91: Chapter 91 Director Liu

Inside the medical tent, all sounds vanished.

The survivors, who had just been immersed in the aroma of food, raised their heads in unison and looked at the fully armed soldiers at the entrance.

Their cold tactical gear, pitch-black gun muzzles, and an aura as sharp as a steel blade made everyone instinctively hold their breath.

Holding a piping-hot lunchbox, Zhang Xuan's body instantly stiffened.

He recognized these people.

"Lord Tao... Lord Su?"

Zhang Xuan's voice trembled slightly, and the lunchbox almost slipped from his hands.

Su Mingyuan's gaze swept across the crowd, finally locking onto Zhang Xuan.

The sternness on his face instantly dissipated, replaced by a trace of a faint smile.

"It really is you."

Su Mingyuan strode over, and the squad members behind him automatically dispersed to secure the surroundings.

Zhang Xuan tried to stand up, but his leg injury made him stagger.

Su Mingyuan reached out and steadied him.

"Don't move, sit properly."

"Lord Su!" Zhang Xuan's eyes instantly turned red. "You... you saved us again. This is already... the second time."

The first time was on the wasteland.

That Divine Artifact capable of killing a Giant with a single strike—the QBU-17 heavy sniper rifle—had given him and the survivors a glimpse of hope.

The second time was just now.

That torrent of steel surging out from the red light gate, that earth-shattering artillery fire, and that armored torrent crushing everything like divine punishment had reduced tens of thousands of Giants to dust.

Twice.

Both times were at the most desperate moments for him and his companions.

Su Mingyuan patted his shoulder. "Saving people is only right. You are the last surviving humans in this world, and our Daxia will not stand idly by."

"The last remaining..."

Zhang Xuan muttered these four words repeatedly, his gaze gradually losing focus.

At this moment, Tao Zhe and the members behind them also walked in.

Tao Zhe still maintained his scholarly appearance, his gold-rimmed glasses reflecting a cold light under the illumination.

He pulled out a palm-sized tablet from his pocket. The screen lit up, displaying a map.

That was the map of the Giant World drawn by Longyan Squad based on the information previously provided by Zhang Xuan, marked with the vague locations of the seven cities.

"Captain Zhang, we need to confirm some information."

Tao Zhe's tone was gentle, but his gaze was exceptionally earnest.

He walked up to the hospital bed and handed the tablet to Zhang Xuan.

"What is the current situation of the Seven Great Cities you mentioned before...?"

Zhang Xuan stared at the seven red dots on the screen, his lips trembling.

"I... I only just found out too."

His voice grew lower and lower. "Just now... just now I asked a few survivors who escaped from Zhenyuan City."

"And then?" Su Mingyuan's voice sank.

"The Royal City... has fallen." Zhang Xuan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Not just the Royal City. Chiyan City, Liuyun City, Heishui City... all of them have fallen."

He opened his eyes, which were already brimming with tears.

"The Seven Great Cities, all breached by the Giants."

The air in the tent seemed to freeze.

The soldiers who were distributing food stopped their movements. The survivors stared blankly at Zhang Xuan; some began to sob, while others collapsed to the ground.

"It's... it's all over..."

"Even the Royal City couldn't be defended..."

"We really are... the last humans..."

The sound of crying began to spread.

Su Mingyuan and Tao Zhe exchanged glances, both seeing heaviness in each other's eyes.

Tao Zhe pushed up his glasses and said in a low voice, "This is even worse than we estimated."

Zhang Xuan suddenly grabbed Su Mingyuan's arm with startling force. "Mr. Su, our people... might truly be the last humans in this world."

His voice was filled with despair and fear.

"Originally... originally our world had billions of people," Zhang Xuan said, trembling. "After the Starfall Event, Giants appeared. One hundred years... in just one hundred years, fewer than three million people remained to hold the Seven Great Cities."

"Now that the Seven Great Cities are completely destroyed, the total number of survivors... might just be the people here."

Su Mingyuan was silent for a moment, then squatted down to look Zhang Xuan in the eye.

"Listen, Captain Zhang." His voice was firm and powerful. "You are not the last humans. From now on, Daxia will protect you. As long as we are here, the Giants can no longer harm you."

Zhang Xuan looked into Su Mingyuan's eyes. Those eyes held no pity, no charity, only a firm promise.

He nodded vigorously.

At this time, Tao Zhe spoke up. "Captain Zhang, regarding the 'Starfall Event' and the 'Heavenly Fall Abyss', can you tell us more?"

"I..." Zhang Xuan hesitated. "I am only a scout team captain; I don't know many secrets. I only know that the Heavenly Fall Abyss is near the former Royal City, which is the densest area for Giants. As for the specifics of the Starfall Event... only the higher-ups know."

"Higher-ups?" Su Mingyuan frowned. "Are there any higher-ups from your Zhenyuan City still alive?"

Zhang Xuan gave a bitter smile. "Gu Feng, the lord of Zhenyuan City, is already dead. Commander Lu Cang, Survey Corps Commander Sun Desheng... have all sacrificed themselves as well."

He paused, his gaze suddenly lighting up.

"But... there is one person who might know!"

"Who?" Tao Zhe immediately pressed.

"Director Liu, who was in charge of managing provisions."

Zhang Xuan said, "Strictly speaking, he is not from Zhenyuan City; he was sent by the Royal City ten years ago. It is said that he held a very high official rank, having once been a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works of the Great Qing Dynasty. Later, due to certain reasons, he was exiled to Zhenyuan City."

Su Mingyuan immediately stood up. "Oh? Where is he now?"

"He should be in this camp too." Zhang Xuan tried hard to recall. "I remember he was severely injured, with one arm broken... He's a fat man, very easy to recognize."

"Understood."

Su Mingyuan turned and ordered the team members behind him. "Notify the medical team to immediately find a fat man with a broken arm who previously served as the Chief of Provisions for Zhenyuan City. Report back immediately once found."

"Yes!"

A team member immediately turned and left.

In less than five minutes, a reply came through the communicator.

"Report, target found. In Medical Tent No. 3, just finished an amputation surgery, but conscious."

"Very good." Su Mingyuan looked at Tao Zhe. "Let's go."

"I'll go too." Zhang Xuan struggled to stand up.

"Your injury..."

"It's nothing!" Zhang Xuan gritted his teeth. "I must go. If Director Liu doesn't cooperate, I can persuade him. At a time like this, keeping secrets is meaningless anymore."

Su Mingyuan pondered for a moment and nodded.

Li Xiu supported Zhang Xuan, and the group left the medical tent.

Medical Tent No. 3 was even larger than the previous one.

Inside lay a dozen heavily injured people, all survivors who had narrowly escaped from the mouths of the Giants.

On the innermost hospital bed lay a plump middle-aged man.

His left arm had been severed completely from the shoulder, and the wound was wrapped tightly in white bandages, already soaked through with a layer of blood. His face was pale white, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat, but his small eyes still looked quite spirited.

"Director Liu." Zhang Xuan walked forward, his voice respectful.

When Director Liu saw Zhang Xuan, his eyes lit up. "Captain Zhang! You're still alive! That's great, that's great..."

Then he saw Su Mingyuan and the others behind Zhang Xuan.

Those people were wearing attire he had never seen before, holding weapons he could not comprehend, and exuding a suffocating coercive pressure all over their bodies.

"Who are they..."