He suddenly struggled. "Let go of me! I'm not leaving! Take the others with you!"
But even with all five senses intact, he was still forced to eat insects and animal limbs to replenish his protein and swallow animal organs to replenish his fat. How terrifying and cruel was that?
The Zhou Clan's Stronghold 74 was besieged by the Experimentals and later destroyed by the Kyung Clan's nuclear bomb.
Ren Xiaosu asked, "Since the good times have just begun, we should live longer."
Although Strongholds 145, 144, 146, and 143 were not destroyed yet, they were all the same in nature. They were all faced with an unstoppable force, and the original order had been destroyed to a certain extent.
The old man was stunned. "Who did you say that young man was?"
"You're a young man, so you don't understand." The old man smiled. "What kind of enemy could force the Northwest Army to retreat? It must be a very terrifying enemy that they can't defeat, right? After the Northwest Army came to Stronghold 144, they reduced taxes for everyone and set up an administrative center. When the Young Marshal of the Northwest Army arrived, he even got food for everyone, distributed fields for everyone, and led everyone to build water conservancy projects. If it were the Soong Clan in this time of crisis, the soldiers would have run away long ago. However, the Northwest Army did not abandon everyone and retreat. Instead, they built relief stations and helped the old, weak, women, and children. But I know that they probably don't even care about themselves. They're still thinking about us. "
There were also some people who hid at the back of the group after receiving the food and tried to swindle another portion of it. They were also identified by the other civilians and chased out of the group.
A soldier from the infantry brigade said, "The enemy is very powerful."
The old man smiled. "When I was young, the Soong Clan still had the final say here. At that time, everyone actually didn't feel that it was that hard. In any case, the consortium just gave you a mouthful of food to eat, so you just had to make do with it. There's no need to be so particular about it. Although everyone knows that life is tough, they can still endure it. They think everyone in the world is living like this. Everyone keeps saying that life in Fortress 178 is better, but no one really knows. Because no one has seen it for themselves, they only think it's a legend. "
In order to protect the economic environment in the stronghold, Wang Yuexi had always been unwilling to put this batch of crops on the market on a large scale. He even quarreled with Zhou Yingxue over this.
Therefore, when this series of data was gathered together, everyone in the conference room hoped that Ren Xiaosu could start from his own experience and talk about what they should pay attention to on the way out.
As he and Yang Xiaojin walked the streets together, they could see that none of the scenes they saw during their escape had happened at Stronghold 144 yet.
Zhang Xiaoman was puzzled. Why was this different from what the Young Marshal had said?
Someone began to approach the soldiers of the infantry brigade and ask, "This broadcast isn't a prank, right? Who is the enemy? Our Northwest Army is so powerful, is there an enemy that we can't defeat? Do you need us to do anything? "
In the face of a fully armed infantry brigade, who would dare to cause trouble for the Northwest Army?
The soldiers of the infantry brigade said, "We're making a strategic retreat. This place is about to become the main battlefield. If you stay here, you'll be caught in the crossfire."
In fact, Ren Xiaosu had never personally experienced the most painful things in the world while he was on the run. That was because he had the strength to back it up.
The large fields of potatoes, winter melons, and pumpkins that Zhou Yingxue had casually planted became the key to this evacuation.
The old man smiled and said, "I know that the Northwest Army is kind-hearted. They're probably gathering the women with children and the elderly together because they want to transport them together in vehicles. But with so many people in a stronghold, how can the Northwest Army handle all of them? I'm just an old bag of bones, so I won't go and trouble them."
If he did not know what the world was supposed to be like, it would not have mattered much to him living under the rule of the Soong Clan. In any case, he had been living like this since he was born, so he could survive no matter what.
Even if the cause of all this destruction had nothing to do with him.
Only then did the old man say, "Oh, oh, it's a strategic retreat. I know strategy, so let's retreat right now!
Some of the escapees did not even collect their food.
The crops planted by the head maidservant were so productive that it was unbelievable.
No one cared how they died. Maybe they were robbed, maybe they were violated, anything was possible.
The old man continued, "When disaster strikes, they're still thinking about you. But you can't be tactful. What's the big deal if I die at such an old age? We have to let a few more of the Northwest Army's soldiers survive so that the Northwest can win. If the Northwest Army wins, the future generations of this land won't have to live in the gutter like I did when I was young. "
The Pyro Stronghold, the Kong Clan Stronghold …
But most people were not as lucky as him. Sometimes, after the fleeing troops rested and set off again, some corpses would be left behind at the campsite.
Ren Xiaosu was puzzled. "Wasn't it clear enough on the radio? A 55-year-old old man like you doesn't have to go so far. Someone will make arrangements for you."
"If order collapses on the way out, then all the evil you can imagine will happen." Ren Xiaosu said, "There's no longer any trust between people, but this is not something they can decide. Everyone is like a drowning person. The only thing they can do is grab onto every straw that can save them."
Two soldiers said in a low voice, "Sir, please don't make things difficult for us. The Young Marshal has spoken. Even if you scream your lungs out, you have to go to the Military Control Zone and evacuate with the others."
The old man said, "Really? I don't believe it."
But the civilians did not think so. With the communication cut off, even the newspapers did not know what was happening in the Central Plains. The civilians only thought that in the Northwest, the Young Marshal led the Sixth Field Division and even destroyed the Sorcerer Nation. These days, the storytellers in the taverns were talking about how powerful the Northwest Army was.
In the silence, military trucks and supply trucks were driving west. There was indeed an atmosphere of an impending storm.
The relief stations were set up about every 80 kilometers. Based on the escape speed of a normal refugee, they could usually walk 60 kilometers a day. Such relief stations were set up to ensure that the refugees would not starve to death on the way.
Ren Xiaosu sometimes wondered if those people who were controlled by Zero still had their own consciousness.
However, it was a little different this time. They had just thrown the brick when they realized that the residents around them were looking at them coldly.
No one followed them. A piece of glass smashed into a display window, but amidst the shattering sound, the atmosphere became more and more strange and silent.
Before this, everyone was still discussing in the conference room what kind of accidents would happen during the evacuation process and what kind of emergency plans needed to be made.
The old man glanced at Ren Xiaosu and then said with a smile, "I'm not going. You young people should hurry up and leave. Don't worry about me."
Before he finished speaking, the few young people who had smashed the window had already run away.
Yang Xiaojin said, "It's only because everyone trusts the Northwest Army."
A large open space had been cleared out in the refugee town at the western gate of the stronghold. All the residents who passed through here and evacuated to the west would receive a portion of boiled potatoes.
Of course, the two soldiers recognized Ren Xiaosu. They immediately picked up the old man and left without saying a word. In Stronghold 144, the Young Marshal's words were equivalent to an imperial edict.
Ren Xiaosu continued, "With the war looming, of course we can't spend too much energy protecting the civilians. However, we still have to provide the necessary supplies. As long as everyone can still eat, the situation won't make them despair, and fewer people will take risks."
Ren Xiaosu shook his head again but did not continue to argue.
After the earthquake, Stronghold 113 was attacked by the Experimentals and face bugs and destroyed.
Ren Xiaosu walked over and asked curiously, "Grandpa, didn't you hear the announcement? Those over 55 years old need to hurry to the military control zone at East Tranquility Road to gather. They'll arrange for you to evacuate together.
"Everyone has started rushing into the stronghold's shops or other people's homes. They're using crude and barbaric methods to plunder other people's belongings as a bargaining chip for their own survival."
However, Ren Xiaosu quickly understood. "The chaos of the war has not really spread here, so the residents of Stronghold 144 are not as panicked as I've seen before. With the relief station and proper transparency of information, they don't really feel hunger or fear either. Therefore, some rationality can still be maintained here. "
The old man was completely stunned.
When Zhang Xiaoman came to inspect the area, he had thought it would be very chaotic here. There might even be a situation where the refugees would start looting for food.
At this moment, Ren Xiaosu saw an old man sitting on a folding stool in front of his house. He was calmly watching the stronghold residents retreat.
In their opinion, this brick was like a signal. As long as it was thrown, the stronghold would immediately descend into chaos. At that time, no one would have the time to care about them.
When the announcement rang out in every corner of the stronghold, the infantry brigade led by Zhang Xiaoman immediately went on high alert.
The Li Consortium's stronghold had been attacked and destroyed by Li Shentan and the Experimentals.
The Yang Clan's stronghold had been attacked and nearly destroyed by the Li Consortium's nanosoldiers.
Before Zhang Xiaoman could refuse, the auntie stuffed a piece of deep-fried dough cake into Zhang Xiaoman's hand.
Zhang Xiaoman was a little puzzled as he stopped an auntie who had not collected her food. Then he asked, "Auntie, why aren't you collecting your food? Is it because my soldiers have a bad attitude or are they not distributing your food to you?"
Several young men were standing on a street with less traffic. They thought their chance had come after hearing the announcement, so they found a grocery store that sold cigarettes and alcohol and wanted to take advantage of the chaos to loot it.
Stronghold 144 was already under martial law. Zhang Xiaoman led a full infantry brigade and set up checkpoints on all the important streets in the stronghold to ensure the order of the retreat.
But now that chaos was upon them, they were put to good use.
In Sir System's opinion, preserving the strength of the Northwest Army was far more important than keeping his old bones alive.
However, he gradually realized something strange was happening. Some of the people who tried to cut in line were scolded out of line by the other civilians before the infantry brigade soldiers could catch them. As such, they could only obediently go back to the back of the line.
Ren Xiaosu shook his head. "What's the value of trust in a really extreme situation? Before I became a supernatural being, I also felt that kind of fear. I even needed someone to keep watch over me while I slept, so how can I trust strangers? I hope the Northwest won't become like that too. Before the real disaster arrives, we can only try our best to maintain the status quo. "
Perhaps they could still see, hear, smell, and taste.
But to their surprise, the residents of Stronghold 144 did not react with panic when they learned they were going to retreat. Instead, they remained silent and curious.
"The people started cursing the authorities because this was the result of their actions. But soon, they stopped cursing because their minds were all focused on escaping. They no longer had the mind to care about anything else. "
The stronghold's administrative staff, led by Wang Yuexi, were more anxious. They started constantly urging everyone to evacuate through the radio and informed everyone of some questions that could be answered.
The infantry brigade soldier explained, "We really can't win in this flat terrain."
With that, the auntie opened the cloth bag she was carrying. There were even fried dough pancakes in it. "Do you want some?"
Many of the soldiers were stunned by this question. They already knew what kind of enemy was coming, and they also knew it would be very difficult for the Northwest Army to fight against them.
The old man next to them said with a smile, "Be confident. Everyone believes that you can win."
Therefore, Ren Xiaosu felt that the escapees had not caused a ruckus yet because they had not figured out what they were going to face.
Therefore, the most important thing on the way to evacuate was food.
For example, they had to travel light, follow a large group of troops, find a supply point, and set off as soon as possible. For example, women with children and the elderly could head to the 6th Field Division's military control zone in the stronghold and receive unified evacuation arrangements.
It took the infantry brigade soldiers a lot of effort to convince the civilians who were waiting for an explanation to return home to pack up.
The old man did not seem to know Ren Xiaosu's identity. Ren Xiaosu wondered, "Aren't you leaving? Why? Is it because you've lived here for too long and don't want to leave? Don't you know the enemy is coming? The Northwest Army can't defeat them. If you stay here, you'll only be waiting for death or facing a situation that's even worse than death. "
At this point, everyone turned their eyes to Ren Xiaosu.
At the beginning, Zhang Xiaoman felt that his arrangements were pretty good. He had gotten the situation under control so quickly and could go to the Young Marshal tonight to claim credit for it.
The farce ended in a hurry before it had even begun.
He rarely believed in human nature because he had seen too many inhumane things.
The old man was carried more than a dozen meters off the ground. He was dumbfounded.
Sitting on a folding stool, the old man looked up at Ren Xiaosu and said with a smile, "I heard from the young man next door that the enemy is coming and the Northwest Army is making a strategic shift. It's not that I'm reluctant to leave this place. Although I've lived here all my life, I still want to see the peaceful times after the Northwest Army defeats the enemy. It's just that I'm lame and can't walk anymore. I won't be able to make it to Fortress 178. "
Therefore, everyone felt that the Northwest Army was the strongest, so how could they be forced to retreat?
Ren Xiaosu asked softly, "Why? Isn't it good to have someone helping you?"
Ren Xiaosu was silent for a long time. Then he waved to two infantry brigade soldiers on the street and said, "Bring this old man to the military control zone."
The two soldiers were amused. "You've been chatting with the Young Marshal for so long, but you still don't know who he is?"
…
An auntie started shouting on the side of the road, "Hey you, aren't you the son of Old Li's family on the other side of the street? Hurry up and go home. Otherwise, let's see how your father will deal with you."
"Children, women, and the elderly will become the most vulnerable groups on the run. Some of the men are starting to try to regain control of the most primitive authority, the means of production, and everyone's freedom."
His mission was to protect the civilians from harm and prevent anyone from taking advantage of the chaos to commit evil.
More than a year ago, a similar incident had happened when the Soong Clan stronghold was destroyed. Now, they were quite familiar with the task.
When the ordinary residents heard that the elderly, the weak, the women, and the children would be assigned to them, they understood what was going on. However, this old man did not want to cause any trouble for the Northwest Army, so he decided not to report to the military control zone.
Ren Xiaosu stood in the alley and sized up the stronghold. He sighed and said, "Let's hope there's enough time for everyone to evacuate."
The auntie was amused. "Didn't they say that there's another supply point 80 kilometers away? My house still has a lot of food stored up, so it's not like we can't even make it to 80 kilometers. My neighbor said that y 'all still have to stay behind to fight the enemy, and there might not even be enough food left. So I thought I wouldn't cause any trouble for y' all. "
Stronghold 61 was destroyed by the creeper vines.
It was not only Zhang Xiaoman who was puzzled. In fact, Ren Xiaosu was also a little puzzled.
A large number of supplies were transported to the western gate of the stronghold, while some were also transported to the Northwest to set up relief stations in the wilderness.
When Ren Xiaosu saw everyone's expectant gazes, he could not help but sigh. This was not a topic worth pondering over. He would rather not have experienced all of this.
After all, in the entire Barrier Alliance, the only person who could be called a Stronghold Destroyer was Ren Xiaosu.
It seemed like Ren Xiaosu was either at the Stronghold of Destruction or on the way to the Stronghold of Destruction.
Although there were not many types of food available, no one would be too particular about it if they did not starve to death at a time like this.
Sir System continued, "Later, when Fortress 178's Northwest Army arrived, the atmosphere in the stronghold finally started to liven up. Everyone dared to speak loudly, beautiful girls dared to dress up and go out on the streets, and they didn't have to be afraid of the soldiers anymore. If it were in the past, all the beautiful girls in the family would cut their hair short and raise them as boys. They wouldn't even dare to let the Soong Clan see them. Only then did everyone realize that they had been living in the dark for a long time, and it was only now that the sun was shining in. "
Even the cities of the Sorcerer Nation were no exception.
"Food and medicine became the scarcest resources, and the value of the currency was constantly being devalued. If everyone was in a state of hunger, a single bite of food could very well kill someone."
Yang Xiaojin smiled and said, "You don't have to be so humble. This is also thanks to you, Wang Yuexi, and Uncle Fugui."
But after witnessing the brief period of peace and prosperity in the Northwest, he could no longer tolerate the life he had once experienced. In fact, he did not even want the people living in this land to experience all of that in the future.
But in reality, such a thing did not happen. The evacuating civilians were all lining up in an orderly manner to receive their relief rations. Then they followed the evacuating troops back to the Northwest.
Going through Ren Xiaosu's experiences in detail, he had experienced 90% of the strongholds in the Barrier Alliance being destroyed.
Ren Xiaosu felt a little helpless. Although the broadcast mentioned that a unified evacuation would be arranged, it did not mention anything about the Secret Key Gate. On one hand, it was not easy to explain how the Secret Key Gate worked, and on the other hand, it would be redundant to explain it.
Out of nowhere, the sound of glass shattering rang out.
Their morale weakened bit by bit. Then one by one, they started to run away like children who had done something wrong.
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