Sir! Don't close the net!

Annie's eyes flashed, and she straightened up. "Mr. Yellow Raincoat, I now believe that this fire is related to you, and I'm starting to believe that you will be a good help to us."

Li Yili shrugged.

“Unfortunately… there’s nothing we can do. Even now, we’re eating food from the wasteland,” Annie smiled helplessly.

Li Yili subconsciously wanted to ask, "Even if the food was tampered with, would eating it lead you to an abyss of despair?", but the sight of Abel smiling helplessly behind Annie made Li Yili swallow back this question, which was on par with "You're starving, why don't you eat cake?"

The city wall stood there

They had no choice but to eat the contaminated food.

“They’re modifying us. I don’t know exactly why, but there’s no doubt we’re being treated as raw materials. And since we’re raw materials, there will definitely be distinctions between premium products, qualified products, and… scrap products,” Annie’s smile remained unchanged. “Once we start using them, we’ll start with the premium products, then the qualified products, and as for the scrap products…”

Anne lowered her eyelids slightly.

"How could they possibly be willing to invest resources in scrap?"

"Your leg……"

“Hahaha—of course I did it myself,” Annie laughed easily, waving her hand. “People born without legs aren’t that common.”

Abel, standing behind Annie, opened his arms. After a moment of silence, Li Yili turned to look at Puss and said, "Don't tell me you all did that."

Puss pushed his cowboy hat up, glanced at Li Yili sideways, and raised his voice, "Mr. Yellow Raincoat, is there something wrong with your head or your eyes?"

“Mr. Yellow Raincoat, I can only assure you that you don’t need to worry about your missing companions reappearing as enemies,” Anne raised her voice to draw Li Yili’s attention back to herself.

“Alright, alright… I think I understand your situation,” Li Yili grinned. “So, do you have any plans to take action recently?”

“Well… Mr. Yellow Raincoat, to be honest, our schedules are actually empty for the next year,” Annie said, scratching her face with a slightly awkward smile.

Li Yili raised an eyebrow and leaned back slightly.

He wasn't surprised at all; in fact, this was the normal situation. Annie's location was in the Triple Circle, and everyone who knew about the Triple Circle understood its location. It was like the fire that hadn't been extinguished yet. Even if it burned for another two days and became uncontrollable, engulfing the entire Triple Circle, it wouldn't affect the Cult of Steam and Steel in the capital, Millennium. The Cult of Steam and Steel only needed to stop the fire to attack the Triple Circle's forces.

Once everything is burned to the ground... just drive the people from the Millennium, Cretaceous, and Jurassic zones out.

It can even solve the problem of overcrowding.

Therefore, for Annie and her friends, a blank schedule is actually the safest option.

But there is a problem.

"What about the schedule a year from now?" Li Yili squinted her eyes.

“Of course, it’s still a blank page,” Puss complained.

“However, the situation has changed now. The fire caused by Mr. Yellow Raincoat has added a lot of content to our blank schedule,” Annie tapped the ledger on the side of the counter, thought for a moment, and then gave Li Yili a bright smile.

"Although it's a bit sudden, Mr. Yellow Raincoat, would you mind going on a date with me now?"

“Hey, hey, hey—Miss Anne, you’re not kidding, are you? Is this a date? And this man looks dangerous,” Puss couldn’t hold back any longer and immediately turned around to complain.

“Puss, you’re so noisy,” Annie said, throwing the ledger at Puss’s chest. “Don’t forget, you’re just a gofer.”

"Cough—"

Puss, as if struck by a great blow, clutched his cowboy hat and knelt down with a thud, his entire background becoming incredibly dark.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Do You Still Remember the Horror It Once Caused?

The bustling square was teeming with people: vagrants, gentlemen, newsboys, flower girls—a vast array of individuals weaving a poorly tailored garment called "the times," while the rising steam within the crowd made this garment appear even more bloated.

Fortunately, a large fire was burning, attempting to engulf the ugly dress.

Unfortunately, the fire was contained within a small area early on, while most people continued to methodically weave this ugly garment.

Li Yili pushed Annie's wheelchair like an unruly line, weaving through the crowd. Some people silently avoided it, while others cast disapproving glances.

She wore a white shirt underneath, a brown jacket draped over her shoulders, and a double-layered plaid skirt that fell just to her knees. Her black mid-calf Martin boots smacked loudly on the ground. Rebecca, who often talked about how much better clothes were than fur, got used to the clothes she picked out in less than five minutes.

Because of Rebecca's arrogant expression and eyes, many people who were glaring at the reckless Li Yili chose to give way.

“Did Mr. Richard ever tell you that you are a magical person who always brings countless…surprises?” Anne leaned to the right, raised her right hand and rested the back of her hand on her chin, while her left hand was hidden behind her back. “Of course, for those who suffer because of this, it can only be described as terrifying.”

Li Yili's gaze shifted downwards, and the gleaming blade pierced through the back of the wheelchair and penetrated into his lower abdomen. This cut was extremely subtle, avoiding his internal organs and only piercing his muscles and skin. However, if Annie were to turn the handle of the knife even slightly, the flesh wound would turn into a very serious internal injury.

Given the level of medical care in the Triassic, suffering that level of trauma would only lead to death.

"Levi's Est. Richard, Arkham University's most outstanding graduate, do you still remember the... terror you brought to the Millennium Royal Family?"

“That’s quite an interesting point,” Li Yili whistled, leaning forward. “In my less than a year of student life, I’ve never…”

There was no trace of the wasteland royal family; I secured all the sponsorships myself.

“Yes, you brought Arkham University, no, I should say the Cult of Steam and Steel, the surprise they imagined…” Anne curled her lips into a bright yet utterly cold smile.

“Really? As far as I know, they started making moves at least thirty years ago, back when I didn’t even know where I was,” Li Yili grinned.

"Yes, thirty years ago, they were like rats in the sewers, secretly digging holes and then luring others to conduct experiments for them. They were as guilty as liars lying under the noses of the gods. No... it shouldn't be described as 'like,' they were exactly that kind of liars. But three years ago... their courage suddenly grew, as if they had received divine revelation."

“They went from being deceitful liars to being loyal believers who obeyed the will of God.”

Annie's cold smile vanished instantly, and she tightened her grip on the dagger behind her back.

"Three years ago, you happened to appear in the capital, Millennium, and you happened to be making great strides at Arkham University, which was self-sufficient to the Church of Steam and Steel. No, 'making great strides' is an insult to your achievements. You were like a messenger of an unknown god, spreading 'knowledge' in that university full of madmen, making those madmen look like model citizens."

"Thanks to you, the Cult of Steam and Steel, which originally intended to use the Wasteland Royal Family as a shield, has completely opened up."

“It really sounds like the royal family making up all sorts of excuses to cover up their incompetence,” Li Yili rolled her eyes. “But it’s also quite normal.”

"What gives the wasteland royal family and nobles their significance is the steam and steel cult that establishes a nation on the desolate land."

"In the end, the so-called wasteland royal families and nobles are nothing more than cobbled together from various places by the Church of Steam and Steel, imitations of real royal families and nobles. Even the current citizens are from the Church of Steam and Steel. They have never truly exercised the rights of royalty and nobility, but because they have been in that position for so long, they have forgotten about it after several generations, and have even started to pretend to seize the power that never belonged to them in the first place."

Li Yili leaned down and whispered in Annie's ear.

Don't you think it's ugly?

Annie's cheeks twitched slightly before she raised her head, turning it toward Li Yili's face, her eyes reflecting the thick smoke that swallowed the sky and the raging fire.

"That's why a revolution is needed."

"Revolution? Revolution... those two words are much heavier than you imagine, although that's what I want to say..."

Li Yili's gaze fell on Annie's empty long dress.

"Are you betting your legs on the new world?"

“Hmph…it’s just a burden on the destruction of the old world,” Annie said quite decisively, drawing her dagger. Looking at the mirror-like, bloodless blade, Annie smiled easily.

“The destruction of the old world… Ha, no wonder there’s only a year of blank schedule,” Li Yili straightened up and looked at the fountain in the center of the square. “[2012] will wash everything off this ground, and the old world will be destroyed no matter what.”

"Then what can little Miss Anne do for you?"

"Considering how hard you've worked, even if you wanted to travel the world in the year before the world ends, I wouldn't necessarily refuse..."

"Grit your teeth and help me achieve it?"

“Before I suddenly find this too troublesome and don’t want to do it anymore… I will grit my teeth and help you achieve it,” Li Yili shrugged.

“Ha...it’s not that complicated, it’s very simple…” Annie smiled brightly, “It gives us confidence.”

"what?"

"Just like... you gave the Church of Steam and Steel the confidence that it was no longer a deceitful liar who defied the gods, but a faithful believer who obeyed the will of the gods."

"To prove that our actions were not a final, mad outburst before the world's destruction, a loss of all reason."

The people of the Triple Circle were still weaving that ugly garment, but the fire had already been ignited. The more they wishfully wove this hopeless era, the more fiercely the fire burning at the end of the era burned, chasing after the end that guided these chaotic lines.

"I only have one question."

"what?"

"Why your own legs?"

Annie paused, tilted her head, and touched her dry hair, which was a little dry due to malnutrition. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, revealing a pure smile that suited her age.

"Of course, it's so that we can actually start walking."

Chapter Twenty-Nine: This was a bold attempt.

"Waaaaah—Little Miss Anne, you haven't already crossed that line and it hurts so much!!!"

Anne raised her hand and pushed away Li Yili's hand that was holding the wheelchair. She turned the wheelchair and ran it over Puss's foot, who was wiping away tears. Ignoring Puss's exaggerated screams as he clutched his foot, Anne returned to the counter, rested her elbows on the counter, and interlaced her fingers.

"So, Mr. Yellow Raincoat, do you have any suggestions? Although the schedule will be packed from now on, that's all. This fire came too suddenly, and no one was prepared."

"Really? You didn't have any plan at all?" Li Yili raised an eyebrow. "I'm starting to suspect that your previous statements were just simplistic."

That's just empty talk.

“Mr. Yellow Raincoat… Mr. Yellow Raincoat, I want to remind you that a rabbit can never kill a cunning wolf. When a rabbit starts planning to kill a cunning wolf, that’s when it’s all doomed,” Annie shrugged. “Do you think we can outdo the Steam and Steel Cult, which now dominates the wasteland as a conglomerate, in terms of preparation?”

After pondering for a moment, Li Yili nodded, chin in hand. "Indeed."

"Moreover, preparation requires having a target. Unfortunately, we in the Triassic are helpless against the Steam and Steel God Cult in the capital, Millennium," Anne stuck out her tongue. "And most people in the Triassic are like frogs in lukewarm water, being boiled to death. If nothing unexpected happens, we will be boiled to death like those frogs."

"The executor of justice can only rot away with his gun and evil. What a legendary end," Puss said slowly as he stood up, pulled down his cowboy hat with crookedly written world characters, and curled his lips into a slight smile.

“Fortunately, the more prepared they are, the more it proves they're worried about uncontrollable, unpredictable accidents,” Annie glanced at Puss, then shook her head, rubbing her forehead. “This fire was definitely not what they expected, and it has likely destroyed most of their preparations in the Triassic Circle, and we…”

“And you, who didn’t have any plans or preparations from the beginning, suffered no losses at all, and can even wait for the right opportunity to strike,” Li Yili grinned. “No wonder you emphasize that you need lucky people; only unimaginable good luck can help you.”

“That’s right—Mr. Yellow Raincoat, who brings us good luck. Although I’m looking forward to you bringing us even more good luck, good luck is a double-edged sword. No one can guarantee that it won’t just disappear the next second,” Annie held up her finger.

"I have a plan."

------

The most prosperous center of the wasteland, nestled a quarter of the way out from the city center, is the headquarters of the Church of Steam and Steel. It is less a building and more a scientific organ constructed of various metal structures, where magnificent scientific music plays endlessly, 24 hours a day.

Inside the cathedral, Harry walked ahead, followed by a man with a rather awkward gait.

"I told you we shouldn't have done this! Now we've not only lost our final product, but the processing plant has also burned down!"

"Malfoy, if you can't speak, you'd better shut your mouth."

Harry, who was walking ahead, gave a cold warning.

Malfoy paused, glancing at Harry's back, who hadn't stopped and was now some distance away. His eyes flickered for a moment before he gritted his teeth, enduring the discomfort in his crotch, and quickened his pace to catch up.

"I'm just thinking about our future! Although we're of the same rank, we've been assigned to the Triassic! That says a lot!"

"[2012] In the first place, let alone our future, we won't even leave behind a single gene," Harry waved his hand behind him. "Now is not the time for pointless power struggles."

Malfoy's expression froze, and he lowered his head, remaining silent.