The miserable experience of these humans being captured by demons was really appalling. Human captives had to work over 10 hours a day. Those who were too weak or injured to work would immediately be eaten alive by demonized puppets and become the consumables of demonized puppets.
"What are you doing here?" Zhang Tie asked the question that he cared about most.
"Our main task is to break through the underground tunnels here. There are two tunnels here, one in the north, the other in the south. Previously, there was a tunnel leading to the north. Now that that tunnel has been broken through, it could connect to the demons' territory. The tunnel leading to the south has been broken through dozens of miles!" Rawls answered.
Zhang Tie's heart raced as he understood the task of this demonized puppets corps at once.
Due to the superiority of human airship troop in the sky and the threat of alchemist's bombs, demons wanted to break through Selnes Plain through the underground tunnel. As long as the demon corps appeared behind the human defense line, the entire human defense line would collapse at once.
This was not the only means of demons in Selnes Theater of Operations; however, it was worth a try. As for demons, they only needed to invest a demonized puppets corps here and throw some human captives here. They could also throw some human captives over. This was not a big investment for the Devil Race, but once they succeeded, the harvest would be huge.
"How many demonized puppets corps are here?"
"About 300,000 people?"
"What about the human captives?"
"About one-hundred-thousand people. Every once in a while, some human captives would be escorted over from the north to replenish these people."
After hearing Rawls' words, Zhang Tie knew that the alliance command made a mistake about Misty Moon Woods. Translator: WQL Editor: Aleem What was hiding in Misty Moon Woods was not a corps of over 300,000 demonized puppets, but a corps of over 300,000 demonized puppets plus captives which could be transported here from the demon's territory through underground tunnels constantly. This underground space had become an underground transit for demons to implement this plan. This intelligence was very important. Zhang Tie had to let the alliance command know about it. He could never let demons' plan succeed.
This information was very important. They must let the coalition command know. They must not let the plan of the Demon Race be completed.
"Who are those people who collude with demonized puppets and watch over you?"
At the mention of those people, a trace of hatred appeared on Rawls' face. "They're lackeys of Three-eye Association. After demons occupied Titanic Duchy, members of Three-eye Association appeared and started to cooperate with demons. They cooperated with demons to rule the demons' territory. Under the rule of these people, some people had already surrendered to Three-eye Association in order to survive themselves! "
"How's the situation in the demons' territory?"
"The situation in the demons' territory is very complex. Demons are implementing a very bloody rule in the demons' territory. At the same time, he began to divide the human race into different classes. Those who disobeyed him would be punished. Those disobedient people were all transformed into demonized puppets by demons; some were raised as bloody slaves. Some were degraded into slaves. All the hidden Three-eye Association clans in the demons' territory became the agents of demons' ruling the demons' territory. They started to call themselves nobles. Anyone who surrendered to Three-eye Association and was willing to become lackeys of Three-eye Association would gain a certain social status. Their lives and property rights would be guaranteed. Additionally, they would gain many human slaves and demonized puppets as subordinates! "
Zhang Tie was also shocked by this news. Previously, he thought that demons would implement a scorched land policy to humans like how they did in the 2nd holy war. He had not imagined that demons became more cunning and smart this time. They started to divide and disintegrate humans from inside and implemented a new ruling strategy. With such a ruling strategy, the demons' territory would constantly provide various supports for the demon army. In the future, humans might meet each other on the battlefield.
This Holy War might last for more than a hundred years. This was the Demon Race's preparation for a long confrontation with the Human Race.
"Do you have any food?" Seeing Zhang Tie thinking about it, Rawls swallowed his saliva as he glanced over Zhang Tie with a desiring look.
Noticing Rawls' look, Zhang Tie took out two dried rations and a kettle and gave them to Rawls, "Oh, what do those human captives eat?"
At the sight of the dried rations and the kettle, Rawls immediately grabbed them and started to wolf them down. At the same time, he answered Zhang Tie's question in a vague voice, "There are fiery mushrooms and some ferns underground... we... eat them... and some... worms and rats... but they are becoming fewer and fewer... those demons forced us... to eat humans... some people couldn't stand it... so they jumped into the magma to commit suicide... there are people committing suicide here every day... I've not eaten humans... I want to escape out of here... my wives and kids are here... I want to find a way to survive for them..."
Zhang Tie became silent as he sighed about these human captives inside. Since they came here, their fates had been determined. Few of them could bear such a terrifying life.
"Oh... are human troops... coming to save us?" Rawls asked Zhang Tie as he ate.
Watching Rawls' miserable yet hopeful look, Zhang Tie didn't even have the heart to tell him that he came here alone this time.
Seemingly having sensed the meaning behind Zhang Tie's silence, Rawls stopped his movements at once as he watched Zhang Tie in a daze, "Are... are you alone?"
"Yes, I'm alone this time!" Zhang Tie replied in a muffled voice.
Rawls opened his mouth as his hope was shattered at once. There were still 2/3 of his dried rations left. However, he didn't eat them; instead, after swallowing his saliva twice, he carefully wrapped them in a paper.
"I want... to find a way out of here... and take my wives and kids out of here!" he told Zhang Tie.
"You can't get out of here. There are a lot of demonized puppets patrolling at many key locations. If you have the strength and response speed of a LV 9 fighter, you might have a chance to get out of here. However, if you go out like this, you would only become the food of those demonized puppets. Even I could barely get in here."
If he took a person with him, Zhang Tie felt that he could not slip out of here without arousing the attention of those demonized puppets. As long as he aroused the attention of those demonized puppets, he would not be able to ensure Rawls' safety in the siege of a great number of demonized puppets. Therefore, it was almost impossible for Rawls to leave here alone.
After hearing Zhang Tie's words, Rawls fell onto the ground as if he had lost all his strength.
"Are your family members here?"
"Yes, my wife and one of my daughters are here..." Rawls started to sob in a low voice as he grabbed his hair, "I can't watch them eat people... I can't watch them being eaten... there are fewer and fewer fiery mushrooms and plants underground... if it goes on... they... they..."
Rawls couldn't continue his words. However, Zhang Tie's heart started to race. At this moment, if he only wanted to figure out the location and purpose of this demonized puppets corps, he had already accomplished his task. He could leave here at any time.
However, watching the desperate and helpless look of this man as a husband and a father, Zhang Tie couldn't stand to feel sad when he recalled those skeletons and the hellish situation of those human captives.
Perhaps because he was going to be a father very soon, Zhang Tie had a deeper understanding about a man's role and responsibility. When a father saw his wife and kids in the hell and couldn't change them, that kind of despair and helplessness would really drive him crazy.
Zhang Tie gritted his teeth, 'F * ck, whatever...'
Putting his hand on Rawls's shoulder, Zhang Tie asked in a low voice, "Where are your wife and daughter? Can you bring them here?"
Rawls raised his head and watched Zhang Tie with a confused look, "What do you want?"
"If there are not too many people here, I might take you away from here!"
"Really?" Rawls almost sprung up. Zhang Tie hurriedly pressed him down and signaled him to be quiet. After that, he looked at those demonized puppets and those guys waving whips in the distance, 'Thankfully, they haven't been discovered yet.'
"I can take you to another place. However, that place is a bit special. It would be very difficult for you to come out after entering it!"
"Ah? Did you find another hidden underground space in this cave?" Rawls asked with an amazed look as his eyes flickered once again.
"Almost!" Zhang Tie replied vaguely, "That place is almost like this underground space. It's larger than here. It's relatively closed. However, it has better conditions than here. It has abundant food. Most importantly, no demons could find it there. Do you like to go there?"
"Yes... yes..." Rawls hurriedly nodded, "As long as we don't turn into wild beasts or become the food of wild beasts and demons, we will do whatever you want."
"Can you bring your family members here?"
"Yes..." Rawls gritted his teeth...
...
After a few minutes, Rawls lay on the ground and crept towards the darkness in the distance. Zhang Tie waited for Rawls in a hidden place...
...
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