Upon seeing this, the girl frowned slightly, finding it somewhat strange.

But her attention was quickly drawn away from the boy, because her father, Jiang Tao, who was also the administrator of this Hope Town, was about to speak.

"Please calm down, everyone. I will explain the situation to you in detail here. I can prove with the reputation of Hope Town that what I am about to say is not deceptive."

"Of course, if you still want to leave now, I won't stop you, because I have tried to stop you before. But if you still choose to leave, I won't try to dissuade you anymore, even if you lose your life because of it, it has nothing to do with me."

Jiang Tao's words made the mercenaries pause, and the noisy sounds gradually quieted down.

Although Jiang Tao owns Hope Town, he is a high-ranking figure.

They usually had no interaction with him; only members of large mercenary groups could speak with Jiang Tao.

They are nothing but small fry.

It's utterly unacceptable.

However, people still trust the reputation of Hope Town.

Since Jiang Tao took over, Hope Town has maintained a good reputation. Although there are still some flaws, most people are generally satisfied.

That's why Hope Town was their first choice, leading to its current prosperity.

Now that Jiang Tao is using the reputation of Hope Town as proof, what he says next will surely exceed their expectations.

It was at this moment that some of the more observant mercenaries realized that those mercenaries who were more skilled than them were not there.

Even if the town had four entrances, it would still be possible to see it.

But now, there isn't a single one.

Such a scene inevitably evokes certain associations.

Did those people already know what was going to happen?

Those who remained here knew nothing and made a ruckus like clowns.

"It seems you've all calmed down. Now that you've calmed down, I hope what I'm about to say will help you maintain that composure."

Jiang Tao paused slightly, his expression serious: "As you all know, the conflict between the two countries escalated recently, with both sides losing their temper and reason. One side simply couldn't stand it anymore."

"Ignoring the treaty and everything else, like a madman, he launched a missile."

"The explosion site is far away from us, but that doesn't mean we weren't affected at all. The temperature in some places rose to a level that even the strongest person couldn't withstand, let alone the weaker ones."

"Furthermore, because of that missile, we lost a lot of resources that we couldn't access, and we also suffered heavy losses in manpower."

"Our power and economy have been devastated. Although the major national affairs are none of our business, we have been implicated as a result. I believe many people already know that many mercenary groups have disappeared or disbanded because of that. The remaining members either choose to join another mercenary group or have lost their purpose and are like walking corpses."

"But no matter what, we are innocent, we are victims, yet because of this, misfortune still assails us..."

At this point, Jiang Tao's tone became even lower: "So... sometimes it's not that we want to resist, but that we have no choice but to resist."

“I have received word that the war will soon spread to our area and will also be confiscated from this region. Do not think that I am keeping you here for the sake of Hope Town, nor for my own selfish desires.”

"This crisis is a shared one, and no one can escape it. Only by working together can there be hope."

"That's why I had the patrol team keep you here to fight alongside them."

After Jiang Tao finished speaking, it took a while before there was any movement below.

"What's going on? Why are they recruiting us? We're mercenaries, after all. We're paid enough, so isn't it normal for us to help out?"

"Exactly! What era are we living in? Still resorting to land requisition? Do they really think there are no human rights in this lawless place?"

"However, it's no wonder the rules here suddenly changed. He's right. If this is true, no one can escape it. Who would want to be cannon fodder?"

"The main problem is that they won't pay."

"Yes."

Undoubtedly, compared to other shared hardships, the lack of money caused them more resentment.

However, there is no conclusion on this matter yet, and Jiang Tao has not explained it clearly, only giving a general outline.

People can only guess based on their own thinking.

But it is clear that...

They were implicated.

If there's a war, then there's a war. It's unbelievable that people can be affected even from so far away.

[...]

The place where you live.

Luo Chen and the others have finished packing.

I'm also preparing to leave here.

Before they could even leave the room, a mercenary responsible for guarding the vehicles outside the town came in and told everyone what had happened.

After hearing what the mercenary had to say, no one knew what to say.

[Conscription?]

[Does such a thing still exist?]

[Don't they have anyone else?]

[it's out of the question.]

Luo Chen shook his head secretly.

I thought that as long as I ran fast enough, the mission wouldn't be able to catch me, but things progressed so quickly that there was no way to escape.

[This so-called conscription is not because of them...]

[It seems the difficulty increase this time has exceeded expectations.]

Luo Chen sighed silently, while Mu Shiyu, who was standing next to Mu Shanhai, blinked before she could ask any questions.

Mu Shanhai, however, looked anxious and asked the mercenary, "Is what you said true?"

"Of course it's true."

The mercenary nodded: "I have no reason to lie to you. Just go out for a walk and ask anyone."

"So...they all agreed?"

"Yes, they all agreed."

The mercenary nodded again: "After all, this matter is not only about Hope Town, but also about them. Currently, all our people and vehicles in the town have already driven in, and some people have even gone back to report, wanting to move their mercenary group in as well."

"Move it in..."

Upon receiving this answer, Mu Shanhai was at a loss for words and slumped unsteadily into his chair.

Seeing Mu Shanhai's distracted state, Qi Tianlong naturally knew what Mu Shanhai was worried about.

“Mr. Mu, nothing is absolute. Our current situation may not be the worst.”

Who knows, this might actually be a good thing.

Everyone's attention is focused on this matter.

Compared to Mu Shanhai, their attention will naturally be much less.

With a little caution, the chances of an accident being caused can be significantly reduced.

Mu Shanhai stared blankly at Qi Tianlong, his mouth slightly open, but he didn't utter a single word.

There are some things he would naturally think of as well.

But what if those people are stubborn?

The matter at hand is very serious.

It concerns everyone in this area, but for them...

Maybe.

Only I am important.

It's impossible not to worry about that.

After all, the longer we stay here, the closer the danger feels.