The morning breeze brushed across the land, with golden sunlight spilling over shoulders.

At this moment, Nest City No. 3 and Yangshan Town were in early autumn. The weather was gradually cooling, but the wind carrying the scent of rice passing through the body still felt very comfortable.

In the rice fields outside the town, the ripe wheat swayed gently, appearing like soft ocean waves from a distance, exuding a sweet fragrance.

This is a scene never to be seen in the Nest City.

Industrial production had flattened the wheat fields, confining the scent of rice in vertical farms and combining life with machinery.

To a certain extent, it eradicated famine but, at the same time, took away the simplicity of the past.

Time passed little by little.

Yun You sat on the ground, firmly protecting Aurora with Red Scale Claws while admiring this false yet simple beauty.

But the other villagers were not so at ease.

They stared fiercely at Yun You and the little girl holding Aurora in her arms. Their eyes were glowing with hate, as if they wished to devour Aurora alive.

The people of Yangshan Town, or rather the 'it' deep within their consciousness, naturally hated Aurora.

If it weren't for Aurora leaving that information, Yun You would not have found the answer so early; if it wasn't for the C4 in the lab, Yun You would have been severely injured or might have even become food for the Headless Giant.

So, it hated Aurora immensely, wanting to take this little girl with it to the grave, even if it meant death.

But it couldn't do this.

Whether it or the villagers present, they all understood one thing.

They couldn't beat Yun You.

Even if they all died, they couldn't break through that claw.

So, they could only sit silently, waiting and waiting...

One hour.

Two hours...

Three hours.

Until the sun was high in the sky, no sound came from the direction of the quarry.

The warm sunlight gradually turned scorching, making brows sweat and eyes see stars.

No one knew whether it was because patience had reached its limit or for some other reason… A commotion was gradually appearing in the crowd.

And it was precisely at this time that the dazed Aurora raised her head, gazed straight at the sun, showing a somewhat eerie smile at the corners of her mouth, and began to murmur, singing a somewhat bizarre nursery rhyme.

"Ten little soldiers, went out to feast... unfortunately choked, ten... only nine left."

As Aurora sang softly, the dual-headed bird tattoo on the back of her neck faintly emitted a glow.

At the same time, whispers from an unknown source filled Yun You's ears.

[Original Sin of Gluttony]

"Nine little soldiers, stayed up till midnight; fell asleep and didn't wake, nine only eight."

While Aurora was singing, her gaze suddenly shifted to the front where several visibly tired villagers stood.

[Original Sin: Confusion]

"Eight little soldiers, passed by Utopia; lingered and forgotten, eight only seven."

She looked again at a woman.

This person was previously the deputy captain of the Hammer Vanguard Team, who had always shouted the slogan to 'liberate the Nest City and create an ideal homeland,' but eventually fell into confusion, becoming part of the village.

[Original Sin: Ignorance]

"Seven little soldiers, went with axes to chop wood; harmed themselves by mistake, seven only six."

[Original Sin: Recklessness]

"Six little soldiers, mistakenly touched a beehive; stung all over by angry bees, six remaining five."

[Original Sin: Carelessness]

"Five little soldiers, dreamed of becoming lawyers; judged to death by the court, five, only four left..."

"Only four left..."

She repeated, while her gaze gradually turned toward the mayor Kong Xian.

Or rather, the character she pointed at should be that long-forgotten captain of the Hammer Vanguard, Shen Donglin.

[Original Sin: Arrogance]

Yun You knew this nursery rhyme.

It's a somewhat 'cultic' ancient popular song, mainly telling the story of a group of soldiers traveling together, but all perishing due to various accidents.

In the story, the soldiers indeed had their imperfections, which also led to their deaths.

But Yun You didn't understand, what does this have to do with the so-called 'original sin,' and why does the dual-headed bird utter such strange words?

Was it mocking the villagers who were deluded before them through Aurora's mouth?

Yun You felt it was possible.

Ultimately, the members of the Hammer Vanguard once had the chance to survive, but they all ended up being blinded by 'immortality,' committing irreparable mistakes.

If that dual-headed bird truly is something extraordinary, with the ability to see through schemes, then mocking them might be the natural thing to do.

"But I remember, this song should have a second half?"

Yun You touched her chin, trying hard to think.

"It should end with all the little soldiers dead."

"So if this is the case, who would she sing about next?"

The little girl gained some interest.

She remembered the next verse would add an adverb, "Four little soldiers, went fishing together; unaware of danger, buried in the belly of a big fish, four only three."

Who would this line refer to, and what 'original sin' does it represent?

Wondering, she curiously looked toward Aurora, waiting for her response.

However, what Yun You never expected was...

After a long silence, Aurora suddenly turned her head, looked calmly at Yun You for a moment, then lowered her head, speaking slowly with a voice tinged with a bit of a sob...

"Four little soldiers, went fishing together."

"Unaware of danger, buried in the belly of a big fish..."

"Four only... only left..."

Yun You was stunned.

But this time, what reached her ears was not the familiar whispering, but a tremendous boom!

"..."

"Boom——!"

After three and a half hours, the expected explosion sound appeared out of nowhere!

It emerged in the direction of the mine tunnel, along with it, a giant mushroom cloud and a visible ball of fire.

The ring-shaped shock wave directly shattered the surrounding houses, knocked down the villagers present... even the robust mayor, Kong Xian, stumbled involuntarily.

Only Yun You, sitting on the ground, and Aurora, held firmly in her embrace, remained unaffected.

"Fire... caught fire?!"

People watched the mushroom cloud dumbfounded, not knowing what had happened.

Only Yun You understood that this was a signal of success from Jack and Frost Moon.

The explosives placed in the mine tunnel had such a load as a small nuclear device; if detonated directly, the entire town would be razed to the ground.

This was naturally not the result Yun You wanted to see.

So Jack and Frost Moon had to modify most of the explosives to reduce their destructive range, then detonated only after it was minimized to the extent that it would only destroy the tunnel.

This was the reason for the delay in detonating the explosives.

The moment the mushroom cloud rose, Yun You felt that the heart she had been holding could now be 'devoured.'

So, regardless of how many questions were in her mind or how much shock she felt...

Yun You made the right decision in an instant.

Clenching her fingers, she triggered the [Eating].

"Crunch... crunch..."

In an instant, the final Undying Heart turned into a stream of energy, assimilated into her palm.

Everything was over.

It was over...

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