The crisp tapping of the floor created an anxious, uneasy drumbeat. After climbing over the enclosed barriers and descending the escalator, which had been shut down the day before, one soon reached the empty ground floor of the hall.
Compared to the main hall above, the narrow corridor below was littered with giant rats lying prostrate in the blood, clearly not yet cleaned up, but still showing some remnants of yesterday's perilous situation.
"I wonder how many lives were lost in yesterday's sudden turn of events..."
After standing there lost in thought and muttering to himself for a while, Sheng suddenly shook his head, stepped over the blood-stained ground, and quickly ran towards the track on one side.
I didn't see the same carriages as yesterday. On both sides of the track, which is only half a meter above the platform, it was almost completely dark, except for a few emergency lights that were still working.
"Will the group you mentioned come from here?"
As I asked, I tossed a tiny fireball that I had condensed in my palm, causing it to move inward in the direction that Sheng was peering at.
The dim firelight cast a warm orange-red hue over everything nearby. Although bloodstains were still visible, it was much better than the horrific scene on the platform.
I remember there were quite a few injured people in the lobby upstairs.
Sheng nodded: "If I remember correctly, before 10 a.m. on the second day after the game starts, survivors from the nearby station will come to this safe zone via this track. Compared to the areas outside where there are still many giant rats, the railway, which only connects the two ends and is mostly built on the ground, is obviously the safest passage."
“Didn’t a section get eaten away by a giant rat?” I reminded him. “I checked with you before.”
Sheng blinked slowly: "Then I don't think I mentioned to you, brother, that only half of that elevated track was hollowed out by insects, right?"
I:"……"
Wait, damn it, so all that jumping around back then was for nothing?!
Who exactly said both roads were blocked?!
"But I didn't say anything wrong!"
Sheng looked somewhat aggrieved: "Because at that time, the half that was hollowed out happened to be the part with the most giant rats. If we, two units without even cloth armor, had gone there, we would have been offering ourselves up as food! But the team that came now not only caught the time when the giant rats were leaving, but also had enough weapons and combat power. That's why they were able to come to this station safely."
"If they are so strong, why did they come here?" I questioned.
Sheng spread his hands: "It's very simple. It's because there are too many refugees on the other side, and they are being ostracized."
I was speechless for a moment.
Well, that answer is indeed very reasonable, and I can hardly find any grounds to refute it.
Thinking back to yesterday's situation, if we hadn't been able to eliminate Tiger and most of his men immediately, we might have only had two choices: to submit or be expelled. After all, within a ruler's sphere of influence, there's no need for someone powerful enough to threaten them and who dares to openly oppose them—it's easier to just kill them.
"Are the people who ostracize them also scum like Tiger?"
Faced with this question, Sheng shook his head, showing some hesitation: "I don't know, after all, I haven't officially met the other party in the few times I've been there."
"Killed by that madman?"
“No, it’s because they’ve all submitted to that madman.” He spread his hands, giving a knowing look.
Fear is the best way to control people's hearts and minds.
If all else fails, kill a couple more troublemakers.
But that would be terrible.
If the situation really develops in that direction, it's hard to say whether the story will unfold as Sheng predicted.
"It's alright, it's alright. I was just waiting and seeing what would happen." But the disappointment on Sheng's face was undisguised. "Even if that group of people didn't come, I have other options. For example, I can select the most capable person from that group to be in charge of management."
"Do you have a suitable candidate?" I asked.
Sheng nodded, stroking his chin: "Although he can't compare to the guy who's coming, he's still a senior executive at a financial company. At least he can handle simple management tasks... Of course, we can't expect much in terms of combat ability."
But this would relieve us from having to take responsibility for the livelihoods of the rest of the people—though no one brought it up, the way those guys looked at each other was subtly conveying that message.
They fear the arrival of even more tyrannical rulers, yet they also fantasize about attaching themselves to the powerful to enjoy safety and benefits. What kind of beautiful dream is this of a peaceful world?
If someone is unwilling to even take the initiative to protect their own safety, isn't that just being useless and a burden?
They're even worse than those recklessly sloppy trash.
Shaking my head to confirm that the time for triggering the event had passed, I followed Sheng, whose steps were heavy, back up the escalator.
Then someone came to greet them.
She was a girl with a bob haircut and wearing a school uniform.
"Um, leaders," she said, looking directly at us, her words clear despite some stuttering, "there's someone knocking at Exit 3."
Tong Sheng and I exchanged a glance, not bothering to correct the strange way we addressed each other. We followed her directions and arrived at the gate marked with Exit No. 3.
Just then, there was another knock on the door, two very polite knocks followed by a soft voice: "Is anyone still here? If possible, we would appreciate it if you could let us in for refuge."
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