He Xiaohua lay on the ground.

She was among the first batch to be executed by firing squad, and because of her unique identity, she was deliberately placed in the very center of the line, the most conspicuous position among the condemned.

The camera lens had focused on her face several times, broadcasting her pitiful state to every corner of the world.

"Death to traitors!"

"There's no good ending for betrayers!"

The reason she lay on the ground was that she could no longer "kneel."

She had endured the most brutal interrogation and the most inhumane torture; her spirit had long dissipated.

The reason she was still alive was that the higher-ups wanted her to, to undergo a public trial and execution.

She was prepared to die.

More precisely, she was already dead.

"It's just a pity for those children,"

He Xiaohua thought to herself.

"They should have played a bigger role... They haven't truly taken their revenge..."

"That child... he surely won't disappoint, right?"

"He's the child of a General... he surely won't disappoint..."

Her eyelids were heavy, yet she struggled to keep her eyes open.

She wanted to take one last look at this world.

Then say goodbye.

"This world... I won't be coming back..."

------

"Six o'clock, time to kill!"

"It's starting, why am I so excited..."

"It's not you being killed... of course, you're excited..."

"Such people deserve to die... their whole family should be killed... oh, they're orphans..."

"Such a grand scene, a rare sight to see... The last time I saw an execution was the last..."

"Baby, I'm scared to watch; I fear I'll have nightmares..."

"It's okay, I'll stay with you tonight... until you fall asleep, then leave."

"Baby, you're so kind..."

------

At six o'clock and one minute.

Shen Wuxiang appeared on the main stage of Imperial Square, and also in front of the national audience.

The vast square suddenly fell silent, as if a magician had muted it.

Such is the power of authority.

With a fierce look in his eyes, he surveyed the crowd and then said in a deep voice, "Fellow citizens, I have exciting good news to tell everyone."

"Due to the King's merciful heart, he proposed to spare these death-row inmates who are about to be executed by firing squad... after discussion and unanimous approval by the Military Committee, we have decided to respect the King's decision..."

"However, these people are criminals, traitors... a heavy price must be paid for their crimes. The death penalty can be spared, but they cannot escape punishment."

"Therefore, after consultation and unanimous decision, these criminals are stripped of their Phoenix Empire citizenship and all 7,330 of them will be exiled to Blue Star... never again to set foot on New Star..."

"They will no longer be citizens of the Empire, no longer our compatriots and brothers..."

"They are our enemies."

"Let's cheer for the King's mercy; all honor belongs to the King."

There was a moment of silence.

Then, screams like tidal waves erupted in Imperial Square.

"Great, great, they're alive..."

"No need for execution, no need to die..."

"The King is too merciful... such is the good fortune of the Empire..."

"Long live the Phoenix Empire!"

------

Kill them, the crowd cheers.

Spare them, the crowd also cheers.

Every hot topic is the carnival of fools.

After delivering his speech, Shen Wuxiang left with a gloomy face.

He detested being the one to clean up after the Royal Family.

And yet, he couldn't refuse.

Receiving such notice at the last minute and having to execute it unconditionally...

He couldn't have the King personally come out and explain to the public, nor could he simply throw someone else on stage to embarrass themselves.

Since he was the chief person in charge of this case, only by stepping forward himself could he appease the public.

The confidential secretary approached and asked, "Military Minister, where to?"

"Prepare the car, to Phoenix Palace."

"Yes."

------

Phoenix Palace.

By the time Shen Wuxiang arrived, the Minister of Culture Su Zhenlie, Finance Minister Sheng Jing, and Director of the Monitoring Bureau Yan Wenli had all arrived in advance.

These were the people at the pinnacle of the Empire's pyramid, the real controllers of the country.

The Chief Steward Chen Fenglei stood by their side serving, pouring tea into their cups.

Seeing Shen Wuxiang enter, Zhong Daolong nodded at him and said, "Wuxiang, it was hard on you."

Zhong Daolong also understood that such an act would inevitably damage Shen Wuxiang's face and authority.

But he had no better choice.

Shen Wuxiang waved his hand and said gravely, "Xiu Xue is someone we watched grow up; we cannot sit idly by when she's in trouble. It's nothing for me to suffer a little. If I had to, I would even go exchange her myself."

Shen Wuxiang's stance was very high.

Since the deed was done, he might as well say a few more pleasing words.

He couldn't afford to have people hold a grudge after doing the work; that would be a loss.

Sure enough, Zhong Daolong showed a gratified look and said, "When Xiu Xue comes back, she must properly toast you a few glasses."

"That would be nice," Shen Wuxiang nodded and said, "What's the situation now? We've already complied with their demands and let the people go... When can Xiu Xue come back?"

"We have to send the people to Blue Star," Zhong Daolong said aloud. "After we've sent them off, they'll send Xiu Xue back."

Shen Wuxiang knew why the bandits were having them send people to the Old Land.

If it were just a matter of releasing them, then, when the Phoenix returned home, a second slaughter would await them.

Being enemies of the state, there would be no place for them on the entire planet.

But Blue Star was different.

It used to be a haven for human existence, but after the great disaster, it had become the current hell on earth...

Normal people simply could not survive in that kind of place.

Even if they did survive, they would be lacking food and clothing, lacking the necessary supplies for living; it would be a life worse than death.

Acid rain, solar storms, man-eating wild beasts, and people who ate other people...

For the pampered inhabitants of New Star, living that sort of life would be less bearable than just getting shot and killed.

However, for those death row prisoners, only at the Old Land might they have a glimmer of hope to survive.

Even if the Imperial Family wanted revenge, they would face many difficulties, and they might pay a heavy price.

Only there could they obtain real "safety."

Frowning, he said, "Can we trust them? What if they go back on their word?"

"Do we have any other choice?" Zhong Daolong retorted.

Shen Wuxiang turned to look at Chen Fenglei and asked, "How about it? Have you found any information on the kidnappers? Do you know what kind of background they come from?"

"Through the recounting of Ninefold Purple's boss Li Hongyu and surveillance video captured at the scene, we've confirmed that the kidnapper is a member of the Sunshine Orphanage, named Bai Wuxin..."

"When he went in to kidnap the prince, he didn't deliberately hide his real identity..."

As Chen Fenglei spoke, he handed the prepared information to Shen Wuxiang.

He had made all the necessary preparations before coming to report.

Shen Wuxiang took over the information to look at it and asked, "Bai Wuxin?"

"Yes," Chen Fenglei nodded.

"The Bai surname?" Su Zhenlie expressed his doubt with a puzzled look.

"Yes," Chen Fenglei explained, "We suspect he is the son of Tang Li's adjutant Bai Shizhen... it's just that we don't have his genetic data, so we can't confirm it a second time."

"Bai Shizhen..." Shen Wuxiang's eyes became slightly stern.

He knew this person.

And remembered him.

He was Tang Li's adjutant and was originally on a path to death.

But, protected by his family, he was saved.

He could have lived, and lived well.

But he did something extremely foolish.

For the sake of recovering and burying Tang Li's ashes, he alerted the patrol officers in Imperial Square. Not wanting to implicate his family, he chose to blow up his body.

If the story ended there, it wouldn't have been anything special.

Or rather, not so legendary until it was still being talked about with relish today...

After Bai Shizhen's death, his wife Li Zexian carried a coffin to Phoenix Square in front of countless people, wanting to take Tang Li's bones and a whiff of air from where her husband sacrificed himself...

Li Zexian was arrested, and during the interrogation, when the judge asked her why she did this, she said, "My husband is a hero; he did what he had to do. He chose suicide to protect us. I can't let him die in such a disgraceful obscurity. His heroic deeds must be widely recognized, else all he did would be meaningless."

As a result, Li Zexian was also killed.

To kill the chicken to scare the monkeys, to deter those who secretly supported and sympathized with Tang Li, they executed her with the most brutal ancient punishment of dismemberment by cart.

And so, the death of this couple took on a legendary aura.

Countless people discussed, commemorated, and sang their praises...

To this day, many people sympathize with this couple.

If not for the many like Bai Shizhen and Li Zexian, the Tang Family rebel party would probably have been wiped out long ago.

Regrettably, it's because of such people that they are still struggling against them.

Clearly, others also knew the story of Bai Shizhen and Li Zexian; there was a moment of silence on the scene.

"How is Bai Shizhen's son still alive? And carefreely moving right under our noses?" Su Zhenlie exclaimed reproachfully.

At this question, everyone's gaze focused on Chen Fenglei's face.

Chen Fenglei bowed and apologized, fearfully saying, "I have not performed my duties well, please punish me, King."

"Enough, enough, what's the use of talking about this now?" Zhong Daolung waved his hand in irritation and said, "First, let's follow their demands and send those people to the Old Land... They're already a bunch of dead people anyway."

"Yes," Chen Fenglei respectfully replied.

Zhong Daolung's gaze fell on the heads of the Tri-Minister and the Monitoring Bureau and said, "I've asked you here to discuss the next plan of action; we're too passive..."

------

Blue Star.

Now also known as Old Land, ruins.

People living in the dense forest looked up and saw a silvery light streak across the sky and disappear in an instant.

Crash...

A large Star Disc named Great Shark slowly descended.

The hatch of the Star Disc opened, followed by an automatic staircase sliding out.

A group of fully-armed soldiers wearing soft armor rushed out, lining up on either side of the hatch.

Then, one by one, prisoners in uniforms with shackles on their feet walked out.

One, two, three...

Countless, as if there was no end in sight.

Not until over seven thousand prisoners had all come out from the belly of the giant shark did the soldiers return to the Star Disc.

The hatch closed.

Whoosh!

The Star Disc swiftly rose into the air and then disappeared without a trace.

Once the Star Disc was gone, He Xiaohua opened her eyes to survey the surroundings.

Mountains surrounded the area, lush with vegetation.

The air was filled with the smell of sulfur, and from time to time, roars of wild animals could be heard...

The environment was harsh.

But they had all faced worse than this.

On New Star, every single day was much more dangerous than now.

While He Xiaohua was pondering how to settle these thousands of companions, an old motorcycle roared towards them.

Everyone tensed up, ready to meet an enemy.

Crack...

The motorcycle struggled to stop in front of the crowd, and the rider took off their helmet, revealing a face with a striking scar.

With a silly grin, he said, "Welcome to the Old Land, everyone. I'm your new friend, Wang Tianlong."

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