"Hand her over, hand over Aurora Miles, and there might still be room for negotiation."

Kong Xian's voice was cold. Although it wasn't aggressive, it carried a chilling edge, as if the moment Yun You and the others uttered a "no," he would attack immediately.

In the past, Yun You would never indulge someone trying to threaten her.

But ever since the girl learned that these townspeople's real identities were "It" enticed laborers, just a pitiable group whose minds and memories had been altered... Yun You no longer held hostility towards these people, only a hint of pity and helplessness.

Now, thinking back, the reason they wanted to kill Aurora and plot against Yun You and her companions was probably because they were influenced by "It," and it was "It" struggling in its death throes.

Of course, Yun You wasn't about to hand over Aurora either.

"Everyone, I understand your actions."

Yun You stepped forward, using her not-so-tall body to shield Aurora.

Seeing this, Jack quickly followed her.

Frost Moon, although a bit stunned, stood by their side as well.

The trio, in front of thousands of townspeople, appeared somewhat isolated.

But in terms of presence, they stood there like a not-so-high wall, completely overshadowing the intimidating pressure from the thousands.

"I am also aware of your condition, so I have no patience to explain anything to you, as it would be futile."

Yun You crossed her arms, calmly saying, "But don't worry, we'll deal with the root of the problem next."

"Once we resolve the conflict, you all will naturally understand everything."

With that, Yun You signaled to Jack with her eyes.

The mercenary immediately understood and led Aurora a step forward, trying to use his large frame to carve a path through the crowd.

Yun You intended to act first and report later, to first blow up the "degraded organ" deep within the mine, and then devour the Undying Heart.

In this way, "It," having lost its organ, would certainly no longer be able to maintain its deceitful power, and those it had enticed would naturally return to normal.

This was much more convenient and efficient than empty talk.

However, this time, the townspeople did not yield.

They uniformly stepped forward, grim-faced, blocking the group with mining picks and hoes in hand — the few weapons they had, not backing down even against the much larger Jack.

In the minds of these enticed individuals, Aurora was always the "culprit" disrupting the town's order, and they had to uphold justice for the town, which they believed was their responsibility.

They could even overcome some of their own fears for this purpose.

"..."

Seeing this, Yun You frowned slightly but still stepped forward to stand beside Jack...

Then, she tightly clenched her fist, and a red glow emerged on the back of her hand, forming a massive claw of Red Scale, like a monstrous creature with a voracious mouth, glaring viciously at the townspeople.

Yun You was small, like a little black cat, not much of a deterrent.

Who would be afraid of a cat?

But her claw, larger than a person, when formed into a fist and slammed onto the ground, creating a spiderweb-shaped deep pit over ten meters in diameter...

That was very intimidating.

All the townspeople involuntarily stepped back half a step, their faces full of fear and confusion.

They had clearly never witnessed such a scene.

"I have no interest in slaughtering the innocent, but..."

Yun You's gaze swept over the crowd in front of her. Her blood-colored eyes were not devoid of pity, but more so, determination.

The young girl could sympathize with these people, but if they blocked the way, she could only raise her blade.

After all, truth be told, she was no savior, just an ordinary person wanting to survive... wanting revenge.

She couldn't sacrifice her life for people unrelated to her.

Yun You wasn't that noble.

"Aurora Miles... is my partner, just like the other two."

The young girl released the claw, letting the stone she had crushed in her grasp fall to the ground, speaking in a calm yet threatening tone: "I won't abandon any companions. I won't forsake them for so-called justice and mercy."

"If you insist on making a move, if you force me to make a choice..."

Yun You stood up, drawing a boundary line on the ground with her claw as sharp as a knife.

"Then, I will make rivers of blood flow here."

"I promise."

The young girl's voice was still as crisp as a wind chime, soft like cotton wool.

But no one dared to doubt her threat.

Even Aurora, who had been in a state of mental trance, regained some clarity when she heard Yun You call her "partner."

She widened her eyes, in disbelief.

Clever as Aurora was, she undoubtedly knew that the information she left behind had helped Yun You.

Yet, honestly, she didn't think it counted as much help, at least not in Aurora's view.

Yun You had rescued her from the lab, which already counted as repaying her debt, making them even.

Now, with Yun You close to victory, if she just abandoned this "stranger" and let her die alone, she could avoid a lot of trouble and prevent more bloodshed.

Logically, that was undoubtedly the best choice.

But in the end, Yun You chose to protect her and even called her—partner.

This unexpected decision surprised Aurora, who was familiar with the cold and warmth of human relationships, bringing her a sense of peace.

But soon, this peace was disrupted by the whispers of the "blue double-headed bird," and Aurora once again fell into a daze.

"..."

But perhaps because "Its" enticement was too strong, the townspeople, though fearful, ultimately did not give way.

Just as the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, on the brink of erupting into action...

"Wait!"

Mayor Kong suddenly spoke.

He glanced at Yun You warily and said in a deep voice, "We are not unreasonable. We are willing to let you try."

"But..."

He pointed at Aurora.

"This person, you can't take her with you."

"Otherwise, who knows if you're solving the problem or taking her to flee?"

"You can go, but she must stay here. That's our bottom line."

"We won't harm her... not for now..."

Hearing this, Yun You thought for a moment and gently nodded.

"Alright."

"But I'll stay here with her."

With that, she turned around and tossed the key to the underground chamber to Jack.

"You go ahead. I'll protect Aurora here."

Jack caught the key and nodded heavily.

"Leave it to me."

With that, he and Frost Moon quickly left, dashing towards the mine tunnel.

And this time, the townspeople did indeed make way, not stopping them but keeping all their focus on Aurora and Yun You.

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