"Ma'am, I swear I'm not a bad person. I was framed. I didn't kill the captain. The second mate and the third mate were the ones who had conspired to murder him. I had nothing to do with it," the young man said, his eyes reddening with unjust.

A trace of helplessness crossed his countenance as he continued, "They should be the ones suffering from the torture. Why me?

"They cut open my stomach and stuffed something inside of me. After that, I gained this special power and was forced to work nonstop. If I slowed down even just a little, they'd whip me.

"I've only been able to sleep for six hours a day recently. The rest of the time, I'm awake, but they make me work tirelessly. I can't take it anymore. They're driving me crazy!"

A look of sympathy appeared on Jasmine's visage. She hugged him gently before stepping back with a shy expression.

"If they are treating you like that, wh… why didn't you report them? The police on Hope Island are very responsible," Donna asked softly.

The young man's lips twisted into a satirical smile. "Report them? Do you even know who's doing this to us? It's the Governor of Hope Island! We're just a bunch of slaves—the governor's personal slaves!

"It's because of people like us that Hope Island developed quickly. All of his achievements are built on our corpses!"

Donna let out a sigh. "Young man, don't get involved in seafaring work. It's pointless no matter how much money you make there. Where can you even spend it these days?"

With a look of anguish, the young man shook his head. "I don't want to go to sea either! But my island's governor has gone insane from the rising sea levels.

"He rounded up everyone on the island, made us strip naked in front of him, kneel like dogs, and eat his filth! He's gone completely out of his mind!"

Seemingly triggered by some horrifying memories, the young man's face twisted in apparent disgust. "There's no longer law and order on that island. Under the governor's lead, everyone has started indulging in their final pleasures. He even planned to burn all the ships saying that it didn't matter anymore since we'd die sooner or later.

"We had no choice but to try to escape. But at sea, the temporary captain couldn't keep the crew in check, so many people ended up dead."

Observing the young man's pained expression as he recounted his story, Donna sighed softly. Judging from his age, he seemed unlikely to be lying. Had other islands really descended into such a terrifying state?

Suddenly, Donna was reminded of the World's Crown. If she hadn't won the raffle back then, would she have met the same fate?

"Thank you for the food, ma'am. I'm full now; I won't trouble you any longer and will leave right away," the young man said as he struggled to rise from Jasmine's embrace.

"Your wound is bleeding again. Sit down and stop moving," Jasmine urged and quickly helped him sit upright.

"Thank you for saving me earlier. If I manage to escape, I promise I'll repay you," the young man said, forcing a smile.

Jasmine shyly lowered her head. Her voice was barely audible as she asked, "Don't mention it.

Erm…

Do you have someone you like?"

Boom!

The door exploded into pieces. With her wine-red hair flowing behind her, Aliya stormed in with her group of subordinates.

"Well, well. Look who managed to run all the way to the residential area."

Spotting the scorpion tattoo on Aliya's neck, the young man instinctively shuddered and screamed hysterically, "I was framed! I didn't kill anyone!"

"District 3 only deals with resolving the problem and nothing else. There's no use telling me all that," Aliya replied icily as she pulled out her relic.

Seeing the entire squad closing in on him, the young man's features contorted with desperation. He turned to the side and grabbed Jasmine by the neck.

"Back off! Or I'll kill her!"

Aliya remained indifferent to the man's threat and raised her hand. Three machine guns from behind her were aimed directly at Jasmine and the young man, and with another gesture from Aliya, they unleashed a barrage of bullets toward the two.

The young man's pupils contracted in fear, and his muscles tensed up. The next moment, the ground rose up to form a protective wall around them. However, he moved just a tad bit too slow; a few bullets ended up hitting Jasmine's round belly, and her blood blossomed into crimson flowers.

As he watched his savior's breath grow shallow with her eyes rolling back, the young man collapsed to his knees. Holding Jasmine in his arms, he cried out in anguish, "Why?! She didn't do anything wrong! Why did you shoot her?!"

"She has interfered with official duties. Hope Island is under martial law right now, and efficiency is key."

As soon as Aliya's words fell, a deafening explosion tore through the air. The powerful explosives shattered the young man's barrier and hurled him across the room.

As the smoke cleared away, Aliya walked up to the young man with a pistol in hand. Placing one foot on his neck, she aimed her weapon at the young man's head and pulled the trigger.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A series of gunshots rang out. The bullets tore through the young man's flesh and pierced his skull. A whole magazine later, the young man's head and face were no longer recognizable.

"Boss, you killed him just like that? Won't this cause problems with Gordon?" one of Aliya's subordinates voiced his concern.

"The Relic Research Institute wants to make an example out of him. They specifically instructed that all escaped subjects should be killed on sight. Pack up, we're done here," Aliya ordered. She turned on her heel as her team dragged the young man's corpse away.

The young man's bloody hand twitched slightly as he was dragged across the ground.

As soon as Aliya and her team disappeared from sight, Donna rushed toward the rubble where Jasmine was located. She wasn't sure whether the young woman was still alive.

When Jasmine finally came around, she found herself in a hospital bed. Her eyes landed on Donna, who stood next to her with a face marred with deep worry.

"You're finally awake? Thank goodness. Your layers of fat protected you, and the bullets didn't hit any vital organs. Otherwise, you wouldn't have made it."

Jasmine struggled to speak, as her mouth was painfully dry. "Where is he?"

Donna let out a soft sigh. "Don't think too much about it. They took him away."

Tears welled up in Jasmine's eyes, and they streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks. "He was really innocent. I could see the sincerity in his eyes."

"It doesn't matter anymore. It's all over now. Now, you need to focus on your recovery. They've already deducted the medical expenses from your bank account."

Truth to be told, Donna was slightly frustrated at the girl in front of her. Why had she brought such a dangerous person to her house?

However, Donna swallowed her complaints and offered comforting words instead upon seeing Jasmine's pitiful state. Life was already hard enough for a girl living by herself, and Donna didn't feel like making Jasmine's life even harder.

Donna walked toward the window and peered outward. Usually, one wouldn't be able to see the sea from the inpatient ward of Hope Island's hospital. However, the dark waters had become clearly visible, and the sight of it stirred a sense of unease within her.

It's going to be fine. The Governor can surely save the islands. Even if he can't, God Sparkle will save my daughter. Yes, there's no need to worry about it.

Donna reassured herself.

"Donna, why did the Governor treat him like that? He was clearly innocent," Jasmine spoke, breaking Donna's train of thought.

Donna placed her hand on the glass of the window, and her eyes were transfixed on the distant sea. "I don't know. Perhaps the Governor doesn't have time to deal with trivial matters."

Cosyjuhye's Thoughts

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