CHAPTER 1925: CHAPTER 1918: ACTS OF CRUELTY

This kind of people are undoubtedly the ones that give the Lipei district government the most headaches. Last time during the civil unrest in Lipei, they did the same thing, and the district government had a hard time driving them out. It took a lot of effort to persuade some to leave and absorb some, and the problem was eventually solved.

Now, during this special period, these people are back again, clearly having learned from last time. It’s just unclear if their methods would still work under Luo’er’s rule.

The commander of the 1735 Advance Team responsible for surveillance was ambushing on the high ground at the edge of the village. To watch the village, he called in another advance team through Headquarters to monitor the village from the opposite side.

After receiving the message, he instructed the other team to continue surveillance while he led his men down the hill into the village.

Seeing these fully armed strangers arrive, all the wanderers became nervous.

This group of more than thirty wanderers was mainly composed of the old, weak, women, and children. They did not meet the immigration standards of Lipei, so they had never been able to become a part of it.

When five soldiers approached, an old woman leading them stepped forward and humbly asked, "Are you all from Lipei?"

"This is Lipei territory. Without permission, you cannot enter or occupy shelters at will. You should leave immediately," the Captain said cold-heartedly.

"I beg you, sir," the old woman suddenly dropped to her knees with a thud, clasping her hands together in supplication, "We have nowhere else to go. There’s fighting everywhere outside, and we can only hide in Lipei, pleading not to encounter danger. Please allow us to stay here, at least until the war ends."

"You..."

The Captain looked troubled, unable to meet the old woman’s cloudy yet pleading eyes, and had to look away.

"Sir, many of us are ill, and the children haven’t had a full meal in a long time. We won’t take others’ things. We can forage for berries and mushrooms in the nearby woods, just asking you to allow us to stay temporarily, please..." the old woman continued to plead.

"This..."

The Captain, moved with sympathy, turned to look at his team members, who appeared more at a loss compared to the steadfast Captain, exchanging troubled glances among themselves.

"Alas..."

The Captain sighed, bent down to help the old woman up, and said helplessly, "You should get up first; I will discuss it with Headquarters."

"Please don’t drive us away, sir."

Although the old woman stood up, her legs were still weak, as if she might kneel again at any moment.

Two skinny children cautiously approached, snuggled against her legs, their eager eyes quietly gazing at the Advance Team Captain.

The Captain didn’t dare meet the gaze of these children and turned to the communicator, saying loudly, "Prepare to send a report!"

"Copy, ready," the communicator, now equipped, reported back.

"This is Team 1735. After contact, it is confirmed that this group of wanderers consists mainly of the old, weak, women, and children, lacking long-distance mobility..."

He paused to glance at them again. Their clothes were tattered, their skin sallow, and they were emaciated, clearly suffering from long-term malnutrition.

He took a deep breath and continued, "And the group is generally malnourished, lacking food sources. Requesting humanitarian aid, report complete."

The message quickly reached Headquarters. After hearing the report from Team 1735, Cheng Ziang turned to Luo’er and asked, "What should we do?"

"Agree to humanitarian aid and then send a convoy to find a way to transport them out," Luo’er pondered aloud.

"This doesn’t seem right," Cheng Ziang hesitated for a moment and cautiously said, "More than thirty old and weak, women and children—it would be dangerous just to send them out like this."

"But staying in Lipei is dangerous too, isn’t it?" Luo’er replied, looking at him.

"You mean..."

"The Aud Army has been hovering around Lipei’s borders, and now with an additional 100,000 troops, who knows what they might do. We’ve already implemented a scorched earth policy, but if they discover these people, they would definitely mistake them for Lipei villagers and could potentially resort to arms," Luo’er expressed with concern.

"I feel they won’t leave," Cheng Ziang said.

"Alas..." Luo’er sighed deeply and shook his head, saying, "The refugee issue has always existed, and now I inevitably face it. This dilemma is far more bothersome than warfare."

Pausing for a moment, as if something occurred to him, he continued to order, "Additionally, send a medical team for treatment."

"Understood!"

Under Luo’er’s orders, a medical team boarded a transport plane, bringing some food and medical supplies, heading towards Moonlight Spring. Two steam locomotives, also loaded with supplies, set out from the ground.

The transport plane soon arrived at Moonlight Spring. After greeting the advance team members, the accompanying medical team began examining the more than thirty people.

The examination revealed alarming issues: virtually all of them were ill, with two even suffering from severe infectious diseases, prompting the medical team to isolate the two immediately.

The diagnosis results were concerning; most of the thirty-plus people were afflicted with diseases and chronic conditions, unfit for relocation.

After a thorough examination, the medical team’s chief physician instructed the transport plane communicator to report to Headquarters, requesting to delay relocation and recommending treatment on site.

The news excited the advance team members who had been anticipating it. After receiving the report, Luo’er remained silent for a moment and eventually nodded in agreement with the medical team’s suggestion.

If one wonders why so many people from the Otherworld wish to become a part of Lipei, this case undoubtedly explains it.

If Lipei ranks second in terms of humanitarian concern, then no one would dare claim first place.

It is precisely Lipei’s attention and equal treatment towards the majority that makes people eager to join.

Although the rules require driving out refugees invading Lipei, there is much room for compromise when it comes to execution.

However, relying on this method to join Lipei is obviously unrealistic. After all, this involves Lipei’s bottom line, and even if Luo’er agrees, it won’t pass the civil affairs department’s review.

And, to put it cruelly, the addition of the old, weak, women and children does not significantly contribute to Lipei’s development. So, although Luo’er sympathizes with these people emotionally, from a rational standpoint, he could never agree to them joining Lipei.

After entrusting the more than thirty people to the medical team, the two advance teams parted ways, continuing their reconnaissance.

The medical team provided systematic treatment after receiving logistical supplies, and after advising them, they also departed on the transport plane.

The provided supplies ensured enough food for over thirty people for a week.

Subsequently, the medical team will regularly visit Moonlight Spring weekly with the logistics team to check everyone’s situation and replenish their supplies until they can all leave Lipei territory.

Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction, but such beauty did not last long.

Luo’er’s plan for killing three birds with one stone did not come to fruition before the opponent took action.

Four days later, Team 1735, patrolling near Moonlight Spring, decided to revisit the more than thirty people to see if their situation had improved.

However, as they neared Moonlight Spring, they smelled a burnt scent in the air, looked up, and saw black smoke billowing from the direction of Moonlight Spring upwind.

The Captain of Team 1735, feeling a tightness in his chest, spurred his horse to gallop into Moonlight Spring.

In the village, the scene before their eyes was shocking.

The ground was a mess, covered with footprints, and the bodies of the old, weak, women, and children lay sprawled in the mud, red blood seeping into the soil.

The air was filled with a putrid stench, with many green-headed flies perched on the corpses, and carrion crows circling, pecking at the bodies.

Not far away were clusters of burned-out campfires, with each pile containing a charred and twisted corpse, revealing that they had been burned alive from their deformed postures.