Ch.234Chapter 9. The Burning Human Farm (1)

The life of livestock is determined from birth.

The mother comes from a farm, grows up as a breeding female, and repeats mating and birthing.

Born from livestock, growing as livestock, dying as livestock.

And livestock’s lives differ according to their purpose.

Some animals with superior genetics grow until maturity, while others are shipped off young.

What was it called? Suckling pig?

To eat meat more tender than regular pork, they kill piglets and boil them whole.

The price of such a piglet sometimes equals that of a full-grown pig.

Humans prioritize efficiency.

Farm owners calculate efficiency and costs when raising livestock, considering how much money the animals will bring in the market.

Livestock are products, and specimens without market value are discarded.

In this age of superpowers, what is human value?

If we look at humans purely as products, without ethical or moral considerations, how much would each person be worth?

It would depend on how much economic value they could generate, but if we consider only the human body, buildings and apartments might be worth more than humans.

Especially if countless humans are born, with newborns in abundance.

And even more so in places like this island, where all ethics and morality are cast aside, and humans are considered products solely according to economic logic.

Even more so in places that view humans as livestock and seek economic benefit from using them.

So what economic benefits can be gained from raising humans?

Organs? Human experimentation?

In various movies, novels, and dystopian worlds, human bodies become currency.

This world is a bit different.

By birthing many humans and selecting those with “superpowers,” economic value can finally be created.

What kind of value?

Combat troops can be used.

They can be used as next-generation armies.

And children who don’t obey are boldly “disposed of,” with the corpses of these disposed superpowered individuals neatly burned to create additional value.

Yes.

There’s no need to beat around the bush—humans aren’t the only slaves on this island.

With so many children born, at least one with E-grade or D-grade magical power is bound to be born.

And those children are divided according to their purpose.

I’ve traveled around this world and seen many villains.

The darkness about to unfold before my eyes is merely a part, a cross-section of the “evil” created by villains.

Even that cross-section is unbearably horrific.

[They’re out.]

In the middle of the road approaching the island, at a toll gate-like structure on the bridge, I sense numerous magical powers.

Inside the tunnel-shaped toll gate designed to be invisible from the outside, red lights targeting us fill the space.

[Qiongqi. We’re abandoning the car.]

[I’ll jump.]

Qiongqi leaps high from his position, and I press the accelerator to break it before jumping sideways.

I roll on the ground once to suppress inertia, planting my club on the ground, and stop my body by gripping it firmly.

BOOM!

The car exploded.

Not from engine overheating, but destroyed by magical bullets fired from a distance.

And those who fired those bullets were none other than boys and girls.

In the darkness, inside the wide tunnel-shaped toll gate where external cameras can’t see, children about 140cm tall wearing military uniforms are aiming guns at us from the inner barrier.

[Is this somewhat better? In Syria, they gave all the kids AKs. At least here they have pistols.]

[It might be pistols because it’s the entrance. Inside the controlled island, they might be carrying mortars.]

Qiongqi approaches my side and extends his hand forward.

Whoosh.

A crimson flame shield unfolds before us.

Soon, countless magical bullets toward the shield—

Ratatatatat!

[Mixed with real bullets too.]

[Well-trained. Mixing real bullets with magical ones makes blocking more troublesome.]

Both lead bullets and magical bullets hit the barrier.

Whether real or magical bullets, they mean nothing to Qiongqi or me.

But they know that, and those behind them know it too.

Yet they keep firing to deplete our mana as much as possible.

If they can deplete even 1% of Qiongqi’s mana with their bullet barrage, they’ll consider it a “gain.”

Those behind them…

‘They don’t know the terror of the battlefield.’

That our attacks don’t work on the opponent.

That our shooting isn’t simply to stop the enemy but to deplete their magical power.

And thus, realizing they’re merely being used to drain the opponent’s magic.

That’s when it’s time to counterattack.

[These kids are all trained to kill people. What do you want to do? Kill them all?]

[We need to leave witnesses. We can’t just kill kids like these indiscriminately. They were raised there.]

These are children who don’t realize they’re villains.

From birth, they’ve been raised as livestock, as weapons, as villains, so they know nothing else.

[If they can’t be rehabilitated even after resocialization, we can dispose of them then.]

[So for now…]

[We need to knock them out so those coming behind can apprehend them easily.]

I turned my gaze backward.

Although Qiongqi had destroyed the bridge several times with explosions, while regular vehicles couldn’t cross, people could.

For instance, heroes.

[How to prevent heroes from pursuing. First step.]

[Create numerous people who need immediate rescue.]

Even better if they’re children with guns like these.

[Let’s go.]

I tapped my Goblin Club on the ground, transforming it into a new form.

I removed all the spikes on the outside, making it a pure baseball bat shape, and charged.

Dudududu!

As soon as I emerge from beside the barrier, magical bullets fly toward me.

They’re all E-grade and D-grade, but it would certainly hurt if I took them directly.

Therefore.

I run with a shield in front.

Whoosh.

A crimson flame barrier unfolds before me as I charge.

I rush straight into the barrier, and it covers my body like vinyl.

Ratatata!

Charging with the barrier, I feel no impact.

There is physical resistance, but my Agility A speed can easily overcome it.

Whoosh!

As I approach the barrier, I grab the flame shield and throw it sideways to distract.

When the children’s attention turns to the shield, I swing my club widely to the side.

“Kuhek!”

The superpowered individual at the front gets hit in the back of the head with the club and smashes their face into the barrier.

As one falls with a death cry, the others finally aim their guns at me.

They’re not children.

Not children with guns.

They are superpowered individuals with guns, mere killing machines.

Bang!

I grab a gun from the fallen superpowered individual and shoot with one hand.

The bullet lodges in the forehead of the superpowered individual opposite me, and their body stiffens.

[That won’t kill you.]

But they’ll feel the fear of death.

Thud.

As the bent bullet falls from the reddened forehead, I rush to the side and strike the solar plexus with my club.

“Kuh, huk…”

Slow.

If they were adults, I could subdue them faster, but their small stature keeps breaking my concentration despite telling myself they’re superpowered individuals.

“Uwaaaaah!!”

The superpowered individuals all start firing wildly at me.

Gunshots echo loudly in the tunnel, and I dodge bullets and deflect them with my club while subduing them one by one.

[Let me tell those who might have doubts.]

WHACK!

[Superpowered individuals must not waver in their convictions. And this is my conviction.]

I put down the gun and swing my club with full force at a girl charging at me with a combat knife, its blade wrapped in magical power.

[I don’t discriminate against killers based on gender, age, or anything else.]

I kill them all equally.

[Remember that your execution is merely ‘suspended’ for now.]

Clang!

I strike down someone trying to block with a gun to their head.

When magical power momentarily protects their head, I release a strong shockwave causing a concussion.

Thud.

There’s no dramatic falling like in TV shows.

Whether they fall face-first or not, I don’t need to care about the condition of those collapsing with rattled brains.

[There, it’s you.]

I easily dodge an incoming magical bullet with a slight tilt of my head and throw my club at someone who just turned to flee from the rear.

CLANG!

The club hits precisely on his back and falls to the ground with a metallic sound.

[Wearing plate armor as inner protection, are we?]

I leap forward, stomping on the fallen one’s back while reaching into the air.

Swoosh.

The fallen club returns to my hand.

This one was much larger than the others, closer to an adult than a child, and wore something like blue epaulets on his shoulders.

[So you’re the leader.]

“Ugh, uwaaaaah!!”

Bang, ratatat.

[My, my. Where do you think you’re shooting at a world-class treasure?]

“Ugh, uwah, these monsters…!”

The one who turned fired at me from below, but the crimson flames that suddenly appeared behind me melted the bullets in mid-air.

[Poor children who don’t even know they’re the monsters.]

Thud.

Qiongqi raised his foot and stomped on the forehead with his high heel.

Simultaneously, the person’s eyes rolled back in seizure, and he fainted sideways with foam at his mouth.

[You’re not hesitating, are you?]

[Of course not.]

I’ve merely suspended their execution.

[Even executions have their hierarchy.]

Inside the tunnel.

All unconscious.

[Qiongqi. Once we pass here, we’re on the island.]

[Starting right from the entrance?]

[Of course.]

I extended my hand toward Qiongqi.

[From now on, I’ll turn this island into a prison of flames. Come, Qiongqi. Let’s unite.]

BOOM!

I struck the Goblin Club on the ground.

Soon the tunnel began to shake and the ceiling started to collapse, and I threw myself into the crimson flames engulfing the tunnel.

[From now on…]

There’s only one thing to do.

[Burn the island to ashes.]

Execute by fire.