Years of warfare had taken a heavy toll on the professionals of Chaos City Inner City.
The residents sighed and lamented.
Especially recently, after learning that the Desert had been sealed off, the resentment of the city's professionals had reached its peak.
Yet the City Lord of Chaos City remained unmoved.
Whether during the war or now, she had only one method of governing the city.
Oppression through strength!
Those who obeyed could stay. Those who disobeyed were executed!
Such intense oppression, backed by overwhelming strength, had left most residents of Chaos City Inner City living on eggshells.
Looking back carefully, this miserable, dehumanizing existence had begun after the Town of the Dead appeared in Chaos City.
Before that, most of them had lived in Chaos City Inner City willingly.
The City Lord had been there too, but she rarely interfered. Even when someone occasionally violated the city's most important rule and went to the outer city, they received only a simple fine, not a beating.
After all, that was one of their privileges as Inner City residents. Unlike outer city residents, they would not be beaten just for littering.
But after the Town of the Dead appeared in Chaos City, everything changed.
The city's rules suddenly became harsh, and the residents were divided into squads. Members of each squad ate, drank, and even relieved themselves together.
They were also held collectively responsible.
If one person broke the rules, the whole squad died with them.
Yes, died with them.
Under that pressure, everyone in Chaos City Inner City lived in fear, and kindness and gentleness became the norm when dealing with their squadmates.
The beatings, insults, and threats of the past were gone...
They were afraid too. Afraid that treating a squadmate too harshly would push that person past their