The moment those few unfriendly figures appeared unexpectedly, Alvis instinctively leapt up from the ground, unconsciously seeking cover and reaching for his weapon.

But when he patted himself down, all he felt were some clothes and a daylight stone lantern, only then realizing he was just an ordinary fugitive.

Under the ferocious gazes like wolves, Alvis abandoned any unrealistic idea of physical confrontation and slowly raised his hands, as one of the typical Karuk men in the group was gripping a bowgun, the uranium marker glowing brilliantly.

The patrol officers wielding iron rods slowly approached, then suddenly attacked! One rod struck Alvis' back, causing him to cry out in pain as he fell to the ground.

Seeing her husband heavily struck, Helen was terrified and hurried to try to help him up, but several fierce-looking patrol officers quickly pounced on her, pinning her to the ground with an indescribable malice in their eyes.

"Mom!"

Misha screamed in fright at the sudden assault. The Karuk man holding the bowgun looked over, then took large strides forward and viciously struck her on the back of the head with the bowgun stock, immediately knocking the little girl unconscious.

"You wouldn't even question them first? You dare lay hands on women and children!"

Alvis' paternal wrath was triggered, and he furiously shouted, but as he watched, one of the patrol officers struck his spine with a rod, the excruciating pain causing him to bury his head and nails deep into the mud, unable to speak.

Although Alvis had some knowledge of magic and was unafraid of combat situations, his family was here now. The enemy was armed with crossbows capable of easily killing seven people and a dragon, as his own group had experienced after leaving Raphael's territory. Alvis dared not take any reckless gambles.

"Hey! Guys! There's an infant here too!"

The Karuk man, seeing they had easily taken control of the situation, pointed and laughed brazenly at the swaddled baby under the tree.

"Is that so? Chief, infants count as people too, right? That means we've got four targets in one go."

One of the squad members said cheerfully. Their squad was responsible for patrolling the southern suburbs of the city district. As long as no one was missing at the daily roll call, they were considered competent. But if they could catch fugitives, there were generous material rewards.

And every week, all patrol officers had to be reassigned to new squads to prevent small groups from forming and conspiring to escape.

The one guarding Alvis drooled, "One fugitive is worth two thick beef ribeye steaks, a small bag of pepper plus a large barrel of ale, and a sack of potatoes. Four people…oh my!"

Raphael delivered food supplies to the city district every day, which were then distributed by the stationed dragon kins.

But distributing rations to a million people was obviously a complex management task that the dragon kins were incapable of handling themselves, so they subcontracted it to the twelve noble families.

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Who then skimmed off a portion to use as bait to encourage the populace to self-monitor, saving a lot of management trouble.

Meat, alcohol, and stimulating spices were undoubtedly precious resources in the resource-scarce Erl, enough to make the patrol officers' eyes widen as they searched every bush for any signs of people hiding.

After imagining the rewards they were about to receive, they slowly quieted down, shamelessly letting their gazes rove over Helen's body.

At this point, Helen was lying on the ground, her clothes torn in many places from the long journey and recent scuffle, exposing her pale, lotus-like skin to the sunlight. Her black hair was disheveled, and with her teeth clenched in a helpless expression, it aroused in them a desire for violence.

The environment in Erl was full of oppressive tension. Aside from the twelve noble families and Raphael himself who could move about freely, even the dragon kins like Milmos and the nominal dwarven rulers had no independent time, let alone the lowly patrol officers.

They were busy patrolling and reporting every day, while everyone else was equally busy working, with no time for "romance." Human desire always seeks release, and now seemed an opportune moment.

That Karuk man with the bowgun kicked aside the unconscious Misha on the ground, then looked around with a malicious smile. The forest was quiet, with only the faint chirping of birds and the rustle of leaves in the cool breeze—a tranquil scene matching the desires smoldering in their hearts.

"Come here!"

The Karuk man signaled his companions to move away, then approached and grabbed Helen's chin, his waxy eagle-hooked nose nearing to sniff her bodily fragrance as his tongue unconsciously moistened his lips.

"Hold her down! We'll take turns, one by one."

He stepped back with a sinister laugh and ordered. The other patrol officers immediately grabbed Helen to restrain her in position.

"No! No! Let me go! Alvis, save me!"

Helen, realizing what was happening, cried out desperately for help while struggling with all her might to break free. But these patrol officers were in their prime, their strength far exceeding that of a feeble woman. No matter how hard Helen struggled, it was futile.

"Damn it!"

Lying on the ground with blood trickling from the corners of his eyes and nose, Alvis was now powerless, unable even to lift his head. But he could still faintly hear his wife's cries for help, his anger reaching its limit!

Tragically, however, this was the cold, material world where the power of will could hardly bridge the gap with reality. He was powerless to change anything, only able to watch as a group of strangers beat his family and attempted to violate his partner.

"Power! Authority! If only I had those, who would dare oppress my family!"

This was Alvis' inner cry.

"If I had power, the people of Deluca would never dare retaliate against me! They could never make me take such risks! And the Moray people! If I was born with Cornet's status, how could their spies have arrested me? How would I have ended up here, disgraced by a bunch of ruffians!"

Alvis finally understood that his constant forbearance for his family's sake was simply foolish! Only by climbing to the highest peak and towering over everyone else could he find true safety, the so-called paradise existing in the eye of the storm.

But now he had no means to change anything, only to accept the double torment of body and spirit.

Not far away, the Karuk man was still complaining: "Damn it! Why is it so difficult to take off this woman's clothes! Stop holding her, let go! I'll strip her naked and do it again."

Just as the sordid act was about to unfold, an ominous, foul wind brought a shift in fate!

"What are you lot doing?!"

A grating human voice suddenly came from above. The patrol officers hurriedly looked up to see a gigantic winged beast carrying a rodent-like being.

They knew this was a dragon kin offspring of that godlike crimson dragon, toward whom even the noble lords and dwarves dared not disobey.

"Great dragon kin! We've captured four fugitives and were just questioning them!"

The sly Karuk man quickly stepped forward with an ingratiating smile, not showing any sign as he casually tightened his belt and used his top to cover himself.

The other officers also promptly shed their arrogant demeanors, carrying the unconscious Misha and sleeping Heiss over while dragging Alvis by the shoulders to line up before the crimson rat dragon.