"Red Heart Guild?"
Meng Chao searched through his memories.
He did not find this name.
"That's right, it's Red Heart Guild," Lu Fanghui said.
Lv Fanghui said slowly, "If it's said that most of the gangs that were born in the post-apocalyptic world were more or less tainted with blood because of the cruel reality, then the Crimson Heart Association is simply a strange flower that grew out of the mud without being tainted.
"It was an organization of true idealists. Most of the members of Red Heart Guild were rebellious because of the law of the jungle and the loss of morals in the apocalypse. They believed that the darker the world was, the more we should bring out the light of humanity. That was the only way we could protect the bottom line of civilization.
"At that time, many of the gang members were lawless thugs, bastards who bullied the weak, and selfish scoundrels. The members of Red Heart Society, on the other hand, were true saints and saints.
"They lived like ascetic monks and did not pursue personal enjoyment or strength. Instead, they treated helping normal people as their highest goal and their greatest joy.
"Once we won against Blood Alliance and obtained a great amount of wealth, Red Heart Guild's normal members and sect leaders didn't use a lot of their resources on their own cultivation. Instead, they placed all their resources into the normal citizens in the areas they controlled.
"While the other gangs fought openly and in secret for resources and made the broken walls even more dilapidated, Red Heart Guild worked hard to rebuild their homes. They cleared away the ruins, repaired the houses, and arranged small but clean and sturdy lodgings for the citizens who lost their homes.
"When a hero like my father, Lv Zhongqi, devoured tremendous resources and devoted himself to his own training, he became stronger and stronger at an unbelievable speed and became more and more out of the range of a normal human being, the Red Heart Guild used precious resources to treat the child who would only grow up in more than ten years and the old man who would die in three to five years.
"When the citizens in the areas controlled by the other gangs shivered in the cold because they did not have clothes to cover their bodies, ate dirt because they did not have food to eat, and wailed because they did not have medicine, songs and laughter that they had not heard for a long time came from the areas controlled by Red Heart Guild.
"This place was undoubtedly a pure land that was unique in the bloody apocalypse.
"A few of my best friends and I are all members of the upper echelon of famous and righteous sects, but we're all filled with disappointment and even hatred toward our fathers, who are gradually turning into evil dragons. We've shifted our admiration, which is as great as Red Dragon River, from our fathers to Guild Leader Chi Xin.
"We treat the Scarlet Heart Association as a holy land where we can realize our dreams.
"One day, we could no longer endure the perverse actions of our fathers. We betrayed our families and joined the Crimson Heart Society.
"Red Heart Guild didn't create any obstacles because of our identities. Instead, they welcomed all those who fought for Dragon City and built a beautiful future together.
"We became ordinary members of the Red Heart Association.
"And lived the life of an ascetic and a saint.
"Together with millions of normal citizens, we cleared the ruins, dug caves, and opened up underground farms. We also guided the spirit energy in the underground mines to surge into the underground farms. Even when there was no light, the crops could grow.
"We built brand new skyscrapers to shelter the citizens from the wind and rain. We also built clean schools and hospitals with complete facilities. The most talented among us used our brains to think about how to use crystals and runic symbols to treat the diseases and repair the injuries of normal citizens so that they would no longer have to endure the torment of pain day and night.
"Now that I think about it, those days were really tough. To help the majority of citizens, we worked hard and only slept for two to three hours a day. Each of us carried an embroidery needle with us to prick our thighs so that we could stay awake.
"We didn't have anything to eat. All the canned food and compressed military rations we brought from the Old World were given to the sick, the old, the weak, the women, and the children first. We could only eat the sweet potatoes we grew in the Other World. At that time, we hadn't mastered the art of growing things in the Other World yet. The sweet potatoes we grew were bitter and hard. No matter how we cooked them, they were like rocks that could not be boiled. If we bit them too hard, we would definitely break our teeth.
"Many of our brothers and sisters stayed in their original families and relied on the power of the gangs to enjoy a life of luxury. They squandered an astronomical amount of cultivation resources and became stronger than us.
"Those who had a tense relationship with us came to laugh at us and mock us.
"Those who were originally close to us tried their best to persuade us to go back and admit our wrongs to our fathers so that we could stop this ridiculous farce.
"But they didn't know that while our bodies were tortured, our spirits were unprecedentedly happy.
"We saw the more than ten residential areas controlled by Red Heart Guild getting better day by day due to our hard work. The citizens who were tortured to the brink of death by the apocalypse gradually regained their youthfulness and laughter. I've never sensed that joy from the bottom of my heart anywhere else in my life.
"Although the days were so hard, a few of us girls still took a break from our busy schedule and planted fresh flowers in between the ruins of the past. Over time, we actually gathered into a sea of flowers.
"Meng Chao, I promise you that it was the most beautiful sea of flowers I've ever seen in my life.
"The days in Red Heart Guild were also the happiest, most sincere, and cleanest days of my life!"
It was not that Meng Chao did not believe in Lu Fanghui's promise.
His head was filled with confusion.
The person beside him drove a luxurious car, drank famous wine, and had more than ten weapons and armor made of supreme-grade materials. Even his seat was made of the most valuable soft skin of an Apocalyptic Beast. Just which side were the nine great higher-ups who might take over Sky Pillar Corporation?
"What happened next?" Meng Chao could not help but ask.
The second half of his question was, 'Weren't they idealistic? Weren't they filled with passion? Weren't they very happy, sincere, and clean? Did they decide to break ties with their fathers?
Why did they go back? '
"Later, Red Heart Guild grew bigger. After all, the normal citizens weren't blind or stupid. All of them could see how prosperous and beautiful the more than ten residential areas under us were. The citizens here ate their fill and had glowing faces were a stark contrast to the citizens living in the areas controlled by the so-called righteous sects," Lu Fanghui said.
"Hence, more citizens broke away from the control of the righteous sects and went to Red Heart Guild's territory.
"In fact, an entire residential area announced that they would join Red Heart Guild.
"Red Heart Guild did not reject anyone and treated everyone equally.
"The members of the guild were selfless and worked overtime. They swore that no matter how hard it was and how tired they were, they would let the citizens live a secure, dignified, and hopeful life.
"Just like that, Red Heart Guild became one of the biggest gangs in Dragon City within a short period of time.
"During our peak, I heard that even Battle God Lei Zongchao wanted to join us.
"At that time, Lei Zongchao was publicly acknowledged as the strongest fighter in Dragon City. He was also the person who contributed to the victory against Blood Alliance. Everyone admired his character and respected his strength.
"If Lei Zongchao joined Red Heart Guild, it would only be a matter of time before Red Heart Guild unified Dragon City.
"I'm not afraid that you'll laugh at me, but at that time, we weren't worried about anything else. We were worried that the nine gangs would create obstacles and stop Red Heart Guild from unifying Dragon City.
"The members of the higher management who betrayed the nine gangs gathered together and discussed for a long time. We all came to the unanimous decision that if our fathers really intend to stop the Red Heart Guild for their own interests, we will definitely stand on the side of ideals, justice, and brightness and wage a war against our fathers. We will not stop until we are dead!"
When he remembered that passionate period, Lu Fanghui could not help but smile.
But very quickly, as the blood red wine in the cup rippled, his smile became mocking.
"Then … the monsters came.
"The monsters were a terrifying threat we had never seen before.
"In the past, our enemies were mainly zombies and evil superhumans.
"Aside from their ugly appearances and the fact that they could spread viruses, zombies didn't have a lot of fighting strength. As long as they wore thick enough protective gear and did a good job of preventing diseases, normal citizens could kill three to five zombies in one go.
"Evil superhumans were definitely more terrifying than zombies, but they were still humans. They had brains and could communicate with others. To a certain extent, they could make deals and compromise with others. If they could easily obtain great benefits under the rules of the game, who would be willing to take over the territory and risk their lives?
"But the monsters were as ugly as zombies. They were hungry and mad, but they were also as strong as evil superhumans.
"The monster horde that filled the sky descended on all of Dragon City in a mighty wave. It came from every gang and every residential area.
"Of course we fought back.
"In the beginning, the monsters that appeared were all normal monsters. At most, they were led by Nightmarish Beasts.
"As long as we were united and charged forward without fear of sacrifice, we managed to win against them with great difficulty.
"Even though we paid a devastating price and many of our brothers and sisters died on the battlefield, we thought that the monsters were nothing. We had the ability to protect the citizens, and all our sacrifices were worth it.
"But …
"Hell Beasts and Apocalyptic Beasts appeared one after another.
"Meng Chao, do you know what despair is?"
When Lu Fanghui said this, the red wine in his cup trembled a little.
Many years had passed, and the monster civilization had already suffered a crushing defeat.
But he was still in the shock of seeing an Apocalyptic Beast for the first time, and he could not extricate himself from it.
"Despair is when an Apocalyptic Beast is roaring in the clouds, but you feel as if it's blowing the horn of death in your ears," Lu Fanghui said in a quivering voice.
Lu Fanghui's voice quivered. "Despair is when the skyscrapers you and your companions built with so much effort become like poorly designed toy blocks. When an Apocalyptic Beast gently pushes them, they collapse with a bang.
"Despair is when the normal citizens you poured all your efforts into saving and thought that you could protect them for the rest of their lives are casually trampled by Apocalyptic Beasts and reduced to mush, while you're frozen into an ice sculpture by fear and can't do anything.
"Despair is when the strongest among you, the fighting maniac you admire the most, the person who killed more than one thousand zombies and whom you thought you would never be able to catch up to in your life, releases 300% of his fighting strength and roars as he pounces on the Apocalyptic Beast, but with just one sneeze from the Apocalyptic Beast, not even his bones are left!
"I watched the Apocalyptic Beast wreak havoc in our homes and flatten the residential areas that we did everything we could to rebuild.
"I watched the sea of flowers planted by the prettiest girl among us turn into a burning sea of fire, and the girl turned into a black skeleton at the center of the fire.
"I finally realized something.
"We're … too weak.
"Yes, we have firm wills, noble spirits, shining humanity, and the determination to die. Millions of citizens stand on our side and fight with us against the Apocalyptic Beast.
"So what?
"If we can't win, we can't win. Fighting strength won't increase just because you stand on the side of justice and the public!
"My companions and I, as well as all the high-ranking members of the nine sects who betrayed us, have finally come to a painful realization that we've wasted too much time and resources on normal citizens over the past long period of time. We've wasted too much time and resources on rebuilding our beautiful homes, and we've wasted too much of our time and resources on those cheers and praises.
"We longed for the citizens' acknowledgment and praise too much. We wanted to uphold our so-called morals and humanity too much. We were too immersed in the cheap sense of justice and overflowing compassion, but we neglected the truly important thing in the cruel apocalypse — strength!"
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