"Why Should I Care When Even Heaven Doesn't?"

With the Wild Wolf Gang leader's token empowering it, this section of the City Wall, which had been on the verge of collapse, held fast once more.

But—

They had expended a precious Exotic Treasure.

An Exotic Treasure capable of strengthening the City Wall's defenses for a short time was immensely valuable—something that could save lives.

"Has the Chen Family Builder not arrived yet?"

The Wild Wolf Gang leader stood in the torrential rain and roared at his subordinate beside him.

"We've already sent several people to the Chen Residence, but there's been no reply yet." The subordinate holding a Great Knife wiped the rain from his face and shouted back.

"Fuck!"

The bandit-like man gazed at the nearly endless horde of Strange Entities outside the city. His expression twisted as he gripped the hilt of his blade tightly, fury flickering in his eyes.

Tonight.

At the moment Northbank City faced disaster.

The only ones standing atop the City Wall were his Wild Wolf Gang brothers and scattered forces like North River Market. He had even seen many merchants take out the Eerie Stones they normally kept hidden at the bottom of their chests, too reluctant to spend, and hand them all to the Builders to construct Arrow Towers.

All to hold out through this night.

Yet.

Not a single person from the North River Chen Family or the Qiuhe Wang Family had come to defend the city.

Naturally, he knew what those two families were thinking. Their own residences had higher-level City Walls anyway. What did it matter to them if Northbank City's walls were breached? All they needed was to guard their own little plot of land.

They were unwilling to spend their Eerie Stones and Exotic Treasures defending Northbank City.

As one of the three major powers, the Wild Wolf Gang also had its own territory and its own City Walls. He could have retreated to defend his own land as well.

But—

In all these years, he had never done any major business. The Wild Wolf Gang had risen only after Northbank City was breached during the Rainy Season thirty-seven years ago. He could not get his hands into the big trades, and his gang's main source of income was usually collecting protection fees from shops.

Since he had taken protection money from these people.

He had to protect them.

That was the rule.

Take the money, do the job.

"Boss, what do we do now?" The trusted subordinate beside him said anxiously. "The Chen Family and the Wang Family clearly aren't coming. Shouldn't we withdraw too? We can't hold the city with just us."

".Huff."

The Wild Wolf Gang leader turned and looked at the old man standing behind him in the rain atop the City Wall. This was the Wild Wolf Gang's Builder, an outsider Attendant—a Level 5 Builder. He had been injured in the wilderness once and the gang leader had saved his life. From then on, he had followed him.

After taking a deep breath, he suppressed the threads of anger in his eyes and asked hoarsely, "Elder Zhu, what do you think?"

"I'll follow the gang leader's orders."

There was little ripple in the old man's eyes. He merely smiled lightly. "However the gang leader commands, this old man will act accordingly."

"Good!"

The bandit-like man looked at the Meatworm Wraiths charging through the torrential rain beyond the city and suddenly laughed. "Since we took their protection fees, I think we ought to protect the people behind us."

"Taking money without doing the work isn't the Wild Wolf Gang's way. What do you all think?"

Lightning flashed.

A trace of blood-red light appeared on the man's deathly pale face.

"Erhu!"

"Here!"

"Open the storehouses. Move out every last Eerie Stone and Exotic Treasure the Wild Wolf Gang has. Today, I'm fucking going to defend this city to the death!"

"Yes!"

Opening the storehouses meant it was time to stake their entire foundation.

After this battle.

Even if Northbank City held.

There would no longer be any Wild Wolf Gang in Northbank City.

The news soon spread across the City Wall.

Within the city, anyone who could scrape together an Eerie Stone, upon seeing a member of the Wild Wolf Gang, dashed out into the rain and handed over their entire family fortune to them.

Everyone understood.

The Wild Wolf Gang was defending the city for them.

"Dad." Inside a Wooden Hut in a narrow alley of Northbank City, a man in hemp clothes held a Great Knife and grinned at his terrified, reluctant parents. "You always said there was no future in joining a gang. You kept wanting me to find a position with the Chen Family, saying that was the proper path."

"Do you see it now?"

"When the city truly faces destruction, it's us who are protecting the lives of the people throughout the city."

Just then.

A burst of fireworks bloomed against the torrential rain within the city.

The man did not delay any longer. He hurriedly said his farewells. "The gang leader has issued an emergency summons. I have to go. I'll be back at dawn."

Northbank City, Chen Residence.

Inside the council hall.

Several elders had gathered there.

"The Wild Wolf Gang leader is indeed a man of spirit, but he isn't very rational. Whether this battle is won or lost, there will no longer be any Wild Wolf Gang in Northbank City afterward."

The Chen Residence's First Elder sighed, his expression complicated.

The Wild Wolf Gang was a force that had emerged afterward.

They had not experienced the Rainy Season thirty-seven years ago.

They simply did not understand that during a Rainy Season like this, a city breach was inevitable. Even if they held out tonight, so what? There were still over twenty days left in the Rainy Season.

It was all futile effort.

At a time like this, saving every resource and defending one's own territory to weather the Rainy Season was the correct course of action.

The Second Elder remained silent.

He merely felt that the Lineage had become more and more chaotic over the years.

The Ghosthide Map clearly showed that Jiangbei Chen Family Station No. 37 had not yet fallen. One fact was clear: Chen Fan had become a Builder, and his level was not low. Yet this Builder, who had originally belonged to their Chen Family, had been driven out to the Wasteland because of internal strife.

Only—

No one in the Lineage dared mention this matter again. They all pretended not to know.

Just then—

The Chen Family patriarch pushed open the door and entered the council hall. As soon as he sat down, he spoke.

"The Wild Wolf Gang has opened its storehouses and brought out its foundation, deciding to defend Northbank City to the death alongside hundreds of thousands of citizens."

"Their courage is commendable."

"I admire him as a man of character."

"The people's hearts in the city are currently united. Anyone with even a little Eerie Stone in hand is rushing through the streets to stuff them into the hands of Wild Wolf Gang members. With such support, they may truly be able to hold out tonight."

The First Elder said thoughtfully, "Patriarch, do you mean we should go defend the city now as well, ride the tide, and salvage some of our reputation?"

"No."

The Chen Family patriarch shook his head. "Whether my actions over the years were right or wrong can be judged by later generations. But one thing is certain: everything I have done was for the Chen Family to develop better. In this regard, I am not ashamed before my ancestors."

"I am not ashamed of the position of Chen Family patriarch."

"Even if they can hold out tonight, how will they defend the city during the more than twenty remaining days of the Rainy Season?"

"They are wasting the city's resources."

"Immediately have all Chen Family disciples and retainers change into Wild Wolf Gang clothing and go receive the Eerie Stones and Exotic Treasures donated by the citizens and merchants."

"Especially around North River Market."

"I do not care about the safety of the people throughout the city."

"Since Eternal Night invaded, how many people have died on this continent? How many have begged Heaven for a way to live? Did Heaven pay them any heed?"

"Why should I care when even Heaven doesn't?"

"I care about only one thing."

"The Chen Family growing stronger."

"Everything... for the Chen Family."

"."

The elders exchanged glances, each seeing the complicated emotions in the others' eyes. Yet after a long while, they all nodded. "We obey the patriarch's command."