vncnus Chapter 25 Iron 7's Rebellion
Chapter 25 Iron 7's Rebellion
The nobleman's fingers tapped lightly on the back of his hand, producing an extremely faint ticking sound.
He watched the time tick by, looking at the space that was even more empty than before, calculating in his mind how much time had passed since the last person arrived.
Finally, he smiled contemptuously and looked up at the empty rope above him.
There's no need to waste my energy on these lowly people. Even at this moment, he remained largely unmoved, and the nobleman's face only showed heartfelt contempt and sneer at their actions.
"If someone identifies who did this now, I will only kill a third of the people in this mining area."
"Furthermore, I can provide the accuser with three days' worth of supplies."
His voice was languid, with a tone that carried mockery and arrogance.
But no one responded. They stood below the platform, most silent, most looking around blankly at the ropes still hanging in the air above them.
Clearly, not everyone was an accomplice.
click-
The slaves raised their guns and walked up to the nobleman. Within his sight, they stared warily at the miners below the platform.
"3".
"2".
"1".
The nobleman extended his finger, making a gesture, but even as the last finger fell to form a fist, and the slaves' fingers were on the trigger, no one spoke.
Hidden in the second row and further in the center of the crowd, some people had already begun reaching into their bags.
The atmosphere was quiet and oppressive.
The miners stared nervously at the dark muzzle of the gun. Their lips were dry, their throats were itchy, and they could almost hear the continuous, crisp sound of gunfire, their cries of pain, and their roars of anger.
Just as the nobles were mocking and preparing to strike and kill a bunch of them before asking questions...
"I know."
"Oh?" The nobleman raised an eyebrow.
He looked at Menelaus, who had spoken up from the crowd, and he became clearly interested.
Snap snap snap ————
The sound of the nobles clapping echoed through the space: "Come up."
He extended an invitation.
Those who clearly knew the situation made way for him, while those who were unaware either felt lucky, looked down on him, or subtly spat at him.
Menelaus was pleased with their expressions, but showed no sign of it on his face. He walked forward, up the platform, and was stopped by two slaves five steps away from the nobleman.
[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: ①⓪①ⓚⓚⓢ.ⓒⓞⓜ]
"You made the right choice." The nobleman stepped forward and closed the distance between them.
He did not think there was anything wrong with Menelaus's actions.
Rather, Menelaus's actions were exactly what aristocratic arrogance should have shown.
Just like in Mine No. 88, those people couldn't deliver the required minerals, so they were cowardly executed by Eleven, cowardly returned to their kennels, and finally, driven to desperation, they rebelled.
In the end, only a third of the people in this ridiculous rebellion took up arms, while the rest betrayed their comrades.
Lessons from the past, the teacher behind the car.
And Menelaus was such a person in his eyes.
The nobleman said, "Then tell me, who did it?"
"As a reward, I can promise to give you five more days' worth of supplies, and let you choose who to die."
Menelaus looked at the nobleman and said, "I would like to persuade him to come out on his own, sir."
"I think this is formal enough to bring this farce to a close."
"Oh?" The nobleman's tone rose, clearly not expecting the other party to say such a thing.
At the same time, the nobility did not reject Menelaus's ideas.
In this dull place where no nobleman would bother to come down, watching a crude farce by miners and commoners, a boring speech, might just make him laugh.
The nobleman nodded slightly, gestured with his hand, and smiled, "Why not?"
"You amuse me. Tell me your name, you lowly commoner."
Menelaus.
"Menelaus? That's not a name you'd expect to hear here. How did you get here?"
"Never mind, it's not important. Maybe it's some kind of slave ship."
"As a reward for your gracious name, as a commendation for arousing my interest, Menelaus, I allow, and promise, that I will listen to you as a dutiful audience until the end of this laughable speech of yours."
"In the name of the Togella family."
The nobleman from Tojera took a few steps back, found a purely mechanical servant, wiped off the dust, and sat down elegantly.
Menelaus looked at him and laughed.
He then turned to face the gazes of the audience, which contained respect, acknowledgment, indignation, and contempt.
"Brothers and sisters," Menelaus said.
"I am Menelaus of Mine Number Ninety-Three. Some of you know me, and some do not."
"I know you see me as a traitor, and you wish you could punch me in the face and break my spine."
"He is very self-aware," the nobleman chuckled softly.
He mocked Menelaus.
Menelaus's speech completely disarmed them, and they were pleased with his tact.
"Just recently, a collapse occurred in mine shaft number 88."
Menelaus spoke, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the people below.
After confirming that he had not seen Sado's face, Menelaus smiled.
"They were convicted and rebelled because they couldn't gather enough ore to hand over!"
"And now, just yesterday, two adjacent mine shafts, No. 86 and No. 89, also collapsed due to over-mining."
"Will you show them leniency?" Menelaus turned his head, his gaze fixed intently on the nobleman.
The nobleman replied matter-of-factly, "Of course not."
"This is……"
Menelaus didn't give the nobleman a chance to finish speaking before he abruptly turned around.
Menelaus shouted, his body straightened, his high-spirited emotions making everyone notice his face and listen to his voice.
"Did you all hear that? He refused, there was no room for negotiation, just like in Mine No. 88."
Some people in the audience had already picked up tools and pulled them out halfway, while others had faces full of despair, their eyes filled with extreme grief and facial spasms.
"They don't care about our lives, they don't care about anything that happens here, all they care about is how much ore they can get today!"
"They are beasts who crawl on us, sucking our blood, exploiting us, and breaking our bones."
"Remember! Brothers and sisters! Remember!"
"How many of us were born in this dark, sunless underground?"
"How many people were enslaved on other planets and subjected to a living hell!"
"Some of us have lost brothers, some have lost children, some have lost wives!"
"What else will we lose this time! What else do we have to lose? Pick up your weapons..."
bang——
When Sado led the children to their designated spot and rushed back like a madman.
He heard the sound of weapons being fired at the entrance of the passage, followed by the sound of shouting and chaotic running footsteps that instantly followed.
Sado felt a sharp pain in his heart, and he pushed open the door and rushed inside.