activa-t Chapter 442 Should be punished or rewarded?
Chapter 442 Should be punished or rewarded?
The man introduced himself: “I am Sergeant Anton Melnikov, currently serving as the acting company commander of the 9th Company. You may call me Anton.”
Anton looked distressed. "Well, although I know I shouldn't make any requests right now, before I explain why we're here, could you please give us some food? We haven't eaten for many days, just surviving on water dripping from the cliff face..."
The girl with the backpack could also see that Anton was weak, and his companions looked like they were having a hard time even standing.
"You came all this way without any supplies? You've starved yourselves like this..."
Anton smiled bitterly, "The supply line suddenly went out for some reason. Since all our lieutenants have been killed, we've lost communication and command, which is why we've ended up in this situation. Lord Xu Ning, I wonder if you will grant my request?"
Xu Ning placed the Dust Concealment Gourd carefully, took out some green-clad snacks from it, and distributed them to the fools in front of him.
The cave was fully stocked with fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, and everything else. Xu Ning had never stored any dry food there before, and he wasn't in the mood to treat these guys to a leisurely hot meal. He could only give them some snacks that Qingyi didn't particularly like.
Even so, the four of them ate like wolves, and judging from their eating habits, it was no exaggeration to say that they were starving.
"Eat slowly. You haven't eaten in a long time. Eating too fast will kill you."
Xu Ning found a box, sat down, took a sip of wine, and waited until they had almost finished their food before saying to them, "Now we can talk slowly, shall we?"
Sergeant Anton, who was at the head of the group, swallowed the food in his mouth and said, "We are the Ninth Company under the Fools, a total of sixty-four men. We are cooperating with the Thousand Rock Army to enter the Abyss of the Rocks in order to find the Dark Enemy who invaded Teyvat years ago..."
"...The ground beneath our feet is one of the main battlefields, and it is precisely what we need to explore. Of course, I believe Lord Xu Ning should already know this."
Xu Ning nodded. "I already know all that without you saying it. I just want to know whose men you are."
Anton began, “We are subordinates of the Fatui Enforcer, Lord Rooster, and we followed you to Liyue. We’ve been here for so long… I’m truly sorry, we’ve been here so long that we’ve lost track of how many days have passed.”
When Xu Ning heard Anton mention the Lady, he realized and said, "When the Lady last came to Liyue, it is said that Ningguang personally received her. The two sides should have discussed this event. Perhaps there really was a company of the Fatui and the Thousand Rock Army here at that time. But now the Fatui have become pariahs. This Ninth Company is completely sealed off to this extent, so they should have no idea what is happening outside."
"Then let me ask you this: what are your plans now? Are you planning to leave here, or are you planning to continue with your original mission?"
Anton hesitated visibly upon hearing this.
“According to military regulations, since we accepted the mission, we must find a way to complete it, even if it means death. But by now, I'm afraid there are less than ten men left in our Ninth Company. My commander said before he sacrificed himself that he hoped I could lead them out alive…”
Xu Ning looked at the sergeant and sighed, "Why don't I tell you about the latest relationship between the Fatui of Winter and Liyue before you make a decision?"
"...Therefore, the Secretariat of Jade Palace issued an emergency order: Due to the extremely serious nature of the Jade Pavilion incident, which has proven the danger and untrustworthiness of the Fatui organization, all cooperation agreements with Winterfell are hereby nullified. The exploration work in the Laminar Stream will be fully taken over by the Liyue Septim. No Thousand Rock Army stationed here is allowed to speak with any member of the Fatui. If they witness such a conversation, they must be arrested on the spot without exception!"
After listening to Xu Ning's brief explanation, Anton was completely stunned.
“Betrayal! This is betrayal… We were fighting for them. We suffered so much and lost so many people to protect Liyue…”
Another Fatui soldier gently patted his disgruntled brother, "Brother Danila, perhaps to the people of Liyue, it is we, as Fatui, who have betrayed them."
Xu Ning pointed a finger at the soldier, "You're right. Liyue has never initiated a war. This incident was entirely due to the Winter Governor's willful attempt to disrupt Liyue's peace and drag ordinary people into the battle against the Demon God. For this reason alone, the Fatui are destined to have no place in Liyue anymore."
The soldier named Danila shook his head and said, "The captain told us before we set off that this expedition was for the well-being of everyone in Teyvat, and had nothing to do with any petty calculations or conspiracies... What does this mean? All our efforts have suddenly become a joke..."
"This is beyond our control, brother."
Anton comforted his somewhat distraught colleague, then turned to Xu Ning and asked, "Since it's Lord Xu Ning in person, I'll just ask directly: how does Lord Xu Ning intend to deal with us, the Fools?"
Xu Ning didn't speak, but turned to look at the girl who was standing quietly to the side listening, "What do you think we should do with them?"
The girl was taken aback, pointed to herself in surprise, and said, "Huh? You're asking me? Is this something I can decide?"
Xu Ning nodded solemnly and said, "That's fine. The actions of the Fatui outside harm the people of Liyue, which is beyond doubt. The Fatui here say they are also acting for the people of Liyue. As a citizen of Liyue, you naturally have the right to judge their actions and whether they should be punished or rewarded."
The girl was shocked. "We can reward them? No way! They just stole my bag!"
Anton said awkwardly, "We were just too excited. We've been starving for so many days, and suddenly seeing people..."
Anton glanced at his brothers around him. Luckily, he had pulled them back when they were about to make a move, preventing them from doing anything more outrageous. But who would have thought that their fate would be tied to this seemingly frail girl!
"There will be no reward, of course, for stealing my bag! But the punishment is fine too, they don't know what's going on outside, after all, they were standing with us until just now."
Xu Ning smiled; he really liked the girl's answer.
But before he could speak, a loud shout rang out: "You commoners, hand over all your food! Hmm? What a fat dog..."