Chapter 5 Rescue The Old Slave

"Miss, why did you come here?" The guard, who had been shouting harshly just now, immediately put on an obsequious smile, ready to curry favor with the noble girl in front of him. But suddenly, he was hit by a small stone on the back. He instinctively wanted to turn around and look, but because he was facing the noble, he forced himself to hold back. The expression on his face was stiff and awkward, looking rather comical. Atar, hiding behind the huge rock, with another small stone between his two fingers. His eyes landed on the fawning guard, with a hint of mockery in his eyes. "My father is the master of this city. I'm here to inspect the mine on his behalf. I never expected you to treat the slaves like this. You must remember that you can't treat slaves with mere violence." The noble girl frowned and was about to scold some more. The guard still had a sycophantic smile on his face, but he sneered inwardly. The nobles were always hypocritical. These slaves were hardly considered human, were they? Just as he was thinking this, another stone hit the back of his head. He finally couldn't help but let out an "ouch". Fuming, he was about to find the culprit behind him, but was stopped by the noble girl in front. "I'm talking to you! Did you hear me?" "Yes, yes, I heard you." Seeing the chaotic scene over there, Atar turned his attention to the old slave who was still lying on the ground. He knew this old slave; he was probably one of the slaves who had been in this mine the longest. Atar lowered his head and opened his palm. His palm was covered with calluses from years of hard work. He clenched his hand into a fist, suppressing the slight smile that had appeared when he was teasing the guard. His eyes were fixed on the fallen slave. Atar wanted to help him. He scanned around him, and his gaze suddenly stopped when he noticed the pickaxe on the ground. He bent down, picked it up, and weighed it in his hand a few times. This thing would do just fine. Clang! Gripping the pickaxe, Atar drove its tip hard into the crack between the huge rock and the mine hill. He forcefully lifted his hand while pushing his foot against the side of the mountain wall. "Crunch-crunch." Tiny pieces of broken stones fell off the mountain wall, making sounds as if they couldn't bear the weight. The pickaxe reached the same angle as the horizontal plane. Lift it higher! The huge rock suddenly broke away from the mine hill. The round boulder, following the force of gravity, rolled down the sloping ground and crashed into the opposite hill! The ground shook, and the loud noise drew everyone's attention. The noble girl stumbled a few times and almost fell to the ground. Before she could steady herself, she urgently asked, "What's going on?" She lifted her legs and started walking in the direction of the boulder. "Miss! Miss!" The guard, afraid that something might happen to the noble in the mine, closely followed her. Atar was closely watching the situation over there. As soon as they walked into a blind spot of his sight. Now was the time. He dashed out like a crafty rabbit. Atar quickly rushed to the side of the old slave, put the old slave's hand on his shoulder, and then hid in the entrance of a nearby mine tunnel. In the deep and secluded mine tunnel, only the echo of rapid footsteps could be heard. Atar gently placed the old slave against the wall and asked softly, "Are you okay?" He knelt halfway on the ground. The small stones on the ground slightly pressed against his knees, but he didn't care at all. The old slave didn't answer Atar. Instead, he coughed continuously. His dark face, tanned from years of exposure to the sun, was burning hot. When Atar touched the old slave's skin, he felt a burst of heat, and his heart sank. The old slave would die like this, right? The life of a slave here was worthless. It wouldn't matter even if one died. Suddenly, an uncontrollable voice emerged in his heart, and Atar's hand paused involuntarily. The old slave on the ground struggled to get up, waking Atar from his thoughts. "If I don't finish the work, I'll be..." "Don't move! You'll die if you keep this up!" Atar stopped the old slave's movement. His eyes were full of worry, but he didn't consider the old slave's feelings when he said, "Just stay here." The old slave stopped moving, but there was no light in his cloudy eyes. "Whether I die or not... I don't care anymore." He had been a slave since childhood, growing up and then growing old. Countless slaves he knew had died at different times. Now it was just his turn. Besides, there was no real difference between being alive and dead. Atar's expression changed slightly. An overwhelming sense of sadness suddenly welled up in his heart. His voice was a bit hoarse as he said, "At least you're still alive. Keep living." He not only wanted to change his own fate but also save the lives of others. "I'll go find medicine for you." Atar lifted his eyes again. His blue eyes now burned with a different kind of fire than before. Atar stood up and was about to walk out when, suddenly, someone grabbed his drooping arm. He instinctively looked back. "What are you trying to do!" Kaveh's emotions suddenly became agitated. Speaking tugged at his wounds, causing another fit of violent coughing. That passionate look in the eyes. Kaveh had seen it before, in his old friend, the appearance of someone who refused to accept their fate as a slave and fought back! But after that look had ignited in his old friend's eyes, he died under the guards' blades. Seeing Kaveh's intense reaction, Atar quickly guessed what he was worried about. He gently held the wrinkled hand in a reassuring way, his eyes bright. "Don't worry. I won't do anything too extreme." Then, without a trace of hesitation, he walked out of the mine tunnel. The light at the entrance shone on him, faintly outlining the edges of his figure. Kaveh, whose eyes were usually half - closed due to old age, now widened, staring fixedly at the receding figure. He didn't believe that Atar could achieve anything. A sense of endless sadness filled his heart. Was he going to watch someone else die again? Inside the mine, Atar tried to avoid the guards' sight. He pressed himself against the side of the mine, his scanning eyes spotting the rows of neatly - arranged guards' dormitories in the distance. There was surely no medicine in the large communal beds where the slaves lived in the mine. So he could only take a risk and give it a try. Someone was coming! Atar shrank back, pressing his whole body tightly against the mine, hiding in the blind spot of the patrolling guards' line of sight, with a large stone in his hand. The guards' steps were lazy. They didn't even form a proper line, and there were gaps everywhere in the loose formation that could be attacked. Atar kept his eyes on the last guard in the line, who was moving the slowest. This guard even yawned when passing by the place where Atar was hiding. The perfect moment! Atar stretched out his hand and firmly covered the guard's mouth, preventing him from making any sound. The stone hit the guard's neck quickly and accurately, and the guard's whole body went limp. Atar dragged him to the side. Atar put on the guard's neatly - arranged clothes. He put on the military - style long boots on his legs, clapped his hands, and took a glance back before leaving. The former guard, with a rag stuffed in his mouth and now dressed like a slave, was tightly tied up by Atar. A big bunch of keys was turning in his hand, and Atar was humming a cheerful tune as he walked right up to the front door of the guards' dormitory. "Isn't it your shift now? Why are you back?" The guard at the door slightly raised his eyes in surprise and casually glanced at Atar, but didn't make any move to stop him from entering the dormitory. "I didn't sleep well last night, so I'm back to catch up on some sleep." Atar winked and imitated what he'd heard before, speaking without hesitation. His words and actions seemed swaggering, and he didn't look guilty at all. "Oh, then go in. Come out later and relieve me." The guard at the door waved his hand indifferently. He was a bit sleepy too, and his words hinted at Atar. "No problem, buddy." As soon as Atar was out of sight of the guard at the door, a bead of sweat instantly rolled down his face, which had been relaxed just now. His heart, hidden in his chest, was pounding thump, thump. If he dragged it out any longer, he'd probably be found out. Facing the dormitory number on the nameplate, with a big bunch of keys in his hand, sweat dripping down his face one drop after another, he tried one key after another. His hands moved faster and faster. "Bahram? Weren't you out on patrol?" A voice suddenly came from behind, calling out the name of the dormitory owner. It scared Atar so much that his heart skipped a beat. He swallowed a few times, then turned around at a normal speed, trying to relax the expression on his face. "Are you also Bahram's friend?" His tone showed familiarity with 'Bahram'.