Golden Giant, You've Been Away from Your People Too Long

He asked Aska, "Isn't there a settlement over there?"

"I went to ask."

Aska smiled bitterly. "The town won't take us in."

"There are too many of us, and we might be carrying pollution from the industrial zone. They're afraid we're contaminated."

"What about the other settlements?"

"The scavenger camps nearby all reject us."

"They say Alru Group's workers are cursed. Anyone who takes us in will be retaliated against by the group."

"We don't dare go to the big cities. We'd be walking right into a trap. They'd capture us again and send us to other mines or factories."

"We don't want to... be slaves... again..."

Aska's voice grew quieter and quieter. "We tried trading things for food... but when we escaped, we only had a few belongings with us. We traded them all away within a few days."

Wang Zhong fell silent.

He looked toward the depths of the mine.

The workers had used scrap ore and torn canvas to build crude shelters, barely enough to keep out the wind.

But it was the dry season on Aurelian IV. The temperature could reach forty degrees during the day and drop below freezing at night.

In an environment like this, without medicine or enough food, people died like weeds.

"What are you planning to do now?"

Holy Blood came over and asked.

He had used the medical kit to treat a dozen seriously wounded people, and his hands were still stained with blood.

"I don't know."

Aska shook his head. "We'll live one day at a time... At least this place is far from the industrial zone. Those devils probably won't come here."

As he spoke, his eyes unconsciously flicked toward the industrial zone.

The sky there was still shrouded by the Chaos barrier, and lightning occasionally flashed through the clouds.

Wang Zhong suddenly asked, "Do you know about the fall of District 7?"

Aska's body shuddered.

"...I do."

He was silent for a long time before speaking. "That happened eighty years ago."

"My grandfather's generation saw it with their own eyes. A giant of steel descended from the sky and burned Dawn City into glass within seven days."

"People from the Black Royal Family were strung up on the wreckage for all to see. Psykers from the Arar Family were taken away by Black Ships... Millions died in the orbital bombardment."

"Billions upon billions died in the turmoil. Our family's life, which had still been fairly decent, turned into what it is today around then."

"My grandfather said that chaos had taken root in those days. All kinds of strange and sinister factions were vying for power. In the end, the four great factions of today seized everything the royal family had left behind: land, wealth, and people."

"And then things became what they are now..."

Aska smiled bitterly. "People like us have done nothing but change masters. We went from working for the royal family to mining for the merchant houses and selling our labor."

Have You Been Loyal Today had been listening nearby and couldn't help interrupting. "Then didn't you ever think of... fighting back?"

He regretted saying it as soon as the words left his mouth. It sounded far too glib.

But Aska wasn't angry.

He just looked at Have You Been Loyal Today and said softly, "Young man, you might not understand... In a Hive City, just staying alive takes everything you have."

"Fight back? What could we possibly fight back with?"

"People who've never even touched a lasgun, going up against groups with tanks and mechs?"

He paused, then added, "And besides... the Imperium won't allow it."

"The Black Royal Family fought back eighty years ago. What happened?"

"Everyone in the Dawn City administrative district was wiped out."

"All the subordinate forces belonging to the Black Royal Family and their ally, the Arar Family, were dealt a devastating blow. Back then, District 7 stood at the top of what is now Arlu City."

"It was the Arar Family's ancestral home, and they were a mysterious family with powerful, uncanny abilities!"

"But in the end, District 7 was still blasted into the Crimson Bright Wasteland."

"This is the history that's been passed down in my family from generation to generation. Knowing it only makes me feel more hopeless."

"The Imperium won't tolerate anyone who refuses to obey, especially not ordinary people like us."

The mood grew heavy.

Just then, I'm Not the Lord Regent, I'm Just Passing By Guilliman returned from scouting the mine's perimeter, looking grim.

"Commander, I found tire tracks two kilometers east. They're fresh."

"From the tread pattern... it was a reconnaissance vehicle."

"Someone came here?" Wang Zhong frowned.

"Could it have been one of the major factions?"

"Probably."

"But they didn't enter the mine. They watched from a distance for a while, then left."

I'm Not the Lord Regent, I'm Just Passing By Guilliman lowered his voice. "I suspect... these factions may know where the workers are. They either don't have time to deal with them or are deliberately leaving them alone."

"Let the workers fend for themselves in the wasteland," Holy Blood said coldly.

"If they die, that's one less problem. If they survive and turn out to be psykers or mutants, they can be taken back as experimental subjects."

Wang Zhong remembered the experiments he had seen in the underground shelter in Arlu City.

Psyker Suppressant Type 7, the gene-testing room, the organ dissections...

He suddenly stood up and walked over to the workers who were still lined up to receive food.

"Everyone, listen up."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly. "We're the Crimson Dawn Battle Group."

"Our base is deep in the Crimson Bright Wasteland, about a hundred and ten kilometers from here."

The workers looked up at him, bewildered.

"If you're willing, you can come with us to our base."

Wang Zhong said, "We have a water purification system, a cultivation area that's being developed, walls, and weapons."

"I can't promise it'll be great, but at least... we won't let children starve to death in the mud."

Silence.

Then the crowd erupted.

"R-really?"

"Can you support this many people?"

"Won't we be a burden to you...?"

"I'll go! I'll go!"

Aska grabbed Wang Zhong's hand. His hand was nothing but skin and bone, yet his grip was tight.

"Why? We're just a bunch of useless workers. We can't help you with anything..."

Wang Zhong looked into his eyes.

At that moment, he thought of those earlier words: "We need to bring this world to its knees, with tens of millions of people sincerely supporting the Imperium."

"An impregnable wall of steel, unbreakable by any force. Completely unbreakable."

"Golden Giant, you've been away from your people too long."

But he said something else.

"Because you're people, too."

Wang Zhong said, "And in this world, there are very few people willing to treat ordinary people like people... But fortunately, I'm one of them. I'm willing to treat you as equals... No one should be abandoned."

"The Emperor and the Imperium abandoned you, leaving you as slaves to the factory owners. I'm willing to give you a new beginning."

Aska and the young people behind him were deeply shaken by Wang Zhong's words...

Wang Zhong turned and gave the players their orders.

"Crimson Fist, organize the workers into groups. The elderly, children, and women ride in the vehicles; the able-bodied walk."

"Crimson Wind, scout ahead and clear any threats along the route."

"Crimson Spirit, continue medical support, focusing on the seriously wounded."

"Crimson Machine, check every vehicle and make sure they can make it back to base."

He glanced at the system interface and saw that he still had quite a few Imperial Coins left after his earlier exchange.

He gritted his teeth and exchanged them for another three hundred nutrition bars and five large barrels of water.

"Let's go."

Wang Zhong said, "We need to be back at base by noon tomorrow."

As the sun set, a group of nearly two thousand five hundred people moved slowly across the wasteland.

Four transport vehicles were packed with children, the elderly, and the wounded. People filled the roofs of every vehicle, too.

More workers walked behind them, supporting each other. Their steps were weary but determined.

Wang Zhong walked at the head of the group.

He looked back toward the industrial zone. The Chaos barrier glowed an eerie purple in the setting sun.

Farther away, the joint forces of the four factions were probably still fighting hard, while the direction of Red Rainbow Town remained silent.

"Commander."

Have You Been Loyal Today came up beside him and held out half a nutrition bar. "You haven't eaten all day, either."

Wang Zhong took it and bit into it.

The taste of synthetic protein and grain spread through his mouth. It wasn't exactly good, but it filled his stomach.

"Do you think I did the right thing?"

He suddenly asked.

Have You Been Loyal Today grinned. "How would I know? But I think... it's better than those assholes who watch people starve to death while going on about the glory of the Imperium."

Holy Blood caught up from behind as well. His psychic senses were spread out as he kept watch on their surroundings. "Actually, from a practical standpoint, taking in these workers isn't a bad deal."

"They're familiar with mining, smelting, and machinery... Give them enough food and tools, and they could become excellent workers."

"And besides..."

He paused. "They know the local situation on Aurelian IV. They understand how the four great groups operate, and might even know a few secrets about District 7... That's all valuable intelligence."

Wang Zhong smiled. "Your rationality could give Xue a run for his money. Is that what happens to all of you after you awaken as psykers?"

"Is being rational a bad thing?"

Holy Blood said, "This is a world modeled after the Warhammer universe. You won't last long on passion alone."