Zard got up and helped the old man up. Before the old man could even say thank you, he turned around and went to set up the tent with Qingchen.
Qing Chen said calmly, "Don't worry, we'll make them pay with their lives for this beating."
“What should I do?” Zard asked.
"Give me the marionettes. Don't rush. Soldiers talk by name. Let me control a few first," Qingchen said.
After the rat infestation in City 10 was eradicated, Qing Chen spent two days sacrificing the rat corpses.
Millions of rat corpses piled up on the lower three district defense line, and in just two days, Qing Chen's puppet was given thirteen transparent threads.
Just then, a commotion arose not far from the crowd, and he saw an old man pestering a soldier for wine.
The Chen soldiers weren't about to tolerate this kind of person; they kicked the old man, sending him sprawling. "Get lost!"
The old man pestered him again.
But then Chen's soldiers jokingly said, "Old man, bark like a dog and I'll go find you some wine."
Qingchen knew that the soldier was just playing a trick on the old man, because although the Chen family's troops were brutal, their military discipline was extremely strict. Apart from the Chen family painters, no one in the troops could bring alcohol.
Upon hearing what the Chen soldiers said, the old man turned and left, saying, "You can't imitate a dog's bark."
The Chen soldiers were enraged: "I told you to learn, so you have to learn!"
He kicked the old man to the ground and whipped him mercilessly. The old man lay on the ground protecting his head, curled up without uttering a sound, until the Chen soldiers had vented their anger.
Qing Chen hadn't intended to pay attention to the old man, but then he heard a young farmer in the crowd say, "That old bastard Chen Jiazhang is asking the Chen family soldiers for wine now, isn't he courting death?"
Qing Chen was stunned!
Chen Jiazhang!
He quietly approached the young man: "You said his name is Chen Jiazhang? Is he from your production base No. 1129?"
“No,” the young man explained, “He infiltrated the production base from outside. We brew sorghum liquor there, and he often goes to the cellar to steal liquor. Several times we’ve found him in the cellar, drunk as a dead dog and forgetting to run away.”
"And then what? Just let him keep stealing alcohol?" Qingchen asked.
“Otherwise, we initially hung him in the sun for three days to bake in the sun, and then we let him go, but he actually came back to steal more,” the young man sighed. “He’s really addicted to alcohol, completely reckless. I don’t know how he sneaked into the wine cellar; we couldn’t stop him at all. But later he stopped drinking for free; sometimes he would go to the wilderness to collect the carcasses of wild animals and bring them back to us, like wild boar, pheasant, and rabbit, as payment for the alcohol.”
Another young man standing nearby said, "He can't hold his liquor very well. He gets completely drunk after just six ounces. We all agreed and decided to let him be."
These farmers may have been city dwellers in the past, but they couldn't stand city life and went to the wilderness to farm. By guarding their production base, they could at least eat real food, and with guns in hand, they could hunt to improve their diet.
Despite the raids by wildlings, they were able to hold out thanks to the Metal Storm and their weapons.
These people are relatively simple and honest by nature, which is why they didn't kill Chen Jiazhang.
Qingchen suddenly realized that this was his senior uncle whose cultivation path had been severed.
Li Shutong said that after Chen Jiazhang's path of cultivation was cut off, he went into hiding to find a way to break the shackles of the reverse breathing technique.
But it seems that the other party has not found a solution and has instead begun to give up on themselves.
The path of spiritual practice that has been severed.
Betrayal by blood relatives.
This put Chen Jiazhang under immense pressure.
Knights are not saints; they also make mistakes and experience setbacks just like ordinary people. Furthermore, knights are not all the same in terms of personality and character.
Qingchen could understand why Chen Jiazhang had become like this, but he couldn't bear to see it.
Moreover, after his path of cultivation was severed, he seemed to be aging rapidly, unlike Li Shutong who maintained his youth forever.
Many knights, such as Qin Sheng, looked like they were in their early twenties when they died.
It seems that Chen Jiazhang's aging is a side effect of the reverse breathing technique.
Qing Chen walked over and whispered in Chen Jiazhang's ear, "I am Qing Chen."
But the old man who had fallen to the ground froze, then turned his head away and said, "I don't care what you are, I want to drink!"
“I know you’ve heard of me, and I know you don’t dare to acknowledge me now, but it’s okay,” Qingchen said, unable to refuse, as he helped Chen Jiazhang up and walked towards Zard and Xiaoyu.
Chen Jiazhang tried to break free, but he was surprised to find that Qing Chen was stronger than him!
Logically, he should be stronger than Qing Chen, because he is a legitimate A-level knight, while Qing Chen's knight level and physical qualities are only at the peak of B-level. However, alcohol has corrupted his body and will over the years.
He looked at his junior apprentice in surprise, never expecting that he had only heard of the other's name two months ago, and that he had grown to such a level in just two months.
Qingchen said in a low voice, "You can't be willful now. We need to save the farmers in these production bases. It would be best if you could help us, Uncle-Master."
Chen Jiazhang changed the subject, saying, "I'm not your senior apprentice, I don't know you."
Qingchen said, "We couldn't find you before, but now that we have, we won't let you continue to indulge yourself like this."
Chen Jiazhang stopped speaking and only sighed.
Qingchen asked, "Master said you went to find a way to break the shackles of the Reverse Breathing Technique. Did you find one?"
Chen Jiazhang remained silent.
...
...
As night fell, Chen's soldiers distributed the cheapest protein bar to each of the refugees, which became their food for the day.
If things continue like this, even if these refugees manage to reach Forbidden Land 008, they'll probably be close to starving to death.
After the refugees finished eating, they wanted to sleep, but Chen's soldiers did not allow them to lie down. They could only sleep sitting up in the wilderness.
The refugees totaled 1,329 and were guarded by 120 soldiers from the Chen family, in four combat squads, each led by a squad leader.
Qing Chen had used his hearing to confirm the names of 87 soldiers and planned to take control of the four squad leaders at the right time, so that at least the refugees' lives would be a little better.
At this moment, several of Chen's soldiers and other main force members, who had all gone to bed, quietly walked towards the refugees and picked out a few women from the crowd, trying to pull them into the tent.
Seeing this, Zard was filled with grief and indignation: "Let them go! If you have a problem, come at me!"
Qing Chen: "..."
Chen Jiazhang looked at Zard with a strange expression, then suddenly asked Qing Chen, "Is he also one of our Knights?"
When Chen Jiazhang saw Zard, he could no longer keep up the pretense.
Chapter 723, Forbidden Land No. 008! New Rules!
Zard, filled with grief and indignation, shouted: "What kind of nonsense is it for a bunch of grown men to bully a bunch of women? If you have the guts, come at me! I'll fight you to the bitter end!"
This sentence completely baffled even the Chen soldiers.
The soldiers looked at each other, unsure whether Zard's "Come at me" meant the same thing as their understanding of "Come at me"...
Qing Chen patiently comforted Chen Jiazhang: "He's not a knight..."
Chen Jiazhang felt slightly relieved: "A messenger?"
Qingchen thought for a moment: "No, we're friends."
In fact, he couldn't give Zard a good definition either. Zard's own definition was that of Qingchen's messenger.
But Qingchen defines Zard more as a friend.
Chen Jiazhang was stunned for a moment: "If it's not a knight... then it's alright."
This veteran knight almost thought that he had been out of the game for too long and therefore no longer understood the knight organization.
Not to mention Chen Jiazhang, the refugees standing nearby looked at Zard with a mixture of surprise and admiration in their eyes, a truly complex mix.
Qing Chen sighed. He also wanted to fight his way out, but the key was that he couldn't.
At this moment, four team leaders came over to check.
He saw that it was one of his soldiers who wanted to pass the time, so he just glanced at him and didn't say anything.
After all, raping a few refugee women who were going to die sooner or later was nothing to them.
Several Chen soldiers looked at Zard and laughed: "Anyone want to play the hero? Come on, I'll show you the price of showing off. Hang him up and beat him all night!"
Just as they were talking, before Zard was about to use his ability to bury the soldiers alive, Qing Chen put his right hand on his shoulder: "I'll handle this."
Zard watched Qingchen's retreating figure silently, feeling a surge of emotion.
The boss really is the one who steps up in crucial moments.
But just as he was thinking this, Qingchen staggered through the crowd and ran to the four squad leaders: "Officers, the refugees here are already in a terrible state. Please spare these women. If you really want some fun, take my brother with you..."
Zard: "???"
Chen Jiazhang: "???"
However, at that moment, Liu Pengsheng, the squad leader, said to the soldiers, "Take that hero-worshipper into our tent!"
Chen's soldiers: "???"
At this moment, Liu Pengsheng said to the soldiers, "If you cause a mutiny among the refugees, I'll shoot you on the spot. Now get back to your posts."
After saying that, the four team leaders pulled Zard into the tent. Zard looked helplessly at Qingchen, only to find that Qingchen nodded to him.
Zard was a little confused. What did this nod mean?
Once inside the tent, Liu Pengsheng suddenly said, "Get a good night's sleep."
Zard was shocked: "Sir, you can't sleep here!"
Liu Pengsheng said irritably, "I am Qingchen. I have these team leaders under my control. It's not comfortable to sleep outside, so you can sleep here while I keep watch outside."
...
...
The next morning.
Zard slowly walked out of the tent, stretched at the doorway, and the four team leaders followed behind him, fastening their belts.
The refugees looked at the two of them with a mixture of surprise and doubt, their eyes filled with both admiration and pity for Zard.
Zard returned to the group of refugees, and someone whispered, "Are you...are you alright?"
Zard, puzzled, said, "It's nothing. I slept quite comfortably. Sleeping in a tent is much better than sleeping in the mud. Don't worry, you won't suffer much on the road. The squad leader promised to keep the soldiers in line."