When Xue Ba saw the solid city wall collapse before his eyes, he was completely stunned. He could never have imagined that an esper could achieve such a feat. This was a city wall, built by countless people working together, and it crumbled after a delicate woman simply touched it at its base. It made Xue Ba question if he was dreaming, as such an event was too bizarre.
Protected by his subordinates, Xue Ba retreated to the palace. Along the way, he remained in shock. He had initially believed that his imperial palace walls, ten meters high, were an insurmountable barrier. Now, however, he couldn't help but wonder if even a ten-meter-high wall could stop espers.
Upon returning to the palace, Xue Ba ordered his men to take stock of their remaining forces. They had started with over five thousand soldiers, but after this excursion, only two thousand remained. Three thousand soldiers would not be returning. The fifty thousand rebel forces outside the city, upon entering, had leveraged their numerical advantage. In the ensuing chaos, the three thousand soldiers were overwhelmed and killed.
"Boss, if it's really impossible, we should just run. As long as we have people, we can make a comeback eventually. I've seen it, these commoners are all marking their foreheads with red mud. If we do the same, change into inconspicuous clothes, we can escape directly." Someone tried to encourage Xue Ba at this moment. Having reached this point, it would be too regrettable to give up easily.
After enjoying a comfortable life, no one was willing to return to their former impoverished state. This was the principle of how it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. No one wanted to give up their affluent lifestyle. It was for this reason that everyone fought desperately and did not flee. But now, even not fleeing was no longer an option. If they didn't escape soon, their lives would be forfeit. As for the affluent life, it was no longer of any consequence.
However, upon hearing his subordinate's words, Xue Ba let out a bitter smile and said, "We are already surrounded, where else can we escape to? The city is filled with people. Instead of running, it's better to defend the palace to the death. Perhaps we can hold on for longer."
The subordinates nodded in agreement after hearing this. It seemed that defending to the death was the only remaining path.
At this moment, a glimmer of hope appeared in Xue Ba's eyes. He then recalled something and muttered to himself, "I still have a chance to survive. The two leaders of this operation are from Yuzhou, and they are both subordinates of Shen Feng. If I can gain Shen Feng's forgiveness, I will surely be able to live."
With this thought, Xue Ba immediately took action. He went to the communication room and made a call to Yuzhou, praying in his heart, "Lord Fengshen, please forgive me! I did not know you were so powerful. I was wrong. If I have done anything wrong, I will correct it. I will correct it."
Although Xue Ba was an esper, his esper abilities were not very strong. Manipulating oxygen, aside from aiding combustion, had little other use. Therefore, Xue Ba naturally assumed that all espers were similar to him. As for the news about espers reported in the media, he believed it was all hype.
But now, Xue Ba had personally witnessed the powerful abilities of espers. Although Xu Xing appeared delicate, she could destroy the city wall simply by reaching its base, and she could even cause earthquakes. This was more than a hundred times more powerful than Xue Ba.
Thus, at this moment, after recognizing his own limitations, Xue Ba understood the terror of Yuzhou. Yuzhou only needed to send two espers to destroy him.
Xue Ba prayed for the other side to answer the phone, because only then would he have a chance to apologize. As long as Shen Feng of Yuzhou could forgive him, Xue Ba was willing to give up anything, even his dignity. He would even become a dog without hesitation.
However, things did not go as planned. Even though Xue Ba wanted to apologize, he was not given the opportunity. Upon discovering that the call was from Jiucheng, Yuzhou directly hung up.
Xue Ba persistently made over fifty calls, but ultimately, there was no response from Yuzhou. Upon realizing this, Xue Ba was completely despairing, as his hope of survival was gone. Consequently, whatever he did next would be meaningless.
"Ah, why is it like this? Why don't they give me a chance to apologize? Why didn't anyone tell me how terrifying espers were before? Why is it like this? Even if I made a mistake, shouldn't I be given a chance to repent? Why is no one willing to give me such an opportunity now? Why?" Xue Ba was going mad, becoming hysterical, and desperately needed an outlet.
However, good news never arrived. Instead, bad news kept coming. A soldier reported, "City Lord, the palace is about to be breached. Please make a decision quickly. If it's really impossible, we can surrender."
But upon hearing this, Xue Ba sneered and asked, "Surrender? Do you think we can survive even if we surrender? Impossible. We will surely be killed, and we will die miserably. Now, you should consider whether you want to commit suicide."
"Then what should we do now?" the subordinate continued to press. No one was willing to face death, so even when everyone learned that their time was likely limited, they still refused to wake up.
"What to do? Of course, we go completely mad. If you don't answer my calls, then you won't get anything from me," Xue Ba said frantically.
Afterward, Xue Ba directly ordered twenty men to take some baijiu produced at the winery and follow him. Then, he headed towards the granary.
As they were heading towards the granary, they saw many people prying up floor tiles and digging for red mud beneath them. Upon witnessing this, Xue Ba's gaze turned hostile. Digging for red mud at this time was clearly preparation to impersonate the enemy. For Xue Ba, this was blatant betrayal, and betrayal was absolutely intolerable. He drew his pistol and shot those people.
Everyone present was greatly startled by this scene. At this moment, their boss was already killing his own people. It seemed that when they dug for red mud, they had to be extremely careful of such a situation arising.
When Xue Ba and his men arrived at the granary, he opened the large door, entered, and then said coldly, "Pour all the baijiu on it."
"What? Boss, you need to calm down. This grain is our foundation. If we burn it, we'll have nothing left." The soldiers, upon hearing this, momentarily doubted if they had heard correctly.
What is most important in the apocalypse? Needless to say, it is grain. Without grain, everyone would starve to death. Grain is a hard currency, more important than energy.
However, in response to his subordinates' doubts, Xue Ba sneered and said, "Do you think that even if we keep the grain, we will still be able to enjoy it? Since the other side is determined to kill us, begging for mercy is useless. It's better to burn all the grain and see how Yuzhou will deal with the provisions for over a hundred thousand people."
Xue Ba was in despair. Most people in despair would collapse on the ground. However, besides a state of decadence, there was also the possibility of madness. At this moment, Xue Ba felt that his time was short and that he might be killed at any moment. His final act of madness was to burn the grain. As long as the grain was burned, even if the palace was breached, the other side would at most get some gold and silver. As for the grain, they could forget about it.
Upon hearing Xue Ba's words, the soldiers also reacted. That's right, even if they were to die, they would go mad one last time before their death and burn all the grain. What they couldn't get and couldn't enjoy, others wouldn't get either.
Subsequently, the soldiers, carrying plastic buckets, began to pour baijiu throughout the granary. The granary was filled with corn and rice, which, if stored properly, could last for many years. Sometimes, when eating aged rice, one couldn't even tell it was from several years ago. To prevent the grain from molding in the granary, it needed to be kept dry.
The grain, already very dry, became extremely dangerous after being doused with baijiu. Xue Ba lit a cigarette, took a puff, and then threw it onto the grain.
In an instant, the granary caught fire, and all the grain was ignited. Looking at the scarlet flames, Xue Ba smiled and said, "What beautiful flames, making one want to jump into them."
The surrounding soldiers immediately began to flee. Hearing their City Lord's words, they felt that his mental state had become unstable. To avoid harming themselves, they quickly retreated.
Xue Ba, however, was not insane, nor did he jump directly into the sea of fire. Instead, he began to use his esper abilities. The oxygen in the air instantly gathered and entered the granary. With more oxygen, the fire intensified dramatically. The grain, already flammable, now had ample oxygen, and the flames instantly turned from scarlet to orange. The brighter the color, the higher the temperature.
"What I can't have, you also won't get. Oh, and since it's come to this, let's have one last moment of joy," Xue Ba muttered to himself, his eyes vacant as he walked towards his palace.
What is more despairing than death is knowing when one will die. This feeling of counting down the moments until death arrived was truly terrible. Xue Ba knew he could not escape death. After venting his frustration, he became like a walking corpse.
When Xu Xing and Lin Yue arrived outside the palace, Xu Xing once again led the way. With a single punch, she created a gap in the city wall. Seeing this, the crowd cheered. The city wall had been the biggest obstacle, and now Xu Xing could directly destroy it. In the eyes of the rebel army, she was like a celestial being.
Xu Xing and Lin Yue knew the importance of grain and immediately headed towards the granary. However, upon reaching the vicinity of the granary, they smelled a strong scent of burning. This smell was mixed with a peculiar aroma, the scent produced by burning carbohydrates.
Xu Xing and Lin Yue were ultimately too late. When they appeared outside the granary, all they could see was thick smoke. The entire granary was engulfed in flames, and the grain was gone.
Upon witnessing this, Xu Xing gritted her teeth and said, "Xue Ba, you are truly despicable."
Saving grain is something even children know. The poem "Mǐn Nóng" (Sympathy for the Farmers) is known even to primary school students. After wasting grain, parents would typically educate their children not to waste it. However, this was no longer about waste; it was about burning grain, a complete act of wickedness.