Vol-2: 111. Liberty

111. Liberty

"Have you heard?"

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

"I tell you, how can 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 working in the laundry room. They said people from the Akaban Squad are gathering. Who knows if they're coming for us."

"Really..."

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

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

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 cannon?"

"That's me."

"Awesome." The newcomer 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 machine guns and overturned tanks, everyone saw it. It was truly awesome."

This person's voice was a bit loud, immediately attracting 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 needs tycoons, politicians, emperors, and beasts, 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 labor would cause such a big reaction. 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 courage 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."

Then he introduced 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, second-in-command of Tianhuan's Akaban Squad. Pleased to meet you."

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

"I also come from the outer regions. 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 country. Seeing young people like you stand up makes me very gratified."

"Thank you for your support..."

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

Without exception, they were thrown here under the charge of 'endangering national security.' But to outsiders, any one of them should be considered 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 former government diplomat, Yumina Yukio, said resentfully:

"I thought I was also part of the ruling class, 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 machine... Perhaps only by overthrowing the Ring King can we truly achieve redemption."

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

"But without the Ring King, does our nation's existence still 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 anything better 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?"

Gretorvo glanced at the one who retorted and said:

"Must we have a master ruling over us to be considered 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 second-in-command 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 particularly cautious and irritable.

Did something happen?

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

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

...At this point in time, it should be the Kowloon meeting.

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

So he straightened up and deliberately shouted:

"Can't we become 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!"

Gretorvo glanced at the guard, turned his head, and said to the prisoners:

"People of Tianhuan aren't 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 angered the guards. They shouted in panic: "Insolent! How dare you insult the Ring King! Throw him into the cold pool!"

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

Swoosh!

Blood spurted. The guard was attacked unexpectedly. In an instant, several Beta-level strongmen acted simultaneously. Although their powers were suppressed, their skills remained. They 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 and resistance organizations. Compared to the unorganized sudden riot, they urgently discussed countermeasures.

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

"But with such a sudden incident, we can't be sure when the boss lady will come over."

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

"We can'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 doctor? Mrs. Mina is about to give birth!"

His shout was extremely anxious. Then, a woman's miserable scream pierced the sky above the prison, echoing 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 confronted 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 documents that didn't align with the interests of a certain Tianhuan consortium, he was thrown into this prison.

Sanpu was introverted. At this moment, surrounded by a group of people and becoming the focus of the crowd, he blushed immediately and quickly explained: "Mrs. Mina, the female prisoner in room 72, she was just working on the sewing machine and suddenly collapsed, 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 threw a pregnant woman into prison and made her work on the sewing machine. Don't you feel ashamed?"

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

The reason is simple. Most of the people imprisoned here are conscientious 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 conscience, naturally, the guards should be a bunch of scum and villains, so they won't be soft-hearted.

Not to mention pregnant 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' money to 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 benefits. Really, how can you oppose the ruler on one hand and demand treatment from the ruler on the other? 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 acknowledge 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 labor."

"Despicable!" Gretorvo squeezed out from the crowd, denouncing, "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 insolently, even swaggering up, raising his chin to see Gretorvo's face. He flared his nostrils, sneering:

"What? Not so arrogant 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 surgeon, right? Tsk tsk, doctor, that's nice. Sensei, people like you can easily become social celebrities and elites, but you don't understand 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 relationship with Warden Ozawa's personal 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 prisoner gritted his teeth. "Hey, Gretorvo, go save that pregnant woman."

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

He raised his hand and clenched his fist, almost unable to unleash any life particles.

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

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

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

If any accident occurs, then uterine scarring and obstructive dystocia may lead to uterine rupture. Because Tianhuan people rely on cesarean sections, the incidence 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 and gets 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 environment, 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 cannot be completely overcome—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 hypertension, gestational diabetes, and other conditions are unknown.

Gretorvo couldn't take action.

If only he had that power—the life force of Redemption and healing could give the pregnant woman the greatest support to overcome 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 and see the situation—"

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

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

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

He can't kneel.

No matter what, he can't kneel.

Gretorvo stared at the guard, suddenly punched him, knocking him to the ground. Then he half-knelt on the ground, grabbed the guard's collar, 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 knocked to the ground. The next 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 from dragging the warden's corpse and throwing it in front of the guards:

"You are free."