Once, I wanted to be a good person

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In a world without Extraordinary Powers, everyone is "equal." A greater population becomes an advantage. So no matter what, the upper classes still have to consider the feelings of those at the bottom.

But in a world with Extraordinary Powers, where strength is everything, and an Awakener can fight against thousands or even tens of thousands alone, the gap between people is greater than that between people and animals. Numbers become irrelevant, and no one cares about the lives of those at the lower levels anymore.

Therefore, when the farce in the slums got so big, not a single official came to intervene or stop it.

After all, this was just the poorest area of a low-level city in the most remote part of the Federation...

To some extent, these slum dwellers weren't even considered "people," because they lived in a gray area, not even registered as citizens.

And for this reason, as they faced the relentless approach of over a hundred armed gang members, the encirclement by twenty or more Martial Artists, and the cold watch of an Awakener not far away, the slum's poorly organized resistance could only retreat step by step with shovels and makeshift weapons in hand, retreating, retreating, and then retreating further.

And Miaomiao was among the crowd, being pushed back into a corner step by step.

Looking at the ferocious faces of the gang members opposite, their gleaming weapons, and their sneering smiles, all the poor could do was steady their hands and tremble less in their legs.

But Miaomiao, perhaps, could do a little more—that was to pray ceaselessly in her heart...

"Mr. Devil, Mr. Devil... didn't you say you would send your Messenger to help us? Mr. Devil...

where are you..."

"Mr. Devil, Mr. Devil, save your servant."

But as expected, her prayers were met with no response...

After cornering the residents, the gang's leading Martial Artist finally spoke, "The three-day deadline has passed."

"Now... do you hand over the person or not?"

After he finished his words, the poor fell silent.

Only after a moment did a bold young man speak up, "My lord, we really didn't do anything. How can we hand someone over..."

Hearing this, the Martial Artist gave a "heh heh" laugh, replying, "It seems you are intent on covering up for her."

"Then... don't say I didn't give you a chance!"

With that, his eyes turned icy, and with a wave of his hand, over twenty Martial Artists stepped forward, their presence erupting, as they prepared to assault the slum residents. The gangsters, holding their cleavers and weapons, charged.

Seeing the gang actually ready to attack, some of the poor raised their farming tools in a panicked attempt to resist, some tried to flee in a flurry, and some had already closed their eyes, not daring to watch the imminent bloody moment.

And just then.

Suddenly, a weak female voice shouted loudly, "Wait, wait a minute!"

Reality is not a drama series, and no one would stop just because a girl shouted.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

So, she mustered her courage and shouted again, "Wait a minute! I am the murderer!"

This time, everyone present heard her.

The gang members, ready to strike down with their knives, hesitated, and then they heard the leading Martial Artist shout, "Stop!"

They immediately stopped with dissatisfaction but still held their knives, glaring menacingly at the poor.

At this moment, the poor were all staring in surprise at the girl in the crowd who had just spoken.

The chubby middle-aged woman next to the girl was completely dumbfounded.

She couldn't help but pull the girl and said, "Nannan, have you lost your mind? What are you doing? This isn't something to admit to lightly!"

Miaomiao, however, looked at the plump woman beside her, gave a wretched smile, and said, "Pang Auntie. I really did it."

After saying this, she swept her feeble gaze over all the neighbors and then bowed deeply, asserting, "I'm sorry, uncles, aunties, brothers, and sisters."

"I really did it. I shouldn't have involved everyone."

Seeing her like this, the poor bystanders didn't know what to say for a moment.

After bowing, Miaomiao straightened up, bit her lip, and then took a step, ready to walk out.

But the moment she stepped out, she felt as if someone had grabbed her hand.

Turning her head, she saw it was Pang Auntie.

Pang Auntie held her and then said anxiously and distressfully, "Nannan, don't despair. Even if you did it, do you think they'll let us off just because you go out?"

She continued, "They're just looking for a pretext."

"They've had their eyes on our few streets for a long time."

"Other blocks have to pay them protection money, listen to them."

"If they fancy some women, they just snatch them away, have their fun, and then march them back with fanfare when they're bored of them."

"They are all beasts, scum!"

"It's just that our few streets stand united, and they don't want to waste their energy, so they've been too lazy to bother with us."

"Now, they've just found a suitable excuse."

"Without you, there would be other reasons to trigger this."

"So, your going out is pointless."

Hearing Pang Auntie's words, Miaomiao was taken aback for a moment.

Her simple mind hadn't thought that far.

She thought by stepping forward, she could save everyone.

But at that moment, the gang's leading Martial Artist smiled and beckoned her, saying, "Don't listen to that old woman's nonsense. We have no reason to target you specifically."

"Everything we do is to maintain order in the slums."

```

"A murder case has occurred in the slums, and we of course need to look into it."

"So, if only you come out, we won't pursue anyone else."

Miaomiao hesitated upon hearing his words, then took a deep breath, turned her head to Pang with determination, and said, "Pang Auntie, whether it's true or false."

"Even if I hide in the crowd, if they really make a move, it'll be just as hard to escape disaster, won't it?"

"Let me try."

Pang Auntie looked into Miaomiao's eyes and somehow felt that... in just this short day, the girl in front of her seemed to have changed. She had grown up and become strong...

But at this moment, Miaomiao wasn't as strong as she appeared, her hands tightly clenched, her legs a bit weak.

While suppressing the fear inside her, she walked out from the crowd and continued to silently pray in her heart, "Mr. Devil... Mr. Devil... save me, save us..."

With that, she stepped out of the crowd.

And as soon as she did, the Martial Artist grabbed her wrist.

The Martial Artist looked at her and then asked, "Did you really kill the person? Did you steal the things too?"

Miaomiao nodded.

The Martial Artist suspiciously sized her up and asked, "How can you prove it?"

Miaomiao's voice trembled as she said, "I took a total of 40 crystals, and 30,000 Lini."

"Out of the 40 crystals, there were 25 ordinary crystals, 7 blue crystals, 5 red crystals, and 1 Black Crystal..."

Hearing what Miaomiao said, the Martial Artist's eyes lit up. Clearly, it matched the details of the case exactly.

Moreover, the previous clues did suggest that the murderer was suspected to be a girl.

So, even though he couldn't figure out how such a fragile girl could have killed so many people,

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the Martial Artist still believed she had to be the mastermind or an accomplice in the case!

Thinking this, he couldn't help but turn to look at Pang Auntie and then said with a nasty smile, "You're right. We indeed just needed an excuse."

With that, he ordered the gang members mercilessly, "Kill all the men. Do whatever you want with the women. But remember to clean up afterward!"

Having finished speaking, he laughed "ha-ha" while dragging Miaomiao away.

Upon hearing his words, Miaomiao screamed, "No!" and then struggled to return and protect her neighbors.

But her fragile strength was too weak compared to the Martial Artist.

Despite her desperate struggle, the grip of the Martial Artist on her hand was like a tiger's vise, almost unwavering.

Before her eyes, the gang members were already raising their slaughtering knives high, chopping down on the innocent neighbors!

The neighbors were almost powerless to resist under the blade.

With just two or three strikes, their Armor and weapons were broken, leaving them no choice but to flee in panic.

And the gang members, one after another, grabbed them with big hands, raising the slaughtering knives with sinister laughter!

Miaomiao felt as if everything before her was blurred by tears. She let out a cry like a swan's lament, "No! No! Mr. Devil! Save us!

Please save us!"

"Mr. Devil?"

His voice echoed through the streets, leaving the Martial Artist in a momentary daze, as he then recalled that he'd never heard of a "Devil" title.

So he casually tried to drag Miaomiao away, not caring at all.

And just at this critical juncture!

Suddenly!

"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"

A series of whooshing sounds!

Arrow after arrow rained down like a downpour, striking precisely at the gang members who were slaughtering the poor.

Because of the sudden attack and the hefty force of the arrows,

the only sound was several muffled "thuds" as more than a dozen of the hacking gang members fell to the ground, hit by arrows!

Among these arrows was also one aimed at the Martial Artist who had Miaomiao.

But the Martial Artist was clearly a cut above the rest, so he nimbly leapt up, dodging the arrow.

Faced with such a sudden huge change, he was fearful and ferocious, and he shouted into the pitch-black night sky, "Who the hell is ambushing us!"

And as he shouted, suddenly, from a distance, came a man's stern voice, "Kill!"

Accompanying that voice, a tall figure emerged from the shadows, a woman all covered in black.

She, like an elf of the night, wielding a broad-bladed sword, drew her blade with a "slish,"

and the Martial Artist who was shouting, was bisected with a single cut...

Feeling the intense pain, feeling his upper body sliding to the ground, the Martial Artist turned his head with difficulty in disbelief.

His last vision in life was: a tall figure, like a Demon God, with a blood-drenched black sword on the shoulder, the Shadow Warrior standing beside the girl like a guardian deity.

The large and the small figures became the final image of his life.....