Disaster victims were everywhere outside the city, with no food or money. At this time, there was nothing else they could do but gnaw on tree bark. Some tried to catch fish, but the Yangtze River was teeming with mutated beasts. These creatures hid in the water and would burst out as soon as they detected any approaching animals. Anyone near the water's edge could easily be dragged into the depths.
Winter had also arrived, and there was almost no food to be found in the mountains. Even the field mouse burrows had been dug up.
Field mice stored food in their burrows, so they wouldn't starve during droughts. The disaster victims knew this, so they dug up any hole they found outside the city, hoping for food. If they found a field mouse or a snake, it was an added bonus.
What Xu Xing saw were people struggling to find food in the wilderness. They had eaten everything edible, and sometimes even fought over wild vegetables. Although wild vegetables offered little energy, people still fought fiercely for them.
Xu Xing watched them resort to any means necessary to survive, a bitter smile on her face. These people shouldn't have ended up like this. They hadn't faced a natural disaster, but a man-made one. If they had a decent ruler, they would never have fallen to such a state.
"At this time, whoever gives them food can gather enough people. But now, there are very few people with food," Xu Xing said with a sigh.
Just then, a voice called out from a distance, "Someone is distributing food, let's go quickly!"
Upon hearing the news of food distribution, the disaster victims rushed madly in the direction of the sound, their eyes filled with unconcealed fervor. Everyone was out of food, and the cold wave had moved south. By nightfall, the temperature could drop below zero. In such conditions, without replenishing heat, they would freeze to death. Therefore, as long as there was food, they could survive.
Countless disaster victims rushed towards the source of the sound. Xu Xing was stunned by this scene, as she hadn't expected anyone to appear with food at such a time. Who was trying to win favor?
Lin Yue quickly said, "Aren't you going to follow and see? If you just keep watching, you won't know anything!"
Xu Xing came to her senses and hurried to follow, wanting to know who was distributing the food.
In the western part of the city, countless disaster victims had gathered. A single truck was surrounded, and beside it, over twenty people were shouting, "We only need a hundred people, fifty catties of grain per person. We don't want more. Listen carefully, only fifty people..."
However, the crowd surrounding the truck numbered at least three thousand. It was just one truck, and it was now surrounded several layers deep, making it impossible to get through. When these people said they only needed a hundred, the crowd immediately became restless. The strong and healthy shouted, "I'll do it, I'm in good health, I can do anything."
More people, however, knew that the chances of being chosen from such a large crowd were too slim. Amidst this, someone shouted, "Let's rob them! Let's divide the food equally!"
These people were armed with rifles. Seeing the surging crowd around them, they immediately shouted, "Don't come any closer! Anyone who dares to rob, we will shoot!"
With that, the leader directly aimed his gun at the sky and fired, "Da da da..." A burst of bullets echoed through the surroundings, and the agitated crowd immediately fell silent. The disaster victims still feared firearms. Although the other side only had a dozen people, they were all armed with guns, and they were instantly intimidated.
However, even though the disaster victims dared not act, since they had heard that there might be food in the truck, they did not leave. Instead, they watched the truck in silence. This silence startled Li Yiqiang, as their group was too small. It seemed impossible to resolve the dispute perfectly without distributing the food immediately.
"Wait a moment, everyone, don't rush. There's plenty of food. As long as you listen to us and fight with us, you can have as much food as you want." Just then, a clear and pleasant voice came from the top of the truck. Li Yiqiang quickly looked up.
He saw that at some point, two people had appeared on the roof of the truck. It was a man and a woman. The man was handsome and stood with his arms crossed, saying nothing. The woman was beautiful, and it was she who had spoken earlier.
"Do you recognize these two people?" Li Yiqiang felt a sense of familiarity upon seeing the two who had suddenly appeared, but he couldn't recall who they were. He then began to ask the people around him.
However, the people around Li Yiqiang quickly shook their heads, clearly not knowing the identities of these two.
Xu Xing, seeing the disaster victims looking at her, said, "Everyone, listen to me. I am a subordinate of Lord Fengshen of Yuzhou. My name is Xu Xing, and I am an esper. I am here to help you. As long as you follow my actions, Jiucheng has now been occupied by two villains and their lackeys. The food has been stolen, the land seized, men have become beggars, and women have to sell themselves. And you have been driven out. Do you want this kind of life? Follow me now, and I will lead you to take everything back."
Xu Xing revealing her identity to the disaster victims immediately caused a great cheer from many of them. They were also close to Jiangyang and had heard of Fengshen's great deeds. Under Fengshen, they would not lack food or worry about safety. Although it was not as good as life before the doomsday, for those who were suffering now, life in Jiangyang and Yuzhou was something to yearn for.
And now Xu Xing directly spoke of the disaster victims' experiences over the past two years. Recalling the suffering of this period, the disaster victims couldn't help but shed tears. They had been longing for someone to change their lives, but two years had passed, and Xue Ba and Dong Chao were still acting with impunity in Jiucheng, while the savior had never appeared.
Once, they had hoped that headquarters would save Jiucheng, but no matter how much they begged, headquarters completely ignored Jiucheng. In the end, the desperate people could only leave Jiucheng. They had no land, no money to pay taxes for living in the city, and to survive, they had to live like pigs and dogs. As for dignity, it was worth a meal.
The unwilling people began to demonstrate, but when five thousand soldiers arrived on the streets, they started shooting. Eventually, the procession was forcibly dispersed. At this time, those who did not want to sell their dignity could only leave Jiucheng. However, no matter where they went, they were stopped. It seemed that Jiucheng had fallen into despair.
And now, Xu Xing appeared before everyone, and she was Shen Feng's subordinate. They had heard of Lord Fengshen's reputation, and now they had hope of survival.
The crowd immediately said, "Why are you only coming now? We have been living in hell for two years."
Upon learning of Xu Xing's identity, someone couldn't help but sit on the ground and cry. He looked utterly heartbroken.
Xu Xing quickly said, "Don't worry, as long as you follow us, you will definitely have food to eat, and I will bring you justice."
Then, Xu Xing jumped off the truck and said to Li Yiqiang, "I'm sorry, I have requisitioned your food. Leave your address, and I will return a truckload of food to you after this matter is resolved."
It turned out that after Xu Xing and Lin Yue arrived, they realized this was a rare opportunity to unite people. So, they immediately intercepted the truck. In short, they would gather people first, and then find ways to get food and guns. As for the food in this truck, it was exactly what Xu Xing needed urgently. She could just take it over and return it later.
However, as Xu Xing stepped down, Li Yiqiang directly knelt before Xu Xing and said, "Please, Lord Fengshen, give us justice. Our boss was tricked and killed here three months ago, and his esper abilities were also stolen. We are from Gangcheng and wanted to gather people for revenge. But now that you have appeared, please give us justice."
Xu Xing looked at Lin Yue and asked, "Have you heard about this matter?"
Lin Yue nodded and said, "I have indeed heard about this. Speaking of which, I once heard Cao Fuli mention it. At that time, we used the meat of mutated beasts to exchange for the heads of mutated zombies, and we have also been buying coal from Gangcheng. Their boss's esper ability is to control oxygen."
Lin Yue was very clear about intelligence work, so he said it directly at this moment.
Li Yiqiang quickly nodded and said, "Yes, yes, yes. Our boss is named Zhong Shiqi, the hero who led us to retake Gangcheng. He never provoked anyone, but he was tricked into a banquet and killed. We reported this matter to headquarters, but headquarters only said they would handle it. Three months have passed, and it has not been handled. Therefore, in this situation, we can only find our own way."
Xu Xing didn't expect to encounter people from Gangcheng. Then, her eyes flickered, and she said, "I heard that your Gangcheng can produce weapons yourself. Can you bring enough guns?"
Li Yiqiang hesitated for a moment and said, "It's possible, but it will take two days. We have over eight thousand guns there. How many do you need?"
Upon hearing this news, Xu Xing was overjoyed and said, "Then quickly find a way to send a message to Gangcheng, saying that I need to borrow a thousand guns, and I will return them after the matter is settled. For now, I will go and get the food, and you gather the disaster victims. I will return with the food by tomorrow at the latest."
"May I know your name? And how many disaster victims do you need to gather? There are already over three thousand people here," Li Yiqiang asked.
Xu Xing then replied, "Just gather the disaster victims, the more the better. I will never have too many. The more people, the greater the strength. If there are too few people, I'm afraid we won't be able to surround Jiucheng. Also, my name is Xu Xing, you can call me whatever you like."
"Miss Xu Xing, thank you for seeking justice for us. But now, I have a hundred guns on me. If you take the lead, we can directly attack the city and get revenge, can't we?" Li Yiqiang then said.
Li Yiqiang knew the terror of espers, who could take an enemy general's head from a thousand troops as easily as picking something from a bag. He didn't understand why Xu Xing was going to such lengths now. Why not just charge in and get revenge?
Xu Xing then explained seriously, "You haven't been inside Jiucheng to see. The people in power in this city are all rotten. If I were to kill one or two people, I could do it myself. But I want to kill all the wrongdoers, and for that, I need the strength of the masses."
"I see. Then I will just focus on gathering disaster victims. You must come back as soon as possible." Li Yiqiang suddenly understood. It seemed that Yuzhou was truly angered, intending to uproot the powers that be here, and was willing to expend a lot of effort. If they had more support, their chances of victory would also increase.