Chapter 185: Dare Not Rest
Chapter 185: Chapter 185: Dare Not Rest
Time ticked by, second by second, and everyone’s hearts were in their throats.
This was especially true for those on S12 Star who had yet to evacuate. They were restless with anxiety.
"When are the warships coming back? We haven’t evacuated yet."
"I don’t want to die here. I’m still young."
"You’re over a hundred years old and still call yourself young?" someone retorted. Then they continued, "Leave the hope of survival to the young people. Us old-timers will just stay here."
"But I really don’t want to die," another person said.
Within the densely packed crowd, people whispered amongst themselves.
Some claimed they weren’t worried, but inwardly, they were more frantic than anyone.
The moment a warship appeared, they immediately scrambled for it, terrified of being too slow and missing their chance.
The Commander of the Sixth Corps was also on a warship. She glanced at the time on the Star Ring, grunted softly, and announced over the public channel, "Everyone, we can evacuate three more groups. After that, we’re stopping all pickups."
Hearing this, every ship captain was immensely relieved.
They were also afraid of dying here during the rescue operation.
’They didn’t want to die so soon!’
The warship’s ramp lowered, and the crowd tried to surge forward, only to be blocked by robots.
Standing in a high position, Xie Yun, the Commander of the Sixth Corps, used her spiritual power to broadcast her voice.
"Everyone, time is short. We have three return trips left."
"After those three trips, the rescue operation will cease. To those who still haven’t left S12 Star by then, we can only wish you good luck."
Hearing Xie Yun’s words, the crowd below erupted in panic.
They pushed and shoved, trying to get to the front, terrified that there wouldn’t be a spot for them if they were at the back.
In the chaos, people were knocked to the ground. Before they could get back up, they were knocked down again by the surging mob.
In the ensuing stampede, some were trampled and injured. The less fortunate were trampled to death on the spot.
In just a dozen or so minutes, many people had died in the crush.
Xie Yun hadn’t expected them to be so frantic. She quickly yelled again, "Robots, maintain order!"
"Maintain order!"
All available crowd-control robots had already been deployed, but there were simply too many people trying to leave S12 Star.
Some robots were smashed to pieces by the desperate mob.
Xie Yun saw that there were no robots left, yet the people were still crushing each other. She was furious.
Just then, a voice yelled over the public channel: "We’re overloaded! No more people can board!"
"Understood." Xie Yun descended from her high perch and immediately used her spiritual power to erect a barrier over the warship’s entrance.
Those inside could not get out, and those outside could not get in.
Those who couldn’t get in pounded frantically on the barrier, screaming, "I have to get in! Let me in!"
"Get in? Like hell! We’re overloaded! Get back!" Xie Yun roared. Her voice was laced with spiritual power, and its force knocked many people back several steps.
The area in front of the hatch cleared. The ship’s captain immediately sealed the hatch, and the warship took off at once.
Those who had been only inches away from getting on board watched the warship recede into the distance, clutching their heads and wailing in despair.
"Am I going to die here?"
"I’ve never even seen another planet... I don’t want to die."
Some prayed that Luo Xiaoying would succeed in defusing the bomb. Others clutched the bodies of family members who had died of asphyxiation in the crush, sobbing inconsolably.
"All of you, form a proper line! If you start crushing each other again, I will cancel the last two rescue runs!" Xie Yun yelled, the threat a stark contrast to her cute, doll-like face.
Although her voice was sweet, no one dared to argue with her words.
Everyone obediently formed a line, not daring to utter a single word of complaint, terrified that Xie Yun would actually cancel the final two rescue operations.
—
Huang Bo Lin watched the expressions of fear, terror, and pain on their faces, his own face alight with excitement.
’Yes, this is exactly how it should be.’
’Suffer. Despair. Just like I did back then.’
He had watched as that beast abused his wife, helpless to save her.
He had watched as his wife was violated, able to do nothing from inside his cage.
He had been just as pained, just as despairing, back then.
The reason Huang Bo Lin had chosen S12 Star was because this planet was the homeworld of that family.
"There will be more of this in the future. I won’t let a single one of them go," Huang Bo Lin muttered, eating his meal as he watched the screen.
Huang Wan Zhi was out having fun again. Ever since arriving on this planet, she had gone out with the main fleet to go fishing every day.
She loved the thrill of it.
As Huang Bo Lin watched, engrossed, a doctor in a white lab coat emerged.
The doctor spoke respectfully to Huang Bo Lin. "Sir, your wife’s vital signs seem to have improved slightly."
Hearing that his wife’s condition had improved, Huang Bo Lin immediately switched off the large screen, shot to his feet, and said, "I’ll go see her."
Only when it came to his wife and daughter did Huang Bo Lin show such strong emotion.
When he entered the room, several other doctors were already there. Dressed in white lab coats, they were using various instruments to examine the person on the bed.
"Is my wife going to wake up?" Huang Bo Lin asked, full of hope.
Seeing his expression, the doctors all shook their heads. "Sir, your wife’s vitals have only improved slightly. She is not ready to wake up yet."
Those few words were enough to shatter Huang Bo Lin’s hopes.
His expectations dashed, the hope on Huang Bo Lin’s face slowly faded.
"It’s fine." Huang Bo Lin walked to the bedside and looked at his wife, consoling himself. "The fact that she’s improved at all is already incredible."
Seeing him like this, the doctors quietly filed out of the room.
In an instant, only he and his wife were left in the room.
Looking at his wife’s pale face, the hatred in Huang Bo Lin’s heart grew even deeper.
’His wife suffered so much that day. It’s time they suffered too!’
"I’m close to getting my revenge on the entire Empire."
"Are you happy about that?"
"When my revenge is complete, I’ll make sure Little Zhi is taken care of, and then I’ll come join you."
"I’m sorry. Do you blame me for not joining you sooner?"
Huang Bo Lin rambled on for a long time. In front of his wife, he always had an endless supply of words.
Only with her was he still the gentle, kind, and somewhat talkative man he used to be.
"My love, do you think they’ll be able to defuse the bomb?"
Huang Bo Lin asked softly, squeezing his wife’s hand.
Then he answered his own question, muttering, "’Of course they can’t. That bomb is the latest model developed by my subordinates.’"
"’How could they possibly defuse it?’"
"’And even if they do, it doesn’t matter. I have a backup plan. If I can’t blow up the whole star, I’ll settle for blowing up half of it.’"
After massaging his wife’s arms and legs, Huang Bo Lin tucked the blanket around her and left the room.
Time flew by, and in what felt like an instant, five hours had passed.
With only three hours remaining, Luo Xiaoying felt the pressure on her mount even higher.
She was kneeling on the floor, her legs completely numb, but she didn’t dare to rest, terrified that the bomb would detonate the moment she let up.