Martial Arts: I Have a Wilderness World-Chapter 89 - 88: Storming the City, the Frenzied Refugees
The environment stirred their hearts; the atmosphere ignited their desires!
Even a serene person, or someone unaware of the situation, would be swept up by the madness of the scene.
It was like dancing at a concert or watching from the stands at the World Cup.
More and more people frantically threw stones and sand at the soldiers by the city gate, forcing them to cover their heads and scurry away, fleeing for their lives.
Even the soldiers coming down from the city walls were of no help.
"Charge!! Survive!!"
Following a roar, everyone began to shout cries of "Charge!" and "Kill!", their voices rising and falling in waves.
Driven by the desire to live, they all charged inside.
At that moment, it was as if they had won a great victory, a feeling akin to that of ancient humans after a successful hunt. They roared, cheered, danced, and destroyed! It was a raw release of emotion, the very origin of dance itself.
At the back of the crowd, a scar-faced man held a bloodstained, chipped Firewood Knife. He grinned, revealing yellow-white teeth tinged with light red, with bits of flesh stuck between them.
He watched the frenzied crowd. His face was flushed, and he unconsciously scratched an ulcer on his elbow, his eyes filled with excitement and madness.
"Kill them! Kill them all! Slaughter them, and no one will ever know what I did! Everyone’s a killer now! There’s no difference! Hahaha... HACK! HACK! HACK... PFFT!"
Amid his wild laughter, the scar-faced man was suddenly wracked by a violent cough. His body trembled, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
But he paid it no mind, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. He watched the crazed crowd ahead with great satisfaction, chuckling sinisterly.
"Ribs, Er’gou, Blind Man, Mute, Pervert... see? They’re killing people too! Hehe, it’d be best if they all died..."
But no one answered him.
Around him lay seven or eight people.
Each one lay on the ground, their chests, necks, or abdomens soaked in blood. Their eyes were wide open, yet their lips were still twisted into fanatical smiles.
At the city gate, adrenaline and dopamine flooded the refugees’ bodies, pushing their already fragile forms—like candles in the wind—past their limits!
But they didn’t care. They couldn’t care less!
When a person is in a state of extreme fear, excitement, or tension, their attention is fixed on only one thing: the target that caused this state!
The soldiers’ retreat and the victory of breaching the city walls incited their madness, making them even more destructive!
This is also why in war, once a city’s defenses fall and there is no one to maintain order, the invading soldiers will madly destroy everything inside, plunder whatever they want, and kill anyone they dislike!
Of the four gates in the entire County Town, three had been breached!
At the East City Gate, a situation identical to the one at the West City Gate had nearly unfolded.
Countless refugees were frantically pelting the soldiers at the gate with stones, trying to storm the city.
The refugees’ riot happened to attract the attention of a bearded man who was patrolling near the city gate. He immediately rushed over.
Just as all the soldiers were retreating with bloody heads, the bearded man charged to the front. He grabbed a man with a crazed expression and threw him back, knocking over several others.
With a series of swings of his Long Saber, several heads flew into the air. Blood geysered like pillars towards the sky. The hot, coppery rain that fell back down was like rooster blood warding off evil, instantly stunning the rioting crowd into silence.
The bearded man didn’t hesitate for a second. He shouted for the gate to be closed, then cut down a few more people, completely suppressing the frenzied mob for a precious moment.
With that, just as the city gate was about to close, he quickly slipped inside and slammed the heavy bolt shut, securing the East Gate.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The continuous sound of ramming against the gate echoed.
This bearded man was Zheng Tianhai.
In the situation just now, he had no choice but to use an extremely fast, cruel, and efficient method to shock them. This gave the soldiers a chance to react and prevented the East City Gate from being breached.
But he had only shocked them for a moment, not suppressed them entirely. He alone could not quell so many refugees.
Two fists are no match for four hands. With countless stones being thrown, even someone as skilled as him would be injured. An Eighth Grade Martial Artist was not made of Vajra Indestructible steel.
Even if he could kill those who got close, he couldn’t guard against sneak attacks.
Not to mention the existence of the plague!
Zheng Tianhai looked at the situation at the East City Gate with a grim expression. He said to a still-shaken soldier beside him:
"Bolt this gate shut, and don’t open it for anyone! Also, take some men and check the other city gates. I’m worried the same thing is happening elsewhere. If it is, report to the Government Office immediately!"
"Yes, Chief Zheng!" The soldier snapped out of his daze and immediately complied, hastily leaving with four others.
Zheng Tianhai, for his part, rushed toward the County Town’s Government Office.
Zheng Tianhai understood the situation. It was just as he had predicted.
He had disagreed with the County Magistrate’s course of action from the beginning, but the County Magistrate had ignored his advice in favor of his own plan.
Although they were later reduced to only one bowl of congee and one bowl of water a day, it had been enough to keep the refugees temporarily placated.
After all, as long as they could live, no one wanted to die by the blade. But he never thought that the refugees would riot so completely today.
He needed to report this matter and mobilize manpower.
If the other city gates were breached...
Suddenly, Zheng Tianhai’s heart sank.
’If it’s really like this... I’m afraid countless townspeople will die inside the city! When that happens, the County Magistrate won’t be able to cover this up! I fear the Zhu Family will seize this opportunity to make trouble!’
At this thought, Zheng Tianhai quickened his pace and broke into a sprint.
In an alley in West City, Cheng Zongyang ran toward South City, leading his second aunt.
He thought last night’s preparations would be unnecessary, but it turned out they were needed after all!
Not far away, shouts that seemed to fill the entire city rose and fell in waves.
Cheng Zongyang suddenly stopped in his tracks. Listening to the sounds, his expression darkened.
’This is trouble!’
The commotion wasn’t just coming from behind them, but from ahead as well!
’It’s not just West City... has South City erupted into riots too?’
At this, Cheng Zongyang looked at his second aunt and said urgently:
"Second Aunt, I’ll carry you! We need to speed up!"
Mrs. Chen of the Cheng Family was also a bit out of breath. Hearing her nephew’s voice, she quickly asked, "Is that... is that alright?"
"It’s no problem! I’m already an Entry Grade Martial Artist. Carrying you while I run is nothing!"
"Alright!" Mrs. Chen of the Cheng Family nodded decisively.
Immediately, Cheng Zongyang handed his Long Saber to his second aunt to hold. With her on his back, he sprinted toward their destination.
"AHH!! Don’t come in!! Get out!!"
"Don’t steal our things! Those are ours!"
"Ma!! You bastards, let go of my mother! AHH!! Help!!"
"Please, I’m begging you, my son is sick! That’s his medicine..."
"Daughter!! Bastards! You animals! Let go of my daughter!"
"..."
Cries for help, screams of pain, curses, the sounds of beatings... all sorts of noises rose and fell from every household.
Countless refugees poured into the city, unleashing their frantic rage!
In this moment, some of them fought for food and water, some for catharsis, some for revenge, and still others to find medicine!
But to fight over resources meant casualties!
