Chapter 23 Conflict
While dispatching people to seek out human settlements and touting Mun斯特城 (Meng斯特城) as a haven in the apocalypse, Karen was also sending troops to plunder the two cities north and south of the fortress.
Through Karen's military force and brainwashing propaganda, the people of those two cities also swore allegiance to Karen.
As time passed, more and more people chose to come to Mun斯特城 (Meng斯特城).
Mun斯特城 (Meng斯特城) grew increasingly large, reaching a scale of tens of thousands of people, with the army alone numbering twenty thousand. Karen became increasingly autocratic, issuing orders that none dared disobey.
Karen treated everyone equally, ranking them according to their potential usefulness.
Those who had previously held second or third-class professions, or those who were physically strong and suitable for being warriors, were naturally overjoyed. However, some philanthropists who had previously lived in comfort and idleness, or some sinners who could only do hard labor, were utterly unlucky, directly becoming fourth-class citizens, the lowest of the low, and becoming slaves.
Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu had approached Karen several times about this matter, but each time it ended in fierce arguments, with both sides parting on bad terms, unable to convince the other.
In the last argument, Karen, in a fit of anger, even stripped Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu of their military power, dismissed them from their positions as generals, only granting them the treatment of generals, and told them to retire.
With increasingly more free time, Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu felt their depression and anger building up, and could only rely on going out every day to do what they could to help those fourth-class citizens.
One day, Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu were out for a stroll when they saw a fully armed army escorting a group of women towards a large house in the north of the city.
The women cried and wailed, but only attracted beatings from the soldiers.
Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu were filled with anger and immediately rushed forward to question them.
"What are you doing? Why are you arresting people for no reason?"
Fang Xiaoyu questioned angrily.
"Greetings, sir."
A lieutenant came over, planted his spear on the ground, and bowed.
"Why are you arresting them?"
"By order of the City Lord, to arrest a batch of fourth-class women to serve as official prostitutes."
"What?"
Fang Xiaoyu widened her eyes in disbelief. She understood what official prostitutes meant, and coupled with the status of these women as slaves, she could imagine that what awaited these women would be inhumane trampling and hellish torment.
"No, release them."
"Sir, don't make things difficult for us, this is the City Lord's order."
"I order you to release them!"
Fang Xiaoyu grabbed the lieutenant's collar, roaring hysterically. At this moment, a squad of soldiers came over, their spears pointing at the two.
"You're pointing your weapons at us?"
Fang Xiaoyu remembered that she had led them in many battles.
"If you have any objections, you can go to the City Lord to argue, we are just doing our jobs."
The lieutenant sneered and looked down at Fang Xiaoyu.
"Sir, times have changed, you are no longer a general."
"You!"
Fang Xiaoyu raised her fist to punch the lieutenant, but Wan Lei stopped her, and without a word, headed towards the City Lord's mansion.
When the women saw that the only two first-class citizens who could save them had also left, they fell into complete despair, and even the sound of crying disappeared.
Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu arrived at the dome-shaped castle in the center of the city and went up to the second floor.
In front of the door, there were two guards stationed.
"Sirs, the City Lord said he doesn't want to see you."
The guards didn't even report, but spoke directly when they saw Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu approaching.
"He won't even see us?!"
Fang Xiaoyu gritted her teeth in anger and kicked open the door to the office. The guards were about to stop them, but Wan Lei punched them both to the ground with one blow each.
"Intruding into the City Lord's mansion and injuring the guards, what should be the punishment?"
Karen sat behind his desk, writing something, and said without looking up.
"Karen, why did you order the soldiers to arrest women to be official prostitutes? What's the difference between that and slavery? What did they do wrong?!"
Wan Lei slammed his hands on Karen's desk.
"Those women can't even do hard labor, they're weak and frail, why waste food to feed them? It's better to exploit their only value and let the soldiers relax."
"What you're doing is no different from those villains! You said you wanted to create a society where everyone is equal. If the soldiers want women, they can find love freely, they can get married, why trample on those poor women?"
"Wan Lei."
Karen finally looked up.
"Don't be a well-fed man who doesn't know how a hungry man feels. You have a wife, but they don't. The army's tasks are so busy, how are those roughnecks supposed to find wives? Everyone has needs, and they deserve rewards for their merits, and those women are the rewards."
"You said that everyone should be equal, but why are you dividing people into different classes now..."
"Those were just slogans to win people's hearts!"
Karen said angrily.
"Everyone is in the same city. Some people do more and contribute more, while others can't do anything but freeload. Why should they get the same resources and status?
Is that fair to those who contribute?
Any society has hierarchies. Only a society with clear hierarchies can function properly. What you're talking about probably only exists in dreams.
Wake up, Wan Lei!
This is the apocalypse. The apocalypse is a world where people eat people. What did you think this was? Heaven? I brought those people here to let them survive. That's already a grace. Did you think I brought them here to be lords?"
"Where there is oppression, there is resistance. You will be overthrown by these people sooner or later."
"I have an army, who can overthrow me?! Whoever dares to resist, I will kill him, kill a whole group!
The kind people enslaved the sinners for countless years, did the sinners resist?
Wan Lei! I've put up with you for a long time!
You don't have to do anything all day, and I feed you well. I didn't do that for you to question, refute, or criticize me. I've been good enough to you, you should be content!
This is my city, this is my territory, I can do whatever I want, you have no right to speak!
Get out, get out of my territory, get out of my city, go out there and fend for yourselves!"
"You said that this world needs more tasteful heroes, needs more noble leaders, but look at what you've become now..."
Wan Lei was furious, but Fang Xiaoyu grabbed his hand.
"Let's go, he's changed, he's become the person we used to hate the most. Let's leave here, leave this dirty place."
"Get out! Leave me, you won't even survive for a month. Get out!"
"Let's go!"
Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu walked out without looking back.
"You'll come back begging me!"
"Never!"
Karen smashed everything in front of him in anger. His eyes were red, and he gasped for breath.
"Bastards, you eat my food and live in my house, and this is how you treat me? Ungrateful dogs, I'm going to kill you, kill you!!!"