Chapter 1065: Those Who Kneel Shall Not Be Killed

Four hours later, the main entrance of the Deep Gold Vein Mine.

Tens of thousands of miners gathered in the massive cavern behind the entrance, holding various crude weapons in their hands.

Weilakesi and other nobles hid in a reinforced observation room at the back of the cavern, observing the front line through a crystal screen.

"They're here!"

A lookout miner screamed.

At the entrance of the cavern, the light was blocked by a dozen tall figures.

Thirty Luna Wolves Space Marines entered the cavern in a standard tactical formation.

The courage the miners had previously stirred up in the cavern began to dissolve rapidly in the face of this specialized killing force.

Many began to retreat, their weapons sliding from trembling hands.

Sajisi did not open fire immediately.

He walked to the front of the formation and activated his external loudspeaker.

"Miners of the Ninghuaxing Seke flash. You have been incited by the lies of the nobles, gathered here, holding weapons, to oppose the Star Alliance.

Now listen clearly: this is your final moment of choice."

"Choice one: continue to resist. There is only one result: death. Not a glorious death in battle, but being cleared away like pests."

"Choice two: drop your weapons and kneel in surrender. Return to the mine and continue working. Complete your daily quota, and you will receive food, shelter, and the right to survive."

"The Luna Wolves keep their word. We do not lie like the nobles you once had. Those who submit will indeed live. Those who resist will certainly die."

A clear wavering appeared among the ranks of the miners.

Many looked at each other, and a middle-aged miner whispered to his companion.

"He said... as long as we work, we can live? He's not lying like the nobles?"

Seeing this, Weilakesi in the observation room hurriedly shouted through the amplification crystal.

"Don't believe them! Humans are the best at lying! They are tricking you into dropping your weapons and then they will kill you all! Think of your families! If you die, they will be killed too! Only by fighting is there a way to live!"

A few thoroughly brainwashed miners let out roars and charged forward, raising their energy drills.

More miners were forced to follow in their hesitation; once the crowd began to surge, the individual lost the right to choose.

This was the moment.

Sajisi raised his hand and then swung it downward.

"Open fire. But remember, for those who kneel and surrender, hold back. Preserve the labor resources."

The Heavy Bolters opened fire first.

The bodies of the miners who were hit exploded into scattered chunks of flesh.

When the Meltaguns fired, wherever the scorching beams passed, miners and weapons were instantly vaporized, leaving behind bubbling melt pits.

The miners who were hit directly disappeared before they could even scream, leaving only a twisted, charred shadow on the ground.

The Standard Bolters formed a crossfire net, precisely picking off the miners organizing a counterattack.

Rocket projectiles were fired occasionally, destroying the crude defensive fortifications and energy ejection points the miners had built.

A young miner suddenly collapsed halfway through the charge, dropped his weapon, knelt on the ground, and screamed while clutching his head.

"I surrender! I surrender! Don't kill me!"

The Bolter muzzle of the Luna Wolves Space Marine charging toward him lifted slightly, and the bolt passed over his head, killing the miners still charging behind him.

This Luna Wolves Space Marine swept past him without giving him another look.

Another old miner pulled two young men down to kneel with him, shouting tremblingly.

"We'll work! We are willing to work!"

They survived.

But those miners who were still charging, still throwing crystal blast rods, and still operating crude energy weapons...

Death descended.

Sajisi himself charged at the very front.

His chainsword plowed furrows of flesh and blood through the alien crowd, and every punch he threw sent three or four miners flying, the sound of bones shattering continuous and unending.

But Sajisi also strictly followed his own orders.

To those who kneel, do not kill.

Sajisi stopped in front of a young miner who was kneeling and begging for mercy, and said through his loudspeaker.

"Kneel in that corner over there. If you stand up again, you die."

The young miner scrambled to the designated safe corner, where hundreds of surrendering people had already gathered.

Weilakesi watched this scene in the observation room, his heart turning to ash.

All his calculations, all his incitement, had failed completely in the face of this "selective slaughter" by the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance.

These warriors were conducting a lesson.

Resisters die, those who submit live. And they were truly executing this rule!

"My lord... what... what do we do?"

A noble confidant asked tremblingly.

Weilakesi looked at the crystal screen, watching those miners who knelt and surrendered truly survive, and watching those who resisted being slaughtered in droves.

He suddenly understood the opponent's strategy: they didn't need to kill everyone; they only needed to kill the resisters, and the rest would naturally submit.

"We have lost. Completely lost."

The slaughter lasted for 13 minutes.

At this moment, about twelve thousand people were still alive.

Among them, more than eight thousand were survivors who had knelt and surrendered, more than three thousand were groaning on the ground from shrapnel wounds, and fewer than one hundred were still standing; most of them were at the very back and hadn't had time to charge yet.

The lines of the Luna Wolves pushed forward, stepping over mountains of corpses.

The soles of their Power Armor crushed bones and flattened internal organs, leaving imprints in the pools of blue blood.

Sajisi walked before the more than eight thousand surrendering people.

"Look up."

The surrendering people trembled as they raised their heads, their eyes devoid of any will to resist.

"Look clearly."

Sajisi pointed to the mountain of corpses and sea of blood behind him.

"These dead chose to believe the lies of the nobles, and chose to resist."

"You chose to kneel, and chose to submit."

"Now, remember this moment. Remember that your choice saved your lives."

Sajisi slowly scanned every fearful face.

"From today on, Ninghuaxing will implement new rules:"

"First, a daily mining quota. Complete the quota to receive standard survival rations: food, water, and basic medical care."

"Second, those who exceed the quota will receive bonus rations, better food, and improved living conditions."

"Third, those who fail to complete the quota will have their rations reduced. Those who fail consecutively will be purged."

"Fourth, any form of resistance, sabotage, or organized opposition will result in the purge of the entire mine shaft."

"These rules will be carved at the entrance of every mine shaft. Explicit, clear, and without deception. The Luna Wolves are not like the nobles you once had; we do what we say."

"Submit, and there is a glimmer of survival. Even, if you work hard enough and perform well enough, the days ahead may indeed become better, better than under the rule of the nobles, because at least the fruits of your labor will not be wantonly withheld."

An old miner kneeling in the front row gathered his courage and asked tremblingly.

"My lord... what you said about 'becoming better'... is it true?"

Sajisi looked down at him.

"Under the rule of the nobles, how much ore did you mine each day?"

"T-twenty carts of raw crystal ore, my lord."

"Can you eat your fill?"

"Never, my lord. The nobles only gave us half-rations, saying that was the only way we would keep working."

"The quota is now twenty-five carts. But by completing twenty-five carts, you will receive full rations and eat your fill. Exceeding the quota to thirty carts earns extra rewards. Exceeding the quota to forty carts allows you and your family to obtain a separate living cave."

Sajisi raised his voice so that everyone could hear.

"This is the promise of the Luna Wolves: clear rules and definite rewards. You are no longer slaves to the nobles; you are the labor force of the Star Alliance. Labor has value, so it will be protected, as long as you follow the rules."