Throne Steps

On the second night, the cry of a child was suddenly heard in the team of victims who had already rested.

"what happened?"

The watchman took a torch from the campfire, and hastening among the crowd, illuminated the source of the commotion.

I saw a boy about ten years old sitting on the ground, holding the skirt of a grown man with one hand, crying uncontrollably.He didn't seem to be able to answer the guard's question clearly, but the moment the guard approached, he jumped at the guard's feet, pointing at the man he had caught and crying.

The boy's relatives also crowded over, looking angry and miserable: "He stole our food!"

The guard looked at the grown man.

The adult man does not look vicious, nor does he look like a mouse-eye, on the contrary, he is as disgraced as the other victims, and even looks weaker than other adults.He hung his head and froze in place, as if he was fixed by everyone's gaze.

When you look carefully, you can still see the dry food residue at the corner of his mouth. It seems that the method of asking him to return the food will not work.

But the boy's relatives pulled him reluctantly: "Give it back to us! Give it back to us!"

"...not yet." The man suddenly said, "My wife is injured, and I have to carry her forward every day, and the food I went out to find is not enough... I have been hungry for several days, and I can't help it." ...!"

"We are also very hungry! We are old people and children, is it easier to find food than you?!" The victim tugged at him, "It was hard for a kind adult to distribute food to us. This kind of thing is not as good as a beast! Stealing food from the elderly and children!"

"Don't you wait until tomorrow for the next meal!" The man suddenly said angrily, "My wife can't even walk, and she can't receive food just because she is an adult! You, and your grandson, have With hands and feet, I can walk on my own, and I can even save on rations...but I can get food for nothing every day! Everyone is fleeing, why are you pretending to be pitiful in front of me!"

"You...!" The victim seemed so angry that she couldn't speak for a moment, she took two deep breaths, and suddenly looked at the guard holding the torch, "My lord! Please make the decision for us, my lord!"

The guard's expression was calm, but his heart kept feeling: This must have been deliberately provoked by the black swan. When he said that he was going to distribute food, I knew there would be such a thing.

When everyone is suffering, in fact, it will be over with a little patience, but suddenly someone is not so miserable, and unfairness appears.What follows is jealousy, alienation and crime.

"It's only two or three days away from the resettlement site..." At this stall, the guard didn't want to be a "judge who maintains the fairness and order of the group", so he persuaded, "When we get to the resettlement site, ask the magistrate to handle this matter." .”

"That can't be done!" The victim jumped up, "He stole our food, our life-saving food, but he was not punished. Who knows what he will do next! Do you want to just watch him take away other people like this? life!"

This charge was really not small, and the aggressiveness made the guards who were already mentally exhausted feel even more troublesome.The guard sighed in his heart, and said, "After all..."

"Then what do you want to do?"

A cold voice of questioning came from the periphery of the crowd, and people followed the reputation, and it was the "adult who distributed the food earlier" who came.There was also the "giant" who was more than two meters tall, holding another torch, and followed behind the adult.

Because they looked too oppressive and cold, the people who were noisy and noisy suddenly became quiet.

Li Chen stopped next to the quarreling person, half-closed his eyes and scanned both parties, then his eyes fell on the victimized old woman who had been talking non-stop just now, and asked again in a voice that anyone could hear Again: "Speak, what do you want to do?"

The old woman didn't know if she really had the courage, or if she just held her breath, she grabbed her grandson tightly and said, "My lord, please deal with this villain!"

"Oh……"

Li Chen responded meaningfully, and then cast a sideways glance at the guard next to him.The guard stood silently, only looked at him for a moment, then looked away, as if he had handed over the matter to the black swan.

"It's okay to deal with him." Li Chen said indifferently, and when the old woman's eyes had just shone with victory, he asked again, "But I was asking you just now, what do you want to do?"

The old woman replied: "It's all up to the adults!"

It's a slippery old loach.Li Chen curled the corner of his mouth silently, and replied quietly: "This is not acceptable, he stole your food, of course you have the right to dispose of him."

"W-what..." The old woman was stunned for a moment, then said, "I just need him to be punished as he should be."

"So, what do you think should be punished?" Li Chen raised his eyelids, looked at the old woman by the firelight, and said in a serious tone, "Should he cut off his arms and legs, or pull out his tongue and eyes? Cut off the flesh of his body piece by piece and cook it for you to eat? Or just throw him into the gap of the dam like this, and when he drowns alive, can he contribute to the repair of the dam?"

As he spoke, he walked slowly towards the old woman.His tone is gentle, with some rhythm, and a picture of suffering in purgatory seems to be slowly unfolding along with his description.The crying child was so frightened that he stopped crying, and kept crawling into the arms of his relatives; the domineering old woman was also forced into a cold sweat by the strong hostility; not to mention the treatment suggestions one by one The main character, the man who stole the food, was so frightened that his legs became weak and his legs trembled.

"Let's talk, I'm asking you." Li Chen slowly approached the shivering old woman, his voice was light, but the content was shocking, "Which one do you choose, I'll do what you think right away, don't delay."

"I, I don't..." The old woman's voice trembled, "How can I have such a terrible thought...!"

"Then what do you want to do?" Li Chen slowly lowered half of his eyelids, "Or do you want to try that—cut off his head and put it in a box for you to hold?"

Bang.

The man who stole the food finally couldn't bear the description of this terrible scene, and sat down on the ground.Li Chen glanced at him, and then looked at the old woman in front of him again: "I have given you so many examples, tell me, what do you want to do with him? Tell me a specific method, and we will do it right away."

The old woman murmured: "I don't... I just want him to return my food, you, how can you be so cruel..."

"He has no food now, so let's find another way." Li Chen replied, "Is it me who is cruel? His fate is up to you to decide, whether it is good or bad, it depends on whether you are kind or cruel. And I just want to make you Quench your anger and give everyone a peaceful night."

Before the old woman could speak, he took another step away, allowing the old woman to face the man who stole the food.

The man who stole the food changed his previous arrogance, looked at the old woman in horror, then at Li Chen, then at the old woman—with pleading in his eyes.

"Then, please decide, what is his fate? How is he now, are you willing to give everyone peace?"

In front of people who were more arrogant than herself, under the gaze of everyone, the old woman couldn't say any more rebuttal words.The man who stole the food was not alone. When Li Chen pointed his finger at the aggressive old woman, his fellow villagers finally squeezed his wife to the front row.

The old woman who had the food stolen and her grandson were of course the weaker side, but when the old woman was able to control the life and death of another person, and the other person's wife looked pale and weak, the situation was different.

Especially when the other party seems to have some backing up -- even if it's just a numerical backing.

After all, the old woman lived a few more years, and she realized that she would definitely not have an advantage at this point, so she resolutely gave up: "...There is no need now, after arriving at the resettlement site, just ask him to pay us back the food."

Li Chen stood there and confirmed coldly: "Are you sure?"

"Yes, my lord."

Li Chen turned to look at the man: "Did you hear that? Do you know what to do?"

The man moved, from a sitting position to a kneeling position: "Yes, my lord."

"Very good." Li Chen nodded, glanced around, and suddenly raised his voice, "At this time, I also want to explain something, so as not to misunderstand the people present."

He took out a finger-sized square crystal: "Although we have joined the team to escort you, we are not the guards of His Highness Saenz."

He crushed the square crystal, and a black light and shadow suddenly rose into the sky.It's strange to say that, but thanks to the two torches at the scene, otherwise this magical and gorgeous light and shadow would really disappear into the night.

It was a big black bird with outstretched wings.

"We are...'Black Swan'." Li Chen said slowly, "We are, His Highness's fanatical followers."

There was an immediate commotion in the crowd, and even though some of them had been prepared for it, Li Chen's "self-introduction" still aroused people's uneasiness.

Li Chen glanced: "Quiet."

In fact, he was not tall enough, so not everyone could see him, but Ogysius waved the torch, and his huge figure was like a demon coming from the night—the crowd immediately fell silent.

"Escorting the victims and distributing food are all voluntary. After all, Your Highness is here to save you." Li Chen continued, "However, we, and even the two guards who escorted us, originally came out to look for His Highness... I don't know if you are aware of this, but His Highness has been involved in the flood to protect you, understand!

"His Royal Highness has disappeared in distress!

"Just to rescue the dam! To protect your safety!

"And you..." Li Chen's tone was extremely gloomy, as if what he was facing was not a group of victims in need of relief, but his enemies, "but you are still dragging your feet here, delaying our time to find His Highness ...!"

He wiped his face, half-closed his eyes and said: "I don't want to say anything superfluous. From now on, everyone must not disturb others when resting, and not drag the team down when marching. If you have any questions, please contact the guards or us directly. It caused commotion, and the repeat offenders went directly to the place where the dam collapsed to plug the leak.”

He took one last look at the crowd and said, "I can do it, I can do it, I dare to do it.

"Now, everyone go back to rest and leave on time tomorrow."

[The author has something to say]: Professional intimidation for 30 years.