flstandardbreds Chapter 342 342: Struggling Souls
Chapter 342 342: Struggling Souls
Joy Boy listened to Reid's words and saw the undisguised, almost instinctive hatred in his eyes.
At that moment, he understood.
This was not merely something "bad."
It was a form of evil that crossed Reid's absolute bottom line.
Something that had to be completely destroyed.
And clearly, it aligned with his own convictions as well.
Reid took a deep breath, forcing down the rising killing intent, and turned to Joy Boy.
"Joy Boy, use your ability to hear the Voice of All Things. Help me find it."
"What are we looking for?" Joy Boy asked instinctively.
"Find the people in this country who still feel regret. Those who are still struggling. Those who are resisting this madness."
Reid's voice had already returned to calm.
For a moment, he felt that being this angry at a group of people already on the brink of destruction might be unnecessary.
Had he almost frightened his own vice-captain?
"Even if there is only one," Reid continued. "Find one. That might mean this country still has a chance."
He paused.
Then corrected himself.
"Not a chance for redemption. I just don't want to kill everyone."
The blood mist around him began to churn again, releasing an oppressive pressure.
"If there isn't even one…"
His voice turned into final judgment.
"Then I will personally carry out extermination."
A nation that manufactures, spreads, and consumes poison like this had no reason to continue existing.
He would erase it from the world.
Along with its filth.
This was not a threat.
It was a declaration.
Reid had no patience for those who argued for leniency toward drug trafficking.
In his view, anyone who spoke such nonsense deserved to be dragged out and executed.
Joy Boy looked at Reid's extremely serious expression and could not help but tremble slightly.
"They might just be deceived!"
"Do I look like a savior to you?" Reid replied coldly.
Joy Boy fell silent.
"My friend… don't be so angry, okay? I'll help you look. There can't be none in this country, right?"
His large ears twitched slightly.
His perception expanded outward.
The power of his extraordinary hearing spread across the land like a vast sonar net, filtering through countless voices of decay, numbness, and greed.
Searching.
Listening.
Searching for even the faintest heartbeat that resisted collapse.
Reid stood like a blood-red judge descending upon the world.
Waiting for the final verdict.
The blood mist around him grew thicker, as if ready to swallow everything.
The young woman beside him stood quietly.
A cold blue frost began to spread through the air, intertwining with Reid's killing intent.
Joy Boy closed his eyes, fully focused.
His rubber-like perception expanded like a massive sonar system, sweeping through everything.
Filtering out corruption, numbness, and greed.
His heartbeat gradually quickened.
"Where are you… come out…"
He did not want to lose this friend.
He did not know what he would do if Reid chose to massacre an entire nation.
Nor whether he should stop him.
Just as Reid's patience reached its limit and the blood mist became increasingly violent
Joy Boy suddenly opened his eyes.
A bright smile exploded across his face.
"Hahaha! I found one! I told you there would be one! I knew it!"
He shouted excitedly, his massive body bouncing in place and even twisting in an exaggerated, strange dance.
If Reid was not mistaken, that was the Liberation Dance.
Utterly ridiculous.
Before Reid could react, Joy Boy's long rubber arm suddenly stretched out, grabbing Reid and the young woman and pulling them in.
"Let's go! I'll take you there!"
The next moment, his body snapped back like a rubber band.
With a sharp crack of air, all three were launched forward, vanishing instantly.
They reappeared at the edge of the slums, in front of a crumbling thatched hut.
The sudden movement felt to Reid like being on a giant amusement park pendulum, only for the chain to snap at the highest point.
A thrilling sensation of free fall and near-death.
Fortunately, he was not distracted by such things.
His attention was already fixed on what Joy Boy had found.
Inside the hut, muffled groans of pain and a girl's tearful pleas could be heard.
Reid stood at the wooden door.
The killing intent around him slightly weakened.
"At least… it is not beyond saving. There is still hope."
Inside, a boy around fifteen or sixteen was curled up on the ground in agony, biting down on a torn cloth.
His body trembled uncontrollably, clearly suffering severe withdrawal symptoms.
Even so, he was still trying to stay conscious and resist.
Beside him, a girl of similar age knelt, clutching a small handful of dried "Happy Grass."
Tears streamed down her face.
"Brother… please… just a little… just a little and the pain will stop… please, it hurts so much to see you like this…"
The boy violently shook his head.
With great effort, he raised his hand and slapped the herbs out of her grasp.
His voice was hoarse from pain, but firm.
"No… no! Sister… I… I don't know what this is… but it must be their method of control…"
"Otherwise they wouldn't have forced us to take it from the beginning…"
"I can't take it anymore… once I recover, we leave this place. We run immediately."
"We'll die here if we stay."
He gasped for breath, fear still lingering in his eyes.
"Just now… I actually thought… about selling you… just for a hit of this damned thing…"
"I'm your brother… how could I think that…"
"Even if I die, I will never touch it again."
His voice carried despair, but his resistance only grew stronger.
The girl looked at the fallen herbs, then at her brother trembling in pain.
She cried even harder, but stopped begging.
Instead, she hugged him tightly as he shook.
Seeing this, the killing intent in Reid's eyes finally eased slightly.
One.
A soul still struggling.
A boy who would rather endure unbearable pain than lose his humanity or harm those he loved.
Joy Boy stood nearby, his rubber-like face showing a complicated mix of relief and sadness.
"You see, Reid… he's suffering… but he hasn't given up…"
Reid did not answer.
But the blood mist that had once roared with destruction finally began to slowly disperse.
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