Necromancer, but pre-collapse civilization

　On the other hand, there are powerful undead forces scattered around various [territory-level soul collection arrays].

　The two constitute an invincible deterrent force, jointly maintaining the fragile peace of this land.

　Now, faced with this unprecedented uprising that has affected the entire planet, it is not so difficult to understand why people who have long lived under oppression would choose to rise up and resist.

　Getting back to the point, after receiving the magical communication from Canberra, Moros did not hesitate for long before deciding to grant Dr. May's request and allow the Firemoth's suppression forces to enter his territory to quell the rebellion.

　In the eyes of this demigod-level necromancer, the territory only needed to provide him with the resources he required.

　As for the political implications?

　Faced with absolute power, it is so pale and powerless, even somewhat comical.

Chapter 540 Massacre Under the Guise of Suppressing a Rebellion

　The conventional military forces of the Fire Moths are indeed easy prey for Herrschers and high-ranking Honkai Beasts.

　However, when the battlefield shifted to confronting rioters who were at most equipped with light individual weapons, the Moth Chaser's counterinsurgency forces instantly transformed into an impregnable fortress, quickly stabilizing the situation with their powerful suppression capabilities.

　It is particularly worth mentioning that some fusion warriors were also deployed by Dr. May to this counterinsurgency operation.

　Each of these fusion warriors possesses the strength to confront Honkai Emperors, Emperor-class Honkai Beasts, and even Herrschers head-on.

　Their participation undoubtedly injected strong momentum into the suppression operation and greatly accelerated the process of quelling the riot.

　With Dr. May's intelligence, she must be well aware of the enormous psychological impact such a counterinsurgency operation would have on the soldiers and fusion warriors involved.

　But in order to end this global turmoil as soon as possible and restore normal order and stability to human society, she still chose this path.

　Was the choice I made really the right one?

　Wandering through a neighborhood ravaged by war and littered with ruins, the cherry-haired, fox-eared girl questioned herself inwardly.

　Not long ago, this land was brimming with vitality.

　Although the riots disrupted order, the residents still tenaciously sowed hope in this land and pursued the glimmer of life.

　But now, with the strong intervention of the Moth Chasing Rebellion Squad, all the good things seem to have vanished.

　At this moment, all the girl saw were broken walls and ashes scattered everywhere, a far cry from the laughter and joy she once knew.

　Words were replaced by a heavy silence.

　As the most dazzling assassin in the Poison Chrysalis Squad, Sakura certainly wasn't sympathizing with those rioters.

　Admittedly, they were merely ordinary people manipulated by the hostile forces of the Firemoth, used only to distract Dr. May and hinder the actions of the Fusion Warriors, and incited as disposable cannon fodder.

　However, after personally participating in quelling the riot, which was defined as a "rebellion," and witnessing firsthand how these thugs treated the more innocent victims in such a barbaric and cruel way, Sakura could not feel the slightest bit of sympathy for them.

　Perhaps before participating in this riot, these people were just refugees who had survived the collapse and lost their homes, but when they took up arms and imposed the misfortunes that had befallen them on other innocent people, they turned from victims into perpetrators.

　Although flies don't land on eggs without cracks, the fact that these refugees could be so easily incited shows that the government's handling of their resettlement was indeed unsatisfactory.

　However, Sakura, who had worked for Dr. Mei for many years, knew that the Moth Chaser had done its best in resettling refugees.

　The core of the problem does not stem from corruption in the intermediate links or from blockages in transportation.

　Under the strict supervision of the "fire-chasing moth" program, these human factors are no longer the main culprits causing the shortage of supplies.

　The real challenge lies in the fact that, with the increasing severity of Honkai disasters, the total amount of resources that human society can produce is far less than in the prosperous era of technological explosion when Honkai energy was just beginning to be utilized.

　In that era, resources were relatively abundant, and most people were able to enjoy basic living security.

　But even today, the efforts of those who chase the flame to promote a rationing system and strive for fair distribution cannot conceal a stark reality.

　Given the current situation of limited resources, it is difficult to ensure that the living needs of everyone in the city can be met in an equal manner.

　In order to maximize the stimulation and maintenance of the vitality of human civilization, the allocation strategy formulated by the moths that chase the flame will naturally favor those cornerstones that support the social structure and the operation of civilization.

　For example, the soldiers of the Moth of Flame unit, the police officers maintaining order in the city, the tireless medical workers in hospitals, and the workers toiling silently in factories...

　While ensuring that these key figures receive sufficient resources to maintain their basic living standards and continue to contribute to the development of civilization, it is inevitable that the rations for other groups will be affected accordingly.

　Especially those refugees who were forced to integrate into urban life due to the sudden collapse disaster.

　In these difficult times, they often struggle to find a foothold, let alone stable job opportunities.

　Therefore, the rations they could obtain were often the most limited.

　From a broader perspective, this arrangement is very reasonable.

　But for the people involved, how could the bigger picture possibly be more important than their own personal feelings?

　Don’t worry about scarcity but inequality.

　The discontent among refugees caused by insufficient rations quietly gathered in their hearts like an undercurrent, and as time went on, this discontent not only did not dissipate, but instead grew and spread in their hearts at an alarming speed.

　Days of constant setbacks, joblessness, and utter hopelessness; enduring pervasive and deeply hurtful discrimination; the resentment of being stranded in a foreign land, living as a dependent...

　The combination of various factors has turned these refugees into dry piles of firewood, where a single spark could ignite a raging inferno.

　This is precisely the reason why those powerful figures who once held great power but have now fallen from grace were able to instigate this unprecedented and large-scale riot.

　Since the conflict has reached an irreconcilable point, it should be allowed to erupt at the lowest possible cost...

　The blue high-heeled combat boots made a "clattering" sound as they hit the ground covered in rubble. A knowing look flashed across the purple eyes of the pink-haired, fox-eared girl.

　Mei, was all of this... part of your plan...?

　A ripple of emotion stirred within Sakura, and an indescribable chill rose up her spine.

　She finally realized the truth: the harm Dr. Mei had suffered was actually caused by her.

　All of this is so that today, in the name of impeccable justice, we can eradicate the deep-rooted ailments that lie beneath the very foundations of human civilization.

　After all, with the current level of productivity in human society, it is no longer possible to perfectly resettle these refugees who survived the collapse.

　The wheels of time keep turning forward, and more than half a year has passed since the shadow of the tenth Great Collapse dissipated.

　Based on past experience, the next major collapse is not far off.

　If the discontent in the hearts of these refugees is ignited during the Great Collapse, it will be bad news for the Moths of Fire.

　Therefore, Dr. May needs to defuse this hidden time bomb before the next Herrscher arrives.

　No matter what means!

　In order to allow more people to survive, and to ensure that the Flame Moths can fight the Honkai without any worries, Mei needs to help those who have lost their homes and whose lives are in danger.

　For civilizations like ours, the innocent who have become a burden should be physically eliminated.

　In other words, this was a premeditated massacre.

　No matter how valid the reasons, or how correct they may seem from a broader perspective, this was undoubtedly a massacre.

Chapter 541 Sowing the Seeds of Hatred with One's Own Hands

　"This is a massacre!"

　A soldier wearing the standard combat uniform of the Fire Moth slammed the assault rifle, which had been enhanced with Honkai energy, into the ground.

　Sakura wasn't the only one who could see the truth hidden behind this "suppression" operation.

　In fact, for all the Moths soldiers who participated in this "suppression" operation, as long as they had even a shred of conscience, they could not deny that this was a massacre of the refugees who participated in the riot.

　A group of fully armed and well-trained elite soldiers, with the support of main battle tanks, attack helicopters, drone mechs, and even fusion warriors, encircled and annihilated a group of refugees who were ragged, malnourished, and whose weapons were so rudimentary that they were almost negligible...

　Furthermore, after the two sides met, they opened fire without even offering any advice on surrender, and there was a formal order to kill without verifying the other side's identity...

　Such an act is, without a doubt, a complete massacre.

　"But this is for the future of humanity..."

　The comrade's voice trembled with a hint of helplessness as he tried to find a sliver of justification for this bloody atrocity.

　However, before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by an even more resolute statement.

　"The future of humanity? If that so-called future must be built upon the slaughter of our own kind..."

　The soldier's voice was filled with grief, indignation, and determination.

　He ripped the badge off his shoulder; the symbol that once represented honor and responsibility now seemed so glaring and ironic.

　"So, such a future..."

　Looking into his comrade's eyes, he spoke slowly and deliberately.

　"I do not need!"

　Under the iron-fisted suppression of the Fire Moth, the global riots were finally quelled.

　However, the cost was so severe that it was shocking.

　In this operation, which was dubbed a "suppression of rebellion," the phrases "mountains of corpses and seas of blood" and "rivers of blood" were no longer just horrifying descriptions, but became synonyms for the cruel reality.

　However, just as Dr. May had predicted, the Moth Chaser's operation, which was ostensibly a "counter-rebellion" but was in reality a massacre, did not provoke widespread protests or condemnations in human society.

　Aside from the brief period of turmoil and unrest at the beginning of the crackdown, this extremely dishonorable operation was quickly forgotten by human society, as if nothing had ever happened.

　This phenomenon is actually not surprising.

　With Dr. May's wisdom, she certainly made a thorough prediction of the chain reaction that her orders might trigger.

　Dr. May believed that the consequences of allowing the refugee problem to fester would be far more serious than the immediate consequences of suppressing the "rebellion."

　That's why she issued the official order to suppress the "rebellion" through Prometheus 17.

　Dr. Mei clearly recognized that in the face of rampant collapse, human society has gradually become numb and accustomed to death and bad news.

　From the first cataclysmic event to today, less than twenty years have passed, and the world's total population has already fallen below three billion.

　It's worth noting that before the first major collapse, this number was nine billion.

　Under the shadow of collapse, people witnessed one tragedy after another and heard one bad news after another.

　Although the Flame Moth has defeated the Herrschers time and time again and ended the Great Collapse, it is clear to everyone that human civilization is sliding step by step into the abyss of destruction.

　In this context, it's not surprising that a single operation to suppress an riot could result in tens of millions of casualties.

　In a ruin deeply stained with blood, filled with thick smoke and the stench of death, a refugee family's daughter huddled in the shadows, clutching a shattered photograph pendant tightly in her hands.

　The photo inside the pendant, though blurry, still clearly shows her parents' smiling faces.

　That smile was warm and loving, like the harbor of home in a distant memory, her only solace and refuge in this endless despair.

　Sweat and tears mingled on her cheeks, mixing with the soil to form sorrowful streaks, telling the story of the immense pain and resilience borne by this small body.

　Memories flooded back, overwhelming her.

　Not long ago, her world was an oasis full of love and hope.

　Despite the hardships and lack of resources, every night when the family sat around the simple fire, sharing warmth and dreams, that simple happiness was enough to dispel all the cold and difficulties.

　Her parents' embrace was her strongest support, and their smiles were the lighthouse of her soul.

　However, all this beauty vanished under the iron hooves of the moths drawn to the flame.

　Those warriors who once descended like gods in her eyes to save her family from the clutches of the Honkai Beasts have now become her eternal nightmare.

　She witnessed firsthand how those fully armed soldiers ruthlessly took away one innocent life after another.

　She heard her mother's last call and saw her father's heroic figure as he resolutely charged towards the fire-chasing moth soldiers to protect her.

　At that moment, her world completely collapsed.

　Her heart was filled with fear, but even more so with anger and resentment.

　She couldn't understand why these warriors, who called themselves guardians of humanity, would treat their fellow human beings so cruelly.

　As the murderous shadow of the fire-chasing moths drew near, the little girl, driven by her instinct for survival, darted through the ruins to escape.

　Her frail body leaped nimbly among the ruins, each fall accompanied by excruciating pain, but she never gave up.

　She knew that once she fell into the hands of those soldiers, endless darkness and death awaited her.

　Finally, deep within a desolate ruin, she found a secluded corner.

　She huddled there, trembling, listening to the bursts of gunfire and cries of agony outside, her heart filled with endless despair and resentment.

　She resented the soldiers who chased the flames like moths, for they had tainted the word "guardian" with violence and bloodshed, destroyed her home, and taken away her loved ones.

　She resented this chaotic and ravaged world, which had caused humanity to lose its humanity and become so cold and ruthless.

　She resented human civilization as a whole for condoning such atrocities, yet no one stood up to speak out for justice.

　In that long, dark night, her tears had long since dried up.

　She gazed at the cold moon in the sky, with only one thought in her mind: revenge.