The village is extremely dilapidated, and the original fields have long been deserted and overgrown with weeds.
Under the continuous digging and mining, a lot of rocky soil has been accumulated here, and it is completely invisible to the past.
A mine was built at the foot of the mountain not far from the village, and the poor people who were deceived or tied up gathered there, working numbly…
There are people guarding around, and if they move slowly, they will be whipped immediately.
There are even some young children in this group of poor people.
The rocks are still being dug and mined, non-stop.
The section of the Lifensi Mountains behind the village is relatively flat. A not too big mine has been dug within the scope of the mining area, and scaffolding has been built around it to help consolidate it.
But in addition, this site also needs to continue to dig deep in the vicinity.
Because the mines that were first mined were only exploration wells.
Someone went deep into it, and then iron buckets were brought up one after another—the iron buckets were filled with brown-black viscous liquid.
As the iron bucket filled with liquid was pulled up, a pungent smell gradually dissipated, and it gradually became rich in the air…
The people who worked around the mines inevitably got this brown-black liquid on their bodies and faces.
Dark and difficult to scrub.
Xia Zoe looked at the brown-black liquid with a strange brilliance in his eyes—that was, oil!
He couldn't help thinking of the information he had collected over the past few days.
After Valk dealt with the glamorous woman in the tavern, he got a lot of news from the other party's mouth overnight.
Things are probably all clear.
However, the more I looked down, the more frightened I became.
In this city called Quincecy, it is not only the mayor Vernon who has colluded with the robbers.
It should be said that Vernon has already won over nearly half of the officials in the city, including the non-commissioned officers who originally controlled the city and were responsible for patrolling and guarding the city gate.
Pretty much everyone has a hand in it.
No one is clean.
Greed and corruption have been deeply embedded in their souls, and they are gradually using their own methods to drag the city into a more difficult situation.
If it weren't for Barna's insistence on searching for the robber's trail.
If it wasn't for Xia Zoey's keen awareness that the situation seemed wrong...
Deception together.
Even if new officers, soldiers, etc. are stationed again later, they will only be kept in the dark and the details will not be known.
…
Xia Zuoyi pursed her lips, she couldn't be cold.
He and Taylor and the rest of the kidnapped people were taken to a house for the time being, and there were already people in it, old people, young people, and children.
They were shabby and thin.
Some people don't even have shoes on their feet, and their bare skin is covered in cuts, bruises, and black marks...
Xia Zuoyi saw a child who was only about six or seven years old lying flushed and short of breath in the arms of a teenager - with a high fever.
A middle-aged man next to him was soaking in water with a dirty linen cloth that could not be seen before, and then applied it to the child's forehead...
But that doesn't seem to be of much use.
Swipe slightly.
He could see that the wooden barrel beside the middle-aged man should be the only water source in this house.
Because there was only a thin layer of water on the bottom of the barrel—the potentially life-saving water left over by others in the room for the sick child.
But with just such a little water, he was kicked to the ground by the man who brought Xia Zoe, Taylor and others in.
There was not much water that suddenly spilled out and soaked the ground.
The man scolded and taught a few words.
Soon after, he walked out of the house, and the atmosphere in the house was visibly relaxed.
When the man was there just now, everyone tried their best to shrink their bodies, bow their heads, dare not speak or move.
The teenagers and middle-aged people who bear the brunt of the scolding are even more shrinking and silent, but the hands of the teenager who are holding the child are getting tighter and tighter...
They obviously did not dare to show any strange expressions on their faces.
Because of the losses and beatings, now I can only bear it silently, and I don't start talking in a low voice until the man leaves.
"Someone has been kidnapped here again..."
"Could it be that another group of people died... It will be our turn soon... we can't get out."
"No one will find us here."
…
Everyone's faces were filled with despair, and the atmosphere in the room could not help but make people's hearts tighten.
Zoe Xia was led by Taylor to find a place to sit down, next to the teenager holding the sick child.
He heard the middle-aged man who had helped take care of the child whisper, "Bunir, the situation of Bowen is really..."
"If there is no medicine for him to drink, within a few days, no... Maybe tomorrow Xiaobowen's condition will get worse, by then..."
The guards in this village do not keep useless laborers.
And what happens to useless labor... It goes without saying.
The boy's face darkened, he clenched his fists, and said with difficulty, "I understand."
"Uncle Todd... Is it really impossible for us to escape?"
The boy said in a suppressed voice: "Vernon... and the robbers here, they have to die, they will be taken away by the devil one day!"
"This is the devil's territory, and the devil's sweat is pouring out of the ground..."
Bandit here...
Xia Zoe looked at Taylor without a trace.
The reason why they came in was to determine whether there were any robbers left in the village.
- And the reason why Bana was looking for no trace of the robbers in the Liffins Mountains was because these robbers never entered the Liffins Mountains.
They colluded with the mayor and disguised themselves as ordinary people.
Then he returned to Quincy and settled in the village as a watchman for the poor people.
Another group of robbers left Quincesi and crossed the border to the Empire of San Air.
- They secretly spread the news that the minerals were mined here.
The spy who was previously disguised as a soldier, the group of people he met was the robbers who pulled the pre-ordered goods to confirm.
Later, many people discovered business opportunities from it, and caravans began to come...
Oil, here they call it "the devil's sweat" or "burning water."
The meaning of both names is obvious.
Oil is a liquid that can be burned.
Therefore, in this village, it is stipulated that open flames are not allowed, and even flints are not allowed to be brought in.
Come.
And these impoverished people who are imprisoned and forced to work hard and cold food are eaten every day, and there is no light or warmth at night.
The only place with fire and light in the village was in the house where the chief guards lived, and it was the only light at night.
But the place is strictly guarded, and unrelated people are prohibited from passing through - even those who guard the village, they must be searched and questioned when entering and leaving the village.
Not to mention the slaves who are handcuffed and handcuffed.
The young Bunir thinks that what is mined here is like "the devil's sweat" as rumored outside.
He had seen people experimenting at a distance, and it only took a little spark to ignite the brown-black viscous liquid that was brought up.
He also heard the guards at the mine say that the first mine to be dug was not in a good location.
- These liquids did not gushing out much, and someone needed to go deep into the mine with a rope ladder before they could be mined.
But if the right place to dig can be found, the viscous brown-black liquid may spew out.
At that time, Bunir thought to himself, if he could have something that ignites a flame in his hand... even if he just used it, there would be no...
He was going to throw that little flame into the mine and burn everything up.
…
Bunir was thinking with hatred, when someone beside him suddenly poked his arm, and there was a small huh.
Bunir turned his head and saw a dark-skinned boy smiling at him.
The boy asked in a low voice, "Are the guards in this village all robbers?"
Bunir saw that there was not even a trace of fear on his face, and he thought that the other party had not experienced the hopeless life here.
- Come in but never go out.
Every day there is endless work, not enough food, not enough sleep...
After a while, it will be their turn to go out and continue digging the mountains.
Seeing that the boy was still waiting for his answer, Bunir said, "Yes, the guards in the village are all robbers!"
He knew it because the robbers had killed his parents and family when they were looting the city.
And he and his younger brother Bowen were hidden by their parents.
Bunir saw the face of one of the robbers.
Now that robber is in the village, he watches every day and really wants to kill him...
"Then can you tell me where other than the detainees are detained here?"
The village is not small.
In order to prevent accidents, these poor people who were brought to the village for labor were all managed separately, and went out to the back mountain to dig in staggered time periods, or assigned different labor...
Zoe Xia has a question he wants to know.
After a while, the teenager named Bunir was caught out with everything he knew.
As he spoke, Bunir's face could not help showing a look of despair.
Because he knew that no matter how much he wanted to take revenge with his own hands, he would not be able to achieve it - he would be in this village until he died to be free.
Thinking of this, Bunier sadly touched his younger brother, Bowen…
Xia Zuoyi put his hand on the child's forehead and said softly, "Is his name Xiaobowen?"
Bunir nodded silently.
"Don't worry, Xiao Bowen will get better, just tomorrow." Xia Zoey said.
Bunnier thought that the young man in front of him was comforting him. He didn't smile for a long time, so he hummed and said thank you in a low voice.
After a while, Xia Zoe slowly moved to the window under Taylor's watch.
He called 098 in his heart.
After that, he lowered his head and pulled out a small round mirror sent to him by 098 from the sole of the shoe - only the size of half a palm.
Taylor was surprised and asked in a low voice, "Leader, cough... When did you hide?"
When they came in, they were searched, and even their shoes were taken off.
Xia Zuoyi glanced at him lightly: "you just need..."
Taylor listened carefully.
"...with a swoosh while no one was paying attention, it hid."
Taylor: "..."
Yes, is it
Xia Zuoyi placed the small round mirror in the palm of his hand, and then pointed it at the moonlight and the sky kept swinging - the faint light reflected by the small round mirror was not obvious, and it would be ignored if you were not careful.
But not long after, a fast white shadow flashed across the sky and disappeared in a blink of an eye.
Xia Zuoyi immediately put away the small round mirror.