Moto's words seemed like a well-intentioned reminder, but Sanger sensed a subtle change in the way the others looked at him.

It was as if Moto's few words had suddenly pulled them onto the same front.

This situation greatly angered Sanger.

Even so, he was able to become the leader of one of the eight major mercenary groups.

Sanger is definitely not the kind of brainless, reckless person you are.

Sangge gave a cold snort to Moto and then said to Jiang Tao, the administrator of Hope Town, "At this time, you should say something. It's almost time. I believe I'm not the only one who's getting impatient; everyone else is too."

"If they really wanted to come, the time it took for the news to spread would have been enough for them to get here. Although there are still a few empty seats, the number of people who will actually show up is probably just that many."

Jiang Tao was the initiator, and his words carry weight.

Although Moto previously said that everyone was on equal footing, there were always some things where one person's status and words would be slightly higher than the other's.

undoubtedly.

This person is Jiang Tao.

As long as Jiang Tao nods in response, the others won't have much of an opinion.

I won't let my emotions continue to be directed at him.

"That's true."

Jiang Tao nodded in response to Sang Ge.

Sanger stopped talking, took a deep drag on his cigar, and then exhaled.

Seeing how easily Sanger resolved the delicate atmosphere that had been created.

Moto shook his head slightly with a hint of regret, but showed no sign of disappointment.

After all, none of the people present were fools.

How could Sanger be excluded from the circle and isolated on the margins just because of a few words?

Sitting in his seat, Luo Chen idly touched his chin.

[These people are all quite capable; no wonder they're the leaders.]

[With just a few words, one person can be seen as an enemy, while the rest form a united front.]

[And with just a few words, the matter was easily resolved, and everyone lived in peace and harmony.]

[If this were somewhere else, we probably wouldn't see this situation at all; everyone would become mentally deficient.]

But here, everything seems normal...

Although he was reluctant to come here, this opening scene still gave Luo Chen a lot of insights.

Spending too much time in the world of the book, due to the presence of the main character, often leads to witnessing some idiotic behaviors.

This makes it easy to see through many things.

You don't need to use your brain at all.

In such a situation, one naturally becomes more relaxed, assuming that things will be very simple.

Having arrived in this dream world, I am still trying my best to complete the tasks.

But for Luo Chen, his mindset didn't change much.

I still believe that as long as he is cautious and serious, he can succeed.

Even if the difficulty of the task increases, it is still possible to pass the level and complete it perfectly.

But after this little incident, Luo Chen no longer thought that way.

Although this is just a dream, the people I interact with are not much different from those in reality.

It could even be said that it is a hundred times more dangerous than reality.

A no-man's-land.

A ruthless mercenary.

Whichever one it is.

One wrong step and it's all over.

Therefore, Luo Chen, having understood the situation, naturally adjusted his mindset and re-planned some strategies.

To prevent mistakes.

He was intently observing Luo Chen ahead, unaware of the glances cast at him by the person beside him again.

Even if he noticed, Luo Chen didn't bother to turn around.

There was an embarrassing moment like that once.

Luo Chen didn't want to experience it a second time.

[...]

Jiang Tao then announced the start.

The open door was slowly closed.

Inside the gate, the patrol team waiting outside stood there, weapons in hand, their eyes like those of an eagle.

Everyone has seen this phenomenon, but no one has stood up to speak out.

After all, they knew that Jiang Tao was unlikely to do anything crazy at this time.

All eyes were on Jiang Tao.

Without further ado, Jiang Tao moved the decorative microphone on the table and placed it closer.

After a moment's hesitation, Jiang Tao looked around and said, "I believe everyone knows what I'm going to say today."

"And because of something, we've all come together here."

"I won't repeat what I said before, and I won't waste too much of your time. After all, we don't have much time to waste..."

During the brief pause Jiang Tao made, many people sat up straight with serious expressions.

Everyone came for the purpose of conscription.

They were also interested in the matter of choosing a leader.

They already knew about these things.

Now all I want to know is what Jiang Tao and the others will say and what policy they will offer.

Is it true, as they claim, that everyone can participate?

They were not allowed to be distracted in any way.

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy. The leaders of the eight mercenary groups put aside their grudges and looked at Jiang Tao.

Jiang Tao glanced at the backstage area, where a young man was standing in the shadows, watching everything.

The young man's eyes were bright, and he nodded slightly to Jiang Tao.

Jiang Tao did not respond, but looked at everyone again.

"The matter of conscription is true."

"After confirming repeatedly, we are certain this is not a joke..."

"The war between the two countries has spread to our area and affected our lives, which is inherently unfair to us."

"They still want to recruit us? This is absolutely unacceptable."

"I believe you don't want to become a flag between the two countries, or a useless cannon fodder, but things are already escalating, and we don't have much time left."

“I hope you can channel your anger and humiliation into fighting back, instead of venting it on useless things.”

"Today, together with the leaders of the eight major mercenary groups, I proposed to form an alliance to fight against them."

"Although we are no match for the state apparatus, especially since there are two of them at the same time."

"We are mercenaries, that's true, but we are also human beings, flesh and blood. Living in this world, we don't have to stand at the very top, but we must live a brilliant life and become a testament to history."

"Regardless of how they view us, and whatever their evaluation of us."

"But we all have backbone, and we won't abandon our human dignity and become someone else's dogs just because of a few words from them!"

"Even if we ultimately fail, we will still fight back and show them that we are not so easy to bully!"

So... are you scared?

"Is there anyone who wants to join us in fighting them and become a member of the alliance?"

A few words silenced the room.

The conscription was real, even though everyone was indeed living that kind of life.

But at least freedom and aspiration still exist.

But if one is conscripted, then all of this will be lost, and one will no longer possess it.

Dying on the battlefield is not terrible.

That is an honor, but if one loses human dignity and dies like someone else's dog.

This is a tragedy, and an unbearable humiliation.

They are mercenaries, that's for sure; they live a life where they do whatever they're paid for.

But that doesn't mean they've lost what they should have.