Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 229 - 203 Struggle with All One’s Might

Chapter 229: Chapter 203 Struggle with All One’s Might

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Repeatedly checking on Mouse Witch Sally’s condition, her form was indeed changing, a glimpse into the collective imagination of the Rat people.

They ceaselessly, diligently imagined Sally’s situation, believing she lived in a beautiful place with inexhaustible funds, enjoying a blissful life, residing where the sun shone, free from worries about food and clothing.

Of course, the reality wasn’t so rosy.

Even so, the number of Rat people listeners was large, and their wishes were indeed sincere. All these combined into the scene before them, with Sally enshrouded in orange gel, her body enveloped in a hazy glow, her ears occasionally growing or shrinking. It seemed the Rat people were still unsure whether Sally looked more like a human or more like a rat, but her appearance was visibly becoming cleaner and more lucid, with all prior dirt and wrinkles washed away.

"It is this kind of imagination that can influence the birth of a New God," Farosa said, "and can also affect the previous Mystics."

"Mystics are afraid of being seen, probably because of fear of those strange negative imaginings," Xu Yang nodded.

"Of course, so they use many means to disguise themselves, even their names aren’t real," Farosa observed Sally, "True and false, hard to articulate. However, I’m also really curious about what kind of power Sally will gain. We’ll only know after she emerges from her cocoon. Will it be to summon food? Eradicate disease? The Rat people’s imagination might not be that rich."

"Maybe it’s a wish-fulfillment machine," Xu Yang said.

He was very curious about the state of the Rat people, how fervent they must be to be able to pool their wishes into powerful Dewdrops.

Elsewhere, in the Caleb Mountains on White Elephant Continent, miners Rat people worked restlessly within the mining pits, becoming increasingly impatient and irritable due to Sally’s disconnection, longing for her return.

Eager for Sally’s comeback.

All sorts of speculations spread rapidly, with the Rat people communicating through pheromones, and soon various rumors spread among individuals. They believed that behind Sally, there was an extremely evil force secretly persecuting her, preventing her from opening her livestream regularly as she had done the previous two months.

With the frightful cold, the disappearance of sunshine made the food supply particularly tight, and the atmosphere in the mining pits became increasingly toxic, with the relationship between the miners and the local supervisors souring. Consequently, the Precise Mining Company in charge of this mining site heightened its alertness and dispatched a security team to station there, to prevent any trouble from the miners.

Xie Yi was a Gray Ratman, a loyal listener to the Rat Witch, self-proclaimed as a protector, guarding the primitive radio used to communicate with the Rat Witch.

He had confidence in the Rat Witch, believing she would soon return to start broadcasting again. The Rat Witch wouldn’t abandon them.

Even the lowly, insignificant Rat people would receive the Rat Witch’s care; her company had become a necessity in their lives, and they were unwilling to leave her broadcast no matter what. With each broadcast, the Rat people gathered around, went to sleep filled with renewed hope afterwards, and then started the next day’s work.

The work at the mining site was arduous.

Xie Yi moved calmly through the mining tunnels. Compared to his restless kin, Xie Yi was more restrained and cooler. In order to be able to send messages to the Rat Witch himself, he also took every opportunity to learn to read.

Most areas were damp, blisteringly cold, and the environment in the mines was complex, with many places only accessible to a thin Gray-haired Rat like Xie Yi. Labour wore down his bones, and while working, he frequently scratched at the fur on his chest, gasping for air with sharp lung pain and often feeling his heart racing, causing him discomfort throughout his body.

The mining supervisor was a volatile, very oppressive person, who would randomly grab a miner Ratman and find some excuse to kick and beat them.

To avoid getting beaten, Xie Yi worked with gritted teeth, making sure to keep a low profile. He mined gold from the bottomless pits, pushing the mechanical drills forward in the tunnels, maintaining a position for a long time with all his might, his feet and neck in pain.

No matter how hard he worked, the tasks never ended. Xie Yi felt sweat gluing his eyes shut, his body alternating between hot and cold, seeing nothing, unable to think of anything but to push the drill in front of him deeper into the mine, to facilitate other Rat people and equipment to dig deeper.

Out of respect for the Rat Witch, Xie Yi hoped to save a little money to possibly donate to the Rat Witch someday. If she was having a hard time, thousands upon thousands of Rat people were willing to donate their savings to ensure she lived a life free from financial worry.

On the afternoon following the disappearance of the sunshine, the supervisor gathered the Rat people and human laborers, holding a list and started reading.

Xie Yi rubbed his paws together for warmth. He couldn’t squeeze next to the brazier, chilled by the gusts of wind, he perked up his ears and listened for a long time, not hearing his own name, but more than half the Rat people and humans he knew were called out.

"...those mentioned," the supervisor said, "pack up your things, leave by 6 p.m. tonight, and head to the finance department to collect a 50-dollar severance fee."

"What!"

"It’s freezing out there!"

"Squeak Squeak!"

"Waaah..." The named Rat people and human miners were tense and uneasy.

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Anger, Xie Yi received signals of anger from his kin, these scents made Xie Yi uneasy. He kept swinging his tail, and his temperament became irritable. Leaving before 6 meant even the last dinner would not be provided, and the weather outside was particularly bad, making it even harder to discern the path.

Why wasn’t the Mouse Witch Sally broadcasting? Why? Had she abandoned everyone? Had even the sacred Mouse Witch given up on the Ratmen? Was there nothing the Ratmen could do to regain the Mouse Witch Sally’s favor?

In Xie Yi’s heart, the Mouse Witch must be benevolent, sublime, and possess infinite power, just like a mother, a courageous and robust gray rat, forever protecting her children. Because it was through the radio, they only heard her voice and knew not her form.

Facing an obviously distraught crowd, the supervisor remained calm.

"Don’t move!" he first yelled sternly, then called over the security personnel.

Seven people in metallic armor silently raised their energy rifles and approached the area, aiming their barrels at those who were causing trouble.

The cold muzzles exerted immense pressure on the miners. They silently bowed their heads; it was too cold, and sweat stuck to their bodies, soaking their threadbare clothes through, making them feel even more chilled.

"The upper echelons are restructuring," said the supervisor. "We can’t disburse funds; we’re helpless too. Be understanding. Nowadays, as long as one is willing to work, money can be made anyhow."

"Die!"

"Go to hell!"

"Squeak, squeak!" The emotions of both the human and Ratman miners were terrible, and they were not at all appeased.

Fire. Xie Yi could feel the invisible flames of fury ignite.

Before they could act, the security personnel already started shooting. With a burst of intense gunfire, many miners were shot and killed. The sound of the guns caused the Ratmen to squeak chaotically, releasing all kinds of emotions.

The first to spread was fear. Seeing those screaming fellows fall down and facing the green fire from the security personnel’s guns, the Ratmen felt afraid.

Immediately after, that fear turned into uncontrollable rage. The Ratmen were completely enraged; they were many and their numbers were their strength. They angrily rushed towards the supervisor and the security personnel, with the Black-Furred Stout Rats leading the charge, followed by the Gray Ratmen.

Xie Yi stood still amidst the chaos, his first thought being of that radio. He then ran towards the barracks in the tunnel.

"Die!" A security personnel blocked Xie Yi’s way.

Xie Yi saw the gun in his hand, his heart skipped a beat, and he quickly rolled to the ground, but was still hit by an energy beam that blew one of his arms off. His entire right arm was instantly mangled, pain only lasted a moment in Xie Yi’s heart. He fell to the ground, going into shock from blood loss, and his last sight was endless Ratmen and miners, fighting valiantly to break their chains.

Xie Yi passed out.

When Xie Yi came to, the situation in the mines was even more chaotic.

The miners had won. About 400 human miners and 700 Ratman miners had occupied the mine, but the Precision Mining Company’s troops had surrounded the facility. Now, half of the miners wanted to surrender, while the other half were resisting desperately.

By evening, the weather grew even colder, the remote area offered meager facilities. The miners blew the doors to the storage open, where crates of nutrient paste, canned goods, and fresh vegetables lay stockpiled, enough to last them a year. There were also plenty of gasoline and fuel, all hidden away by the supervisor. They shared these resources, one portion for each person. Xie Yi’s friends brought him a healing injection and nutrient paste, hoping he could survive.

Xie Yi had lost an arm and felt somewhat at a loss; he walked to the barracks in the tunnel, found the small radio that no longer carried the voice of the Mouse Witch, and leaned over it.

In the middle of the night, the nearby guerrillas had received the news and stealthily approached, conducting thorough reconnaissance before launching an attack on the company’s security.

The gunfire and explosions awoke the thousands of miners. The guerrilla fighters were veterans of many battles and quickly dispatched the Precision Mining Company’s security outside, then came inside and joined forces with the miners. The guerrillas were shivering from the cold and also lacked food and clothing, but what they didn’t lack was a firm fighting spirit. The miners shared the food and fuel from the storage with them.

Out in the open area outside the mine, the guerrillas lit a large bonfire. A man with a red epaulette sat by the fire, regaling the miners with stories of vanguardism.

In a daze, Xie Yi could see distant lights and flames. He lay over the soundless radio, his tail drooping.

"Aren’t you going to listen?" a White-haired Rat scratched his cheek and ear, "They say they’re going to lead us to defeat the company, seize food and fuel from them, and survive the cold spell. And in White Elephant Continent, we’ll have complete freedom! No more corporations, our turn to rise!"

"In a while," said Xie Yi.

He closed his eyes, curling up to keep warm, dreaming of the Mouse Witch living a happy life.