Resurrection Empire-Chapter 918 - 352: The Definition of Freedom (Part 2)

"Why? Shouldn't they pay the price?"

Ren Zhong took a deep breath, "You weren't present when I spoke yesterday, so it's normal not to know. I don't blame you. I'll repeat it now. Beyond their identity as enemies, they're people first, and they're people under control. The shepherd dogs hiding in the dark, driving the flock, were all executed last night. Most of the living captives are innocent people caught up in this."

"Since they're also people, we should save and treat them. At the same time, I must fulfill my promise to treat captives well, to build my reputation and authority. When we truly contend for control of the world, this reputation will be our sharpest weapon. Although there may be stubborn lurkers among the captives, it doesn't matter; I only care about the probability."

"Chen Hanyu, you've followed me the longest. I believe you should know better than most what kind of person I am. Break free from the narrow vision of the past because we aim to change the entire Source Star, and we cannot view everything through the narrow lens of former hatred."

Chen Hanyu pondered for a long time, then silently nodded, "I understand. And there's one more thing, when the battle report of Chromium Carbon Town was delivered by our intelligence personnel, there was a mutiny among the follow-up troops of the enemy's command center, which was captured by you and Captain Ma. About sixty thousand people have left the enemy's camp and are heading towards Chromium Carbon Town, intending to defect. Now, they're gathering outside the town, but Liang Qifa doesn't dare decide whether to let them in, saying to wait until you wake up. In the enemy's camp, nearly a hundred thousand were slaughtered by high-rank professionals dispatched by the Seven Towns Alliance, and another hundred thousand are being controlled and are returning to their original town."

"A hundred thousand slaughtered?"

Ren Zhong caught the key point.

Chen Hanyu: "Yes."

Ren Zhong slightly clenched his fist, his muscles suddenly tensed.

This action caused many wounds on his body to be triggered, leading to a surge of pain.

Hit by the sudden intensified pain in a relaxed state, he involuntarily let out a hiss.

Chen Hanyu hurriedly asked him what was wrong.

"Nothing, let the people outside into the city. Be sure to confiscate their weapons and place them into the centralized sleeping capsules."

"Finally, Zheng Tian is leading the Fourth Army and the remaining Fifth Army warriors, totaling a hundred thousand, advancing here. At the latest, they'll arrive by this evening. The First, Second, Third, and Sixth Armies in Yangsheng City haven't been mobilized but are at combat readiness, with Shi Xuan temporarily acting as the commander in chief."

Ren Zhong: "Hmm, very good."

"Alright. You should rest for a bit first; I'll go out to give the orders."

"Go ahead."

After Chen Hanyu left the room, Ren Zhong slightly sat up and pulled a white towel from the side to cover his lower body.

Two minutes later, Chen Hanyu returned. Seeing this, her face turned red again, but she quickly walked up and pulled the towel away, "Now that your skin is torn and your flesh is exposed, why cover it? If the towel sticks to your torn flesh, it will cause more trouble for me."

Ren Zhong, on the contrary, got embarrassed and said, "Sorry."

"It's okay."

...

At 3 p.m., after completing a treatment cycle, Ren Zhong finally walked out, feeling refreshed, and came to the courtyard of Chromium Carbon Town's hospital.

Chen Hanyu was exhausted and resting in the room next to the medical room.

Hearing of Ren Zhong's appearance, Liang Qifa came floating over in a semi-automatic wheelchair.

Ou Youning, who was indulging in a famous pleasure place in Chromium Carbon Town, immediately slipped out and headed straight to the confinement room beneath the Chromium Carbon Resources airship building.

Accompanied by Liang Qifa, Ren Zhong made a round through the town, focusing on inspecting the severely damaged areas along the town wall from last night's firefight.

As the two moved along the main street with many elite soldiers, more and more wastelanders of Chromium Carbon Town realized that the person next to Manager Liang was the steering man of the Ren Group, and spontaneously followed along.

A minority of wastelanders, with faces blackened by gunpowder and mud, got too close by accident, causing the warriors to bark orders to push the crowd back.

These warriors had previously been informed by Ou Youning that Ren was injured and should not be disturbed, ensuring no potential insider enemies approach.

However, Ren Zhong stopped the warriors from this action and allowed the wastelanders to get closer.

At the same time, Ren Zhong said loudly, "The reason we're able to hold Chromium Carbon Town isn't just because of me, nor the overwhelming strength of the Fifth Army, but because of the residents of the town, because of you. Had everyone not united at the critical moment, the town wouldn't have withstood until reinforcements arrived, and everything would've been in vain. Now, everyone is our own, with no distinctions of mine or yours, no distinctions of high or low."