Chapter 192: Countermeasures
After a brief silence.
“We need a solution now…” Mo Tan said softly to Yu Cheng, his brow furrowed as he unconsciously tapped the table, forcing himself to think as calmly as possible.
Although he wasn't experiencing the intense sense of justice he had in his 'lawful good' persona, he still didn't want the hundreds of thousands of people in the entire Misha County to be in hell. Mo Tan couldn't help but sympathize with the innocent civilians who would bleed for no reason, couldn't ignore the disasters happening around him, and couldn't calmly wait for everything to end and then go about his business without any pressure.
No person with a conscience could remain unmoved.
Perhaps society was gradually becoming indifferent, perhaps some people would laugh at the misfortunes of others, even excitedly making them topics of conversation among friends, but even so, it didn't mean that the word 'conscience' had completely vanished from the concept of most people.
It was simply because people were rarely moved by cold, simple, distant, and irrelevant numbers or events.
It was simply because they couldn't see it…
In fact, if we were to truly throw someone who could laugh while discussing the horrors of a disaster zone into the actual site, let him witness the ruins that resembled a living hell, let him hear the heart-wrenching cries, and then let him discover a life within his reach that could still be saved but was about to perish, what would he do?
I believe most people would try, would attempt to lend a helping hand.
No matter how twisted their values, how immoral their conduct, how despicable and dark they might be…
Even if their first thought at that moment was still to flee, and their primary concern was still their own safety, they would try to offer help, although this might come with a host of preconditions like 'first ensure I'm safe' and 'is the surrounding environment stable?', they would still try to help.
This is what is called conscience; it hasn't vanished from the hearts of most people, it's merely been covered up by many things, be they dark, complex, or realistic.
And this catastrophe happening in Misha County was, for Mo Tan at this very moment, within arm's reach.
He saw the elven girl who just wanted to live, yet ultimately fell helplessly.
He saw the Thief who desperately wanted to save, yet could only kill the other party with his own hands.
He witnessed countless lives struggling in the Plague; he heard about Marcus, who proudly shouted 'I love her' and was then killed by his lover; he also found it hard to forget the Orc who tried to commit suicide to make his wife and children determined to leave the blockade…
So he wanted to save, not as a saint or a madman, but as an ordinary person, even if it was just a drop in the bucket, even if the outcome was not satisfactory, it didn't matter. He just wanted to try as much as possible, just like every one of us who still has a conscience.
【It's confirmed that the monsters Yu Ying called 'Mutants' have completely lost their minds, so there's no other way but to eradicate them. However, Xia Lian plus a few hundred Holy Knights are severely lacking in combat power. If those monsters were concentrated in one location, it would be fine, but they are too scattered…】
Mo Tan narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the map, thinking with all his might.
Yu Cheng sat there obediently, watching him for a while, then quietly got up, closed the window, and tiptoed to a corner of the room to boil water.
【Xia Lian is not in good health, and Holy Knights are not made of iron; they also need to eat and rest. Moreover, although those low-rank Holy Knights are much stronger than a 'miscellaneous' like me, their strength should only be at the level of players around level fifteen or sixteen in the forums. Dealing with three to five Mutants at once is fine, but if they face a large number of enemies simultaneously without adequate rest, problems will quickly arise…】
Mo Tan recalled the scene of the knights engaging in close combat with the Mutants after their Charge; each of their strikes caused effective damage, but they were far from the level of overwhelming strength that Xia Lian displayed when she first entered, instantly killing enemies.
【So the current key issue is a severe lack of combat power, and once the knights lose their numerical advantage, their fighting capability will definitely decline further. Even just considering organized enemies, Xia Lian clearly doesn't intend to only rescue one city, but there are too few people who can cure the Plague right now, so they will definitely… split up. Each city or population center will definitely leave a sufficient number of Holy Knights to ensure that the rescued people won't be wiped out by the next wave of Mutants as soon as they leave.】
Mo Tan scratched his hair in distress, feeling like his brain wasn't enough, but he knew it was an illusion. Although his current personality was quite ordinary, 'Mo Tan's' brain wasn't so simple as to be insufficient.
Yu Cheng quietly placed a cup of black tea beside him, not disturbing him with a sound.
【Currently, High-Rank professionals are almost all spread out along various blockade lines. Even with personnel transferred from other areas, it's very tight, so they absolutely cannot be moved… Moreover, Mutants should have appeared at the borders by now; everywhere is very tight.】
Mo Tan surveyed the blockade line on the map, frowning slightly, then unconsciously picked up the coffee beside him and took a sip…
The temperature was just right, but it wasn't coffee.
He turned his head and saw Yu Cheng smiling gently at him.
“Thank you.” Mo Tan returned the girl's smile, then redirected his gaze to the map, saying softly, “Give me some time, I hope I can help in some way…”
Yu Cheng softly hummed in response, leaning over to refill Mo Tan's cup with hot water.
Several bright rays of light streamed through the window, illuminating some dust that was usually invisible to the naked eye.
This scene was later imagined and painted by Leon Rody, a famous painter of the Holy Church United centuries later. The accuracy of his rendition reached an almost miraculous ten percent. That famous century-old painting, titled “The Favorite,” was hung prominently in the center of the Grand Hall of Ascension in the City of Miracles. The man in the painting wore a set of Jiu Zhong Divine Laws, carried the Primordial Sacred Tome at his waist, had the Unbeaten War Song draped over his shoulders, and the Uncrowned Crown on his head. He was slender, handsome, with a serene expression and eyes full of all-seeing wisdom and composure, lightly sipping fragrant tea.
The woman in the painting held the Black Day Holy Staff, wore the Shimmering Shadow Dance, had the Flickering Divine Grace cinched at her waist, the Light of a Thousand Lights on her head, and trod on the Night of Silence. She was gracefully slender, with hair reaching her waist, a face like autumn waters, and eyes as bright as Prosperity Star, clean and pure, leaning close to the man's ear and whispering softly.
As for the surrounding scenery… that was the perfectly rendered ten percent. Master Leon in the future personally traveled to the Holy Church United Chapel in Mida City and stayed for half a year, almost perfectly recreating every detail, even the angle of the sunlight was replicated precisely.
As for the rest, which refers to the two people mentioned above, the old man basically painted purely from consciousness and feeling…
Anyway, it didn't feel much like the two people present now.
So, back to the main topic.
A few minutes later, Mo Tan finally emerged from his deep thoughts. He put away the map on the table and sighed softly, “It seems there’s only one way now…”
“What way?” Yu Cheng asked, holding her cup in front of him, her voice full of expectation.
“Conscription.”
…
“Conscription?” Thor looked at the two young people in front of him, blinking in confusion. “You mean, to form a unit out of everyone who participated in defending the city before?”
Mo Tan shook his head, “Not just them. I want to recruit everyone in the city who can pick up a weapon and fight.”
Thor frowned. “But those adventurers and mercenaries are hard to fight like regular soldiers, and their strength is far inferior to High-Rank professionals. Civilians are even more out of the question… Reverend, aren’t we safe now?”
“We are only temporarily safe.” Mo Tan shrugged, walked to one side of the room, pointed at the map, and said, “But monsters are constantly appearing everywhere in Misha County. Their numbers will grow, and their danger will increase. If we ignore them, we might not be safe later.”
Thor sighed, “Even with Holy Maiden and the Holy Knights, it’s not enough?”
“Holy Knights aren’t that powerful,” Yu Cheng said a little awkwardly. “And Holy Maiden isn’t in very good physical condition right now. Besides helping with healing, I’m also of little use in combat…”
Mo Tan spread his hands at Thor, “That’s how it is. If we don’t organize and prepare as much as possible now, we’ll face big trouble before long. Even if Mida City, with a hundred knights and us, and Hofur City, which has become a land blessed by the gods, can remain safe, what about everyone else?”
“I understand.” Thor was not an unreasonable person. After listening to Mo Tan, he pondered for a moment and then nodded seriously. “What should I do?”
Mo Tan smiled, “Grant me and Holy Maiden the authority to issue a conscription order within the city. I will draft the specific content for you. Then, find someone to set up two registration points, one inside and one outside the city.”
“Understood.” Once Thor agreed, he no longer hesitated and immediately said to Mo Tan, “Paper and pen are on the table, and I will have the guards also obey Holy Maiden’s command.”
Mo Tan bowed slightly, “Many thanks, may the Goddess be with you, Lord Thor.”
Five minutes later
“Please have someone copy these two documents. Distribute the first one throughout the city, and we will come to collect the second one later tonight.” Mo Tan handed two sheets of still-wet ink paper to Thor, smiling, “Thank you for your trouble.”
The latter nodded readily, “I will arrange it right away.”
“Then we shall take our leave, Lord Thor.” Yu Cheng bowed to Thor, smiling gently, “There are still many people outside the city who need treatment.”
The two then left the City Hall.
A moment later, outside Mida City
“Do we really not need to say hello to Mr. Tairo?” Yu Cheng asked Mo Tan, tilting her head as they walked. “He’s a very kind person.”
Mo Tan shook his head, “Not yet. It’s fine to tell him later. I’m still not very confident about some things.”
Yu Cheng smiled softly, “Okay.”
The two then went to the encampment of the infected civilians and began their treatment work. To be precise, Yu Cheng was treating, and Mo Tan was acting as a target for dark interference. They treated dozens of people before the next batch of Mutants transformed. Coupled with Xia Lian’s mass purification earlier that morning, the encampment, which had almost no severely injured individuals, regained a little vitality.
And when the time Mo Tan had calculated arrived, not a single new Mutant appeared here. This greatly boosted the spirits of the people in the encampment, and their mental state improved significantly, with most of their previous fear subsiding.
Although it was only a local effect, it was somewhat of a good start.
“This mutation can indeed be controlled.” Mo Tan also breathed a sigh of relief, smiling at Yu Cheng, who had expended considerable energy beside him. “Let’s rest for a while. Other clergy can handle recovering stamina.”
The girl drank another bottle of mana potion and was about to answer when she heard a commotion from afar. Immediately after, she saw a Holy Knight of the Dawn Sect ride up on horseback.
“Holy Maiden, dozens of monsters are approaching this way. Please return to the city with me.” The young knight dismounted and bowed respectfully, saying, “It’s very dangerous here.”
Yu Cheng was stunned for a moment. “There are still many civilians here…”
“The other knights will protect everyone’s safety.” The other party pointed to a dozen knights lining up not far away, and said loudly, “But Holy Maiden’s safety is paramount. It’s still too dangerous here.”
【As expected.】
Mo Tan narrowed his eyes slightly, then softly said to Yu Cheng, who was still about to say something, “You go back first, I’ll stay and help.”
“I can too…” Yu Cheng shook her head and whispered, “Divine spells can also damage those Mutants.”
Mo Tan smiled, “I don’t think you’re useless. Anyway, you go back first. Dozens of Mutants don’t pose much of a threat. I just want to observe them up close.”
Yu Cheng did not insist further. After telling Mo Tan to be careful, she somewhat reluctantly followed the Holy Knight and left.
A few minutes later…
Piercing roars came from a distance, and a group of Mutants had already appeared in Mo Tan’s sight. At the same time, the knights who had already assembled in front of the camp launched a Charge.
“I thought you had left.”
Yu Ying, who had arrived from not far away, walked beside Mo Tan, then looked up in the direction the Mutants were coming from and sighed softly, “It seems like another group of refugees.”
“There are still many, many such people.” Mo Tan replied casually, looking in the same direction.
A dozen monsters were instantly impaled through the chest by an equal number of spears in a single encounter, each sent flying four or five meters away.
Yu Ying smiled, “But they are clearly no match for those knights.”
“Yes, but as I just said, there are still many, many such people…”
Chapter 189: The End