“Sorry for doubting you. Your weapon is really powerful, and I would like to once again request your help.”
Princess Feilian said.
“With your weapon, we should be able to eliminate all the Demonic Beasts who invaded the city and protect it.”
Bai Zihan agreed, as he didn’t think there was any loss for him.
Moreover, he knew that the objective of the Trial probably had something to do with Princess Feilian—after all, she was the younger self of the Immortal Emperor.
Of course, Bai Zihan was going to accompany her—but not alone.
The group of survivors was also going to be taken to the Inner City.
The Princess probably thought Bai Zihan might get worried about them, and now that they’d been found, it was only right to save them.
Save them—as in, take them to the Inner City, which basically meant the same thing.
After all, staying in the Middle City was as good as being dead.
Though there hadn’t been any casualties thanks to the guns, the survivors still hoped to go to the Inner City, which they believed was a safe haven.
Bai Zihan walked over to the tired group—people with soot on their faces, torn clothes, and weapons made from scrap.
Some held each other, others just stared silently into the dirt.
“We’re heading to the Inner City,” he announced.
His voice wasn’t loud, but it cut through the silence like a blade.
“And you’re all coming with us.”
At first, no one spoke.
Then one by one, expressions lit up.
“Really?”
Someone whispered.
“Well, the princess personally promised. So, I don’t think that it is going to be a lie.”
Someone laughed—just a small, broken laugh—but it felt like the start of something whole again.
A chorus of quiet thanks followed. Heads bowed. A few knelt outright, but Bai Zihan waved them off like it was no big deal.
He had Hong Tao call upon everyone to assemble and get ready to move.
It didn’t take time for them to get ready to leave the place.
Throughout the entire process—from accepting the deal to deciding to take the survivors—Minister Duan couldn’t help but protest at every turn.
“Princess, if we take in so many survivors, our food reserves will take a toll. We might even all die of hunger.”
Minister Duan tried to persuade Princess Feilian with his words, but against her good conscience, no words were enough to stop her from rescuing people.
The survivors couldn’t help but bristle at Minister Duan’s words—he spoke of them like they were nothing but dead weight.
In their eyes, if Minister Duan and the so-called upper management had actually done their jobs, the Middle City wouldn’t have fallen in the first place.
However, although they wanted to curse, they kept quiet, fearing they might actually be denied entry to the Inner City if they went against Minister Duan.
Bai Zihan was also getting annoyed with Minister Duan always trying to interfere.
“Why is your servant so arrogant? Princess, you need to leash your dog properly.”
Bai Zihan said.
He obviously understood that Minister Duan was of high status—perhaps even greater than the Princess, judging by how he acted.
But still, Minister Duan was presenting himself as someone working for the Princess, so Bai Zihan decided to treat him like that.
Minister Duan’s face darkened at Bai Zihan’s insult. This was the first time he had ever been humiliated like this.
After all, who dared to insult him in Ironmist?
Even Princess Feilian didn’t treat him like that.
“You! A mere captain dares talk to me like this? ”
Minister Duan barked.
“Hmph! Who do you think you are? And why do you keep acting like you’re the Princess? You should know your place and help your master with her desire rather than annoying her.”
Bai Zihan shot back.
Before Minister Duan could reply, a hand stopped him.
“That’s enough, Minister Duan!”
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried weight. The kind of weight only someone who had finally grown tired of excuses could carry.
“I have already decided. We are not going to leave these people behind.”
She turned to face the crowd of weary, dust-covered survivors—
Men and women who had survived against demonic beasts.
Who bled and cried and still stood tall.
“I had once failed to save them. I will not fail again.”
The survivors looked at her with mixed expressions—hope and uncertainty.
Minister Duan, clearly irritated at being ignored, muttered under his breath,
“Then when we all starve to death, don’t blame me!”
“Starve?”
Bai Zihan finally spoke, looking at Duan like he was something stuck to the bottom of his shoe.
“You talk like you haven’t eaten well for days, but looking at your fat belly, anyone can tell you’ve clearly eaten enough for the next five years.”
Minister Duan’s face turned red from Bai Zihan’s insult and his own anger.
Minister Duan scoffed.
“What would a barbarian like you know?I speak of logistics. Of long-term planning—”
“Of your own ass, more like!”
That shut him up. Bai Zihan slowly stepped forward, hands behind his back, his voice calm but cold.
“You keep barking in her ear, hoping to scare her with talk of food and rules. But let’s be real here.”
He stopped just short of Duan’s personal space. The guard beside Duan instinctively stepped in, but Bai Zihan didn’t even look at him.
“You’re only thinking about your own well-being. So don’t act like you care about others. One look and anyone can tell—if things get bad, you’ll be the first to run away.”
Duan tried to glare back, but Bai Zihan’s gaze made his spine itch.
“I’ve seen rats with more spine than you,” Zihan said coolly.
“At least they don’t pretend they’re saving lives when all they care about is hoarding crumbs.”
Feilian didn’t interrupt. She just watched quietly.
Minister Duan exploded.
“You insolent—!”
And that’s when Bai Zihan smiled—a calm, infuriating smirk that made Duan’s teeth grind.
“Princess,” he said, not looking away from Duan, “you should really leash your dog better.”
“You—!”
“I mean it,” Bai Zihan added, his eyes cold now.
“If he keeps barking, I might just break something.”
Minister Duan’s face twisted with fury.
“Guards! Teach this insolent brat a lesson—now!”
The fierce guard rushed forward, muscles tense and ready to strike.
But before he could land a blow, Bai Zihan moved like a shadow—quick and unpredictable.
With a flick of his wrist, Bai Zihan caught the guard’s incoming fist and twisted it behind his back.
The guard gasped, struggling briefly before Bai Zihan flipped him effortlessly onto the ground with a harsh grunt.
The stunned guard lay there, winded and defeated, while Bai Zihan stood over him victorious.
He didn’t even glance at the guard and kept his eyes on Minister Duan.
Slowly, Bai Zihan took a step forward, then another—closing the distance between them with an effortless calm that made the air feel heavier.
“Stay back!”
Minister Duan snapped, voice shaking slightly.
“Or—”
Before he could finish, his footing faltered on a loose stone. He stumbled back, nearly falling over, his face pale with a mix of fear and disbelief.
A few of the survivors chuckled quietly.
The result was as expected. Even without a gun, Bai Zihan was strong enough to kill multiple Demonic Beasts.
Although uncertain about their future, they all felt that with Bai Zihan, they would be okay.
Feilian sighed, but there was the faintest trace of amusement on her lips.
Minister Duan was fuming, face red, but he didn’t say another word from fear.
Without his guard, he was powerless as it gets. He knows that he was no match for Bai Zihan who can easily defeat his guard.
Bai Zihan turned back, then he looked back over his shoulder where Princess Feilian was watching.
“Do you want me to teach you how to make people like him obedient?”