Extraordinary Pedigree.

Chapter 704 Horse Racing: Gun of Morning Light VII
The next day, the weather was gloomy and the sky was gray.

New Manhattan Central Hospital, 350 Boulevard, New Manhattan Downtown.

The general hospital is one of the largest medical facilities in the New Manhattan area, specializing in a variety of emergency care, general medical care and care for high-risk infections.

In the room dedicated to critically ill patients.

Sophia felt an intense pain, and every nerve in her body was burning. She struggled to wake up from the dark consciousness, and her eyelids were as heavy as lead.

"what--"

Finally, she opened her eyes with difficulty, and a pure white light pierced into her vision.

She lay in a spotless white medical room, the air filled with the smell of disinfectant.

The bright shadowless lamp on the ceiling emitted a cold light, shining on her pale face.

Sophia's vision was blurry, and the world in front of her was sometimes shaking and sometimes coming into focus.

She turned her head and saw that the walls of the room were clean white and had strict sound insulation, giving people a feeling of being isolated from the world.

Beside her, several advanced medical devices were operating silently.

Her vital signs kept jumping on the monitoring screen: heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and the special fluctuations of her infection.

There was an infusion tube inserted into her right arm. The thin tube was connected to a hanging medicine bottle. The liquid slowly dripped into her veins. There were several sensors on her chest that were connected to the instruments nearby. They made slight beeping sounds and monitored her vital signs.

Sophia glanced down at her body and saw that she was wearing a loose-fitting light blue hospital gown with the hospital logo printed on the chest.

The body under the hospital gown was so weak that she could hardly move. There was a faint burning sensation in her shoulders, and the mineral disease crystals on her neck seemed to have spread deeper. She moved her fingers slightly, trying to feel the condition of her limbs, but her body seemed to be restrained and unable to move.

Her thoughts were still in a mess, and the pain in her body and the heavy feeling of fatigue made it almost impossible for her to breathe.

She blinked, trying to focus on the real world, but the memory of that moment came flooding back - Mikhail, Sleipnir, the devastating battle, the collapse of the arena.

Sophia was recalling the chaos of yesterday, with fragments of the battle filling her mind.

Suddenly, a clear and rhythmic voice interrupted her thoughts.

"You're awake."

The voice was gentle yet authoritative, and Sophia was startled.

what happened?

She didn't even notice anyone approaching.

Even though she was seriously injured now, her spirituality and infection organs were still functioning, and normally, anyone who got close to her could not escape her perception.

But this person was right next to her, and she was completely unaware.

She turned her head with difficulty, trying to see who was coming.

What came into view was a handsome young man with blond hair and golden eyes. He was lowering his head and concentrating on peeling an apple. His technique was skillful and his movements were very light. The apple skin fell off slowly under the blade like silk, curling into a complete long strip without even breaking.

The silver knife flashed a cold luster under the light, like a dancing blade.

Next to him, there was an exquisite black top hat and a silver cane, which were quietly leaning against the chair.

Sophia's eyes were fixed on the young man, her mind rapidly searching for who he was.

She spoke tentatively, with a slightly doubtful tone:

"you are……"

The blond young man smiled gently, placed the peeled apple slices in his hand on the fruit plate beside him, then turned his head to look at her with a hint of teasing in his eyes.

Those golden eyes were as dazzling as the sun, yet they contained an elusive depth.

"Didn't you write me a letter with a link in it?"

He said with a smile, his tone slightly teasing.

"Well, your habit of writing letters is really special. You like to attach "Opinions on Promoting Urbanization of New Infected People" in your emails - a full 221-page report."

Sophia was stunned and instantly understood who was in front of her.

Hugh Abraham…the fourth sword bearer in Heaven.

The moment Sophia saw Xia Xiu, her thoughts suddenly became a mess, her lips trembled slightly, and she spoke incoherently:
"I...you are...why...should I..."

Halfway through her words, she suddenly realized that she had no idea how to express the complex emotions in her heart at the moment.

The fourth sword-wielder in Heaven still maintained his indifferent smile, not at all disturbed by her confusion.

He shook his head slightly and spoke calmly:
"Mikhail ran away, and the stadium really collapsed. However, most of the people are fine. It's just that the Cultural Committee is in terrible shape. Now the Liberation Hoofbeats has openly declared war on them."

Sophia listened to Xia Xiu's brief narration with mixed feelings.

She frowned and struggled in her heart.

Mikhail's escape made her feel deeply uneasy, and the approaching hoofbeats of liberation made the whole situation more complicated and dangerous.

She recalled the murderous moment, the man who almost killed her, his power and madness made her unable to calm down.

Finally, Sophia mustered up the courage to ask:

"You... why didn't you stop the sound of liberation? With your power, with the power of your management bureau, you can easily solve the problem of liberation..."

"Also, you were there at the time, right? Why didn't you kill Mikhail?
He is extremely dangerous... He is completely out of control and filled with hatred towards society and the infected.

His power...if left unchecked, will cause even greater disaster! He is not only the leader of the Hoofbreak, he is also a potential source of disaster! "

Her words were full of anxiety and worry, and she obviously had a deep understanding of Mikhail's dangerousness.

Mikhail can no longer explain the motives of his actions in terms of morality and ideology. He is now more like a ruler with extreme ideology who may cause an irreparable disaster at any time.

Xia Xiu raised his head slightly, and his golden eyes fell indifferently on Sophia's face. His gaze seemed to penetrate her soul and capture all the struggles and pain in her heart.

His eyes were deep and calm, as if he saw through everything, with an indescribable indifference and calmness.

He pursed his lips lightly, and the voice slowly flowed out from his throat, as gentle as drizzle, but with a certain irresistible power:
“If a person always holds on to hatred, he is like a beast that insists on licking its old wounds over and over again. Every licking will cause the wound to tear again and bleed again.

No matter how much time passes, this wound will never heal. The obsession with revenge will make the injured forget how to let go, and forget how to let the wound truly rest and recover. "

“The same thing applies to groups.”

"Liberation Hoofbeats and Mikhail, they are the scars of the infected group, the concentrated embodiment of your many wounds. They keep tearing their wounds again and again, refusing to let them heal, but instead letting them deteriorate, pus and decay until... partial necrosis."

"How do many of you view angels? They look up to us, hoping that we can bring change, bring salvation."

“The Kingdom of Heaven also hoped to act with love as its motive, with God’s will as its destination, and with truth as its axis—but reality never allows such an ideal route.”

"Love is always betrayed, God's will is always unpredictable, and truth is full of lies."

There was an almost imperceptible hint of self-mockery on his face, and the smile was fleeting, like a mockery of some kind of naivety.

“If I must become an absolute ruler and must create a country where there is no resistance, I will do it without hesitation.

I don't need to worry about whether those scars go from partial decay to total collapse.

I will use the most direct method to cut off all voices of resistance and forcibly create a seemingly perfect order. "

Sophia's breathing became rapid, and her emotions were almost out of control. She trembled and retorted:
"But you let them continue to die... You watched and did nothing..." Her voice gradually became low, as if she was in endless pain.

She stared fixedly at the fourth sword-bearer in the Kingdom of Heaven, her eyes flashing with undisguised sorrow and despair, as if she was longing for some kind of redemption.

Her lips trembled slightly as she murmured:

"We...we...we...just want to live, to live with the dignity that humans deserve."

At that moment, Sophia let go of all her strength and disguise, and her eyes were filled with powerlessness and fatigue.

Although her voice was soft, it was filled with deep longing and pleading, expressing the plight and suffering of the entire infected community:
“Everyone calls me the morning light, but I know that I am not the real morning light… I am just that weak match.

Since I founded the Pseudo-Human Movement Alliance seven years ago, I have been burning every day, burning my life, burning my will, just to allow more people... more infected people to live with everything that a human being should have. "

"I'm not complaining... nor am I trying to say how great I am."

"I just know that as the founder of the alliance, I have a responsibility. This responsibility is so heavy that it makes it hard for me to breathe. I often feel like I can't hold on any longer."

Her voice gradually became firm, but the sadness still lingered:

"I know I am that match, a match lit in the dark. Burning once may be enough."

"My only fear is that my burning will not bring about a blazing flame..."

"And if I can light this fire, then what do I have to fear? What regrets do I have?"

The fourth sword-wielding man in the Kingdom of Heaven listened quietly, his golden eyes were deep and calm, his expression was still warm but indifferent enough.

He gently placed the apple in his hand on the small table next to the bed and said calmly:
"The nature of a crowd is to tend either toward herbs or toward weeds. So water the herbs and pull out the weeds at the right time."

As Xia Xiu spoke, he slowly took something out from his arms.

Sophia's eyes then fixed on the object, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

It was a disc—a beautifully engraved disc.

The disc depicts a knight holding a lance, a flag fluttering in the wind, snake shadows hovering around him, and the horse he rides has bat-like wings and emits an eerie glow.

The knight has an upright posture and a gentle and polite face, but the evilness of the horse and the snake gives the whole scene an eerie atmosphere.

Xia Xiu's gaze gently fell on the disc, his golden eyes flashing with a meaningful luster, as if he was looking at an insignificant symbol.

"The truly terrifying one among you..." The voice of the fourth sword-bearer in the Kingdom of Heaven was like a bell echoing in the air, carrying a certain scrutiny and insight.

"It's not the hatred that occasionally arises in people's minds, but the fallacies and prejudices that are entrenched deep in their hearts and cannot be shaken off."

"Will you choose to continue licking your wounds, or let them heal?"

His voice did not rise; it was low and slow, without emotion or compassion.

"The choice is in your hands, and I will just watch quietly."

After he finished speaking, he stopped looking at Sophia.

He stretched out his left hand and gently placed the disc and the cut apple on the table next to Sofia's bed.

Sophia stared at the disc blankly, her eyes blank for a moment.

dong dong dong-

Her heart beat faster, her breathing became rapid, and she could hardly believe her eyes - it was not an ordinary disc.

She could feel the hunger of her soul coming from the disc, and the power vaguely touched the deepest desires in her heart.

The thing she had always dreamed of, the desire that had appeared in her dreams countless times, was now in front of her - a secret key to domination.

The disc seemed to have life, flashing with some unspeakable power. It called her, tempted her, and promised her the gift of some kind of power.

Her heart was beating faster, almost jumping out of her chest.

There seemed to be a hot energy surging in the body, and that energy was accompanied by longing and desire, like a long-sleeping giant beast awakening.

And she, standing on the brink of collapse and choice, felt an unprecedented power surging in her body.

Xia Xiu had already turned and left, his back gradually disappearing at the door of the ward, as if he had never set foot here.

Those who remain have only one chance to choose.

*
*
When the figure of the fourth sword-bearer of the Heavenly Kingdom completely disappeared at the door of the ward, the whole room suddenly became quiet and silent.

Sophia was still lying on the hospital bed. The pure white walls of the ward looked deserted under the dim light. Only the regular "beeping" sound of the electrocardiogram monitor broke the tranquility.

Her eyes were fixed on the disc on the table.

Under the reflection of the light, the surface of the disc seemed to be jumping slightly, flashing a mysterious luster, as if it was breathing in the light and dark like a living being.

The light was not dazzling, but it had an irresistible attraction, like a silent seducer, quietly awakening her deepest desires.

Sophia's fingers trembled slightly, her breathing gradually became rapid, and her chest seemed to be pressed down by an invisible force, making it difficult for her to breathe.

The moment her fingertips touched the disc, the chill instantly spread along her fingertips and reached her heart.

The cold sweat oozing from her palms gradually wet her palms, her body trembled slightly, and the disc was gradually absorbing her will.

"choose……"

There seemed to be a low murmur in her ears, with a strange temptation, gently teasing her nerves.

The voice seemed to come from the ancient abyss, yet seemed to be very close, whispering and calling, with endless promises.

Sophia subconsciously retracted her hand, but the voice of longing still refused to dissipate:

"If you were a match, you would light something, right?"

These words were like an invisible shackle that tightly bound her heart.

"I am a match...burning once is enough."

Her throat was dry, and the words she once said to Xia Xiu seemed to ring in her ears again. The voice was low and firm, but at this moment, echoing in her mind, it was filled with a bit of self-mockery.

The faint light of the disc was still flickering, and the whispering did not stop. Instead, it became stronger and stronger, like an endless elegy, echoing endlessly in her ears.

This secret key is unruly, and Sophia must tame it with her own will.

She closed her eyes, her spiritual struggle calming down violently.

Countless images flashed through her mind - those infected people who fought with her, those compatriots who lost their homes, those eyes full of hope, and those indomitable wills.

She finally opened her eyes, and the look in her eyes was no longer filled with confusion and fear, but was filled with complex determination.

Sophia knew she had to make a choice.

She slowly reached out her hand and touched the disc again.

This time, the fingers did not tremble.

……

……