Discussion

"Welcome to Xingyan Group. May I ask who you are?"

Gao Zheng led the directors of Xingyan Group toward the people climbing down from the convoy.

A young woman with a pretty face and a pointed bun on one side of her head, like a bull's horn, stepped forward. She extended her hand and gave Gao Zheng a light handshake. "We fled here from Chuilong Town. It's already fallen."

Gao Zheng looked at the young woman who had somehow become the leader of this group, his eyes full of curiosity. "May I ask your name, miss?"

"My name is Xi Qing. We hope we can stay at your base for one night. We'll decide what to do tomorrow, depending on the situation." Xi Qing raised her chin slightly and looked Gao Zheng straight in the eye, not at all bothered by his appraising gaze.

Gao Zheng glanced at the directors beside him. Seeing no one object, he nodded. "Then please go inside and rest for now. We'll have to finish repairing this place before we can discuss the details of your arrangements."

Gao Zheng called Li Yueqi over and instructed him, "Yueqi, take them to the cafeteria first. Have some porridge and soup prepared so they can fill their stomachs, warm up, regain their strength, and calm down."

Li Yueqi answered and led Xi Qing and her group into the base.

Gao Zheng looked toward Chuilong Town, his eyes narrowing slightly. "It looks like Chuilong Town is gone. We're still dozens of kilometers from the county seat, so it'll be hard to get help."

Ma Tianxing snorted. "Didn't those people in Chuilong Town make any preparations at all? It fell so quickly. How could they face the people who entrusted their families' lives to them? What a dereliction of duty. A complete dereliction of duty."

He Qishun said scornfully, "With Chuilong Town's defenses, we shouldn't have had any expectations of them in the first place. It's the people in the town I feel sorry for."

Lin Chenxing fell silent for a while, then said, "Chuilong Town's rapid fall was probably related to the number of monsters. The Beast Tide it faced was likely much larger than ours. If we assume that more people attract more monsters, then we have only four or five hundred people here, while the town probably had over thirty thousand. It may have attracted nearly a hundred times as many monsters as we did—several thousand. Without organization or training, and with everyone fighting on their own, there's no way they could have held out."

He Qishun glanced at the refugees who had already entered the base. "Chenxing makes sense. But if that's really the case, we need to prepare in advance."

Guo Qichang chuckled. "What's there to fear? If one monster comes, I'll kill one. If two come, I'll kill two. Isn't having more people an advantage for us? We just need to train them properly, and they'll be another fighting force. Even if they can't fight, they can still help out and handle logistics, right?"

Ma Tianxing agreed. "Exactly. Judging by what happened tonight, our base still has a lot of things to improve. Bringing in more people will help us develop it. Besides, I don't think things will stay this way for long. We should trust that the authorities will soon drive these monsters back into the mountains."

He Qishun's eyes were deep as he spoke slowly. "I'm wondering what benefit these people's arrival will bring us. And whether there's a way to make sure they all stay."

Gao Zheng waved his hand. "There's no need. Those who want to stay can stay. For those who don't, we'll still have to ensure their safety when the time comes. Right now, the most important thing is for us to support one another and do what's right."

Lin Chenxing wasn't surprised by Gao Zheng's response. In all the time he had known him, Gao Zheng had never resorted to underhanded tactics. He always acted with integrity, competing openly and honestly, constantly pushing events forward and succeeding by going with the flow.

Not wanting to discuss the matter any further, Lin Chenxing turned to look at the distant forest. "The forest is still too close to our base. We need to clear an open area so we can spot anything approaching as early as possible and have time to prepare. We should also set traps to obstruct the beasts and slow their advance as much as possible."

Gao Zheng nodded with a faint smile. "We'll do that tomorrow morning. We'll bring a group of people and advance gradually, making sure it's safe."

Seeing that only the final step of the wall's construction remained, Gao Zheng led everyone back into the base through the main gate.

Inside the base's cafeteria.

About forty people sat scattered throughout the cafeteria, the atmosphere unbearably heavy.

Few of them could manage to drink the porridge in front of them.

It was only natural. How could anyone eat with tears streaming down their face?

Xi Qing looked at her companions, who had all started sobbing uncontrollably or slumped over the table in silence once they felt safe. All she could do was sit in her seat, watching and listening helplessly.

About ten minutes later, most of them had calmed down, though the occasional sob still broke the silence.

Seeing this, Xi Qing stood up and asked, "We've all reached Xingyan Group's base. What do you think we should do now—stay or go?"

A woman with slightly dark skin held the young girl beside her, who looked only twelve or thirteen. A hint of apology appeared on her face as she spoke in a low voice. "I don't have any family in the county, either. My daughter and I are already exhausted from the journey. The county seat is still more than eighty li away, and who knows what we might face along the way? We don't even know what things are like there. We've decided to stay here. I'm sorry, Miss Xi."

After hearing this, the many people who had wanted to follow Xi Qing to the county seat fell silent. They began to weigh the pros and cons, or perhaps simply didn't want to endure the misery of fleeing any longer.

At that moment, a burly-looking man slapped the table. "Miss Xi Qing led us all the way here, and how many dangers did we face along the way? I think everyone knows. Anyway, I, Old Qi, won't be like a coward who's afraid to face even this little danger."

Of the forty or so people who had fled to Xingyan Group with Xi Qing, nearly twenty had been rescued by her. The rest hadn't been rescued, but they still owed her for scouting the way and leading them along the journey.

Old Qi's words stirred shame in the hearts of those who had begun to hesitate because they were afraid to face danger.

After signaling for Old Qi to quiet down, Xi Qing said, "Xingyan Group is certainly a good place to take shelter. If any of you want to stay, I'll discuss it with the person in charge of their base and try to secure better conditions for you. As for the county seat, the situation there is unclear, but from what I learned earlier, they made quite a few preparations for this crisis—possibly even more than here. If you're willing to come with me to the county seat, please make up your minds and let me know as soon as possible."

Su Mo, who had quietly stayed by Xi Qing's side until now, was the first to step forward. "Xi Qing rescued me. I trust her, and I'm going to the county seat."

With the first person leading the way, more and more people began to voice their support.

But sometimes, things didn't go as people wished.