Visitors from Black Iron City

Meanwhile.

Zhang Rui, who had long since washed up and was quietly waiting for dawn, walked out into the courtyard and continued refining the work Lincon had left him.

Longwind Fortress now housed more than eight hundred people, men and women, young and old alike. Zhang Rui needed to plan for every aspect of their lives in advance.

The immense pressure weighed on Zhang Rui's shoulders like a mountain. His wife, Xu Wan, had suggested several times that he reduce his workload or hire some helpers, but Zhang Rui had refused every time.

Because Zhang Rui was happy.

He had not felt this happy and carefree in a long time.

Although the daily affairs left him looking somewhat haggard, the ease and joy in his heart made Zhang Rui want to lose himself in it.

Back in Black Iron City, he had felt that his life was numb and rotten... like a walking corpse.

If not for his wife and child, he might have chosen to end his life long ago.

But after coming to Longwind Fortress and witnessing one miracle after another created by Lincon, Zhang Rui's heart had gradually begun to boil along with those miraculous plants.

For the first time, he felt what a home was like in this apocalypse.

He walked along the newly laid-out streets. Beside them stood rows of gigantic mushrooms shaped like houses.

Tender green shoots had sprouted from the dead soil, where plants should not have been able to grow, spreading across the ground like a soft, fuzzy carpet.

Plants that should have existed only in fantasy novels had appeared right before his eyes. Every time Zhang Rui passed by them, he felt as though he were dreaming.

And quite a few lucky people had already moved inside.

The city lord called them Giant Mushrooms, but everyone preferred to call these houses Mushroom Houses.

"Knock, knock, knock, knock..."

A young man dressed like a night watchman slowly ran over from the horizon.

He carried a gong in his left hand and a bronze mallet in his right, striking it continuously to announce the daylight hour.

Normally, night watchmen only appeared at night in ancient times, reporting the hours to people who had no precise way of telling time.

But the watchmen of Longwind Fortress did the exact opposite. They did not announce the night, only the daytime hours.

Other cities had people like this as well. Their main purpose was to warn people about the shortening daylight.

Lincon found it interesting, so he had Zhang Rui keep the practice and arrange for several people to serve as daytime patrol watchmen.

The watchman ran into Zhang Rui head-on, stopped his jog, and panted as he respectfully greeted him before immediately taking off again.

He had to announce the time throughout the area under his charge as quickly as possible.

Even though many people did not need the time specifically announced to them, he still worked hard to do his job well.

That was the current state of Longwind Fortress. Everyone longed to display their greatest value. That was how things were in the Dark Age.

If the weak did not want to be abandoned, they had to give off as much warmth as they could.

After the gong sounded, the once-quiet streets quickly became lively.

People emerged from their homes and headed to their respective workplaces.

At present, aside from repairing the damaged parts of the fortress, the main tasks were reclaiming farmland, digging channels leading into the fortress, and planting Sunlight Sunflowers.

Fortunately, there were not many people in the fortress yet, so the manpower could still be arranged.

Just like yesterday, Zhang Rui arrived at his work desk and continued refining his unfinished work.

Who would be responsible for farming, who would repair the fortress, who could be assigned as full-time workers... he recorded them all in his notebook one by one.

Time passed quietly. Then, a middle-aged man suddenly ran over from the city gate, his face tense with anxiety.

Zhang Rui looked up. "Has the city lord returned with the others?"

"No! It's ability users from Black Iron City!"

At those words, the pen in Zhang Rui's hand suddenly slipped loose and fell to the ground.

His brows knitted tightly, and his emotions churned violently.

Could people from Black Iron City have come to hunt them down?

"Take me there." Zhang Rui rose to his feet, his gaze grave.

The middle-aged man nodded and led Zhang Rui to the somewhat dilapidated entrance of Longwind Fortress.

Quite a few people had already gathered there, all having rushed over after receiving the news.

Now that neither the city lord nor Li Zhouhai was present, ability users from Black Iron City had suddenly arrived. Everyone could not help feeling tense, worried that something bad was about to happen.

"The governor is here!"

Someone shouted from somewhere, and the crowd gathered at the entrance parted down the middle, revealing Zhang Rui striding over.

Zhang Rui paid no attention to what the people around him called him. Instead, he fixed his gaze firmly on the two figures outside the city.

The man in front was tall and thin, his hair neatly combed. He wore a black trench coat and was looking around the fortress with astonishment in his eyes.

The other man was dressed far more shabbily, wearing a yellowed, frayed jacket and carrying the large backpack unique to messengers.

A messenger standing alongside an ability user—such a bizarre pairing was something Zhang Rui of the past would never have dared imagine.

But when he clearly saw the messenger's face, he immediately understood.

So they had come after all!

Ever since Flint City's ability users had come to Longwind Fortress last time, Zhang Rui had wondered countless times whether people from Black Iron City would also come here.

Today, reality proved his guess correct.

"Huff—"

Zhang Rui took a deep breath and forced down the unease and agitation in his heart.

He slowly stepped forward, staring at the man in the trench coat as he said in an even tone, "I heard the two of you are from Black Iron City."

"Zhang Rui, don't you recognize me? We drank together at the Letter Bureau not long ago." Before the trench-coated man could speak, the messenger beside him hurriedly shouted.

He quickly stepped forward and tried to grab Zhang Rui's clothes, but Zhang Rui easily dodged him.

"Li Sheng, I think it would be better if we kept some distance between us."

At those words, Li Sheng's eyes immediately reddened. Whatever decent friendship they had once shared was now completely gone.

He cursed angrily, "Zhang Rui, now that you're all dressed up, have you forgotten that you used to be a messenger too?"

"I have never forgotten my time as a messenger, nor do I think it was some shameful past I cannot bear to look back on." Zhang Rui remained expressionless and could not even be bothered to glance at him again.

After news of Longwind Fortress had leaked out, the messengers in the Letter Bureau had been purged by Flint City.

Fortunately, Zhang Rui had noticed that something was wrong beforehand. He had immediately left Flint City without even collecting the delivery fee. Otherwise, he would likely have ended up like those people, a rotting corpse in some alley.

As for why Li Sheng had not died, the reason was simple: Zhang Rui had only shown him the map leading to Longwind Fortress.

The ability users from Flint City had likely found their way here last time because of Li Sheng. Even the fact that those messengers knew about Longwind Fortress had most likely been revealed by him.

What Zhang Rui found strange was why Li Sheng had appeared together with people from Black Iron City. He should have been in Flint City's hands.

"Enough of this noisy nonsense. It's irritating!"

Suddenly, after finishing his inspection of Longwind Fortress, the man in the trench coat withdrew his gaze and slapped Li Sheng on the head.

Without any warning, Li Sheng's head exploded with a bang, spraying red and white matter all over the ground.

At the sight, Zhang Rui's heart lurched violently, nearly stopping.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, all he could do was let out a helpless sigh.

These visitors came with ill intent!