The World is Difficult

If it were Yu Lian in his previous life, he would have already smashed this Councilor Mr. Li into a meatball and fed him to the amoebas without a second thought. Since he naturally viewed the lower-class citizens as insects, then a Psionics master who traversed the galaxy could naturally view him, an ordinary person, as an ant.

However, before his hand could crush the wine glass, he ultimately held back. Yu Lian in this life was a kind, warm-hearted, even somewhat of a pushover kid, but especially stubborn when it mattered. The influence on him was quite significant.

He didn't know if it was the soul of a future ranger possessing a military academy student, or the military academy student gaining the memories of a future ranger, but he understood: he had family, friends, and a hometown. There were too many ties; he truly couldn't act on impulse.

He took a hidden deep breath and said, "I understand what you mean. However, even a breakout battle requires meticulous planning. Furthermore, my soldiers haven't rested for days and are in urgent need of recuperation. You can't expect us to fight on an empty stomach, can you?"

Councilor Jiang Yudong probably felt it was time to "cut his losses" and nodded with "understanding": "That's natural. Also, I've already asked everyone to contribute some food, enough for your subordinates to have a hot meal. No need to thank me... it's what we should do."

Who the hell wants to be thanked! I'll pay you back the full price with interest. It's just one meal, look at you showing off.

"Regardless, I hope to have your reply within eight hours. Oh, right, I am Councilor Jiang Yudong, and also a director of the Colonial Agricultural and Commercial Association. If Second Lieutenant Yu has any thoughts about acquiring property in New Jade Gate, feel free to consult me anytime."

When Yu Lian got out of the car, the councilor had already started feasting. However, besides himself, no one saw this scene. The car door then closed, separating two worlds.

Yu Lian saw the civilians opposite them sharing instant food. A two or three-year-old boy was crying from hunger. His mother was holding a shriveled, toothpaste-like nutrient paste and squeezing it with all her might, finally managing to squeeze the coffee-colored paste into the child's mouth.

Yu Lian knew that although the stuff was high in calories, it didn't taste good. But the child smacked his lips and still showed a satisfied smile. His mother also smiled happily, and while holding the "toothpaste," she tried to squeeze some for herself, but couldn't get anything out. Tears seemed to well up in the mother's eyes, but she continued to smile, then hugged her child and coaxed him to sleep.

The mercenary with blue hair leaned against the car door, seemingly dozing. Yu Lian glanced at him, suppressed the urge to kick him, and quickly walked away. He was now very glad he had restrained himself just now; if he had made any move, this guy definitely wouldn't have stood by idly. If a fight had broken out, he wouldn't necessarily be a match for him now.

The mercenary opened his eyes, looked at Yu Lian's retreating back, and muttered in a low voice, "Don't come at me! I'm just an employee. Even if I don't like my employer, I have to follow the contract!"

Yu Lian hadn't walked far before Ina and the others surrounded him.

"Sir, we don't have the ability to attack." Ina stared at Yu Lian, seemingly worried that he wouldn't be able to bear the pressure and be forced to make some inappropriate promises.

Yu Lian shook his head: "I'm not stupid."

"Yeah, his demands are too unreasonable... But Councilor Jiang Yudong is someone we can't afford to offend!" Doctor Banks sighed.

"He's famous?"

"Uh, very famous. He's considered one of the most prestigious councilors in the colony. It's said he's already preparing to run for the next governor, and his support is very high."

But then again, isn't the governor's district a semi-military zone? Why isn't the governor appointed by the central government but elected?

"Also, it's said he has a strong background. There are important figures on Earth who particularly admire him."

That's not surprising. Rather, it would be surprising if he didn't have a background. Looking at how arrogant he was, like a curly-haired groundhog wearing a frilly cape, it was obvious he was used to ordering people around. If nothing else, he at least had prestige among those "representatives of the people," which was quite troublesome.

"Oh, right, where's Uncle Karl?" Yu Lian asked.

"There's an autonomous medical vehicle in the civilian convoy, but the surgical machinery seems to have some issues, so Uncle Karl went to help fix it," Doctor Banks said.

Having an autonomous medical vehicle that could even perform C-sections would naturally be excellent, but Yu Lian had a feeling the Old Mechanic had gone to find some peace and quiet.

"What about the civilians' identities?"

Banks replied, "Baka and the others are checking them one by one. There shouldn't be any major issues; they're basically all citizens of the Commonwealth. It's just a bit troublesome that there are a few foreign nationals in the convoy..."

"Oh, are they unwilling to be inspected or unwilling to obey orders?" Ina asked with a cold face and murderous intent, likely about to say, "If they're unwilling, execute them."

The doctor quickly waved his hands: "No, no! Uh, overall they're quite cooperative. It's just that one of the mercenaries is a citizen of the Alliance..."

Yu Lian stopped walking and looked back in the direction of the councilor's RV: "He will cooperate. Don't worry about it."

This statement didn't feel very convincing, but Doctor Banks didn't dare to ask further. He continued, "There's another... no, a... this, it seems not to be a simple person!"

"Could it be some business representative from a major Alliance conglomerate, here to discuss investments or something?"

"Uh, yes, ah no, not exactly... This, sigh, I really can't say. You'll know when you see her. Coincidentally, she specifically asked about you just now."

The soldiers of Supply Post 12 began their first proper dinner in this hidden canyon after abandoning the supply post. They still didn't dare to light a fire, but fortunately, there were many RVs in the civilian convoy that had electric cooking appliances. The taste of the food was passable at best, but at least it was hot.

The plantation owner Wang Yougui sat by his truck, wolfing down a self-heating boxed meal. He vaguely saw the chief cowboy Kelvin return in a hurry, his hands empty, his allocated boxed meal already gone.

The old landlord snorted, "Let me tell you, I didn't bring much when I ran out. Everyone's rations are fixed."

"Yes..." the cowboy lowered his head.

"Even if you gave your portion to that young widow, I don't have any extra for you! I'm just a farmer. I can feed a few beasts like you, but I can't manage so many people."

"I, I know..." the cowboy lowered his head, not daring to argue. Although he had been riding his horse all day, running around, and was already starving.

"You'll end up burning yourself out sooner or later!" Wang Yougui spat, placing his half-eaten boxed meal on the ground, and patted his stomach irritably, "Damn it, am I getting old and can't even eat much anymore?"

Seeing the cowboy still dazed, he became furious: "Do you want your dad to treat you to a meal or something?"

Kelvin was overjoyed. Holding the boxed meal, he swallowed nearly a third of the food in the first bite.

"...If I can't reopen the plantation, how will I feed you gluttons!" Wang Yougui sighed, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it. "Tell me, what was that idiot Xiao Dongzi doing talking to so many people just now?"

"Ape-like... hmm..."

"Finish eating first!"

Kelvin swallowed the food in his mouth with difficulty, causing his throat to hurt for a moment, before saying, "The councilor said he was taking everyone to discuss with the commanding officer how to escort us into the city."

"Oh, we should enter the city. We can't stay outside forever!" Wang Yougui nodded. "But is it safe to rush in now? I heard the outside is full of Sandfolk. We have to... hmm, wait. Rushing in now, wouldn't that make things difficult for those kids? No, I have to say something."

"But boss, many farm owners over there are speaking for the councilor. Oh, right, Mr. Patrick from the neighboring Blue Star Ranch also said..."

"Said what?"

"He said that with everyone gathered, there are two hundred guns and several armored vehicles. If we weren't burdened with a bunch of dead weight, we would have already fought the Sandfolk. Now, we can't miss this opportunity."

Kelvin was still somewhat confused, but Wang Yougui, being an old fox, his eyes darted, and he vaguely guessed the situation. He immediately jumped up: "Those idiots! They don't even know when they're being played! Just messing around!... Forget it, I'll go talk to Mr. Pierce. Oh, right, it's best if that young lady is there too. Xiao Kai, after you finish eating, gather your men and bring your guns!"

The old plantation owner finished giving his orders and left, grumbling.

The Cowboy stared blankly at his boss, who had suddenly flown off the handle for some reason. He scratched his head, utterly bewildered, and then resumed devouring the boxed lunch in front of him with gusto. He needed to finish eating quickly so he could carry out his boss's instructions. Although Boss Wang was a bit stingy, he was actually a kind person at heart.

On the other side, Yu Lian, a Second Lieutenant and the leader of "those children" the old plantation owner mentioned, had only managed to eat half a can of food with his "toothpaste" but still didn't feel full. He began to miss his uncle's pickled fish and his aunt's fried pork slices, and with a sigh, he picked up another sandwich, not too happily.

This was just two slices of white bread with canned ham, dried vegetables, and peanut butter; it was barely even a stretch to call it a "sandwich." But even so, whenever Yu Lian thought of the mother who worked so hard to squeeze nutrient paste for her children, he found it difficult to swallow.

But there was no help for it. The guards also only had some compressed biscuits and nutrient paste, which combined probably wouldn't be enough for everyone to have a meal. He didn't have the means to do a good deed even if he wanted to. More importantly, it was precisely at times like these that ensuring the soldiers' meals were adequate was paramount.

Yu Lian, while thinking of a way out of this predicament, tried his best to imagine the sandwich as dumplings his aunt had made and took a bite.

Ugh, no, it's too hard and I'm choking...

Ugh, if I ask others for help, will it damage my image as an all-knowing strategist?

Just as Yu Lian thought this, he saw a steaming cup of coffee being offered to him.