Wasteland: My Items Can Be Infinitely Upgraded-Chapter 635 - 304: Recovery, Withdrawal, Li Family Surrenders
Engaged in a brutal melee combat.
During a moment of contemplation, Lin Feng suddenly saw a group of people emerge from the left side of the Oasis Battleship.
They were driving two vehicles, leaving the garrison of Nongzhuang Village and slowly stopping in front of Lin Feng.
Subsequently, three members got off the vehicles, all were at the Late Tier One stage, and they were among the higher-ups of Nongzhuang Village and the Li Family.
Lin Feng squinted his eyes slightly; the leader was someone he had seen outside the arena during a martial arts match, the person who accompanied Li Hao during the intermission at the Li Family camp.
It was likely the trusted aide Li Hao mentioned to him before his death.
The latter stopped at the side of the vehicle, raising his head to see the pile of giant wolf corpses behind the vehicle, noticing a shattered Rock Horse Armor and the corpse of Li Hao wrapped in wolf hide.
The once Patriarch of the Li Family, the leader of Nongzhuang Village, now had a heart as dry as a husk, reduced to skin and bones, with many areas having skin devoured by late-stage cells from within.
Only a tattered human skin remained, wrapping around the internally frantically proliferating advanced flesh.
Such an end was lamentable. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
However, this aide seemed to have anticipated this outcome, and after a flash of sorrow in his eyes, he quickly masked his emotions, arriving expressionlessly beside Lin Feng in the passenger seat, bowing respectfully and saying:
"Greetings, Lord Lin."
"My name is Zhao Mingsheng, the personal aide of Patriarch Li Hao, and currently the acting head of Nongzhuang Village and the acting Patriarch of the Li Family."
"Regarding the subsequent arrangements, Clan Leader Li had already instructed me before the match began. I represent Nongzhuang Village and the Li Family, and we will fully cooperate with your plans."
Lin Feng squinted his eyes; Li Hao was not aware of the oncoming attack from the Desert Wolf Race.
Yet he still prepared a contingency plan for his own failure.
Entrusting the Li Family’s future to him clearly indicated a desire to rely on the Rock-Horned Horse evolutionary pathway to align with a presence capable of continuing to protect the Li Family.
According to the agreement, even if the Holy City did not take over Oasis Town, Nongzhuang Village, and the other two villages, a new leader would be needed to maintain a semi-independent state.
Only in this way would it align with the interests of all parties involved.
Thus, Lin Feng, as an emerging presence, was seen by the Oasis Church much like Li Hao was centuries ago.
Replacing Li Hao’s position to continue managing the Rock-Horned Horse Industry for the Oasis Church until replacing in a few hundred years.
Indeed, Li Hao was very aware of his own positioning and understood that this rebellion was his only chance to break free from his destined path.
But evidently, Lin Feng did not want to walk this beaten path, especially as things were now, leaving him no opportunity to remain.
With this in mind, Lin Feng looked at the two people behind Zhao Mingsheng, who, despite their age, wore deep lines of worry on their faces, bearing some resemblance to Li Hao and Li Mingquan.
Zhao Mingsheng, seeing this, immediately introduced:
"These two are the second-generation offspring of the Li Family, Li Litian and Li Lihe, who are respectively responsible for managing the Yan Jiao Horse Industry and internal family affairs."
"They are also willing to follow Leader Lin’s command."
Lin Feng nodded, then conveyed Li Hao’s last words and the future fate of Oasis Town to the three current higher-ups of the Li Family.
However, he concealed the last piece of sensitive information.
Upon hearing that the Holy City would fully take over the Oasis and that everyone would become Believers, their faces turned pale instantly.
Being a Believer was not a good status; it was a beautified term by the Holy Spring Sect. In reality, in the eyes of other medium-sized and large factions, humans directly governed by the Church were essentially Teaching Slaves.
Indistinguishable from slaves, especially in various industries, they were often even worse off than slaves, as the Church’s higher-ups did not regard Teaching Slaves as humans, but as a group of renewable machines.
Only by squeezing their value down to the brink of life and death could the entirety of a Teaching Slave’s worth be extracted.
In other words, the permanent residents of Oasis Town and the surrounding Deserters, even if they survived the Town-breaking Beast Calamity initiated by the Desert Wolf Race, would face endless sufferings akin to a fate worse than death.
Never-ending toil, up to the moment of their last breath.
However, a Late Tier One Evolver already possessed certain status and ranking; although they would not fall to the bottom as Teaching Slaves, compared to the comfortable life they currently enjoyed, it would certainly be much worse.
Moreover, the Li Family, as the masterminds of the rebellion, even though the Oasis Bishop had promised to forgive and forget, the succeeding leaders would certainly harbor resentment...
At that time, the remaining members of the Li Family, even if they were noble Evolvers, would probably not fare much better.
Fortunately, before Li Hao’s death, with his remaining rationality, he selected a path for the Li Family.
That was to join Lin Feng, the victor, to escape from Oasis Town and seek development in the Holy City.
Though lacking formal status, and unable to blend into the secure large community zones, at least in the second-tier Gang District, they could have a place to stand.
Coupled with the Li Family’s layout over the years in the Holy City, their industries could sustain a Tier Two Early Stage Evolver’s daily consumption.
At that point, as long as they chose the most talented offspring to advance to Tier Two, and inherit the position of Patriarch, they could naturally continue to protect the entire family.
With that thought, Zhao Mingsheng, recovering quickly after brief fear, hurriedly responded:
"We will faithfully adhere to Patriarch Li’s last instructions, looking to Leader Lin for direction, and will select a group of the most technically skilled members and the highest potential horse herds for you."
"Besides, I hope you will ease the restrictions, as the Li Family and Nongzhuang Village have a population of over three thousand, hoping that Leader Lin will be magnanimous and rescue as many members from hardship as possible."
