26: Chapter 26 This is home!

Seeing that everyone still looked incredulous, Zhou Yun smiled and instructed, "Wan'er, take them to the west side of the city!"

"Yes!"

This time, not a single refugee raised an objection.

And no one hesitated.

"Let's go! Keep up!" The Refugee Leader was the first to turn back, then strode towards the west city gate.

It was ridiculous to think otherwise—the man had even taken out precious Spirit Rice for them to eat, and he had so many Professionals under his command; if he really wanted to harm them, would he have waited until now?

And so, the crowd of tens of thousands marched in a grand procession through the deep, dim city gate tunnel.

The tunnel was cold and damp, with biting winds whistling through it. With every step, the snow underfoot crunched, sending shivers down their spines.

However.

The moment the Refugee Leader, who was walking at the very front, took the final step out of the gate tunnel.

Whoosh!

It was as if an invisible giant hand had suddenly torn apart the gray curtain shrouding the world.

The dazzling light made him instinctively squint his eyes.

Immediately after, the biting, knife-like wind he had expected did not blow.

Instead, a warm, spring-like breeze instantly rushed toward him, seeping into every open pore.

"This... this is..."

The Refugee Leader slowly opened his eyes, stunned by the scene before him!

He saw that the area outside the west gate, which should have been a frozen, desolate wasteland, was now...

Under the Blazing Sun!

Above was a cloudless azure sky, and the golden sunlight was generously spilling over the earth.

The wasteland, originally covered in snow, was now covered in lush green grass, and the air was even filled with the fragrance of soil and grass!

He turned his head stiffly.

At the base of the city wall, just a few meters behind him, snow was still falling, and the wind was howling.

Yet, right under his feet, right here outside the west gate, it was as warm as spring!

A single step separated winter and summer!

A single step separated Hell and heaven!

"Mommy... it's so warm..."

In the crowd, a little girl whose face was red from the cold poked her head out comfortably from her mother's arms.

She stretched out her little hand, wanting to catch the golden sunlight, her eyes squinting comfortably into a slit.

Hearing the child's innocent voice, the mother holding her was already in tears.

She tremblingly unwrapped the tattered cloth covering the child, feeling the real warmth, and choked with sobs: "Yes... it's so warm!"

Tens of thousands of refugees stood under the sun, each of them gawking with their mouths wide open, like a group of bumpkins who had stumbled into fairyland.

Some pinched their thighs, some knelt on the ground to touch the warm soil, and others stared blankly at the sun in the sky, wondering if they had already died and arrived in another world!

"Are you stunned already?" A Flower City resident nearby couldn't help but tease with a smile: "Close your mouths, don't let your jaws hit the ground!"

"This big brother..." The Refugee Leader grabbed a passing worker, his voice trembling, "This... what is this situation? Why is it like this?"

A look of unconcealable pride instantly appeared on the worker's face, "This is, of course, because our City Lord used a City Lord Skill!"

City Lord Skill!!

As soon as these three words were spoken, the refugee group instantly erupted.

They shook their heads like rattles.

"How is that possible!!"

"Isn't a City Lord Skill a skill that only a Destined City Lord can master?"

"It's too incredible!"

"Then what else could it be?" The worker pointed to the sun overhead: "Isn't the fact right before your eyes? Besides a City Lord Skill, besides a Destined City Lord, who can make the heavens change their face?"

"Or are you saying you don't think our City Lord is worthy?"

Hearing this, everyone instinctively nodded, but then immediately shook their heads frantically.

Everyone had heard the legend of the Destined City Lord.

Everyone hoped to meet such a City Lord and live a happy life under his rule.

But that was a legend after all!

How could a legendary thing appear in reality?

But on second thought...

Since being driven out of the city, they had passed through six cities.

But no matter which city's lord it was, they all looked down their noses at them, treating them like blades of grass!

For their requests to enter the city, they were either met with dogs or arrows!

Only this city.

Only this City Lord!

The power under his command was stronger than any other City Lord's subordinates they had seen before!

Yet not only did he not bully the weak, he even gave them Spirit Rice to eat!

Instead of blaming them for breaking the city, he allowed them to stay in Flower City!

All these anomalies, all these favors—even if he weren't the "Destined City Lord" from the legends, he was the Destined City Lord in their hearts!!

"Yes! Why should I doubt it? He is the Destined City Lord! He is!"

The Refugee Leader muttered to himself, the doubt in his eyes completely dissipating, replaced by a fanatical worship.

The remaining refugees also realized this one by one.

A kind of happiness, a kind of satisfaction, began to grow and spread wildly in their hearts.

Just then, more than twenty scribes holding pens and ink, led by Wan'er, walked over.

"Come," the lead scribe opened a thick roster and beckoned to the refugees who were still dazed, "If you are willing to stay, come and register!"

"Write down your name, receive your waist tag, and from now on, you are legitimate citizens of our Flower City!"

Under the warm sun outside the west gate, the long line was arranged in an orderly manner.

No fighting, no noise.

The scribes' pen tips moved quickly across the paper, recording names that had almost become history.

"Name?"

"Zhao Daniu."

"Specialty?"

"I... I have strength, I can carry bags."

"Okay, this is your identity waist tag, take it well."

The young scribe handed over a new waist tag that emitted a faint wood fragrance, and then, without raising his head, pointed to the open space next to him, saying casually:

"Go and line up over there, don't rush to work yet."

Zhao Daniu held the waist tag in both hands as if it were a treasure, and asked honestly: "My Lord, why not let us work? I'm full, I have plenty of strength, I don't feel at ease if I don't work!"

The scribe smiled and said:

"No need to rush to work."

"After everyone is registered, we still have to report to the City Lord, and have his elderly self go through the trouble of removing the metal rings from your necks first."

After saying this, he continued to greet the next person: "Next!"

However, Zhao Daniu did not leave.

Not just him, but the refugees around who heard this sentence were all frozen in place as if they had been hit by a freezing spell.

Some picked their ears, wondering if they had heard wrong.

"My... My Lord... what did you just say... remove... remove what?"

"The metal rings." The scribe pointed to the cold collar with a flashing red light on Zhao Daniu's neck.

Huh???

The refugees looked at each other, their eyes full of disbelief.

Metal rings... removed?

They knew both terms.

Metal rings represented shackles, represented shame, represented a sword hanging over their heads.

Removed meant dismantled, meant putting them down.

But...

Can these five words really be combined?

Even in an Intermediate city, even in a lower-level city, metal rings were something every citizen had to wear!

Removed?

How to remove it?

"It won't be to cut off my head, right?" A timid refugee covered his neck in horror.

"Don't talk nonsense!" The Refugee Leader scolded, pushed out of the crowd, came to the scribe, and asked nervously:

"My Lord... you aren't joking, are you?"

"This is a metal ring that monitors vital signs and contribution points! It's a rule set by the higher-ups... by those big shots!"

"Can this thing... really be removed?"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone suddenly screamed as if they had discovered a new continent, pointing at the Flower City citizens working nearby,

"They... why are there no metal rings on their necks?!"

Because they were too hungry and cold just now, and later shocked by the Spirit Rice and the City Lord Skill, they had ignored this most obvious and incongruous detail!

Looking around.

Whether it was these scribes writing, the workers moving bricks, or the old lady sweeping the floor.

Their necks were all bare!

There was no damned, cold metal collar representing enslavement and death!

"Haha, you're talking about this?" A young man who was carrying stones stopped and showed a proud smile on his face:

"What's there to be surprised about?"

"On the very first day the City Lord descended upon Flower City, he abolished that damn thing in front of the whole city!"

Speaking of this, he puffed out his chest, his voice loud, as if announcing some truth:

"The City Lord said that as long as he is still in Flower City for one day, the people of our Flower City will never have to wear that thing! And never have to worry about being expelled for falling into some bullshit execution line!"

What?!

The refugees' emotions were completely out of control!

If the previous City Lord Skill shocked their senses.

Then these words directly exploded their Souls!

Abolish the execution line!

There will never be an execution line!

As long as he is here, no one will be expelled!

These few sentences echoed wildly in every refugee's mind, like rolling thunder!

Why did they wander?

Because of the execution line.

Why were they treated like trash?

Because of the execution line.

Why did they live like ghosts and not like humans?

It was still because of that damned execution line hanging over their heads!

And now.

Someone told them that here, that line... doesn't exist?

"Is this... the Destined City Lord..."

The Refugee Leader felt his legs could no longer support the weight of his body.

He looked at the young figure talking to Wan'er not far away, his vision becoming blurry once again.

If giving food is kindness.

Giving sunlight is a miracle.

Then abolishing the execution line, giving them freedom and dignity... this is salvation!

"Wuu wuu wuu..."

In the crowd, it was unknown who cried out first.

Immediately after, the crying connected into one.

But this time, it was no longer sad weeping, but a wailing of grievances that had been suppressed for half a lifetime, finally finding an outlet!

Waves of unprecedented warmth surged from their hearts, washing away the scars left by years of indifference and discrimination.

This time.

They knew.

They, this group of unwanted wild dogs, had really met their fated savior!

Forget everything else!

From now on, here, this is home!

Even if they die, they want to die in this place without metal rings!

"Here, take it."

"This is yours, don't lose it."

"And yours."

Outside the west gate, at the registration office, brand new wooden waist tags were handed into the hands of the refugees.

The waist tags were not exquisite, just polished from ordinary pine wood, with their names and numbers engraved on them, emitting a faint wood fragrance.

But for these refugees, this light wooden tag was heavier than a thousand gold pieces.

This was not just proof of identity.

This was the "root" they had finally found in this cruel world.

"Am... Am I a Flower City person now?"

Zhao Daniu stroked the "Zhao" character with ink still wet on the waist tag, smiling foolishly, his eyes turning red as he smiled.

Watching their bewildered, both happy and fearful appearance, the old Flower City residents who were busy around them all showed kind smiles on their faces.

Just a few days ago, they were the same.

That sense of unreality of crawling back to the human world from Hell, they understood too well.

"Hey! That big guy! Don't be happy foolishly there!" An old worker who was passing by carrying wood stopped and waved at Zhao Daniu,

"Do you have strength? I'm short of people here, come and give me a hand?"

"Ah? Hey! Coming! Coming!" Zhao Daniu woke up like a dream, stuffed the waist tag into his chest, placed it close to his body, and then strode over, "Big brother, what to do? I have plenty of strength!"

With the active acceptance and guidance of these "old-timers," more than 30,000 newcomers soon broke down barriers and integrated into this surging construction torrent.

There is strength in numbers.

With the addition of these 30,000 fresh troops, the originally slightly empty west gate construction site instantly became crowded and noisy.

Zhao Daniu helped the big brother set up a huge crossbeam, wiped his sweat, looked at the boundless construction site in front of him, and at the foundations being planned in the distance, couldn't help but ask the doubts in his heart:

"Big brother, what are we building here?"

"So many people, such a big battle... it can't be that we are building a new city, right?"

"Heh, you kid are quite smart!" The old worker clapped the dust off his hands and replied as a matter of course: "We are building a city!"

"Ah?!" Zhao Daniu and several newcomers around were stunned.

Really building a city?

"If we don't build a city, where would we get so much work for us to do?" The old worker looked at their inexperienced appearance and explained patiently:

"And you don't think about it, with so many of us now, if we don't build a new city, where can we live?"