True Salvation

Although Gu Hang's arrival was sudden and they had no time to prepare a grand welcoming ceremony, the people of the Waste Mine Society still did their utmost to put on a display, attempting to show the Governor their respect.

When Gu Hang entered through the mine entrance, which had been cleaned up as much as possible, he saw that every light inside the mine had been turned on.

The people of the Waste Mine Society stood in rows on both sides of the mine tunnel, welcoming the man who would decide their future fate.

Gu Hang was not the first to enter; his military commander, Captain Yan Fangxu, had already led over a hundred men inside ahead of him.

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

The soldiers stood straight with their rifles held firm, while the nearby civilians knelt one after another as Gu Hang passed by.

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

The Waste Mine Society had nothing else to offer for a display besides its people.

Gu Hang walked through the crowd, observing the conditions throughout the Waste Mine Society as he went.

The people looked sallow, all appearing unhealthy; inside the mine were some mining tools, such as pickaxes and carts—purely manual labor, with no equipment to speak of.

As he walked, he reached an open cavity within the mine. This area was used by the Waste Mine Society as a plaza and a primary living area. Many crude wooden structures had been built in a disorderly fashion; this must have been home to many of them.

More residents of the Waste Mine Society were gathered here.

When Gu Hang's footsteps entered the space, hundreds of people, led by their leader Patel, knelt in unison.

Respect was certainly shown in abundance.

A temporary platform had also been erected here.

Gu Hang stepped up, and a microphone had already been set up. His voice here would not only be heard by the people in this small plaza within the mine, but would also be transmitted through speakers placed throughout the mine to those not in the plaza.

After all, the mine plaza was not large enough to hold all nine hundred people.

Standing on the platform, Gu Hang gazed at the faces under the dim, yellow light. He could see the relief of having survived a disaster and the gratitude toward him, their savior.

But at the same time, their expressions were not lacking in confusion about the future, doubt toward the man who would decide everyone's fate, and the numbness left behind by a hopeless life in the wasteland.

The road ahead was long and arduous.

Yet, he still spoke slowly: "Residents of the Waste Mine Society, I am your Governor, Gu Hang."

"Today, I see everyone kneeling before me, showing your submission. This is good; it proves you have made the right choice."

"Your leader, Patel, asked me for salvation, and I promised him."

"I led an army to the Waste Mine Society and eliminated the bandits that threatened you. One hundred and forty-six corpses are laid out neatly outside, and eleven prisoners will face judgment later, under the witness of all of you."

"The salvation you asked for has been received; but the salvation I wish to grant you has only just begun."

"In the harsh and ruthless wasteland, whether it be natural disasters or man-made calamities, our survival is always under threat. The Prisoner-Dead came today, and perhaps something else will come tomorrow. You need the ability to protect yourselves, and I will arm you. This is the first salvation I shall bestow upon you."

"You toil day and night in the mines, yet in exchange, you live a life where you never see the sun, never have enough to eat or wear, and people die every winter. You have the right to a better life, and I will ensure that everyone willing to put in the effort will have a better life. This is the second salvation I shall bestow upon you."

"A safe environment, enough to eat and wear—perhaps these are your greatest wishes right now. But once you are truly fed, you will have more desires: better living conditions, better spiritual fulfillment, and even self-actualization, a sense of honor, belief... and I will provide you with a platform to pursue higher levels. This is the third salvation I shall bestow upon you."

"In my plan, only after I have bestowed these three things upon you, and only after I have enabled you to live a safe and prosperous life, will it be time to talk about truly saving you!"

Gu Hang finished his speech, and at this moment, whether they were in the plaza lucky enough to see Gu Hang's face, or crowded elsewhere and only able to hear his voice through the speakers, all the residents of the Waste Mine Society were cheering!

When Gu Hang mentioned that the bandits outside had all been killed, the crowd had already begun to cheer. Those bandits had killed and abducted their kin and had trapped them in the mine for days until their food supplies were exhausted. They had lived in constant fear, and now that they were finally saved, their gratitude was not the least bit fake.

And when Gu Hang spoke of arming them, some residents, especially the young and hot-blooded ones, were even more stirred. The people of the Waste Mine Society had always known the importance of guns and cannons in the wasteland. In this place where the strong prey on the weak, if you lack the ability to protect yourself, you are just a piece of meat—no matter how lean or fat, someone will always want to take a bite, as everyone is starving.

But guns and cannons didn't come for free; the most valuable thing in the wasteland was the arms trade. The people of the Waste Mine Society could barely feed or clothe themselves, let alone afford them.

With weapons, there would be a sense of security. If they encountered something like this again, regardless of whether they could win, they would at least have the power to fight back, rather than sitting and waiting to die as they had, relying on others to save them.

As for the second point, the matter of food and clothing, it ignited even greater passion! Gu Hang's words struck deep into their hearts!

We are so diligent, we work so hard, why can't we earn a full meal? They did not understand external market exploitation or the value difference between raw materials and processed goods, but... the Governor said he would provide them with food and clothing!

This alone was enough to make them fully support anything the Governor wanted to do!

As for the third point, the so-called "higher pursuits"... the people did not have a particularly strong reaction; they were even somewhat bewildered. Just staying alive was already difficult enough; they had rarely thought about anything more in their lives, and they did not understand what "self-actualization" or "a sense of honor" meant.

They cheered along, but that was just a continuation of the previous points—the Governor was always right!

However, there were always a few who, despite the torture of a painful life, had kept their ability to think. Their eyes lit up when they heard the Governor speak of this.

The vast majority of the people in the Waste Mine Society were invigorated by Gu Hang's speech!

They could already see a path of light and hope opening up before their eyes.