27: Chapter 27 Should We Accept the Refugees?

Speaking of this, the old worker's expression became serious, and he patted Zhao Daniu on the shoulder earnestly.

"So, brother, remember this."

"Working here isn't for those masters; it's for ourselves!"

"When this house is built, it's for us to live in! When this city is built, it's the nest where we will settle down and make a living!"

"You absolutely must not slack off or cut corners!"

These words made Zhao Daniu and the others boil with excitement.

Build a house for ourselves? Build a home for ourselves? This was something they didn't even dare to dream of!

Just hearing it made them feel full of energy!!

"Big brother, don't worry!" Zhao Daniu patted his chest with a thud, his eyes firm, "I will absolutely not slack off! If I slack off, let the City Guards throw me back outside the city!"

Upon hearing this, the other newcomers were like they had been injected with chicken blood, throwing themselves frantically into their work.

However, not everyone was as strong and sturdy as Zhao Daniu.

Among these thirty thousand-plus refugees, there were also a large number of elderly, women, and even half-grown children.

They also cherished this hard-won opportunity and did not want to lose their new identity as "Flower City residents."

Thus, they also worked hard to move stones, carry wood, and dig soil.

However, the objective physical gap could not be smoothed over by willpower alone.

"Move aside!!" A harsh shout suddenly rang out from a nearby earthen slope.

A relatively sturdy young newcomer snatched the shovel from an old man's hands and roughly shoved the latter, causing him to stumble and fall into the mud.

"Are you even qualified to do this?"

He gripped the shovel tightly and pointed at the old man's nose, cursing condescendingly:

"Look at how your hands are shaking! You dig a shovel of dirt and spill half of it! Are you here to work or to cause trouble?"

Ignoring the mud and water on his body, the old man scrambled up, grabbed the burly man's pant leg tightly, and begged, "Don't be like this..."

"I can work! I really can! Even though I'm a bit slow, I don't have to rest... Please, give the shovel back to me..."

The old man's eyes were filled with fear.

He was afraid.

He was afraid that because he couldn't do the work, he would be regarded as a "worthless waste."

He was afraid that if the Flower City officials saw he was useless, they would revoke his newly issued waist token and drive him back out into the freezing snow.

"Give it back to you? Give it back to you so you can drag everyone down?!" The young man kicked the old man's hand away, his face full of anxiety and hostility.

He was also a refugee.

He was also afraid.

In his understanding, the work opportunities given by the City Lord were definitely limited, and the food was also limited.

"Old thing, get it straight!" The burly man looked around and shouted at the women and children who were struggling to carry things:

"This isn't a charity house! This is for work!"

"You old, weak, sick, and disabled people, if you can't work, get out of the way! Don't get in the way here!"

"If Zhou Yun sees that we are working so slowly and thinks that we are all trash, and it ends up causing us to have no food to eat, can you take responsibility for that?!"

The young man's words, though harsh, resonated with quite a few newcomers.

"Exactly! If you don't have the strength, don't occupy the latrine without doing anything!"

"Give the tools to us! One of us is worth ten of you!"

Several strong newcomers rushed up and began to snatch the tools from the hands of the women and the elderly.

The women protected the bricks in their arms and refused to let go, the children cried loudly in fear, and the old man knelt on the ground, begging bitterly.

The originally harmonious and warm construction site instantly became chaotic due to this sudden conflict.

"What are you doing?!"

"What is there that can't be discussed properly? Why do you have to resort to violence?!"

Just as the young man was about to shove the old man again, a vigorous, angry shout suddenly exploded nearby.

Several old residents who were nearby moving stone materials put down their work and surrounded him with dark expressions.

The leader was a slightly plump auntie; she was still holding a dustpan used for carrying mortar, and she glared at the burly man with a face full of fury,

"Bullying people on your first day here? Who gave you the nerve?"

Although the young man was startled by that shout just now, his fear dissipated by more than half when he saw that most of those surrounding him were elderly men and women.

He stiffened his neck, pointed at the old man on the ground, and shouted righteously: "I'm doing this for everyone's good!"

"This old thing is slow and has no strength; being here is just occupying the latrine without doing anything! If he slows down the progress and causes the City Lord to blame us and drive us all away, can you take responsibility for that?"

As he spoke, he glanced disdainfully at the auntie:

"And you old women, why aren't you at home taking care of children instead of coming here to join in the fun? Building a city is heavy work; it's a man's job! What do you women know?"

Once these words were spoken, the Flower City elders, who were originally just slightly dissatisfied, saw their expressions darken completely.

The gunpowder smell in the air suddenly became extremely intense.

"Women?" The plump auntie laughed in extreme anger. She threw the dustpan in her hand onto the ground, rolled up her sleeves, and revealed her arms, which, though slightly loose, faintly shimmered with a luster.

"Do you think that because you are a man, you are necessarily stronger than a woman?"

"Do you think women should just stay at home and raise children and can't do this city-building work?"

The burly man was forced to take a step back by the auntie's Aura, but he still stubbornly said: "Isn't it? Men are born with more strength..."

"More strength?" The auntie sneered.

She didn't talk nonsense anymore; instead, she turned and walked to the side of the road.

A pile of blue granite used for laying foundations was stacked there, each piece as large as a millstone and weighing at least four or five hundred jin.

Under the shocked gaze of the burly man and all the new refugees.

The auntie bent down, hooked the edge of the rock with one hand, and then...

"Up!"

There was no expression of strain, nor were there any bulging veins.

Whoosh!

That giant rock, which normally required two strong men working together to lift, was actually lifted above her head by this auntie with one hand!!

The burly man's eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets!

Is... is this a human?! This must be a savage beast wearing human skin, right?!

However, the blows had only just begun.

"I heard you look down on the elderly?" An old man with gray hair and a slightly hunched back walked out slowly from the side.

He had a pipe in his mouth and looked at the burly man with a contemptuous gaze, "Young man, you have a big temper, huh?"

As he spoke, he snapped his fingers.

Whoosh!

A ball of crimson flame instantly rose in his withered palm, and the surrounding air was scorched until it twisted and deformed.

"Ma... Mage?!" The burly man's legs went weak, and he almost knelt down.

"What's so special about that!" At this moment, a Little Boy who looked at most eight or nine years old came bouncing over, dragging a log thicker than his own body in his hand.

"Uncle, you're blocking the way!" The Little Boy said in a childish voice, and then a faint cyan light of Battle Qi suddenly erupted from his body.

Boom!

He stomped his little foot on the ground, and he and the giant log soared into the air, jumping onto a three-meter-high scaffolding.

The young man was now sweating profusely, and his whole body looked like it had just been fished out of water.

He looked at this group of "old, weak, women, and children" in front of him, feeling his scalp tingle and his legs tremble.

What... what kind of city is this?

Any random auntie who comes out is a strongman? The hunchbacked old man is a fire mage? Even a little brat has Battle Qi?!

Is this still Flower City?

Isn't Flower City a low-level city?

Huh?

"I... I..." The young man swallowed his saliva. Although he was scared to the extreme in his heart, his pitiful self-esteem still made him somewhat unconvinced.

He gritted his teeth and muttered in a low voice,

"This... this is unfair..."

"You are noble Professionals... we... we are just ordinary people..."

"Professionals are of course amazing... but this old thing is also an ordinary person..."

In his understanding, Professionals were the clouds in the sky, and they were the mud on the ground.

Being crushed by Professionals was a matter of course, but that didn't prove that the old man had value.

"What about Professionals? And what about ordinary people?" Just then, a calm and heavy voice came from behind the crowd.

The crowd automatically parted. Tieshan, with his burly build and dark skin, walked over with big strides, carrying a black gold mountain-crushing pickaxe.

He was the minister of the Tiangong Department and the backbone of these workers.

Tieshan walked up to the trembling burly man, but he didn't scold him; instead, he patted the young man's shoulder with his large hands covered in calluses.

The force was so great that it almost knocked the young man flat!

"Kid, stop overthinking it."

"I can see through your little schemes at a glance."

He looked at the vast West Gate construction site and said loudly:

"Are you afraid there isn't enough work? Afraid that everyone is stealing your rice bowl?"

"But open your eyes and look! This new city is planned for a full ten miles! Thousands of houses need to be built! A hundred miles of water canals need to be repaired!"

"There is plenty of work here! As long as you have hands and feet, you will never have to worry about having no food to eat!"

After speaking, he turned around again, his gaze sweeping over the auntie who had lifted the giant rock with one hand and the old man who played with fireballs, and said to all the newly joined newcomers:

"Also, don't look down on anyone."

"And don't think that you are inferior to others."

"Do you think they are gifted? That they became Professionals by cultivating on their own?"

"Think about it a little, why would a small city like Flower City have so many Professionals?"

"Once they became Professionals, why didn't they go to a lower-level city? Why not go to an Intermediate city? Why stay here to work?"

This question stumped all the newcomers.

That's right!

Since they became Professionals, why are they still staying here?

Wouldn't they be able to live better if they went to a lower-level city?

Without them needing to ask, Tieshan laughed and gave the answer,

"Let me tell you! Just three days ago!"

"This auntie was still worrying about a jin of brown rice, so hungry she couldn't even walk!"

"This old man was a patient lying in bed waiting to die!"

"That child was so thin he was skin and bones, and even the wind could blow him over!"

What??

All the newly joined city residents were stunned.

These words were far more shocking than the rock-lifting, fire-breathing, and Battle Qi from just before.

The young man looked up sharply, looking at the auntie in disbelief.

Three days ago... still an ordinary person?

Still an ordinary person who was too hungry to walk?

This... how is this possible?!

However, whether it was the auntie, the old man, or the others, none of them had any intention of refuting it; their faces just showed some sighs, as if they had thought of an unbearable past.

"Find it hard to believe?" Tieshan looked at everyone's shocked expressions, his eyes filled with reverence, "But this is our Flower City!"

"This is the gift of our City Lord!"

"It was he who abolished the execution line, and it was he who brought out precious Spirit Rice and Demonic Beast meat for everyone to eat, forcibly feeding us ordinary people until we became Professionals!"

Speaking of this, he took a deep breath, his voice loud as a bell,

"So, put away your old ideas of 'the weak are prey to the strong'!"

"Here, everyone is family!"

"As long as we work together, as long as you are willing to work, they today will be you tomorrow!"

"This is the fortune that the City Lord has given us; whoever dares to betray this kindness, causing infighting or playing tricks here..."

He raised the giant pickaxe in his hand and slammed it hard onto the ground.

Rumble!

A deep pit appeared on the ground.

"I'll be the first to throw him out to feed the Demonic Beasts!!"

Night fell.

Although the construction site outside the West Gate was still brightly lit and bustling, Zhou Yun finally had a moment to catch his breath.

Returning to the slightly empty City Lord's mansion, Zhou Yun washed up briefly and then lay flat on the bed in a spread-eagle position.

"Whew..."

He let out a long breath and pulled his phone out from under his pillow.

He glanced at the time: seven o'clock in the evening.

He opened WeChat and found the pinned chat box with a fortune tree as the profile picture, noted as "Old Zhou."

[ Zhou Yun: Dad, don't forget to take your medicine today. ]

Just two seconds after the message was sent, the "typing..." status popped up.

[ Old Zhou: I'm taking it! I remember! I say, you kid, who is whose dad? You've only been a City Lord for two days, how did you become even more nagging than me? ]

The corners of Zhou Yun's mouth couldn't help but turn up.

Before he could reply, Father Zhou's message came through again.

[ Old Zhou: How was today? Is everything going smoothly? ]

[ Zhou Yun: It's alright! Everything is going well! ]

[ Old Zhou: That's good. But you must not be careless! Theoretically, starting from the second day, refugees will successively go to various cities to knock on the gates. ]

[ Old Zhou: Although your school teachers should have repeatedly reminded you about this, I still have to say one more thing. Absolutely, absolutely do not let refugees in! Do you know? ]

"Uh..." Zhou Yun touched his nose, feeling a bit guilty.

If his dad found out that he not only let them in but also let in over thirty thousand in one go, and even fed them Spirit Rice...

[ Zhou Yun: Understood! Dad, don't worry, I definitely won't accept them! Not a single one! ]

[ Old Zhou: That's right! That's my son, you've got a clear head! Alright, it's getting late, hurry up and sleep, you have to get up early tomorrow. ]

Exiting the chat with Father Zhou, his gaze fell on the class group.

[ Grade 12 (Class 2) Exchange Group (99+) ]

[ Someone @ you ]

Someone looking for me?

Zhou Yun raised an eyebrow and clicked to look at the message tagging him.

[ Wang Kai: @ Zhou Yun Emperor Yun, come out and bubble up! Still alive? ]

[ Li Hao: @ Zhou Yun Emperor Yun, lend me a thousand Professionals to use, will you? ]

[ Zhao Ya: @ Zhou Yun Do you want refugees? I have a bunch here! ]

Looking at these messages teasing him, Zhou Yun wasn't angry. His fingers moved lightly, replying one by one.

[ Zhou Yun: @ Wang Kai Still alive. ]

[ Zhou Yun: @ Li Hao Not lending. ]

[ Zhou Yun: @ Zhao Ya I'll take as many as you have. ]

After the message was sent, the group instantly went quiet for a second. Immediately after, there was a series of question marks.

[ ? ] [ ??? ] [ As expected of Emperor Yun! Just unique! ]

[ Wang Shuai: Why are you all sending question marks? Emperor Yun has thousands of Professionals under his command, does he care about refugees? ]

[ Oh right right right! Emperor Yun is awesome! ]

[ Emperor Yun, send a coordinate! If it's close, I'll have the refugees go to your place! ]