Xu Xing woke up slowly, half an hour after she had fainted. Her mind was still hazy.
Upon waking, Xu Xing saw her teammates surrounding her, their backs turned. They were all holding pistols. A cold wind blew intermittently, a sharp chill of early spring. Xu Xing couldn't help but shiver and said, "You're not sleeping in the middle of the night? What are you doing here?"
Lu Anping looked at Xu Xing with a strange expression and asked, "Captain? Have you forgotten what happened earlier?"
Lu Anping suspected something at this moment. Could it be that the captain had amnesia after waking up? He had heard that ether could indeed make people faint, and that memories during the period of unconsciousness would be very hazy. That's why many people added this ingredient when selling so-called "date rape drugs." But he had never heard that previous memories could also be erased.
Xu Xing thought seriously, looking around as she did. When Xu Xing spotted the two headless corpses in the distance, she remembered everything instantly. Upon waking, Xu Xing had indeed forgotten what she was doing for a moment, but as soon as she saw a similar scene, she would recall everything that had happened before in an instant.
"Right, it seems there's still one guy left. Where did that scoundrel go? Also, I fainted earlier, what's the reason for that?" After recalling her previous experience, Xu Xing immediately became nervous. It seemed there was still one enemy esper who hadn't been killed, and she had to be careful.
At this moment, Lu Anping quickly said, "While you were asleep, we have been guarding the surroundings. The enemy has not appeared. He is likely the esper who controls matter, and the matter he controls is ether. This kind of ability cannot be used in windy places. I estimate that the enemy has already left."
Hearing this, Xu Xing breathed a sigh of relief, but she still felt somewhat defeated. She had gone out alone to complete a mission, and it was only the first night when she encountered an attack. If she hadn't brought so many subordinates, she would likely have been ambushed successfully by now. It seemed she still had to continue improving.
"In the future, if I encounter someone faking death, I'll shoot them first. Honestly, being ambushed by such a weak esper is really embarrassing," Xu Xing thought to herself.
Lu Anping continued, "Don't worry, Captain. The heads of the two espers you killed have been put in bags. We have gained a lot this time, obtaining two esper potions. The City Lord will definitely reward us."
Hearing Lu Anping mention this, Xu Xing also suddenly remembered what she should do and quickly said, "Right, quickly find the radio and send a telegram to Yuzhou, asking Yuzhou to send people to take these two esper heads back. As for you all, I will report to Yuzhou and ask the City Lord to reward you."
Everyone reacted swiftly, directly finding the radio and starting to send the telegram. The content was also simple: "Ambushed, counter-attacked successfully, possessing esper heads, please collect them."
Afterward, Xu Xing carefully inquired about what happened after she fainted and discovered that she was still alive after being ambushed thanks to Lu Anping. Thinking of this, Xu Xing immediately made an appointment: "From now on, Lu Anping will be the vice-captain of this team. If there is a situation where I cannot command, Lu Anping will command you."
After the events of this night, Xu Xing realized the importance of her teammates. If she encountered danger again, there would be people to protect her. If these teammates hadn't been by her side to help her, her head would likely have been chopped off while she was unconscious.
Regarding the assassins encountered today, Xu Xing felt something was wrong. How dare ordinary organizations assassinate espers? Although she had won this time, as long as she thought about her previous experience, Xu Xing felt worried. She thought, "I am still a relatively strong esper now, not easily assassinated. If espers with weaker abilities moved alone in the outside world, they would definitely encounter danger."
At dawn, Chang Haojie arrived at Xu Xing's location by riding the clouds. Chang Haojie's combat power was not very strong, so Guo Pinming also stood on the clouds as protection.
"Thank you for coming. I am no longer in danger here. Here are the heads of two espers. These two guys' abilities were invisibility and muscle enhancement, respectively. Their abilities were average, but when they acted together, many espers could not detect the invisible one. Yuzhou should still pay attention to assassinations in the future, especially Yuzhou's leaders," Xu Xing said seriously.
Chang Haojie took the two heads and placed them in the box he carried, then said, "I know. I will convey this matter to my brother-in-law. My brother-in-law told me to be careful when you are outside, just honestly suppress bandits, and don't do anything extra. Especially do not go to Mount Lyuliang, there is a very dangerous esper organization there."
"Mount Lyuliang? Alright, I understand. I won't go there for anything from now on," Xu Xing said quickly.
At this time, Guo Pinming earnestly said to Xu Xing's subordinates, "When you are outside, you must wholeheartedly help Xu Xing. After one year, you can rotate back to Yuzhou. At that time, the City Lord will reward you with esper potions, but only those who perform outstandingly will receive them."
When the team members heard Guo Pinming say this, they were overjoyed. They never expected that by joining Xu Xing's team, there would be such benefits in the future. As long as they could become espers, it would be worth it even if they had to work for ten years.
After completing the handover of the esper heads, Xu Xing set off again. Chang Haojie took off again, heading towards Yuzhou. As they traveled, they could see refugees on the ground. Chang Haojie couldn't help but say, "If refugees continue to pour in, Yuzhou's food supply may also face a crisis. According to Mr. Yang and their predictions, at least five hundred thousand people will flood into Yuzhou, which will be a huge pressure in a short period."
Guo Pinming also nodded seriously at this time and said, "It is best not to go to war in the first half of this year, otherwise, the financial pressure will be too great."
War placed a severe burden on finances because once war broke out, it directly affected food supplies. If Yuzhou's financial problems collapsed, internal strife would occur.
In fact, Shen Feng was standing on the outer city wall of Yuzhou at this moment, watching the endless stream of refugees appearing outside the city. Outside the city walls, staff from the City Lord's mansion were maintaining order. Refugees who had recuperated here were uniformly sent to the south of the Yangtze River. As for the newly arrived refugees, they were first settled in nearby dilapidated houses, waiting for porridge.
"Line up, line up. Everyone can get food. Anyone who dares to cut in line will be caught and hung on a lamppost," the staff distributing coarse grain porridge said impatiently. They looked down on these refugees. Before these people arrived, Yuzhou's food supply was sufficient for everyone. But now, with a group of outsiders arriving in Yuzhou, Yuzhou's food supply had also become scarce.
Therefore, many people in Yuzhou felt that the refugees had come to snatch food.
"Everyone line up honestly. Yuzhou will not support you for free. Yuzhou does not support idlers. After three days, you will be uniformly sent to the mountains in the south for farming. There are often mutated beasts in the mountains, so it is best for you to unite. If you die, it's no one's business. If you survive, you will pay taxes!" At this time, there were also special staff members in the crowd publicizing Yuzhou's policies.
The refugees did not dare to object. If they were blamed, the staff would give a bowl of coarse grain porridge when serving food. However, if they talked back, they would only get half a bowl. Moreover, even if the refugees protested, wanting to stay in Yuzhou or return to their hometown later, it would not change the decision. Where in the world was it so simple to come and go as one pleased, while also consuming local resources?
Therefore, once they entered Yuzhou, they could only follow arrangements and honestly farm in the southern mountains in the future. As for the mutated beasts in the mountains, they would be dealt with by mercenaries.
The food at the porridge stalls outside the city was coarse grain porridge. There was white rice in it, but the proportion was too small. Besides white rice, the porridge also contained black beans, cornmeal, and even buckwheat. It could be said that it was not nutritious, but only full of carbohydrates.
However, even for such food, the refugees were looking forward to it. The area inside and outside the porridge stalls was filled with tempting aromas.
Shen Feng was worried that there might be any trouble among the refugees, which was why he had been standing on the city wall. After all, those who were about to starve to death were terrifying. If they were exploited by someone with ulterior motives and attacked Yuzhou, it would not be good. Therefore, Shen Feng stood on the wall, and he could come forward to suppress them if necessary.
Fortunately, the refugees were extremely well-behaved after arriving in Yuzhou city and did not dare to cause trouble. Most importantly, five thousand soldiers were constantly patrolling outside the city. Besides soldiers, many mercenaries were also maintaining order here. With these heavily armed soldiers and mercenaries present, the refugees had no power to resist. At this moment, they could only be obedient.
By noon, Du Xinshi and Zhang Xixi came to the city wall to look for Shen Feng. Zhang Xixi was carrying a food box, and Xiao Long, who was already two years old, could walk. He ran towards Shen Feng.
"Dad, I came to see you," Xiao Long ran towards Shen Feng, and Shen Feng quickly bent down to hug him.
"You probably haven't eaten lunch yet, so I brought you food. It's all your favorite things," Du Xinshi said with a smile. She walked more slowly, mainly considering her enlarged belly.
Carrying Xiao Long, she walked over and said, "Don't work so hard. I won't starve outside. Since you're here, let's eat together."
Du Xinshi smiled and said, "We've already eaten. This food is for you. Eat it quickly. I know your appetite, and this food can only fill you up eighty percent."
Shen Feng didn't stand on ceremony. He sat on the ground, opened the food box, and began to eat and drink. Du Xinshi, at this time, was recounting some trivial matters: "Chu Chaoyan came to see me yesterday and brought a lot of fruit. She also asked me to return to Fengshen Palace, but I refused. I know this decision will make things difficult for you, so you can go back to live there. After all, the two wives are your proper wives. In the future, you can visit me often."
When Shen Feng heard this, he understood Du Xinshi's thoughts. She was always an understanding woman. She knew that he would cause gossip by staying outside all the time, so she let him return to Fengshen Palace, but she herself was unwilling to make such a choice.
In the final analysis, Du Xinshi had been severely humiliated in Fengshen Palace before, and she had a barrier in her heart. Therefore, she was unwilling to return to Fengshen Palace at this time and preferred to live outside in the future.
Shen Feng then said, "It's okay, I'll just stay with you. I also need to witness the birth of our child. You won't deny me this opportunity, will you?"