Chapter 175 The Fire of Plutonium <TOC> Chapter 177 Tippolava Momo
Translator: SumTLMan
Tattered tents emitted a foul smell, and inside, they were cluttered with various belongings wrapped in worn-out cloth, which constituted the entirety of the civilians’ possessions.
The gunmen prepared to rummage through the pile of trash for some extra gains, knowing that although these lowly folks might not have much money, they would at least carry all their food supplies to survive the rainy season.
Li Mu stepped forward and knocked them down like dogs.
If it were merely about driving away the civilians, he wouldn’t have taken action, as the Fire of Plutonium’s threat to the descenders had its limits. If too many humans gathered together, their souls would lead the descenders to believe that the benefits of breaching the town outweighed the risks, eventually leaving no survivors.
Under such circumstances, hiding in the wilderness was actually safer, as the descenders couldn’t scour every inch of land.
Scavengers who had escaped the rule of the Xindu Federation survived the rainy season in this manner.
Moreover, not only did Orin Town in the entire Orissa jurisdiction have access to the Fire of Plutonium, but Li Mu would also agree to sign applications for any gathering point that requested it, unlike the previous security officer who charged a nominal signing fee and prohibited the Pancaya Council from taking bribes.
This rainy season, the number of settlements in the Orissa jurisdiction that could light the Fire of Plutonium far exceeded that of the previous ones.
Seeing Li Mu take action, the expelled civilians immediately knelt on the ground, begging to stay in Orin Town.
“You all should leave. The Fire of Plutonium in Orin Town cannot protect so many people. It’s better to scatter and hide if you want to survive.”
Li Mu watched their faces as hope turned to despair.
But guarding the outskirts of Orin Town was truly less safe than hiding in some ruins in the wilderness.
The civilians left with their families in tow, leaving a mess outside Orin Town.
Li Mu stepped on the ringleader of the gunmen.
“I don’t know if your boss cares about your discipline, but if I ever catch you embezzling or committing crimes again, I’ll crush your skull.”
Several gunmen were terrified and wet themselves, especially the one trampled under Li Mu’s feet.
If it weren’t for the fact that Orin Town needed a defensive force during the rainy season, Li Mu would have already taken ruthless action to eliminate them all.
“Those driven away will hate you even more than these lackeys.”
A voice sounded from behind him.
It was a somewhat arrogant young man with a gloomy face, bearing a slight resemblance to the Chief of Security.
“I am just fulfilling my duty; I don’t care about their opinions.”
The Seeds of Plutonium were extremely expensive and had unique properties, so there were always security officers assigned to escort them. The young man, Shen Xingyan, was responsible for the escort of the Seeds of Plutonium in Orin Town.
Li Mu knew that he came to the Orissa jurisdiction with at least one more purpose, which was to investigate the deaths of the Shen brothers.
However, his investigation seemed rather arbitrary, probably because he did not believe that Li Mu could single-handedly take out an entire team of Spathenians. After investigating some personnel movements in Orin Town, he ceased further inquiries.
“I like people with a temper,” said Shen Xingyan, with a somewhat sarcastic smile.
Li Mu remained expressionless, not being one to engage in verbal sparring; he preferred to take action and physically silence others.
Criticism through objects is better than the object of criticism.
Shen Xingyan took a document from the bag held by a nearby security officer, pinching it between his fingers.
He flicked the document, and the high-quality paper emitted a crisp rustling sound.
“You’ve been drafted.”
The next moment, the document flew like a dart, transforming into a blur and shooting towards him.
Li Mu caught the flying document between his fingers. Under the enhancement of manipulator-type psychic energy, the document seemed as sharp as a steel blade, and any carelessness could result in severed fingers.
He picked up the document and found it to be a draft order, commanding Li Mu to lead all security officers to Avonigarda City within two days.
Li Mu immediately thought that the governor must have already determined the location and time of the Soul Cult’s ceremony.
The gathering of forces was likely for the purpose of retaliating against the Soul Cult.
His face remained expressionless, but he was somewhat alert in his heart, as Tippolava Momo had not conveyed any message through any dreams.
Shen Xingyan’s eyes narrowed slightly, and being able to catch the document with ease showed that the security officer before him was not one of those who had merely advanced to the fourth level by luck. He was at least considered average among enhancer-type awakened individuals.
“Remember, bring all the security officers,” he emphasized.
“What about the people in the jurisdiction? The rainy season is approaching, and they have almost no means to protect themselves.”
Even though Li Mu didn’t care much about the lives of Xindu people, he was still shocked by such a cavalier order.
By assembling all the security officers and personnel, the entire Avonigarda territory would be left defenseless, allowing marauders to plunder the settlements scattered across the wilderness at will.
“You’re too naive, not knowing what the core interests are. These lowly civilians are like weeds; even if they die, they will grow back again.”
Shen Xingyan said indifferently.
If this were in a territory controlled by the Shen family, Shen Xingyan might have some concerns, but this was Avonigarda.
He lowered his assessment of Li Mu in his heart once more, thinking him to be a naive fool. The No. 18 Origin Ore had foolishly pinned its hopes on someone like him, wasting the powerful holy relics within her body.
Shen Xingyan suppressed the greed that welled up inside him, knowing that soon, the long-desired holy relic would fall into his hands.
Since he still had to deliver the conscription order to other jurisdictions, Shen Xingyan didn’t stay in the Orissa jurisdiction for long, leading his subordinates away directly.
“Should we intercept and kill him halfway?” Li Mei, watching Shen Xingyan’s hovercraft gradually recede, spoke to Li Mu through their psychic link.
“No need, he’s a small fry that can be killed at any time,” Li Mu replied. With his current power, manipulator-type awakened individuals like Shen Xingyan were no different from dead men in front of him.
“Has the news been sent back?”
What he truly cared about was the response from Eastern Xia. The intelligence of the descenders and Shen family’s collaboration made him very uneasy. If the Shen family merely wanted to seize the weapons and equipment in the Divine Land, there would be no need to cooperate with the descenders.
The descenders had never been a suitable partner, as they were greedy and had an astonishing appetite, always ready to turn against their allies.
“The commander already knows,” Li Mei said. Li Mu’s intelligence had alerted the commander, as everything now seemed too much like a conspiracy against Eastern Xia.
However, Eastern Xia was currently in a dilemma. Although they could still maintain their advantage over the Xindu Federation on the surface, the country’s situation had become increasingly difficult to contain, and they were on the brink of collapse.
The commander was determined to obtain the weapons and equipment in the Divine Land. Without these weapons and equipment, the plan to return to ancestral lands seemed bleak.
“I want to know, are all of Eastern Xia’s commanders reliable? Is there anyone who might waver?”
Chapter 175 The Fire of Plutonium <TOC> Chapter 177 Tippolava Momo