True Salvation

Although Gu Hang's arrival had caught them completely off guard, leaving no time to prepare a grand welcome, the people of the Waste Mine Society still did everything they could to put on a show, hoping to make the Governor feel their respect.

As Gu Hang entered through the mine entrance, which they had done their best to clean, he saw that every lamp in the mine had been lit.

The people of the Waste Mine Society stood in two lines along either side of the tunnel, welcoming the man who would decide their future.

Gu Hang wasn't the first to arrive. His military chief, Captain Yan Fangxu, had already led over a hundred people inside.

Along the way, the Servitor soldiers formed a human wall, separating the passage from the residents of the Waste Mine Society.

The soldiers stood at attention with their guns, while the people around them fell to their knees as Gu Hang passed.

Wherever Gu Hang went, the people there knelt to welcome him.

The Waste Mine Society had nothing but people to put on a show with.

As he walked through the crowd, Gu Hang observed the conditions throughout the Waste Mine Society.

The people looked pale and unhealthy. Mining tools—hoes, carts, and the like—lay scattered around the mine. Everything was done by hand; they could hardly be called equipment.

As he walked on, he reached an open cavern inside the mine. The people of the Waste Mine Society had turned it into a plaza and a major residential area. Many crude wooden structures stood haphazardly around it. This had to be home for a great many people.

Even more residents of the Waste Mine Society had gathered there.

When Gu Hang stepped into the cavern, hundreds of people, led by their chief, Patel, knelt as one.

They had shown him plenty of respect.

A temporary platform had also been set up there.

Gu Hang climbed onto it. A microphone had already been prepared. His voice would carry not only to the people in the small plaza inside the mine, but also through speakers installed throughout the tunnels, reaching those who weren't there.

After all, the mine's plaza wasn't big enough to hold all nine hundred people.

Standing on the platform, Gu Hang gazed at the faces beneath the dim yellow lights. He could see their relief at having survived, and their gratitude toward him, their savior.

But their expressions also held uncertainty about the future, doubts about the man who would decide what happened to them next, and the numbness left by a hopeless life in the wasteland.

The road ahead would be long.

Still, he began to speak, slowly. "Residents of the Waste Mine Society, I am your Governor, Gu Hang."

"Today, I saw you all kneel before me and pledge your submission. Good. It proves you made the right choice."

"Your chief, Patel, asked me to save you, and I agreed."

"I led my army to the Waste Mine Society and wiped out the bandits who threatened you. A hundred and forty-six bodies lie in neat rows outside. The eleven prisoners will soon face judgment in front of all of you."

"You have received the salvation you asked for. But the salvation I want to give you has only just begun."

"On this harsh, merciless wasteland, natural disasters and human violence alike are constant threats to our survival. The Prisoner-Dead came today; tomorrow, something else may come. You need the means to protect yourselves, and I will arm you. This is the first form of salvation I will grant you."

"You toil day and night in the mines, yet all you get in return is a life without sunlight, with too little food and clothing. People die every winter. You have the right to a better life, and I will make sure that everyone willing to work hard can have one. This is the second form of salvation I will grant you."

"Safety, enough food, and warm clothes—perhaps those are your greatest wishes right now. But once you have enough to eat, you will have more. Better homes, richer lives, the chance to fulfill yourselves, to feel pride and hold to a belief... And I will give you a platform to pursue greater things. This is the third form of salvation I will grant you."

"In my plan, only after I have given you these three things, only after I have made your lives safe and prosperous, will I have truly saved you!"

Gu Hang finished his speech. At that moment, every resident of the Waste Mine Society erupted into cheers, whether they had been lucky enough to see him in the plaza or were packed together elsewhere, hearing his voice only through the speakers!

They had already cheered when Gu Hang announced that the bandits outside had been killed. Those bandits had killed and abducted their people, then trapped them in the mine for days until their food ran out. They had lived in constant fear, and now they had finally been rescued. Their gratitude was entirely genuine.

When Gu Hang said he would arm them, some residents—especially the young and passionate—grew even more excited. The people of the Waste Mine Society had always understood how important guns and cannons were in the wasteland. In this dog-eat-dog world, anyone unable to defend themselves was just a piece of meat. It didn't matter how lean or fat; someone would always want a bite. Everyone was starving, after all.

But weapons didn't come for free. Military supplies were the most valuable trade goods in the wasteland. The people of the Waste Mine Society could barely afford food and clothing, let alone buy weapons.

Weapons meant security. If something like this happened again, they might not win, but at least they could fight back. They wouldn't have to sit helplessly by and rely on someone else to rescue them.

The second promise—enough food and warm clothing—stirred even greater passion! Gu Hang's words struck straight at the deepest part of their hearts.

We work so hard. We struggle so much. Why can't we earn enough for a full meal? They didn't understand exploitation in the outside market or the difference in value between raw and processed goods, but... the Governor had promised them enough food and clothing!

That alone was enough to make them support anything the Governor wanted to do with all their might!

As for the third promise, the so-called "greater pursuits"... it didn't stir much feeling in them. Many were even confused. Just staying alive was already hard enough. They rarely thought about anything more, and didn't understand what "self-fulfillment" or "pride" meant.

They cheered along because it followed naturally from the first two promises. Whatever the Governor said had to be right!

Still, a few people had managed to keep thinking despite the torment of their difficult lives. When they heard the Governor speak about this, their eyes lit up.

The vast majority of the Waste Mine Society's people had been stirred by Gu Hang's speech!

They could already see a bright road of hope opening up before them.