Augustus Road

"This guy dared to resist me when faced with my fascist punishment, Julus, the tribune of the people! No one in Rome dared to hurt the tribunes. Today he defied the power of the tribunes. "I paid the price with my life." The tribune named Rurus, with a bruise on his face, stood on the podium among the people and roared, while the audience was filled with bloodthirsty shouts, "I declare. , his family must immediately hand over the ill-gotten gains plundered from us, 30,000 sesterces, otherwise we will insult and destroy this guy’s body and throw the remains into the Tiber River!”

Seeing this scene, Calabis's heart gradually twisted. He decided to go to Apilon first. Now, to stay with his family and protect them, he put aside the matter of Langisi's key for the time being.

At this time, Catiline's voice suddenly sounded behind him: "Today, I seem to have seen the wife and adopted son of a foreign freeman, heading in the direction of Apilon. The groom's skills are very poor. , and got stuck in a ditch on the side of the road. It took a lot of effort to lift the car out - I hope the child in the woman's belly is okay, because the moisture in the early morning is too strong, I hope I can. That’s right. Excuse me, are those your family members, Karabis?”

"I warn you again, don't fight against my family, otherwise I swear, you will die ugly." Calabis turned around and said to Catiline who was standing behind him.

At this time, Catiline's followers, numbering in the hundreds, gathered from various street corners and blocked Calabis inside. Catiline smiled and said: "Oh, Calabis, you misunderstood Yes, I told you, everything I did was for the well-being of this city. I am a kind and upright nobleman, and I will not kill anyone in the city of Rome - oh, unless like that guy, he dares to offend the protectors. Officer. But I also have my own reasons. Some of my followers are in Capua, in the Pletes Fortress, and may be heading towards Apilon - I can't control their emotions, just like I couldn't control them just now. Like Julus the Tribune."

Calabis slowly pulled out the fighting sword and pointed it at Catiline. The entire small square was filled with flying sand, whirlwinds coming and going, and the shouts of people from all directions. His mind went blank, and his chest and abdomen Faintly aching from regret.

"Your prostitute wife's stomach has probably been cut open now, and the bitch born to you and her will still be bloody on the street, untouchable!"

"Their bodies will be hung together on the Apilon aqueduct."

"Beat him to death, beat him with a club, and throw his body directly into the Tiber River."

Such shouts were everywhere.

"Who dares." Calabis roared, and then he yanked out a bunch of keys, "The person who came to the Claudius family apartment to look for Langis that day must be one of yours. Now his keys are with me. , Catiline, I already know all your secrets!" The last sentence was obviously nonsense from Calabis.

Catiline was indeed a little uneasy, but he quickly calmed down and continued to smile, saying, "Do you want to use this thing to save the lives of your whole family? Tsk tsk..."

"Don't be nagging! They are all in the Temple of Juno. I will give them to Cicero. You can talk to him completely."

"You can't run away. All my people are here. As long as I give the order, they will tear you into pieces! Now listen to me and hand over the key. You still have a chance to live." Catiline used He grabbed his collar with both hands, his neck was blood red, and threatened.

On the other side of the block, Kaimes, who had finished handling official duties at the high priest's residence, and several priests came over when they saw the bloody scene. Then, Kaimes, who was standing on a small altar in a block, was shocked. Seeing the surrounded Calabis, this young clerk had been involved in Roman "street performance art" for many years, and saw the corpse hanging at the racecourse. He understood everything at once, and pushed a priest back and said, " Go and call someone, Cicero, Cato the Younger, or anyone else!"

But Catiline had lost his patience, and he howled: "Jurus, what are you and your girdle waiting for!?"

Along with his cry, a ray of blue-purple lightning split through the ink-black clouds, intertwined several times on the roofs of several buildings, and with a roar, amidst the screams of everyone in the small square, it fell. The roof of the racecourse exploded with clouds of sparks. The freeman's body was wrapped in electricity, and with the broken wrought iron roof supports, it fell hard and hit the high ground with a crash. On the high podium, Rurus and his subordinates had broken beams on their heads, with flames and blood flying everywhere.

At this time, even Kaimes and the priests who were watching were fighting. Catiline's followers were lying on the ground, not daring to raise their eyes. Kaimes faced the strong wind, and in a hurry, he shouted: " The wrath of Jupiter, the wrath of Jupiter! Hurry, all men, and make a tomb for the lightning, and appease the wrath of the Lord of Rome.”

Several priests understood and hurried to the place where the thunder fell. They raised their hands and shouted strange spells. Everyone did not dare to neglect and went to look for bricks and wood to follow the priests' instructions to build a "lightning tomb".

The Romans were an extremely superstitious people, especially afraid of lightning in the sky, believing it to be a punishment from Jupiter. Once it fell, anyone who was hit by lightning had to be buried on the spot, and bricks and wood blocks were immediately piled on and around it. Even if the tree was hit, the fruit could not be picked, the fruit could not be used to make wine or jam, and it could not be used to worship the gods. It had to be surrounded by wire and refused to be touched again - these were called "lightning graves".

Everyone ran to the collapsed podium and found that it had been smashed into a horrible blood pit. Broken limbs, black iron, and clothing fragments were mixed together with wisps of blue smoke. The tribune Jurus was split into two pieces by the wrought iron brought down by the freeman's body. The upper half of his body was charred black, twisting slightly, and seemed to be breathing and groaning, until the bricks rained down and piled on his head, and then there was no sound.

"Damn it, Carapis!" Catiline roared when he saw Carapis running away like the wind. Then he pushed the people around him and told them to chase and kill the foreigner. But Carapis turned a few times in the alley as if he had a map of Rome in his head, and then abandoned all the people and disappeared in the flashes of lightning.

Catiline was so angry that he raised his fist and roared. He looked at the altar over there. Kaimais had already escaped, and then two followers ran over in panic, "Cicero is coming here."

"Let's go first." Catiline gestured angrily, and then retreated to the other side of the bridge under the protection of a group of people.

In front of Timothy's clinic, the corridor was full of injured patients. These were all victims of a new round of oppression on the streets of Rome in the past one or two months. They were also Timothy's sponsors. His surgical fees had risen to 300 dinars per session. Even those Indians had to pay 200 silver coins to use them.

An Indian saw the evil star named Carapis standing in front of the porch amidst the thunder and lightning, holding a sword, and said to him: "Tell Timothy to come out, quickly..."

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