Morning arrived, and Shen Feng changed into clean clothes, tidying himself up, finally shedding his previous disheveled appearance. His body hadn't fully recovered, but it was much better now. He estimated that with another month, he would be back to his former self. During this time, hiding in Kagoshima and quietly observing the situation would be sufficient.
He walked out of his room and knocked on Yue Hengyi's door, saying, "Little Yue, let's go watch the execution. It's time for these bastards to pay the price!"
Yue Hengyi slowly opened the door and said, "I don't want to go. I don't want to see faces filled with hatred for me!"
Yue Hengyi had listened to the city's cries all night. He had frequently seen bodies covered in white cloth on the streets. Initially, Yue Hengyi could still self-hypnotize, believing that what he was doing was correct. However, throughout the night, Yue Hengyi tossed and turned in his room, unable to sleep. He finally had to accept that he was the one who had shattered countless families.
Yue Hengyi had never killed ordinary people until yesterday. He suddenly realized how fragile ordinary people were, far beyond his imagination, especially the elderly and children. Their bodies were frail, and once caught in the gravity field, they would almost certainly die on the spot! During yesterday's battle, Yue Hengyi didn't even know how many people he had killed or how many families he had destroyed.
Hearing this, Shen Feng quickly explained, "It's okay. We'll wear masks and sunglasses, and people won't be able to recognize us. Besides, I've asked them to keep our information confidential. Not many people in the city recognize us now."
Yue Hengyi shook his head, his emotions low, and said, "Self-deception is useless. I killed many ordinary people yesterday. If they were soldiers, it would be one thing; they attacked me first. But last night, I heard so many people crying, and I realized I might have done something wrong. I shouldn't have used my abilities on civilians!"
Seeing Yue Hengyi in this state, Shen Feng's spirits completely sank. He quickly tried to comfort him, "Little Yue, you're overthinking it. This was a desperate measure. When war begins, people will inevitably get hurt, and people will inevitably die. Besides, a hundred years ago, these people killed millions of us. What we've done here is nothing, right?"
"They killed people, and that was their mistake. Now I'm killing people too, killing innocent people. In that case, I've also made a mistake. If both are mistakes, then there's no difference!" Yue Hengyi said earnestly.
Shen Feng pondered, and what Yue Hengyi said was indeed reasonable. Furthermore, his current state was truly worrying. This was a knot in his heart, and if it couldn't be untangled, he would become even more troubled in the future.
"Little Yue, actually, besides watching the execution, I have another purpose: to see what kind of transportation we can find! We need to go back after we recover from our injuries. Haven't you always wanted to return to China sooner? How can we do that without looking for transportation?" To get Yue Hengyi to go out with him, Shen Feng began to tell a white lie. In reality, he had no intention of looking for transportation.
Hearing that Shen Feng had other things to do, Yue Hengyi could only reluctantly put on a mask and sunglasses, wear thick clothes, and prepare to go out with Shen Feng.
The two walked through the city streets, where house ruins were everywhere. Many ruins were destroyed by artillery shells, while some had collapsed under Yue Hengyi's gravity field. Along the sides of the streets, many bodies were still wrapped in white cloth. The weather was hot, and flies were buzzing everywhere. If they weren't buried quickly, the bodies would soon start to rot.
Shen Feng didn't feel much looking at these bodies, as he hadn't killed them. However, Yue Hengyi couldn't bear it. Looking at the many bodies on the ground, his heart ached. These people should have been able to live, but he had been too eager for a moment of satisfaction, and his abilities had crushed many people and destroyed many families.
Among the deceased were mostly the elderly and children. It was already difficult for the elderly to survive the apocalypse, but Yue Hengyi's appearance had directly killed thousands of elderly people. And then there were the children, the most innocent, who knew nothing yet but suddenly died.
"I am a demon, I am a sinner, I did wrong! I did everything wrong!" Yue Hengyi murmured to himself.
Hearing Yue Hengyi's murmurs, Shen Feng couldn't help but shake his head gently. This wasn't a matter of psychological resilience, but a matter of having compassion. Yue Hengyi was now repenting for his wrongdoings, which indicated he had empathy. However, if this situation worsened, he might develop post-traumatic stress disorder.
Soon, Shen Feng led Yue Hengyi to the vicinity of the city center, where they arrived at the top of a hotel. This place had also been arranged by others, specifically to view the scenes in the central plaza. Many people had gathered in the plaza, many of them wearing white linen clothes, indicating that someone in their families had died.
In the center of the plaza, a platform had been erected, about eight or nine meters high. There were stairs on the side of the platform, and one had to use the stairs to ascend.
Shen Feng watched this scene with no emotion. For him, it was impossible not to demand a price after being attacked. In short, one couldn't stand firm without being ruthless. Only by letting others know one's strength and resolve could one continue to stay in a foreign land.
Yue Hengyi watched silently, his eyes numb.
Soon, a car drove into the plaza, and an old man in plain clothes alighted. He was escorted to the bottom of the execution platform. This man was the culprit publicized to the outside world. The news reported that because Fujino had ordered the army to attack, it had caused unnecessary conflict with foreign ability users, leading to heavy losses in the city. Now, Fujino knew his guilt and wanted to commit suicide to atone.
Shen Feng had expected the civilians' hatred to be directed at this scapegoat. After all, if this old man hadn't given the order, many families wouldn't have been shattered. However, the civilians were now looking at the old man about to be executed with admiration, their eyes filled with fanaticism, which was contrary to Shen Feng's predictions.
"What's going on? Don't these people hate the ones who started the war at all?" Yue Hengyi couldn't help but ask, noticing something was amiss.
Shen Feng glanced at the service staff around the hotel and said to them, "All of you, leave here. No one is allowed up!"
This hotel was also an industry of the seven great families. They had received orders and had to execute them without hesitation. Therefore, after receiving Shen Feng's instructions, they quickly went down, leaving only Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi on the top floor.
At this moment, Shen Feng explained, "Actually, Japan has always been filled with so-called anti-war sentiment. They seem to love peace, but in reality, they are not against war itself, but against defeat in war. If they could win battles and gain benefits, they would do so without hesitation. However, they lost, so they are reflecting! This is how they are now!"
"Is that so? What a terrifying nation!" Yue Hengyi muttered.
At this moment, the execution began. After the old man reached the execution platform, he first knelt down. In front of him was a white cloth, and on the cloth lay a short sword. Behind the old man stood someone holding a long sword. Clearly, the person holding the long sword was the kaishakunin, the one responsible for the execution.
The kaishakunin's purpose was simple: when the person committing suicide by disembowelment could no longer bear the pain, he would strike and sever the opponent's head, preventing them from suffering further before death. If the person being executed was unwilling to act, they could also assist!
This was Shen Feng's first time watching someone perform seppuku. His face was solemn. He was pondering why, in this country, seppuku was considered a samurai's honor. Was it because those who dared to perform seppuku possessed great courage, and thus were admired?
Yue Hengyi watched this scene intently, feeling shocked. What kind of mentality did the people of this country have? They watched public executions with eyes full of fanaticism.
Soon, the old man began the execution. He took off his upper garment, held the short sword backward, and plunged it into his abdomen, cutting horizontally from right to left. During this process, he endured immense pain, and his hands trembled uncontrollably.
At this moment, the kaishakunin couldn't bear it any longer. Knowing that this was the most painful moment for the other person, he drew his samurai sword and struck. Instantly, the plaza fell silent. Many people shed tears as they witnessed this scene.
Shen Feng leaned over the railing, watching the scene, and said solemnly, "I'm sure these people will build a shrine for this old man, organize students to visit every year, and tell his story over and over again. However, these stories will be fabricated, false tales! And the hatred will be transferred to the two of us."
"How do you know that?" Yue Hengyi looked at Shen Feng, confused.
Shen Feng replied in a deep voice, "Isn't it obvious? Remember the war criminals sentenced to death a hundred years ago? Weren't they all enshrined? They could do that a hundred years ago, and they will do the same a hundred years from now! This is a nation that knows how to endure. As long as we are weak, they will bite us fiercely!"
"If that's the case, then we can step forward and forbid them from building shrines, wouldn't that be enough?" Yue Hengyi felt somewhat uneasy. He didn't want people to resent him generations later; that feeling was bone-deep.
Shen Feng shook his head and said, "It's impossible. If we forbid them from building shrines, they will build museums. If we forbid museums, they will build memorial halls. If we forbid memorial halls, they will build ancestral temples. In short, it's impossible to forbid. Even if we throw their bodies into the sea, these people will still use their clothes as souvenirs! Instead of forbidding them from commemorating in this manner, it's better to keep them perpetually weak. This way, they pose no threat to us, and that's enough!"
Yue Hengyi nodded. He had broadened his horizons now. He had never imagined that there could be such a sinister nation. This truly required caution. They had never forgotten the existence of hatred, but their side had not forgotten it either.
As Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi stood by the hotel railing watching the situation in the plaza, people in the plaza were also whispering, "Are there no members of the Fujino family here to see him off? It seems Fujino-ko hasn't even drunk a sip of wine with his relatives."
"It seems all the men of the Fujino family are dead, so no one can come to see him off!"
"Don't they have a granddaughter? Why isn't she here?"
"It seems Miss Fujino is only sixteen years old. Perhaps she's overcome with grief and cannot come here!"
"What a pity. The Fujino family proposed to commit suicide to atone for protecting the city. They are Kagoshima's benefactors!"
Various people were discussing in the plaza, feeling unbearable about the current situation, and seeds of hatred had already been sown in their hearts.
In a corner of the plaza, Fujino Ranko's face was covered in tears. She had personally watched her grandfather die, and her grief was overwhelming. Then, she turned her head towards the hotel not far away. On the top floor of the hotel, two figures were silently watching. She knew that these two were the culprits.
"I will definitely get revenge. Just you wait, but before that, I must become an ability user!" Fujino Ranko said silently in her heart.