111. Liberty

  "Have you heard?"

  "The Akaban Squad is going to attack the prison? What's the reason?"

  "I tell you, how you believe such rumors? The Akaban Squad is just a bunch of kids."

  "It's not a rumor. I just heard the guards chatting while w in the undry room. They said people from the Akaban Squad are gathering. Who knows if they're ing for us."

  "Really..."

  Gretorvo carried his tray through the corridor with a calm gaze, lining up for his special meal.

  After a m of bor, the inmates were already covered with a yer of frost. The indoor temperature seemed far below the guards' so-called minus ten degrees Celsius. Fingers could hardly bend; people tucked their hands uheir armpits, as if pg ice cubes on their hearts, instantly waking up from the fatigue of heavy bor.

  He casually found a seat. Immediately, someone came over with a tray, raised an eyebrow, and asked:

  "Are you Gretorvo, the one who blocked the on?"

  "That's me."

  "Awesome." The newer immediately sat down and shook his hand. "The inmates here have admired you for a long time. Most of them are anti-monarchists and anti-Hojo family people caught by Tianhuan. When you stood up to block the mae guns and overturanks, everyone saw it. It was truly awesome."

  This person's voice was a bit loud, immediately attrag others to gather around.

  "This is Gretorvo!?" someone shouted. "You shouldn't be locked up here. You're a hero."

  "Save it. So what? This world ys, politis, emperors, as, but it doesn't need heroes."

  "Wow, it's really Gretorvo. So you've been imprisoned here all along."

  Gretorvo didn't expect that being released to participate in collective bor would cause such a big rea. Even several Beta-level strongmen came over, bumped his shoulder with their fists, expressing approval.

  "Gretorvo, you're an amazing person."

  Their praises made Gretorvo a bit bewildered. He scratched the back of his head and said, "You're too kind. I just did what I should. I'm not that remarkable; I'm just an ordinary person."

  "Ordinary people wouldn't have the ce to block a gun barrel."

  A Beta-level 【Warrior】 shook his hand vigorously. He looked enviously at Gretorvo's tall and strong build, admiringly saying:

  "Those who go against the current are always remarkable people."

  Theroduced himself:

  "I'm Li Chuxi, a member of the Self-Reliance Party. I was arrested because I opposed the monopoly of the Hojo family."

  "Gretorvo Nighsong, sed-in-and of Tianhuan's Akaban Squad. Pleased to meet you."

  "I'm Jin Zaiyun, and this is my panion Zhou Xu. The Hojo family teamed up with the govero forcibly annex our hometown and tur into a factory. It's great to see you. In our hometown, you inspired many people."

  "I also e from the ions. Thank you for your struggle for freedom and rights."

  "I'm Yamauchi Yue, a former official of the Ministry of War. I was falsely accused as a political prisoner and imprisoned. I agree with the ideas of the Akaban Squad. You young people are the future of the try. Seeing young people like you stand up makes me very gratified."

  "Thank you for your support..."

  After iing one by one, Gretorvo was surprised to find that this Shiratori Prison was full of talents—from local rebel leaders, fallen nobles, political prisoners, rehieves, to even a stist and an ordinary woman.

  Without exception, they were thrown here uhe charge of 'endangering national security.' But to outsiders, any one of them should be sidered patriots.

  "In the past, we always felt that the Akaban Squad's approach was too radical. Until we ourselves were imprisoned, we realized that the ones who hadn't awakened were us."

  The fover diplomat, Yumina Yukio, said resentfully:

  "I thought I was also part of the ruling css, but they didn't take me seriously at all. I was wrong, utterly wrong. Tianhuan is just a tool for monarchs and corporations to rule the people, and I'm just a cog in the mae... Perhaps only by overthrowing the Ring King we truly achieve redemption."

  The prisoners here, after torture and serving their sentences, had lost their love for the try, their will fused. Gretorvo could clearly feel that they cked a guiding ideology in their hearts.

  "But without the Ring King, does our natioeill have meaning?" someone couldn't help questioning. "The existence of Tianhuan is because of the eternal lineage of the Ring King's rule. The royal family is a living fossil of the old era. Is there anythier than products of the old era?"

  "What are you saying... Obviously, we are already people of the future, yet we revere things from the old era. Don't you find it shameful?"

  Gret the one who retorted and said:

  "Must we have a master ruling over us to be sidered a nation-state?"

  As soon as these words came out, almost everyone looked at him.

  Earlier, their eyes were full of admiration, but now, they were filled with doubt and apprehension.

  Someone shouted:

  "Gretorvo, you're the sed-in-and of the Akaban Squad. Do you have any thoughts?"

  The gathering crowd attracted the guards' attention. He shouted loudly, "Hey, break it up!", then hit them with electric batons, trying to disperse the crowd.

  Today, the guards seemed particurly cautious and irritable.

  Did something happen?

  Gretorvo's eyes moved. He recalled the words others had exged earlier.

  "The Akaban Squad is going to attack the prison?"

  ...At this point in time, it should be the Kowlooing.

  Could it be that Xia Jianjing is ing when the guards are uaffed? It's possible; if it's her, she'd do such a thing.

  So he straightened up and deliberately shouted:

  "'t we bee our own masters?"

  "Hey! Bastard, what nonsense are you spouting!"

  The guards saw someone causing trouble and became furious, walking towards him:

  "You there, get down!"

  Gret the guard, turned his head, and said to the prisoners:

  "People of Tianhua human because of the Ring King. Clearly, it's the Ring King—without the support of the people of Tianhuan, he's nothing."

  Such provocative words immediately ahe guards. They shouted in panic: "I! How dare you insult the Ring King! Throw him into the cold pool!"

  "Well said! Bold enough!" A Beta-level 【Warrior】 prished loudly, suddenly stood up, broke the spoon, and stabbed it directly into the guard's neck!

  Swoosh!

  Blood spurted. The guard was attacked uedly. In an instant, several Beta-level strongmen acted simultaneously. Although their powers were suppressed, their skills remaihey picked up trays and smashed them on the guards' heads. Several prisoners involved in political struggles shouted loudly: "Rush out! The guards are going to kill us all!"

  "Are you kidding me!"

  "Beat these bastards to death!"

  "Damn it, let's fight!"

  The prisoners were incited and quickly united, starting to surround and attack the guards. Gretorvo took the opportunity to find several members of the Akaban Squad aance anizations. pared to the unanized sudden riot, they urgently discussed termeasures.

  "Xia Jianjing may have really unched an attack. We should coordinate from the inside."

  "But with such a sudden i, we 't be sure when the boss dy will e over."

  "But even so, if we do nothing now, the guards will use the cruelest methods to punish and torture all of us."

  "We 't let blood be shed in vain..."

  Just as Gretorvo was about to speak, suddenly someone among the fighting prisoners shouted:

  "Where's the doctor! Where's the dors. Mina is about to give birth!"

  His shout was extremely anxious. Then, a woman's miserable scream pierced the sky above the prison, eg repeatedly.

  "Stop!"

  Gretorvo hurriedly stood up. Several main offenders also realized something was wrong. They immediately let go of the guards, threw these disheveled bastards back, and the guards and prisoners fronted each other.

  Gretorvo looked at the man who shouted. He remembered that man was Sanpu, a printing factory worker who was imprisoned as a scapegoat. Because he printed dots that didn't align with the is of a certain Tianhuan sortium, he was thrown into this prison.

  Sanpu was introverted. At this moment, surrounded by a group of people and being the focus of the crowd, he blushed immediately and quickly expined: "Mrs. Mina, the female prisoner in room 72, she was just w on the sewing mae and suddenly colpsed, screaming miserably. I saw her amniotic fluid has broken. Now she might be about to give birth."

  "Hey!" A prisoner immediately looked angrily at the prison guards: "You actually threregnant woman into prison and made her work on the sewing mae. Don't you feel ashamed?"

  "Heh, you bunch of traitorous bastards, and you have the o talk about us." The prison guards wiped away nosebleeds. Even though they were beaten bd blue by these people, at this moment, they were not pa all.

  The reason is simple. Most of the people imprisoned here are stious individuals. Their education and morality wouldn't allow them to abandon the life of a pregnant woman.

  So, Ozawa Sentarou believes that to guard prisoners with saturally, the guards should be a bunch of scum and vilins, so they won't be soft-hearted.

  Not to mentinant women, this prison even has children.

  "Where's the doctor?" A Beta-level prisoner roared: "You beast, why don't you go find a doctor."

  "Doctor?" The guard said indifferently, "There's no such thing."

  "What did you say!?" The prisoners were shocked. "We've been serving our sentences for so long, isn't there even a doctor assigned?"

  "Hey hey hey, why should we spend taxpayers' moo provide doctors for you criminals?" The guard spread his hands. "Aren't you dissatisfied with His Majesty the Ring King? Then don't enjoy our bes. Really, how you oppose the ruler on one hand and demand treatment from the ruler oher? Do you think you're here to enjoy life?"

  Hearing these remarks, the prisoners were furious and were about to rush up to beat them again: "What a joke! We are citizens of Tianhuan. This is one of the Four Nations, not some warlord state! Don't you even aowledge basic humanitarianism? That's a pregnant woman; if something goes wrong, it could be two lives lost!"

  From the depths of the cell came the woman's screams again.

  "A pregnant woman, so what?"

  The guard carried the electric baton, grinning:

  "You're just a bunch of criminals. Being alive is already the greatest mercy. Your only purpose is to provide products through bor."

  "Despicable!" Gretorvo squeezed out from the crowd, denoung, "You don't even have basic empathy. Are you still human?"

  "Let me see—you, you, and you, Gretorvo, are all Beta-level strongmen. But so what? Even if I'm just an Alpha-level guard, you don't dare to touch me now."

  The head guard spoke ily, even swaggering up, raising his to see Gretorvo's face. He fred his nostrils, sneering:

  "What? Not sant now?"

  "What do you want?" Gretorvo said in a deep voice.

  "Oh, you're exaggerating. I'm just a small civil servant. How dare I do anything to you, a Beta-level elite? You are the elites, Gretorvo Nighsong. I know you—you used to be a famous surgeht? Tsk tsk, doctor, that's nice. Sensei, people like you easily bee social celebrities aes, but you don't uand the feelings of small people like us."

  The guard squinted his eyes, smiling:

  "I don't want to do anything—just that I happen to have a good retionship with Warden Ozaersonal doctor, and this personal doctor happens to know how to deliver babies. However, unless I ask, he won't serve prisoners."

  "Help!" The pregnant woman's miserable cries came again from the corridor: "Save the child; he might get stuck. Anyone, please save my child."

  "You bastard—" A prisritted his teeth. "Hey, Gretorvo, go save that pregnant woman."

  "No." Gretorvo shook his head. "The sanitary ditions here make it impossible to perform surgery, which will lead to cervical iion. Besides..."

  He raised his hand and ched his fist, almost uo unleash any life particles.

  Without that thing—the life force of Redemption and healing—it's impossible to guarahe safety of the pregnant woman and the fetus.

  Even with today's advanced medical standards, the mortality rate nant women is as high as 16.1 per 100,000—that is, about 16 pregnant women die for every 100,000 births, with on causes including postpartum heme, amniotic fluid embolism, uterine rupture, etc.

  Especially postpartum heme, a serious plication during childbirth, is the leading cause of maternal death. Moreover, if not examined, plications like amniotic fluid embolism have a mortality rate as high as 60%, being the main cause of maternal death.

  If any act occurs, then uterine scarring and obstructive dystocia may lead to uterine rupture. Because Tianhuan people rely on cesareaions, the ince of uterine rupture increases year by year.

  Gretorvo heard Sanpu say that Mrs. Mina's amniotic fluid had broken. Under normal circumstances, after the water breaks, the patient should lie down immediately. If standing or walking, more amniotic fluid will flow away, and if the umbilical cord flows out with the amniotic fluid as stuck at the cervical opening, it will affect the blood supply and oxygen supply to the fetus, which is very dangerous.

  —But in such a cold enviro, lying down would undoubtedly cause the patient's body temperature to drop rapidly.

  Obstetrics is not an easy field. Dystocia is a huge hurdle that threatens the lives of both the fetus and the pregnant woman and ot be pletely overe—even now. Let alone in this prison with poor sanitation and no equipment, with temperature and humidity levels seriously exceeding standards.

  What's worse is that without equipment for physical examination, the pregnant woman's gestational hypertensioional diabetes, and other ditions are unknown.

  Gretorvo couldn't take a.

  If only he had that power—the life force of Redemption and healing could give the pregnant woman the greatest support to overe this crisis.

  "So, being deprived of extraordinary power, how does it feel?"

  The guard stood on tiptoe, stretched out his arm to pat Gretorvo's shoulder. He tried several times to whisper in his ear, but Gretorvo was too tall. He blushed and then shouted:

  "Kneel down."

  Gretorvo opened his mouth and said:

  "At least let me go ahe situation—"

  "Didn't you hear me, sensei," the guard squi him. "I told you to kneel down."

  "Hey, you beast!" The prisoners were indignant and wao beat him up.

  What a joke! Gretorvo is their leadership figure. If he kneels, doesn't it represent submission?

  He 't kneel.

  No matter what, he 't kneel.

  Gretorvo stared at the guard, suddenly punched him, knog him to the ground. Then he half-k on the ground, grabbed the guard's colr, and coldly said:

  "I kneel; you take care of yourself."

  Saying that, he immediately turned around and rushed into the depths of the cell.

  "You bastard!"

  The guard was ko the ground. The moment, the prisoners immediately rushed up, surrounding him, ready to give him a severe beating.

  Boom!

  Outside the prison, the sound of artillery fire suddenly rang out. Then, the gate was kicked open instantly.

  "Get up."

  Her purple-gray hair was swept by the cold wind; her face was covered with smoke and blood. But it didn't stop her fring the warden's corpse and throwing it in front of the guards:

  "You are free."

  FAL