“Hope City has fallen?” Min Zhizhou’s voice rose in disbelief. “What happened? Was it infiltrated by Nightmare Beasts?”
He Fang also stared at Zhao Wei with bated breath. Although he had heard stories of fallen cities online and had seen videos documenting their destruction, those were just records—lessons to help his own city avoid making the same mistakes. But now, hearing about a city’s downfall in his own reality, he was completely invested.
“No.” The man took a deep breath. His voice was hoarse and weak as if he could collapse at any moment. “Hope City has run out of resources. The city lord took the last of the supplies and money and fled with the upper echelon.”
Such a light statement, yet it made He Fang’s eyes widen in shock.
“Ran away? Your city lord ran away?” He Fang could hardly believe what he was hearing.
“Hope City was already on the brink. The only reason it lasted this long was because of the officials holding it together. But the weaker the city became, the more cowardly and incompetent the city lord grew, making it harder to compete for resources. Eventually, there was nothing left to eat, no energy, no labor force. Hope City could no longer move and finally came to a halt.”
The man spoke in long, drawn-out sentences, pausing for breath after each one, his tone filled with utter despair.
“The city lord took the last of the resources and escaped. Now, Hope City is nothing but an empty shell—a massive husk that has become nothing more than a supply depot for smaller mobile cities. But at this point… I doubt any city would risk coming to such a dangerous place just for its resources.”
Due to his weakness and incompetence, Hope City’s lord had been unable to secure resources from rival cities. Desperate, he had led the massive city into the perilous ruins near the Nightmare Beast Forest, gambling for survival. But he had lost.
With no more energy to restart Hope City, the colossal city collapsed with a resounding crash.
“What about the people still in the city?” He Fang asked urgently.
“The city lord took all the resources and fled. The remaining residents had no choice but to stay among the ruins, trying to survive while waiting—waiting for another city to come, to extract resources, to take them in. Praying that someone, somewhere, would be willing to take them away.”
The apocalypse was ruthless. The number of people any mobile city could take in was extremely limited. It was impossible to evacuate the entire massive population of Hope City.
“Cities can annex one another, but Hope City is nothing more than an empty shell—it can’t be absorbed. Other cities can only take its resources: its metal, its strongest residents, and the children who can quickly adapt and contribute. Expanding to accommodate such a large influx of people all at once is nearly impossible.” Zhao Wei leaned against the doorframe, absentmindedly lowering his gaze as he stroked the cough syrup bottle in his hand. “I’m already old. My strength has declined, and now I’m sick. No city would take me in. But my daughter… she still has a future.”
“You mean Hope City has already been plundered?” He Fang asked in surprise. “Is the city’s framework still intact? Resources are scarce right now—wouldn’t passing cities strip Hope City clean out of greed?”
“It’s too far.” The man shook his head slowly, his frail neck appearing so weak it seemed like it might snap from the movement. “Traveling all this way just to collect a limited amount of metal isn’t worth it for large mobile cities. Smaller cities might see Hope City as a supply depot, but they don’t have the ability to take it with them. Hope City no longer holds that kind of value.”
Cities never stayed too close to each other—being in close proximity made it difficult for both sides to secure enough resources. Even if another city coveted Hope City’s supplies, it had to weigh whether making the long journey was worth the effort.
A scene appeared in He Fang’s mind—an animal that had starved to death in the wasteland. Its corpse was first gnawed on by large predators, then picked apart by smaller scavengers, and finally stripped down to the bone by carrion eaters. In the end, only an unconsumable skeleton remained.
Perhaps that was Hope City now, waiting to be devoured bit by bit.
“Hope City can no longer move, and its people can’t be absorbed by other cities. It doesn’t look good. The ones still left behind… they’re just waiting to die.” Min Zhizhou spoke with brutal clarity. “Sooner or later, the Nightmare Beast seeds will find their way here. Once they take root, they’ll spread throughout the entire city. Just to be safe, no mobile city will dare come near. In the end, Hope City will be infested with Nightmare Beast seeds and meet its final demise.”
Zhao Wei was the last gatekeeper standing within the city. Yet, for the sake of his daughter, he had chosen to leave, taking his family and setting off on a new journey. They refused to die alongside Hope City. At the very least, he had to get his daughter to a larger city, somewhere with hope for survival.
He Fang recalled the strong and energetic voice of the girl he had heard earlier. The man before him was sickly and frail, pitifully weak, yet the girl was still full of vitality. Among the dozen or so people who had left together, it was likely that they all deeply cherished that child.
“Where is Hope City now? How many people are left?” He Fang asked after a brief moment of contemplation.
The man’s trembling fingers pointed in a direction. He took several deep breaths before speaking, “More than ten thousand people… all of them are the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled.”
He Fang: “?”
The man didn’t hear He Fang’s question, nor did he offer any further explanation.
He Fang was stunned. “How many did you say?”
“More than ten thousand.”
“More than ten thousand old, weak, sick, and disabled people?!” He Fang’s eyes widened in disbelief. “How many people lived in Hope City originally?”
“Before the fall, the population was around 130,000.” A trace of nostalgia flickered in Zhao Wei’s gaze.
“I’ve been to Hope City before. Even in decline, it still maintained the framework of a mid-sized city. Even after its fall, it should have been able to retain a fair amount of resources.” Min Zhizhou sighed.
He Fang was completely dumbfounded. A city waiting for death still had over ten thousand people left? Even if they were weak, if a thousand people laid one brick a day, they could build an entire city!
“You have ten thousand people, and you’re all just waiting to die?” The long-silent Chong Ying suddenly spoke. “With ten thousand people, you could accomplish something, anything!”
Zhao Wei’s clouded eyes flickered toward Chong Ying, but he said nothing.
Min Zhizhou, however, refuted Chong Ying’s statement. “It’s not as simple as just moving to survive anymore. The city is gone. Those who could leave have already left. The only ones remaining are those completely incapable of resisting the Nightmare Beasts. If they start wandering, first, they’ll struggle with food and resources. And second… have you thought about what happens if just one person turns into a Nightmare Beast? Do you realize what a terrifying disaster a moving horde of Nightmare Beasts that large would become?”
Chong Ying frowned.
“It’s not that they don’t want to leave, not that they don’t want to survive. It’s that they can’t leave, can’t survive, can’t abandon this place—at the very least, it’s far away from other mobile cities.” Min Zhizhou’s words sounded absurd to Chong Ying, but he couldn’t refute them.
“So everyone is just waiting here to die?” Chong Ying asked.
Zhao Wei let out a soft chuckle. “The people left behind have already started growing whatever vegetables and fruits they can. They’re enjoying the last moments of their lives—no backbreaking labor, no running for survival. At least before they die, they get to live the life they once dreamed of.”
He Fang rubbed his temples. This—this was what a true apocalypse felt like.
Hope City… ten thousand people… but all of them are old, weak, sick, or disabled.
He Fang felt conflicted.
“Our energy reserves are still sufficient. Let’s go take a look at Hope City.” He Fang pondered, already weighing the possibility of taking in these ten thousand people. He had worked tirelessly to expand his land, to rebuild a city, and even now, his population barely reached forty thousand. Yet a single fallen city still held ten thousand people. Even if they were all old, weak, sick, and disabled.
But just how weak were they? He Fang decided he had to see it with his own eyes.
If their attributes were still readable—if they still had potential—then he would have more to consider.
“I’ve said everything there is to say.” Zhao Wei stretched out his bony fingers and pointed at He Fang. “My payment is everything inside that plastic bag behind you.”
After Zhao Wei finished speaking, everyone’s displeasure was evident. Min Zhizhou lowered his voice. “If it’s just this bit of intel, it doesn’t hold much value for us. The only truly useful information is the direction in which Hope City fell, but that’s something we could easily learn in any other city. Do you really think you have the right to demand such a high price from us?”
A faint smile appeared on Zhao Wei’s gaunt face. “Do you get to decide whether it’s worth it?”
Zhao Wei knew very well that these people were wealthy. In the plastic bag behind the young man, he had spotted many items he had never seen before—yet he could instantly tell they were food.
He hadn’t named a price right away because he knew he had no bargaining power. Now that he was asking for more, it was simply because he had been observing He Fang.
The boy’s eyes were clear and bright, as if untouched by the shadows of this world—just like the former lord of Hope City, who had been raised in luxury, oblivious to the harsh realities of life.
He had given away the cough syrup so casually, without hesitation. That was the behavior of someone who didn’t understand the true value of things. That kind of generosity simply did not exist in this world. He couldn’t possibly be a mercenary. More likely, he was some rich young master from a large city, traveling under the protection of his bodyguards.
Those who never had to worry about food and shelter tended to have more compassion than others.
And Zhao Wei intended to use that compassion to secure a future for his daughter.
“I don’t care if I die. I don’t care if all of us old bones die. But I do care about my daughter. I want her to go to a bigger city.” Zhao Wei’s gaze locked onto He Fang, ignoring the burning anger in the eyes of those around him. He was focused on one thing only—exploiting the boy’s kindness. Even if it meant that the boy’s bodyguards would kill him for it, so be it.
Who would have thought…
Zhao Wei felt a deep sense of fortune.
Even at the very end of his miserable life, he still managed to meet someone like this. Someone he could use.
“No.”
He Fang’s voice suddenly rang out.
Zhao Wei was momentarily stunned, but he refused to give up. “You were the one who proposed the trade in the first place. Are you planning to go back on your word now? You’re supposed to be an honorable mercenary.”
“But I’m not an easy mark.”
As a player, He Fang wasn’t about to let himself be scammed. In most cases, NPCs that tried to deceive players would end up getting killed—he was no exception. Even though “Ruins Without Restart” didn’t seem to have a system for executing NPCs, he still wasn’t about to let himself be taken advantage of.
“Let’s see… I’ll give you three packs of compressed biscuits. They taste pretty good—Guo Miaofeng gave me some before.”
With that, He Fang rummaged through the large plastic bag and pulled out three packs of compressed biscuits along with a box of medicine.
Min Zhizhou: “……”
After checking Zhao Wei’s status, He Fang confirmed his illness and picked out the appropriate medication. He placed the biscuits and medicine in front of Zhao Wei.
“That’s all you get. Nothing more. You can’t beat us anyway, so I get to set the price, right? Min Zhizhou wasn’t wrong—you basically just pointed us in a direction. In our city, giving directions is free!”
Zhao Wei lowered his head and took the biscuits. He knew what they were—long-lasting, highly filling food, perfect for storage.
“I hope your daughter finds her way to the big city she dreams of.”
He Fang stood up, dusted off his armor, and got ready to leave. But after taking a few steps, he suddenly turned back.
“Oh, and one more thing—I’ve got your location memorized. If you dared to scam me, I’ll come back… come back… I’ll come back and tear your house down!”
Min Zhizhou: “……” Wow. What a savage threat.
He glanced at the house. It was just a temporary shelter, the kind people would dismantle and take with them once they had enough supplies. There wasn’t much point in coming back just to destroy it.
Meanwhile, He Fang was still lost in thought about Hope City when he suddenly noticed Min Zhizhou staring at him.
“What’s your problem? You’ve been staring at me this whole time!” He Fang snapped, displeased.
Min Zhizhou hesitated. “It’s just… those biscuits—”
“Min Zhizhou, shut up.” Suddenly, Zhu Yan’s voice cut in from the side.
Min Zhizhou abruptly changed the topic, “You’re eating Guo Miaofeng’s rations, right? Tasty? Maybe I should swap with him next time and try it.”
“It’s pretty good. I’d recommend the original flavor—any added seasonings just don’t compare to the classic taste.” He Fang finished speaking and continued walking.
Min Zhizhou let out a breath of relief. “What’s wrong, Zhu Yan?”
“Whether the information is worth exchanging for supplies or not, the Creator knows. You don’t need to remind him.” Zhu Yan sat inside the cockpit, adjusting the plane’s autopilot.
Min Zhizhou paused in his steps, watching He Fang’s retreating figure with a complicated expression.
Did their young city lord know he was giving away too much?
Was he willingly allowing himself to be deceived?
Even if he didn’t say it outright, did he actually sympathize with those people?
“As the city lord, being too soft-hearted isn’t good.” Min Zhizhou was a bit worried. Inside their city, which was like a paradise, things were completely different from the twisted, apocalyptic world outside. “You shouldn’t indulge his naivety.”
For the first time, Min Zhizhou openly expressed discontent with He Fang’s actions. Yet, Zhu Yan didn’t refute his dissatisfaction. He only responded much later with a single sentence: “It’s precisely because of the Creator’s naivety and innocence that we exist today.”
Min Zhizhou couldn’t understand the people in the city and their feelings toward He Fang. In the end, he remained silent, refusing to engage with these strange people and their strange thought processes.
After learning about Hope City’s situation, He Fang came to a few conclusions:
Hope City still had the basic framework of a functioning settlement.
Hope City housed around ten thousand elderly, weak, and disabled individuals.
Hope City had begun farming locally and likely already had large tracts of cultivated land.
Initially, He Fang had planned to establish a base station on this grassland and then explore the surrounding areas. If the conditions for city-building were met, he could consider founding a new city here.
Now, the ruined Hope City might offer him a foundation that wasn’t entirely starting from scratch. It had a labor force of ten thousand and a skeletal urban infrastructure. While the elderly, weak, and disabled typically had very low productivity, it was still better than nothing.
And according to the description, it wasn’t actually too far away.
He Fang wanted to see Hope City with his own eyes—to determine just how devastated it had become, whether it had any potential for reconstruction, and if not, whether he could at least repurpose its abandoned resources and population to establish a foundation for his own city.
“Min Zhizhou.” He Fang swiveled his chair to face him. “How do cities figure out whether another city has been destroyed? Or where it was destroyed?”
“There’s communication between cities,” Min Zhizhou explained. “That’s how they confirm each other’s locations, decide whether to engage in trade, determine trade routes, and even conduct large-scale actions like annexing smaller cities or launching attacks.”
He Fang’s eyes sparkled as he stared at Min Zhizhou.
Min Zhizhou’s expression turned awkward. “…That’s all I know.”
“How do they communicate?” He Fang pressed on.
“I don’t know.” Min Zhizhou met He Fang’s gaze—first curious, then confused, then disappointed—and suddenly felt a little guilty. “That kind of information is only accessible to city lords. People like us, at the bottom, wouldn’t know.”
“Oh…” He Fang looked a bit let down. So even an information-type NPC wasn’t all-knowing. But seeing Min Zhizhou show a rare, almost pitiful expression, he quickly reassured him, “It’s okay! You’ve already helped us a lot. At least now we know that cities do have communication systems—that’s really important.”
Min Zhizhou’s expression grew even more complicated. “You don’t have to go out of your way to comfort me.”
“…Oh. Okay.” He Fang sneaked a quick glance at Min Zhizhou.
“The cities communicate with each other.” Zhu Yan, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke. “So does that mean all cities actually know each other’s locations? If a new city suddenly appeared, it would immediately attract a lot of attention.”
He Fang froze for a moment and turned to look at Zhu Yan.
That’s right!
If his city suddenly emerged out of nowhere, given the universal rules that all cities followed, others would definitely notice the anomaly. As soon as a single city discovered his city’s secret, the information would spread to all the others. At that point, every surviving force would be eyeing his city…
A chill ran down He Fang’s spine.
“Hope City… its existence really is perfectly timed.” Zhu Yan narrowed his eyes slightly. “The City Lord must have thought the same thing. By using Hope City, we can gain a legitimate place in the city network for trade without standing out too much or drawing suspicion.”
“Yes, that’s exactly it!” He Fang immediately affirmed Zhu Yan’s idea. “Let’s go check out Hope City first. If the conditions are right, I want Hope City!”
Min Zhizhou’s body stiffened when he heard He Fang casually declare his desire for Hope City. Unconsciously, he pressed down on his beast-faced mask.
Wanting a city—
Even for the City Alliance, launching an attack on a mid-sized city required careful planning and deliberation. Yet He Fang could say those words so effortlessly.
A City Lord was, after all, a City Lord. From his very essence, he was already fundamentally different from them.
So this was why Zhu Yan stopped him from reminding the City Lord too much? Because there was no need at all.
An overwhelmingly strong person could afford to have compassion.
Min Zhizhou suddenly wondered if he had been too narrow-minded.
Meanwhile, He Fang was staring at his system map when he noticed some strange markings detected in the distance. He frowned and ordered, “Stop.”
“What’s wrong?” Guo Miaofeng asked while following He Fang’s instructions and bringing the plane to a stop.
“We’re almost there… That’s strange. Why is it this close? Haven’t they been gone for a month?” He Fang frowned.
“They’ve been gone for a month, but that doesn’t mean they’ve been traveling the whole time,” Zhu Yan said, recounting the scene he had witnessed through Min Zhizhou. “Since Zhao Wei mentioned that resources within the city were already scarce, it’s not impossible that they split off and started finding food on their own. Plus, without any transportation and moving purely on foot, they probably couldn’t have covered much distance.”
“That makes sense.” He Fang recalled that the fields near Zhao Wei had already sprouted crops. If the plants had sprouted, then they must have been growing for some time.
“What did you notice, City Lord?” Zhu Yan asked.
“There’s something odd. I see three or four people gathered together, spaced at fixed intervals, forming what looks like a circular pattern.” On He Fang’s map, human markers were clearly visible. They weren’t grouped like a regular team but rather arranged in a way that suggested a scouting formation.
“They’re probably a scouting squad,” Min Zhizhou spoke up. “Scouting squads operate at the farthest outskirts of a city. Their role is to use their own bodies to test the air and surroundings for danger. Typically, these squads are made up of the lowest-ranking members of the city or people who have already been discarded. They serve as the city’s most fragile first line of defense. If a scouting squad turns into Nightmare Beasts, it’s a clear sign that the area ahead is too dangerous to proceed.”
“You mean… moving cities use human bodies for hazard detection?” Surprisingly, it was Guo Miaofeng who looked the most shocked, even more than He Fang.
“Yes,” Min Zhizhou averted his gaze.
“But Nightmare Beasts require experienced people to identify them. How does anyone determine if the scouting squad has already transformed?” Zhu Yan tilted his head slightly, curious. “There must be some method, right?”
“Each member of the scouting squad has a detector implanted in their body. If they get parasitized, the detector will immediately detonate, leaving behind nothing but an immobilized corpse… that way, they can’t turn into Nightmare Beasts.”
For the first time, Min Zhizhou, who had always appeared calm, showed an expression of reluctance—one that suggested he didn’t want to talk about this at all.
He Fang looked at Min Zhizhou at that moment, and the term “scouting squad” suddenly triggered a keyword in his mind. He remembered—according to NPC Min Zhizhou’s background, his parents had once been part of a scouting squad. They had joined in exchange for the initial mercenary equipment that allowed Min Zhizhou to survive and become a successful mercenary. In other words…
“That’s such an inhumane practice…” Guo Miaofeng was about to say more, but He Fang interrupted him.
“It’s usually teams of three, right?” He Fang asked.
“It’s typically a combination of one gatekeeper and two scouting squad members. The gatekeeper keeps a certain distance from the scouting team to ensure they don’t get parasitized by Nightmare Beast seeds. This allows them to accurately and immediately report any danger to the moving city,” Min Zhizhou explained slowly.
“Then that must be it.” He Fang looked at the icons on his system map. “We could just fly straight down, but it’s better to make contact first. Our goal right now is to investigate Hope City. Once that’s done, we’ll need to return to our city for a while—establishing a new city isn’t something we can rush.”
If he could truly make use of Hope City, He Fang would have to restructure his plans according to its current scale. The most critical step would be isolating Hope City from the Nightmare Beast seeds and constructing proper defensive buildings to protect against attacks—both of which would require a significant investment.
Moreover, he was still considering whether Hope City should develop as the main external city or simply serve as a secondary outpost. There were too many factors to weigh. He couldn’t afford to act recklessly.
He Fang tugged at his armor. It was actually quite comfortable to wear and seemed to regulate his body temperature. Despite the cold, likely due to the overcast sky, his hands and feet remained warm.
As he stepped off the plane, he turned back and asked, “So, we’re heading over now?”
“Mm.” Zhu Yan nodded.
At the same time, Chong Xiao took his position behind He Fang, standing guard like a devoted and vigilant bodyguard.
However, when He Fang looked up, his gaze met Chong Xiao’s.
In Chong Xiao’s deep, dark pupils, He Fang’s reflection was clear and unwavering—serious, as if his eyes had room for nothing else but He Fang.
At this moment, however, Chong Ying could clearly see that his brother’s brain had completely shut down the moment he locked eyes with the Creator. Right now, he looked deeply affectionate, steady, and gentle in his protection, but in reality, his soul had already flown out of his body.
Chong Ying was so anxious he ground his teeth. Just one glance from the Creator, and he lost his soul? Where’s his dignity? Where’s his backbone?!
Stealthily, Chong Ying positioned himself behind Chong Xiao, grabbed the flesh at his brother’s waist, and gave it a ruthless, super-intense twist.
Chong Xiao jolted violently from his younger brother’s pinching assault, his brain finally snapping back to reality—at least somewhat. A quiet breeze passed by, brushing over his neatly cropped short hair with a hint of coolness. His deep eyes, however, remained fixed in place, entirely motionless.
Chong Ying was about to explode from frustration. Say something! You idiot brother! Hurry up and talk! Ask the Creator carefully if he need anything. He can do anything! He’s willing to devote himself to the Creator in any way!
But knowing Chong Xiao as well as he did, Chong Ying was certain his brother wouldn’t be able to squeeze out a single word right now.
Left with no choice, he had to figure out a way to step in and establish some friendly communication on his brother’s behalf.
Just then, with his extremely sharp hearing, he caught He Fang’s muttered words: “He really looks like a Nightmare Beast.”
Chong Ying: “?”
He Fang continued, “Chong Xiao, you stay here and guard Zhu Yan. Guo Miaofeng, come with me.”
He Fang recalled how, back in the small group, Zhao Wei had been completely unable to determine whether Chong Xiao was a Nightmare Beast or not.
The only time He Fang had ever seen a Nightmare Beast, his strongest impression had been that its eyes held no highlights—dull and lifeless, devoid of the vitality that belonged to the living. They resembled the eyes of the dead.
Although Chong Xiao’s eyes were undeniably beautiful and matched his aloof, handsome demeanor perfectly, there was no denying that his gaze carried a certain gloom and lifelessness.
Before, he had simply gotten used to it and hadn’t thought much of it. But now, upon closer inspection, he was absolutely certain—wasn’t this the textbook example of eyes without highlights?
“Understood, City Lord.” Guo Miaofeng stepped off the plane. The instant his feet touched the ground, he sensed an overwhelming danger coming from ahead.
His entire body stiffened. He dared not make a single move, afraid that even the slightest mistake would provoke the person in front of him into a killing frenzy.
Guo Miaofeng had no idea what he had done to offend Chong Xiao, but he was well aware that his own combat strength was nowhere near enough to go up against him. As the strongest man in the city, Chong Xiao was undeniably a terrifying figure capable of killing him in a single move.
Guo Miaofeng couldn’t help but swallow hard. He raised his head and, with the most serious and meticulous attitude, said to Chong Xiao, “Please rest assured, I will protect the City Lord with my life—no, with my everything. My brain might not be very sharp, but at least my physical strength is decent. In a critical moment, I will definitely be able to carry the City Lord to escape. I—”
Before he could finish speaking, Chong Xiao had already brushed past him and returned to the plane. Just before the door shut, his dark, piercing eyes locked onto Guo Miaofeng, as if he wanted to tear him to pieces.
Guo Miaofeng gave a bitter laugh. “Ah, maybe Chong Xiao just doesn’t trust me.”
Watching the big idiot in front of him, Chong Ying couldn’t help but feel helpless. Silently mourning for his uniquely perceptive yet unlucky brother, he secretly vowed in his heart: Don’t worry, my dear brother. I will make sure to capture every perfect moment of the Creator’s presence and send it to you for your collection! Don’t lose hope!
Guo Miaofeng was about the same height as Min Zhizhou. Standing next to him, Min Zhizhou suddenly felt an odd sense of comfort, as if losing to someone like this wouldn’t be too disgraceful. He still carried psychological scars from nearly being counter-killed by a delicate-looking girl in a fight where he barely survived.
“Minister Guo.” Min Zhizhou was still somewhat distant toward Guo Miaofeng.
“Just call me Guo Miaofeng. It’s not really appropriate to use titles when others are around. Oh, right, City Lord, how should we address you in daily life? If we always call you ‘City Lord’, won’t it arouse suspicion?” Guo Miaofeng suddenly realized the issue with their forms of address.
“Call me He Fang.” He Fang hadn’t given his character a name, so he simply used his real one.
“Alright, He… mmph—” Guo Miaofeng’s words were abruptly cut off as Min Zhizhou clamped a hand over his mouth. Min Zhizhou had to give the Minister of Land and Resources credit—reaching this level of stupidity surely required talent. Did he really not notice that nearly everyone around them was staring daggers at him?
“Call him Vice Captain,” Min Zhizhou suggested. “Since you’re the captain, naturally, the City Lord is the vice captain.”
“That works.” He Fang didn’t mind.
The four-person team set off. As they moved, Chong Ying quietly sidled up to Guo Miaofeng and muttered in a voice only the two of them could hear, “When we get back, let Zhu Yan make you some medicine to redevelop your brain. Watching you recklessly charge ahead with nothing but sheer stupidity really makes me want to crack open your skull and shove some intelligence inside!”
“…I’m sorry.” Guo Miaofeng felt a little wronged. He had a vague feeling that he must have done something to upset everyone, but his intelligence failed to pinpoint what it was. Not only was he aggrieved, but he also felt stifled.
From a distance, He Fang spotted the reconnaissance team, and the reconnaissance team quickly noticed them as well.
Old, worn-out weapons were immediately aimed at them. Guo Miaofeng stepped in front of He Fang, while Chong Ying keenly observed the weapons. They were so outdated and covered in scratches that they had clearly been used countless times—likely to the point of near-obsolescence.
Min Zhizhou stopped at a distance, and the entire group halted as well. At such close range, both sides could clearly see the emotions reflected in each other’s eyes.
He Fang’s group removed their helmets, and Min Zhizhou displayed their anti-Nightmare Beast weapon.
Chong Ying was already growing impatient. The thing he loathed most was seeing people aim dangerous weapons at their fragile Creator. His gaze locked onto the ignorant gatekeepers, eyes dark with hostility. Though his face was still youthful, it was filled with undisguised displeasure.
He Fang took the initiative to step forward, spreading his arms as he said, “We’re mercenaries.”
The gatekeeper narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the four of them from head to toe. Finally, Chong Ying couldn’t hold back anymore. Even his brother wouldn’t dare to stare so brazenly at the Creator—so how did these nameless NPCs dare to do so?!
“They’re mercenaries! I never thought we’d get to welcome mercenaries again!” Just as He Fang expected the gatekeeper’s attitude to be as hostile as Zhao Wei’s, the reaction took a complete turn. Instead of hostility, the frail gatekeeper’s eyes were filled with joy.
He Fang was stunned.
The elderly gatekeeper eagerly stepped forward and shook hands with Min Zhizhou. “It hasn’t been easy. Mercenaries, we truly welcome your arrival!”
Chong Ying’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Come, come, hurry inside, mercenaries.”
As they followed the frail gatekeeper toward the city, He Fang watched him closely. Malnourished to the point of being skin and bones, the man was still chattering away non-stop.
“Sorry, mercenaries, we might not be able to offer much in exchange, but you’re free to take anything you need from here.”
“My apologies, mercenaries, we can’t provide a grand feast, but we do have fresh wild greens—you might like them.”
“Mercenaries, to celebrate your arrival, I think we could even slaughter the hen that the City Lord left behind.”
The gatekeeper led the way with a cheerful tone, his voice brimming with happiness. He Fang discreetly checked the man’s attribute panel.
It wasn’t particularly impressive—his hunger level was dangerously high, and his overall state was fragile. However, his endurance was remarkably strong, indicating he was someone who had learned to endure hardship.
Despite calling himself a gatekeeper, He Fang didn’t see the same “Gatekeeper” label that Zhao Wei had.
He wasn’t a real gatekeeper.
He was just an ordinary resident temporarily filling the role.
“You’re really happy that mercenaries have come?” He Fang, sensing the overwhelming enthusiasm from the talkative fake gatekeeper, couldn’t help but ask, “You truly look overjoyed.”
“Yes, I’m very happy.” The fake gatekeeper turned back to them with a deeply contented smile. “Because we’ve welcomed another mercenary. It means we’re not dead yet—we’re still alive! And we might even continue to live!”
He Fang blinked, watching as the fake gatekeeper strode forward with steady steps. He quickened his pace to walk alongside him. “You’re young.”
“Of course! I’m a strong laborer.”
“Then why weren’t you chosen by a passing mobile city?”
“Heh, because I’m not strong enough.” The fake gatekeeper seemed genuinely cheerful, treating them with an unusual kindness. Through his words and actions, He Fang could sense a single defining trait—resignation.
Unlike Zhao Wei, who was constantly on guard, these people had already abandoned their fear of death. They accepted whatever was to come, and that made them more optimistic.
After a moment of thought, He Fang suddenly asked, “What benefit does our arrival bring you?”
“Of course, mercenary. I hope you can spread the news that Hope City still exists, so that our loved ones working hard in other cities can feel at ease.” The fake gatekeeper lifted his head, gazing into the distance. “Look, mercenary—that is our Hope City.”
He Fang followed the direction he was pointing. As his gaze landed on the scene before him, his eyes slowly widened.
An overwhelming sense of awe washed over him, consuming him entirely.
![Professional Red Thread Cutter [Quick Transmigration]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_6298.jpeg "Professional Red Thread Cutter [Quick Transmigration]")