begging.

And it wasn't just her. After she spoke first, others stood up one after another, stated their occupations, and expressed their desire to join the integration movement.

“I used to be a doctor.”

"I'm a skilled worker who knows all about metal smelting. If you need weapons, I can help you."

"I......."

Their voices woke up Tallulah, who was almost suffocated by Zhang Miao's scolding, and she realized that she could not lose her composure in front of other people.

He suppressed his emotions that were about to get out of control, and said to the infected people with a gentle expression,

"Please rest assured, I will definitely take you away."

The infected people who received the answer were ecstatic, as if they had received some kind of gift, and their eyes looked at Tallulah more and more enthusiastically.

Because of the distance, they did not notice the argument between Zhang Miao and Tallulah. They just thought from the other people's behavior that Tallulah was the leader of this army, and they also regarded Zhang Miao's behavior as Tallulah's order.

Now in their hearts, Tallulah’s status is probably almost catching up with Emperor Ursus.

Even if she shouted now that the infected were the chosen ones, they might believe it.

"See? This is what you should do. Organize them, turn their temporary excitement and enthusiasm into fanatical belief in you or your ideas, and then put them in appropriate positions. Then you can build a steel-like organization, instead of letting them choose freely as you did in the past, leaving them to do whatever they want. If that happens, your integration movement will always be just a sand castle, and overthrowing Ursus will always be just an unrealistic dream."

Zhang Miao's whisper in her ear was like a demon tempting a fairy to fall into the mortal world.

Seeing this scene, Bozhukasti had no idea what Zhang Miao was doing.

He is a soldier, an old-fashioned man, but no fool.

Zhang Miao deliberately removed Sonov's jaw and then let the infected people beat him to death.

Because for the troubled Integration Movement, Sonov's promise is really tempting. With his life threatened, he will definitely offer a huge chip in exchange for survival, and maybe he can really persuade Tallulah.

So Zhang Miao did not choose to kill him with his own hands, but instead blocked his mouth and let the infected person do it. In this way, no matter from which perspective, Tallulah had no reason to stop the infected person from taking revenge.

The death of Sonov will certainly greatly irritate the nerves of the Ursus nobles. In addition, the Fourth Army stationed in the snowfield is itself a force of old nobles. They are bound to increase their efforts to encircle and suppress the integration movement.

If Tallulah, who has lost her right to choose, does not want to suffer complete losses in this encirclement and suppression, she must get closer to Zhang Miao.

Anyone who can easily take out at least a thousand tons of food must have a big enough fist.

But why did he do that?

Bozhukas is now considering whether to kill Zhang Miao directly after getting the food this time.