The first thing Cheng Yu and the others saw when they arrived was a crowd of people from Gonzales charging a defensive line formed by Gonzales soldiers.
The soldiers' line was already on the verge of collapse, for one simple reason: there were too many people!
And the rioting people of Gonzales were still shouting.
"Why?! Why should we be the ones sent to die?!"
"This isn't fair! Why won't you let us leave?!"
"Just because we're civilians?!"
"You have parents, wives, and children too! Can you soldiers really live with this?!"
The soldiers forming the defensive line said nothing. As soldiers, their parents, wives, and children were among those being evacuated, but these people were still their fellow citizens. At this moment, however, all they could do as soldiers was obey their superiors' orders.
Many Hunter squads had arrived as well, each led by Gonzales soldiers. Wood remained silent at first, then said in a slightly hoarse voice,
"Let's go! First, let's restore order in the Mining City."
No one in the Azure Dragon Study Group spoke. They simply stepped forward in silence, helping the soldiers hold the line while restoring order.
The crowd seemed to have calmed down somewhat.
A man from Gonzales who looked like an officer stood on a raised platform and said,
"Please, everyone, don't panic! The enemy might not attack at all! We will stay here and live or die alongside you! As long as a single one of us soldiers is still alive, we won't let a single civilian come to harm! Please trust us!"
As he spoke, he pointed at the Hunters who had come to help.
"I'm a simple man! I'm no good at fancy speeches! What I want to tell you is this: Gonzales will never abandon any of its