Rust Remains Alliance X One Loving Family X Settlement

The scene remained silent for three seconds.

The next second, the sound of the first weapon hitting the ground rang out.

It was a rusty machete, which landed on the gravel with a sharp clang.

Then came the second, the third, and the fourth.

Iron rods, daggers, and pieces of armor struck the ground in a succession of metallic clatters.

The remnants of the Combined Forces knelt one after another, foreheads pressed against the backs of their hands, their backs bent like taut bows.

More than thirty people knelt there, filling most of the scrapyard.

Jiang Ye stood in the very center of the scrapyard, on the gravel where more than thirty people knelt before him.

The flames from the Molotov cocktails flickered behind him, stretching the twelve-year-old's slight figure into a long, slanting shadow.

He waited quietly for a few seconds.

He waited until the sound of the last weapon hitting the ground had died away completely, until those lowered foreheads stopped trembling, until a silence in which every breath could be heard settled over the battlefield again.

Then he spoke.

"Since you've chosen to stay..."

"Then we're no longer just the Rust Bone Gang."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone kneeling before him.

Their faces were streaked with blood and dust, and some wore the dazed look of people who had survived a disaster, but no one avoided his gaze.

"Starting today, the Rust Bone Gang will be renamed..."

"The Rust Remains Alliance!"

The instant the final words left his mouth, the scene fell silent for a moment.

Some people instinctively raised their heads. Others tilted theirs, their eyes full of confusion.

They understood what "rust remains" meant, but they did not quite grasp the weight of "alliance."

"Rust remains."

Rusted bones.

The foundation of Meteor City was the countless bones buried beneath these ruins of scrap metal.

They dug up the bones, piled them together, and trampled them underfoot, all so they could live one more day in the garbage heap.

But what about "alliance"?

Seeing the confusion on their faces, Jiang Ye slowly added,

"I'm one person."

"Each of you is one person too."

"But together, we're one family."

The moment he said it, many of the people kneeling there froze.

Some opened their mouths without making a sound; others' Adam's apples bobbed.

Their expressions showed not resistance, but unfamiliarity.

It was as if they had suddenly heard something that had no place in Meteor City, and needed time to understand what it meant.

In Meteor City, the word "love" was far too distant.

They had seen families torn apart by jenny, friendships turn to betrayal in the depths of hunger, and husbands and wives become enemies over a mouthful of clean water.

Here, staying alive was something that took everything they had. Everything else was a luxury.

But Jiang Ye said they were family.

"I won't make any pretty speeches."

Jiang Ye continued, every word clear.

"In Meteor City, pretty words can't feed you, give you water, or stop bullets."

"The only thing I can give you is..."

He tilted his head slightly, glanced at Iron Wall, then at Shattered Eye, and finally looked back at the kneeling crowd.

"As long as I'm standing, the Rust Remains Alliance won't fall."

"As long as the Rust Remains Alliance stands, none of you will be left behind."

At those words, a longer silence fell over the scene.

The next moment, Iron Wall moved.

He dropped to one knee, pressed his right fist to his chest, and drew a deep breath.

The breath filled his lungs, pulling his chest and back straight, and then he threw back his voice and roared.

"Rust Remains Alliance!"

The words burst from his rough throat, carrying the smell of blood and dust, but they were utterly resolute.

It was as if a stone had finally struck the foundation and settled firmly into place.

Gray Beak knelt immediately after him, his thin back bent like a bow, his voice hoarse but just as clear.

"Rust Remains Alliance!"

Shattered Eye looked up at Jiang Ye, the firelight reflected in his pale eyes.

He said nothing, only lifting the fist he had pressed against the ground and placing it over his chest.

Then Bago roared it out.

Finally, the more than thirty people kneeling on the ground shouted together.

"Rust Remains Alliance! Rust Remains Alliance!"

At first, the voices were uneven, different throats and different pitches clashing and stumbling over one another among the ruins of the scrapyard.

But after a few repetitions, they twisted into a single line. It drew tighter and rose higher, finally becoming a wave of sound that pushed back the gray night mist.

Jiang Ye stood where he was, neither raising a hand to quiet them nor interrupting.

He simply listened as the shouts echoed back and forth among the scrap metal and rubble of District 13, spreading outward in overlapping waves.

He knew that tonight, the sound would spread across half of District 13.

And he needed that sound.

Because he was waiting for the echo of Shu Mu's last words.

"You're just a nobody too."

Standing at the center of the wave of sound, Jiang Ye moved his lips and murmured to himself.

"Yes, I really am a nobody right now."

He raised his eyes toward the distant edge of the wasteland beneath the gray-white sky, his gaze steady.

"But a nobody's path is still a path."

"As long as I want to walk it."

"The path is beneath my feet."

As time trickled by, the shouts finally began to subside, like a tide receding to reveal a wet mudflat.

Jiang Ye lowered the hand he had half raised, his voice returning to its usual tone.

"All right."

At those two words, every voice stopped at once.

"The Shattered Iron Group and the Gray Rat Squad are down, but their belongings haven't been moved yet."

Jiang Ye turned his gaze to Iron Wall and Gray Beak.

"Iron Wall, take ten men and come with me."

"We're going to the Shattered Iron Group's headquarters."

"Gray Beak, take ten men to the Gray Rat Squad's place."

"Shattered Eye, stay here and keep an eye on the people."

He paused, then added,

"Don't dawdle when you're moving things, and don't pocket anything."

"Everything you bring back goes into the Rust Remains Alliance's stores."

"I won't leave anyone empty-handed, but I won't let anyone take advantage of the chaos to reach for what they shouldn't, either."

The three answered at once.

"Yes."

Iron Wall was the first to stand, picking ten of the strongest men to follow him.

Gray Beak rose right after him and led another ten men in the opposite direction.

Jiang Ye turned and strode off, with Iron Wall and his men following behind.

They passed through the burning wreckage at the edge of the scrapyard, treading over broken rubble and scorched sheets of iron as they headed toward the Shattered Iron Group's three-story fortress, welded together from shipping containers.

Jiang Ye stopped in front of the iron gate and narrowed his eyes at the door, covered in rust and welding marks.

Tie Liao's remaining men had long since scattered, and the entire fortress stood empty, with only the wind wailing through the gaps between the containers.

"Move it."

At that single command, Iron Wall led his men inside in a line.

Jiang Ye stood at the entrance and watched them carry out box after box.

Weapons, canned food, bundles of cloth, and stacks of jenny banknotes.

There was even half a box of old watches in decent condition and electronic parts. Those were probably Tie Liao's personal stash, saved up over time.

When Iron Wall brought out the last iron chest, he wore a smile he could not suppress.

"Boss, the Gray Rat Squad's stash might be even bigger than we thought."

"How so?"

"Shu Mu looked greasy and lazy, but he was especially good at hoarding."

"In the first load Gray Beak's people brought out alone, there were more than twenty long blades and six semiautomatic submachine guns."

Jiang Ye nodded, his expression barely changing, but he silently committed the numbers to memory.

The more resources they had, the sooner the Rust Remains Alliance could establish a firm footing.

Given time, it would surely grow into the sole giant of District 13!

Once everyone had finished moving the goods, Iron Wall counted everything and only ran back to report after confirming nothing had been missed.

"Boss, everything from the Shattered Iron Group has been loaded onto the vehicles. Gray Beak's side is almost done too."

Jiang Ye gave the empty container fortress one last glance and turned around.

"Let's head back."

Iron Wall acknowledged him and waved for the men to set off.

Jiang Ye walked at the front of the group, followed by figures carrying iron chests, weapons slung over their backs, and bundles of cloth in their arms.

They had no orderly formation, and their clothes were still stained with battlefield dust and blood, but their footsteps fell on the gravel with unusual solidity.

After walking for a while, Jiang Ye looked back at the road behind them, filled with scrap metal and ash.

"Tie Liao, Shu Mu."

After repeating those names one last time, he slowly looked away.

There was no time for mourning. What came next was the most crucial moment!