Gravely Ill

These people were clearly plotting something big. They wanted to force the refugees into rebellion.

And there were clearly more than three or five of them. There was probably a powerful force behind them.

Qin Fang didn't know what this man was doing here, but whatever it was... staying away was always the right choice!

As he thought this, Qin Fang quickly backed away, lowering his head as he prepared to leave the line before anything else.

"Hey! You there! What are you doing? Keep the line moving, keep the line moving!"

Qin Fang wanted to leave, but just then several burly men came to the front of the line. As he tried to get out, more refugees were joining, and the two groups jostled each other, causing a bit of a commotion.

One of the men noticed and immediately frowned and barked at him.

Qin Fang's steps abruptly halted. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the man in the crowd—the one who was most likely plotting something—frown and look over.

And he wasn't the only one!

There were over a hundred refugees in this line, and Qin Fang could clearly feel several other pairs of eyes covertly settling on him.

It was like having thorns in his back.

More than one person.

Qin Fang's thoughts raced in an instant.

Then his resolve to leave grew even stronger.

"Sorry, sorry, sir. I suddenly have a terrible stomachache. I, I need to relieve myself..."

Qin Fang forced a look of discomfort onto his face and clutched his stomach.

In truth, he didn't even need to act pitiful... his appearance already looked pitiful enough.

The man stared blankly for a moment, then cursed irritably, "A lazy donkey always has to piss and shit when it's time to work... Get lost, get lost, get lost!"

Qin Fang didn't mind his tone. He bowed again and again as he apologized, then walked out of the line.

"There's a temporary latrine over there. Hurry back when you're done."

The man waved him away. Qin Fang bowed in acknowledgment, then slowly headed in the direction he'd pointed.

Only after he'd gone some distance did he turn his head to look back. It seemed the line had filled up. Led by the burly men, the group had already left the square and headed off to who knew where.

Only then did Qin Fang let out a long breath, his brows drawing together.

He glanced around. There were quite a few refugees being registered in the square, with one line after another waiting behind them.

Qin Fang's eyelid twitched...

There had been someone with ill intentions in that line.

What about the other lines?

Qin Fang began searching carefully.

But after looking for a long time, his brows knitted together.

...He couldn't tell.

He'd been able to tell that those men weren't genuine refugees because they'd gathered together. Their shared traits had made them easy to spot.

But now there were so many refugees, and they all looked the same: filthy and disheveled, with unkempt hair and dirty faces.

How could he pick out fake refugees from among them...?

As if their disguises were fake!

And the key thing was... even if he found them, what could he do?

Report them?

To be honest, Qin Fang had no good impression of the officials in this world.

In his previous life, when disaster struck one place, people from all directions came to help.

In this world, when disaster struck one place, people from all directions watched for the show.

On the road fleeing here, he'd seen the officials' attitude toward the common people quite clearly.

Calling them no better than dogs wasn't an exaggeration!

They drove people out whenever they pleased, without the slightest mercy.

The refugees' lives and deaths meant nothing to them.

And the number of refugees who'd died at the hands of government runners along the way... was far from small.

As he was thinking this,

Qin Fang suddenly staggered twice, and the world spun around him.

He hurriedly planted his cane on the ground, barely managing to steady himself.

Once he'd gathered his wits, his expression changed!

Damn it.

He seemed to have fallen ill!

He quickly reached back to touch his forehead, and the back of his hand felt scorching hot.

Damn it, what did they call it when trouble came raining down on an already leaky roof?

At a critical moment like this, his body had actually reached its limit?

He breathed shallowly, then felt a burning sting in his nose. Even the air coming from his nostrils seemed noticeably hot.

He had a fever!

He looked down at his feet, caked with dirt and blood, then turned around and headed out of the square without the slightest hesitation.

His injuries had to be treated.

If they kept getting worse, he'd be as good as dead.

It wasn't just his feet. The wounds on his waist and shoulder had been hurting on and off the whole time... he just hadn't been able to spare any thought for them before.

But now that he had a fever and his resistance was weakening, if he didn't treat those two injuries, they might really cost him his life!

As for what those people were planning... Qin Fang had no time to care about them now.

He was about to die!

He had to survive first!

He headed for the edge of the refugee shelter. His head was already growing heavy, but he forced himself to look around and made his mind race.

...Refugees weren't allowed to leave the shelter. He'd been told that already.

Many people were patrolling nearby, but they clearly weren't government runners. They belonged to other powerful forces in True Martial County.

Qin Fang needed to find a gap in their watch and get out of the shelter first.

...There had to be a medical clinic in True Martial County!

There were people treating the refugees' wounds and illnesses near the square, but Qin Fang gave them one look and decisively gave up.

There was no other reason.

Those places were surrounded by layer upon layer of people!

By the time his turn came, who knew how long he'd have to wait!

And did he think they'd let him go first just because he looked miserable and his condition was serious?

He was dreaming!

Which of these refugees wasn't miserable? Which one wasn't waiting to be saved? What made him special?

Just look at the corpses lying all over the ground.

In the eyes of these people, refugees... sometimes weren't even human.

Illness came crashing down like a mountain!

Qin Fang staggered more and more with each step. His head felt heavier and heavier, and his vision had begun to darken and blur.

He struggled to keep control of his body, his face deathly pale. At last, he reached the edge of the square.

Several groups of men were patrolling there.

"Get back inside! Refugees aren't allowed to leave the shelter. Don't you know that?"

Before he'd even reached them, he heard someone shout. Qin Fang struggled to raise his head and saw several refugees begging a few men desperately.

"Sir, please, take pity on us. My father can't hold on any longer. He needs a doctor! Please, have mercy and let us go out to find treatment. We're all law-abiding people, all law-abiding. We absolutely won't cause trouble in True Martial County. Here's our Identity Plate. Please, take a look, take a look... I'm begging you, I'm begging you!"

A woman knelt on the ground, pleading desperately, but her face was covered in dust, making her features hard to see.

"Who knows what disease you've caught? Refugees aren't allowed to leave—that's an order from above. If you need treatment, look, doesn't Spring Return Hall have a doctor seeing patients over there? Go on, move along."

The burly man's face was covered in folds of fat. The woman's desperate pleas didn't move him in the slightest. Instead, he covered his nose in disgust and waved her away like he was shooing flies.

"B-but there are too many people over there. Please, I'm begging you, please have mercy. We, our whole family will remember your great kindness..."

The woman pleaded through tears, kowtowing again and again.

The refugees with her also pleaded over one another.

"Sir, please take pity on us. The old man is very old. He really can't hold on much longer."

"That's right, sir. Please, we'll remember your kindness for generations..."

They seemed to be one big family.

"Damn it, I'll say it one more time: get back there! Don't fucking make me lay hands on you!"

The burly man was getting impatient. A dangerous glint appeared in his eyes.

The woman and the others continued to plead. One of the refugees, frantic with worry, grabbed his arm. The burly man's expression instantly darkened with fury. "You dare lay hands on me?"

Smack!!

He swung his hand back and slapped the man across the face.

The blow was so heavy that it sent the man stumbling backward. When he looked up again, his face was already red and swollen, blood running from the corner of his mouth.

"You... How can you hit someone?!"

The other refugees with him were shocked and furious.

The burly man glared at them. "Hit someone?"

He reached to his waist with his right hand and drew a gleaming long saber. The refugees' hearts went cold, and they hurriedly retreated.

"Keep causing trouble here, and I'll kill you too!"

The burly man's face was full of savagery. "Damn it, you bunch of country bumpkins from out of town! Letting you into the city is already a huge favor. And now you're fucking looking for trouble?! You want to go out, he wants to go out—then what's the point of setting up this shelter? All of you, shut the hell up and get lost! Don't make me use force!"

His fierce and overbearing manner immediately frightened the surrounding refugees.

The woman was scared too. She stood up and hurriedly backed away.

Seeing that they'd backed off but still hadn't left, the burly man glared at them. "What? You're still trying to cause trouble?!"

The others were cowed by his fearsome presence and didn't dare step forward to plead anymore. The woman's family looked as if they'd swallowed a bitter pill, but they could only mumble that they wouldn't dare, then carry away the old man they'd brought.

Their sobs faded into the distance.

"Brother Dragon, you're awesome!"

"Brother Dragon, you're mighty!"

Seeing that the refugees didn't dare cause any more trouble, his companions immediately gathered around him, each one showering Brother Dragon with flattery.

A smug look appeared in Brother Dragon's eyes. He clearly enjoyed the feeling of controlling other people's lives and being praised.

He grinned broadly, spat out a mouthful of phlegm, and said, "Damn it, a bunch of country bumpkins from out of town think this is what place? I heard they were planning a rebellion yesterday? Bah, them?"

He sneered without a care in the world.

The people beside him all chimed in.

Qin Fang watched everything unfold, but his condition was getting worse and worse. He felt as though even the breath he exhaled was scalding hot.

With no other choice, he staggered over.

"Hm? What are you doing? Looking to die too?"

Hearing footsteps, the burly man turned his head. He saw a disheveled refugee stumbling toward him. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes as he spoke in a menacing voice.

Qin Fang didn't say anything. Instead, he gathered all the strength left in his body and snapped his cane with a crack.

But that movement also sent him tumbling straight to the ground.

The men from True Martial County stared at Qin Fang, stunned. Then they frowned coldly at him, making no move to help him up.

Qin Fang's hand groped blindly along the broken end of the cane for a moment, then grabbed something.

His vision was already darkening, and everything had begun to blur. He could only struggle to raise that hand and say weakly, "Sirs, I'm sick. Please take me to a clinic and save me... This is my payment. I've hidden more outside the city... Save me, and it's all yours..."

The men were stunned by this series of actions. Their eyes instinctively fell on the hand he'd struggled to raise, filthy as it was.

Then all their gazes froze at once.

Because the man was holding something.

A gleaming golden...

Golden Chain!