Can it get any worse?

While the fighting raged outside, the Waste Mine Society remained deathly still. They had plenty of people, but with only a few guns to their names, they didn't even dare to step out and see what was happening on their own doorstep.

It wasn't until Patel contacted them through their secret channel and confirmed that he wasn't being impersonated, nor had he defected to the enemy, that they finally opened the door to let him in.

They only let him in alone.

He had initially worried that the Governor might be dissatisfied, but that wasn't the case; Gu Hang had generously allowed him to go in first to clarify the situation. The Governor's troops would remain outside the Waste Mine Society for two days, waiting for his news.

As for what that news was, Gu Hang hadn't explicitly stated it, but Patel understood well enough.

The Governor had fulfilled his promise of rescue, and now it was time for the Waste Mine Society to show their sincerity.

Patel didn't feel bad about this at all.

What was wrong with the Waste Mine Society being completely under the Governor's command?

Entering through the tunnel, he returned to his home.

Familiar faces appeared before his eyes.

Their complexions were both pale and grimy. They were pale from living underground for years without seeing the sun; they were grimy because the sweat from their labor mixed with coal dust, and they lacked the conditions to wash regularly.

He was the leader of the Waste Mine Society, and he knew every single one of the nine hundred-plus people in the cave.

People scrambled to ask him questions:

"Patel, are we saved?"

"Were those damn bandits all killed?"

"Who saved us?"

Faced with this barrage of questions, Patel tried to answer them one by one as he walked, but eventually, he found it impossible to address everyone individually. He had no choice but to shout a unified response while struggling to push through the crowd.

"Yes, we are saved."

"Those bandits have all been killed."

"It was the Governor who saved us."

Those who heard the answer wept with joy.

After finally making his way through the crowd, he looked back at the malnourished and far-from-pretty faces of his fellow countrymen, feeling both pride and anxiety.

The pride stemmed from the fact that he had brought reinforcements and saved everyone.

The anxiety came from not knowing what the future would hold.

Sighing slightly, he turned his head and saw his uncle, Old Butch.

Old Butch's hand had been crushed when a cart full of ore overturned; the wound became infected, leading to an amputation, and he had barely survived. During that time, Patel had been pushed into the leadership role.

After Old Butch recovered, he didn't try to seize power—there was nothing worth seizing. In the environment of the Waste Mine Society, there was no room for exploitation or oppression. The leader was elected, and the settlement was so poor that even as the leader, his labor and living conditions were not much different from anyone else's.

Due to his disability, Old Butch couldn't do heavy labor anymore. However, he still contributed what he could, wholeheartedly assisting his younger relative, Patel.

Old Butch patted his shoulder with his remaining hand: "You've worked hard."

"It's what I should have done," Patel replied.

The two of them went into a small room, and Patel recounted the entire story of his mission to seek help to Old Butch.

Old Butch let out a long sigh: "This is a curse, not a blessing."

The old comrade's attitude seemed rather pessimistic.

Patel disagreed with his view: "Why is it a curse? I don't see any curse in it. This is definitely our opportunity. The Governor said he wouldn't just save our lives, but would see it through to the end. He is here to build the entire world, and our Waste Mine Society is just the first stop."

Old Butch sighed, "How can you easily believe the words of those big shots? In their eyes, people like us are just rats and vermin in the gutter. When have they ever treated us like human beings? They say nice things when they want to use you, acting like they value you, but once you're useless, you'll be ruthlessly discarded."

Patel said: "I don't think the Governor is that kind of person."

Old Butch scoffed: "You greenhorn, what do you know? How many days have you even known him?"

"But what else can we do?" Patel bypassed the question of trust and asked in return, "Could our situation possibly get any worse? Nine hundred people, working ourselves to death down here in the mines—no one dares not to be diligent, because those who aren't diligent starve to death. Yet even so, we still don't have enough to eat or wear, we suffer casualties from work accidents from time to time, and people freeze to death every winter."

"We don't have extra wealth to buy guns and cannons to arm ourselves. Whenever we encounter danger, we can only lock ourselves in the cave and pray that the danger passes on its own. We survived in the past only because we were too poor; the bandits didn't want to waste too much effort prying open a turtle shell only to find there wasn't much meat to eat. This time, we ran into the greediest ones, who were determined to break in and sell the living as rations, leaving us with no choice but to sit and wait for death."

"I absolutely do not want my fellow countrymen to continue living like this."

"Besides, what else do we have to lose?"

These words left Old Butch silent. After a long while, he finally spoke: "We will lose our freedom."

"Hahahaha! Freedom!" Patel laughed loudly, his voice almost carrying outside; anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was truly happy. "Can freedom be eaten? I went to the Alliance's capital city, Revival City, and I saw slaves. The lives of slaves are much better than ours; we don't even live as well as cattle or horses! If sacrificing our freedom can keep our people from starving, freezing, or being eaten as rations, then I am willing to pay that price."

Old Butch finally had nothing else to say; he could only sigh once more: "I won't oppose any of your decisions, I just hope we won't regret it."

"We will never regret it."

"I believe you won't regret it."

That same day, Gu Hang saw Patel return, bringing several influential figures from the Waste Mine Society with him to pledge their complete submission.

It was entirely within Gu Hang's expectations.

The people of the Waste Mine Society had no other choice.

Patel said humbly, "Governor, the Waste Mine Society has a total of 907 people, all awaiting your first order."

"Let's go into the mine and take a look."

"What? You want to go inside the mine?"

"Am I not welcome?"

"It's not that... but... the conditions in there are very poor, and you..."

He truly did not want Gu Hang to enter the mine, not for any other reason, but simply because the conditions inside were too abysmal.

Over nine hundred people were crowded into narrow caverns, and even with ventilation shafts, the smell inside was absolutely foul. Living conditions were primitive, with excrement scattered everywhere...

Patel was terrified that the state of the mine would soil the Governor's magnificent clothes, and even more afraid that it would soil the Governor's impression of them.

Gu Hang waved his hand and said, "I must see exactly what your situation is before I can decide what needs to be done next."