Star City is an important town in the south of the Yangtze River. It is built by the water with twists and turns. The city wall originally had a population of about 200,000. As the insect swarm invaded, refugees from nearby villages and towns continued to flee. At this time, the city's population was close to 300,000.
But most of them are ordinary people. There are less than 40,000 people who are really good at martial arts and can go to the top of the city to fight against the insect swarms!
Regardless of the height and thickness of the city wall, the number of city defense equipment, and the strength of the defending troops, Star City is incomparable to the original Sunset Fortress! It is not easy to survive under the tide of insect swarms to this day...
Wearing armor, the Dugu brother and sister walked on the street, looking at the busy but lifeless residents, as well as the refugees who were temporarily housed in shacks because they were homeless, they couldn't help feeling sad...
Once upon a time, this was a bustling and lively city, but now, after becoming an isolated city, it has basically cut off contact with the outside world, agriculture has basically been paralyzed, and commerce has also suffered a huge blow. Most of the shops in the city have been closed, and all the food has been confiscated.
, unified distribution... Only those who can contribute to the defense of the city can have enough to eat. People are busy no longer for life, but for survival...
Suddenly, a burst of murmurs came, and the brother and sister turned around to look, but they saw a few people in yellow robes, surrounded by a group of hungry and cold people, opening an altar and chanting.
The common people knelt on the ground, expressed their piety, and chanted along with the magicians.
"It's these gangsters again!"
The silver-armored sister frowned and seemed to be planning to go up to disturb the altar, but was pulled back by her brother:
"That's all, in the last days of life, it is easier to live if you have faith..."
The younger sister frowned, finally snorted coldly, and left with her brother.
The brother and sister walked all the way to the government office, walked to the back hall, and saw Mr. Lin who was having a meeting with several staff members.
Mr. Lin looks to be in his forties, with an elegant temperament and a thin figure. He was originally the city lord of Star City and a local chief appointed by the court. However, with the attack of the insect swarm, the court retreated and Star City became an isolated city. This not only
Civil servants who are proficient in military matters have become the only people to rely on.
Originally, there was a military attache in the city who was in charge of military affairs, but the country had not been at war for a long time. The military attache was inexperienced and was so blinded by the two victories in defending the city that he was stupid enough to lead his troops out of the city to fight the insects on the plains. In the end, he lost five thousand elite soldiers and
Fortunately, at this time, the Dugu brothers and sisters, famous martial arts masters, came forward to take charge of the overall situation. They not only gathered the army, but also assembled a group of knights from the rivers and lakes to jointly defend the city and fight against the Zerg.
Although the brother and sister did not have official positions awarded by the imperial court, their prestige was so great that Lord Lin trusted them very much and entrusted them with military power. The brother and sister were in charge of the military as Lord Lin's staff!
Seeing the Dugu brothers and sisters, Mr. Lin immediately stood up, with a face full of gratitude: "I have heard that we have a great victory today! Thanks to you two, thank you to both of you!"
The elder brother nodded: "Today's insect swarm is a little different. There are almost no high-level insect monsters. I'm worried that something has happened..."
"It's a good thing that there are fewer bugs..." Mr. Lin nodded: "If something happens, we can't control it. The top priority now is to survive..."
As he spoke, Master Lin sighed: "We were still discussing just now. We are afraid that the food reserves in the city will not be able to last..."
My brother frowned: "How long can I last?"
Master Lin held out three fingers.
"Thirty days?"
"It's three days!"
"How could this be so?" My brother was shocked: "I remember a few days ago, didn't we still have food for more than a month?"
"That's just what I said to deceive the people in the city and stabilize their hearts..." Lord Lin sighed:
"If we don't have enough food and don't have insects attacking us, we may collapse first! For now, we can only reduce the food supply starting from tomorrow. We should be able to survive for two more days."
At this time, a staff member with three strands of beard stood up: "Sir, I heard that the yellow-robed Taoist in the city knows magic that can make people no longer hungry... Maybe I can ask him to do it..."
"How can you believe that magic stick and sorcery!" Before the staff could finish speaking, Sister Shining Armor had already spoken: "I think he is deceiving the public with his evil words and deceiving people's hearts!"
The staff member was so choked by her that he could not speak. Mr. Lin on the side smoothed things over and said, "Miss Dugu is right. Food is the most important thing for the people. The lack of food cannot be replaced by some illusory magic... We still have to find a way."
Find food."
During the conversation, a guard came in and announced: "Sir, a survivor has entered the city, claiming to be a frontline veteran, and asking to see you!"
"Survivor?" Everyone in the room was stunned. This word is rarely heard.
You know, it has been more than two months since the bugs entered Jiangnan. In the first half of the month, there were often refugees and survivors who came to the city to seek refuge. However, as the bugs raged, there were fewer and fewer survivors in the wild.
.
Later, there were some isolated cities that sent people to and from each other to exchange information and supplies under the cover of night. However, as several nearby cities fell one after another, it has been more than half a month now, and no trace of humans has been found in the wild.
"Could it be that they were soldiers from a certain fallen city who escaped and came here?"
Master Lin said suspiciously, the Dugu brother and sister looked at each other, and the elder brother said:
"The nearest city is more than a hundred miles away from here. With the current environment outside, it is probably impossible to escape alone... Unless this person is extremely skilled in martial arts, or is good at secret arts, and has the ability to avoid bugs!"
"It seems that no matter what, he is not an ordinary person!" Mr. Lin nodded: "Invite him in!"
The guards were ordered to leave, and not long after, a tall and majestic man wearing a large leather coat, barefoot, covered in stains, and carrying a package in his hand came in.
As soon as this guy appeared, several staff members in the room covered their noses. They could smell his fishy smell even from a distance. Only the Dugu brother and sister did not dodge after smelling it, and even their eyes lit up.
"Are you a survivor?" Mr. Lin looked at the visitor and said, "You are quite brave! I wonder which city the warrior once stationed in? What is his military rank?"
Zhang Lang shook his head: "I was in the Sunset Fortress before. I didn't have a military rank, I was just a top soldier!"
"Sunset Fortress?!" Several people in the room were shocked. Master Lin asked suspiciously: "Sunset Fortress fell for more than three months, and the bridge was blown up at the last moment. All the soldiers died for their country... How did you come back..."
"I..." Zhang Lang didn't know how to explain it. Brother Dugu on the side said:
"Sunset Fortress blew up the bridge. Before it fell, it still had contact with Jiangnan. The imperial court sent a lot of soldiers to supplement it, and some of the wounded were also transferred back to Jiangnan. Even when the bridge collapsed, there were still many soldiers who planted explosives.
, also successfully retreated... Now we in Star City still have the soldiers who retreated from Sunset Fortress!"
As he said that, Brother Dugu looked at Zhang Lang: "Maybe I'm still an old acquaintance of yours!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Lang recalled the days of fighting in the fortress and sighed: "I am withdrawn and all my acquaintances are dead..."
"You might as well let them take a look!" Brother Dugu told the guard: "Brothers from Team 8 should be patrolling nearby today, go and ask them to come in!"
Obviously, Dugu had some doubts about Zhang Lang's revealed identity.
The Sunset Fortress fell in March. Even if they really fought there before, they should have gone somewhere else during the time after returning. Claiming to be from the Sunset Fortress is very suspicious in itself. Although the extra soldier now is a help, they still hope that everyone will know the truth.
, this kind of suspicious person who doesn’t know what he is hiding needs to be investigated.
Zhang Lang narrowed his eyes and didn't pay much attention. He just looked up at the Dugu brothers and sisters, and then at Master Lin: "Who is in charge here?"