dmims Chapter 22 Iron 7 Rebellion
Chapter 22 Iron 7 Rebellion
"Waaah—"
The nobleman thoroughly enjoyed the faint sobs and wails of these people. He was in no hurry to finish his story and instead slowly wrapped the rope around his palm.
After he finished doing this, the nobleman suddenly raised his arm and pulled hard.
The miner at the front was knocked to the ground by the sudden, enormous force. He knelt on the ground in pain, trembling and wildly waving his arms that had lost their hands.
The irregular holes and wounds on his bloodstained palms looked as if they had been torn apart by some ferocious beast and cruelly fixed to the ropes.
"Hoo—" The nobleman let out a very comfortable breath.
His mind was unusually pleasant, and suddenly this dirty place didn't seem so annoying anymore.
"Calm down, calm down, Menelaus," Sado pleaded earnestly.
"A week ago, maybe two weeks ago, I don't care." The nobleman thought for a second, then chuckled and shook his head.
He waved the rope in his hand at the crowd again and said, "You should know more about this than I do. There was a collapse in mine shaft number 88. Not only did all those guys die inside, but they also failed to salvage any valuable minerals."
"Originally, this matter was already closed. They repaid our debt with their lives, and the rest of their work could be left to the rest of the people."
After saying this, a contemptuous, slightly annoyed smile appeared on the nobleman's face.
He then pulled on the rope in his hand, driving the prisoners forward like pigs and dogs.
He said casually, not taking what was to come to mind: "These guys actually want to join forces with other miners to rebel against us, against the Empire."
"It's ridiculous. They don't even have a decent weapon, they just come up here with hammers while spouting broken English."
"If it weren't for this, I wouldn't have bothered coming here and getting my clothes dirty."
The nobleman feigned a puzzled expression.
"I often wonder why they did this, why they were so ungrateful."
"You must understand that you are not merely mining for ore, but fighting for the Empire, for the Emperor, for the great cause of liberating humanity. Isn't this the best reward for your lowly lives?"
Why are you never satisfied?
The only sound in the cramped space was the nobleman's voice, neither loud nor soft. Faced with his mockery and contempt, the miners at the bottom suppressed their anger and humiliation, their rage and hatred, but no one dared to rush forward and resist.
They didn't even dare to curse each other in whispers; perhaps only after falling asleep exhausted from a day's work would they vent their emotions in their dreams.
Gunshots rang out as expected.
The nobleman wiped the small pistol in his hand: "Thank me, for I have granted you merciful death."
He felt a sense of boredom and glanced one last time at the miners below, who were frightened by the gunshots and kept their heads down, avoiding his gaze.
He shook his head, brushed the dust off his clothes, and called over the slaves behind him.
"Hang their bodies up, hang them in the very center."
After saying all this, he left.
"Menelaus!" Sado released Menelaus, who was being squeezed so tightly he was almost suffocating.
Watching the other person instinctively take large gulps of air.
He angrily slapped Menelaus across the face.
The sound of the slap was loud, and the miners who were staring blankly at the corpse hanging above their heads instinctively trembled.
They were already suppressing their anger and fear, and when they turned around angrily, they saw Sado's strong body and the miners who were subtly protecting the two of them.
Unfazed by the malicious stares, Sado stood before Menelaus and snarled, "What are you looking at!"
Then came a string of foul language from Tie Qi.
The anger of the cowardly spreads like wildfire, while those who are resentful are persuaded to leave by their friends and the circumstances around them.
At this moment, Sado turned to look at Menelaus again, raised his arm high, and slapped Menelaus hard across the face once more.
Those around them turned away, unable to bear it, but no one went forward to persuade them.
Everyone knows they are like brothers.
"What do you want to do, Menelaus?" Sado's voice was filled with anger, tinged with a barely perceptible fear and dread.
Menelaus had recovered, and Sado's two slaps stung his face.
Instead of arguing with Sado who had hit him, he apologetically hugged Sado's trembling body, bowed sincerely to everyone, and then apologized.
"I'm sorry, everyone."
"Feel sorry."
If Sadolaus hadn't been restrained, if the crowd hadn't hidden him as much as possible...
His actions and behavior will surely invite the revenge of that nameless nobleman.
Menelaus was not afraid of the nobles' revenge, nor was he afraid of death.
However, Menelaus forgot about those around him at that time, and he almost caused Sado and his close companions to fall into a life-or-death crisis.
Menelaus felt deeply guilty about it.
Sado took a deep breath, feeling the familiar, rough, and pungent air.
Feeling a faint stinging pain in his lungs, Sado's nerves began to recover, and his heartbeat gradually returned to normal.
He sneered at Menelaus, who was apologizing:
"You know, I've always admired your courage, Menelaus."
"But if you still can't distinguish between reality and dreams, courage and recklessness, Menelaus, then don't get me killed!"
With that, Sado stormed off in anger.
As he passed by the miner who was hanging upside down, his face bleeding, he paused, looked up, and stood there for a moment before continuing to walk inside.
"Today's task is still very heavy, Menelaus." A man much older than both of them walked over.
He patted the dejected Menelaus on the arm.
"It's alright, Menelaus."
The man opened his mouth; his lips were terribly dry, and his lower lip was split open with a clean, sharp cut, clearly ripped open by some kind of sharp mineral.
Although he looked old, appearing to be in his thirties or forties at first glance, he was actually only twenty-three years old, which was considered middle-aged in the perpetually dark mines of Iron Seven.
The man had never been comforted before, and didn't even know how to spell "comfort." He pondered for a moment, then uttered what he thought were comforting words: "Let's do a little more work, so you can rest earlier today."
As he spoke, his throat itched, his lungs ached uncontrollably, and he coughed heavily twice, blood mixed with thick phlegm.
pulmonary disease.
This is a disease that miners absolutely cannot avoid.
Menelaus wanted to say something, but the man walked away on his own, seemingly unconcerned.
For those who were born here or have been forced to work here for over a decade, lung disease is as common as eating and drinking.
They no longer care, or rather, they have become numb.
Menelaus was even more silent than before, a shadow looming over him.
He turned to look at the hanging corpses, standing beside one of the few lights underground, their bodies elongated by the light.
The shadow beneath their feet merged with the ground, appearing taller.
Menelaus looked on, seemingly oblivious to the hands of his companions on his shoulders.
Finally, he walked heavily toward their mine.