Chapter 10
Chapter 10
To the people inside the box, the disposable chopstick was like a pillar of heaven. Qin Ying threw it like a dart, and it embedded itself deep into the ground.
In the narrow Corpse-Dumping Alley, where mud covered every inch of the ground, the chopstick stood firm and upright. Military Supervisor Dong Hong, who had been pinned beneath it, had most of his body crushed into the mire, leaving only his head and one leg exposed.
His leg twitched as his eyes rolled back, staring at Han Lie. In his final moments, he wanted to beg his enemy for help, but as soon as he opened his mouth, dark red blood mixed with fragments of internal organs bubbled out. His eyes bulged, and he died with a look of resentment, staring up at the giant shadow in the sky.
Outside the box, Qin Ying felt a secret sense of pride at her accurate throw. She urged Han Lie, “Wake up! Take command of these County Soldiers first.”
At this moment, the County Soldiers were reeling from the massive shock to their worldview. They would follow whoever gave them orders.
Qin Ying then shifted her gaze toward the Post House.
The commotion she had caused was highly effective. Both sides, who had been locked in a fierce melee, had stopped fighting. To be more precise, the entire Yunwu County City had fallen into a state of chaos because of the Divine Shadow that had suddenly appeared.
In the city that had previously seemed empty and lifeless, many people began crawling out from unknown corners. Only then did Qin Ying realize that there were still many living people in this city.
However, their condition was horrific.
Those near the city center, dressed in silks and satins, were in excellent shape. Many of the more agile ones were already shouting for people to prepare incense altars for a sacrifice. The survivors on the outskirts of the center were also relatively healthy; though thin and sallow, they at least had clothes to cover themselves.
The most tragic sight was in the Li Fang near the Corpse-Dumping Alley. Many of the people here, regardless of gender, were naked. They were so thin that their ribs were clearly visible, and their limbs were like withered sticks, yet they had massive, protruding bellies. Among them were one or two who looked plump, but anyone with common sense knew that was edema caused by prolonged starvation. In a famine, those who looked chubby were often in the most danger.
Looking at these people was like looking at a scene from hell. The various states of suffering under the disaster were distinct and heart-wrenching.
Steeling herself, Qin Ying turned her gaze back to the Corpse-Dumping Alley. Han Lie was exceptionally obedient; as soon as Qin Ying told him to take advantage of the chaos to gather the soldiers, he immediately moved to execute the order.
“County Soldiers of Yunwu County, hear my command!”
The soldiers of Yunwu County were still staring blankly at the sky. Their leader didn’t even know what was happening before he was slapped so hard he spun in place. As he looked up with stars in his eyes, he heard Han Lie say, “The deity has manifested! Why haven’t you laid down your weapons and followed my orders?”
The soldier’s mind was a mess. In his ringing ears, he could only hear the word “deity.” Looking at the massive Divine Shadow looming over the city, he would have listened to anyone at that moment-even his Toothless Second Aunt from next door.
Sitting in the mud of the Corpse-Dumping Alley with his face stinging, the soldier looked at Military Supervisor Dong Hong, who had long since died in silence. A realization suddenly clicked in his mind.
The Divine Punishment that descended from the clouds had struck only Dong Hong.
Why? Because the Supreme Deity is benevolent!
She must have seen the tragedies occurring in Yunwu County and could not stand the schemes of the Gluttonous County Governor.
The soldier who had been slapped scrambled up from the ground. He shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice cracking as it pierced through the air, “The County Governor and his men have acted against the heavens! The Supreme Deity has sent down Heavenly Punishment to seek justice for us!”
That one shout froze every County Soldier in their tracks.
Han Lie paused in his tracks, looking toward the County Soldier who had added that line.
Logically or otherwise, the statement wasn’t wrong. Coming from the mouth of a County Soldier, it actually gained a layer of credibility.
Some people followed suit in a daze, their shouts echoing further and further. Aside from Shang Lin, who was already on his side, more and more followers gathered behind Han Lie.
Satisfied with the sight, Qin Ying said to Han Lie, “Go to the post house and gather your subordinates. I will be…”
Qin Ying scanned the streets and alleys, selecting a wide area. “I’ll drop some rice on that open ground in front of the Cairen Shop.”
The half-box of rice she had specifically set aside was perfect for relief food; the soft, mushy grains were suitable for disaster victims.
But it wasn’t enough.
Qin Ying’s mind raced as she quickly pulled up an emergency medical supply list.
She said, “I will prepare some water and food for you, then I’ll be gone for a while. You must keep the city stable.”
Han Lie, who had been listening with his head bowed, was like a machine receiving orders. He nodded solemnly. “Understood!”
With her instructions given, Qin Ying stepped away from the box and went to the kitchen to find a long-handled soup ladle. She also opened a bottle of mineral water and tore off the label.
She had wanted to add some salt and sugar, but she couldn’t find any salt in the house, so she only added a packet of brown sugar that had come with a coffee purchase.
Then, she returned to the box and aimed for the open space she had chosen.
Han Lie moved quickly, already leading men to stand guard around the perimeter. He looked up, his heart pounding like a drum.
He saw the clouds in the sky churning as a translucent giant object descended from above.
In Qin Ying’s eyes, even a tall man in the World in the Box like Han Lie was only slightly larger than a peanut. A bottle of mineral water, however, was equivalent to a twenty-five-story building in the World in the Box.
The moment a twenty-five-story-tall object crashed from the clouds into Yunwu County City, the entire ground caved in.
Everyone felt the earth shake and the mountains tremble. They could also hear the deep *glug-glug* of the water sloshing inside the bottle.
“Everyone, watch out!”
The cratered ground caused the water bottle to tilt. Han Lie ran at top speed toward the direction the bottle was leaning, ordering the County Soldiers in that area to clear out so they wouldn’t be crushed flat.
Fortunately, the bottle only tilted at an angle and did not fall over.
Under the shocked gazes of the crowd, the water inside the bottle-which still had a trace of adhesive residue on it-refracted the sunlight into a dazzling brilliance.
The people of the entire city were lost for words, staring blankly at this miracle that had fallen from the heavens.
Before they could recover from their shock, the giant shadow reappeared in the sky and moved again.
The deity held a long-handled divine artifact… it looked like a soup ladle.
Then, like a human feeding chickens, the Divine Shadow tilted the ladle.
Sticky, wet clumps of rice fell from the sky. Some of the drier grains bounced off the ground with immense elasticity, knocking down a section of a wall before landing among the broken bricks and stones.
Dust billowed throughout Yunwu County City.
Once the dust settled, the County Soldiers waiting around the open space broke into gasps of amazement.
Yunwu County was located in the northwest, where the staple food was millet; even the County Governor could not afford a single bite of pure white rice.
On the open ground, near that massive water bottle, stood a giant mountain of white rice. Each elliptical grain of white rice was nearly as large as a human being. The unique aroma of starch drifted through the air on the wind.