Chapter 125: Chapter 121, Terror Engulfs
In the midst of that terrifying storm, the Inner City was certainly affected too. However, compared to the Outer City, the better-planned and more modern Inner City fared not too shabbily.
The sturdy houses were not easily blown over or collapsed due to flooding; the drainage system, though overwhelmed, resulted in the city being submerged for a while, but reliable sewer systems and drains quickly diverted the water away once the skies cleared.
Even for the people of the Inner City, a few days of shutdown did not lead to starvation. They generally had food reserves and savings at home.
But their days were far from comfortable.
It was just that the nature of their discomfort was somewhat different.
If one were to say that the person currently in charge of Revival City’s outer restoration was Osenia, the Civil Affairs Chief, and the general mood of the Outer City was one of bustling post-disaster reconstruction,
Then the most powerful figure in the Inner City was Lambert, the grandson of a former chairman of the Alliance Council, and what he brought to the Inner City was a reign of terror.
Lambert, almost the last of his family, had transformed into a vengeful specter—at least, that’s how the people of the Inner City saw him.
Before the storm, this reign of terror had already begun. Following Norris’s capture, based on his and Bradford’s testimonies – both former heavyweights in the Alliance Council – people were taken away by soldiers every day.
Those taken vanished without a trace.
The ones responsible for the abductions weren’t any unit familiar to the people of Revival City. The Governor’s Direct Troops from Weixing City were completely impartial, not even offering a way to discreetly inquire about the fate of those taken.
The Inner City now resembled a deadly game of murder, where every time you closed and opened your eyes, someone you knew might have been invited for tea, never to return.
To describe the situation as panic-inducing would be an understatement.
A notion began to circulate within the Inner City: the vengeful specter intended to drag the whole of Revival City into hell, as a burial for his family.
The tempest that seemed poised to destroy the city actually became a respite for the troubled mind. At least for many who harbored guilt, it was so.
At least during the storm, they didn’t have to worry about soldiers coming to take people away.
However, once the storm subsided, the atmosphere of terror swept back in, and the people of the Inner City began trembling with fear once more.
Lambert had become a name within the Inner City capable of silencing a crying child.
“It’s not that frightening, is it?” Listening to Osenia’s teasing over the communications signal, Lambert couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time.
“Isn’t that the situation though? I’ve heard all about it! Don’t try to deny it!”
“You can’t just spout nonsense!” Lambert continued to defend himself, “I’ve been acting according to Mr. Gu’s instructions. I have no need to misuse my power for personal vengeance, after all… after all, according to Mr. Gu’s instructions, those connected to my grandfather’s death are all enemies of this city. Striking at them is merely official business. As for those additional ones, it’s not that I want to take it out on them; it’s just that they’ve all done their fair share of bad deeds. By Mr. Gu’s standards, they need to atone.”
“How are they to atone?” Osenia asked, quite curious.
Lambert didn’t hesitate with his answer: “Those who have committed heinous acts will, three days from now at the public trial, have their crimes announced and be executed publicly; others will be sentenced to varying periods of forced labor. These prisoners, sentenced to labor, will be escorted to the mines of the Abandoned Cave Society to work as unpaid laborers, or to the state-run textile factories that specifically use prisoners as their workforce, to operate the sewing machines.”
“How many people in total?”
“Hmm… around two thousand, I suppose.”
“Two thousand…” Osenia couldn’t help but marvel, “The Inner City only has a total of a hundred thousand people, right? You’ve locked up 2% of the population. No wonder the whole city is talking about you like this.”
“They brought it upon themselves,” Lambert snorted coldly, not wanting to continue the topic.
His actions were not driven solely by his own will. Mr. Gu had instructed him to take action, and it was intended as a thorough cleansing of the Inner City. If they were planning to seize all means of production to convert them into state assets, how could it possibly be done peacefully?
The so-called “extremely wicked and deserving of execution” individuals, as well as many sentenced to long-term hard labor, had their specific penalties decided not just by their crimes but also by their influence.
Those who were not quick enough, thorough enough, or resolute enough in their loyalties had their transgressions magnified by their greater influence.
However, there was no need to say these things to Osenia.
He changed the subject and said, “I already know the favor you need from me. I will select a group of people with minor ‘misdeeds.’ They were supposed to be released anyway. I will kill two birds with one stone; those who were originally terrified will suddenly have a chance to serve Mr. Gu and obtain positions and opportunities even more important than before. They will probably be overjoyed to the point of tears.”
“Uh…” Osenia tried to imagine such a scene.
It was indeed one of tears and sobs.
Lambert paused and then continued, “But you need to be careful. These people have abilities, and there’s no major issue with their backgrounds. However, they have been struck down by an iron fist. Whether they harbor resentment towards Mr. Gu or the new government in their hearts is something I can’t guarantee. You must be very attentive to this when using them.”
“I will be.”
…
After ending the call with Osenia, Lambert organized his documents and went to see Mr. Gu.
When he arrived, Gu Hang’s secretary, Zhang Chao, asked him to wait a bit longer as the previous meeting was running long.
Lambert waited patiently, and after a while, he saw Yan Fangxu and Tadeusz leaving the room.
He stood up to greet them, and they quickly returned the courtesy as they passed by each other.
They didn’t talk about anything. The two military chiefs under Mr. Gu’s power were evidently in a hurry, clearly having many tasks to attend to, and Lambert himself was also in a rush to report to the Governor, having no time for pleasantries.
After entering the Governor’s office, Lambert was about to salute but was stopped by Gu Hang.
“Skip the formalities and get straight to the point.”
“Yes, sir.” Lambert, not daring to delay, stepped forward and placed a stack of documents in front of the Governor.
While the Governor was looking over them, Lambert began to report the situation.
The main content was whom he had recently arrested; which ones needed close attention; and which ones were uncertain and needed Mr. Gu’s decision.
As Gu Hang listened, he amended some text in the documents and then handed them back to Lambert.
“Follow this.”
“Yes,” Lambert responded. “I’ve said what I needed to, so I won’t trouble you any longer…”
He was halfway through his farewells when Gu Hang interrupted him, “Wait a moment, there’s something else.”
“Your public trial is going to be moved up; it starts tomorrow. After your public trial is over, I want to use the same venue to hold a military honors ceremony for our forces.”
Lambert was taken aback and quickly said, “Yes, I understand what needs to be done.”
Though he said it like that, the task was actually somewhat troublesome. With the date moved up two days, many preparations hadn’t been made yet, and it looked like he and his subordinates would have to work overtime that night.
Gu Hang was clearly aware of this as he reassured him, “Mm, thank you for your hard work, go and prepare well.”