Chapter 72: Trustworthy?

Chapter72: Can They Be Trusted?

After returning once more to the interior of Huangshi City, Chen Jian's mood remained unsettled for a long time.

He had drawn a step closer to the truth of humanity's civilization's destruction, yet the truth of the great catastrophe lay a step farther away.

Based solely on the tombstones here, one could infer that human civilization, after the catastrophe, had undergone a rapid recovery spanning several decades.

Although it had not regained the pre‑catastrophe technological level, relying on various disaster reserves and the still‑surviving population, its technology had risen to the threshold needed to push human society back into a virtuous cycle.

Yet, tragically, the secondary disasters triggered by the catastrophe once again destroyed everything.

This might explain why, 330 years later, the development of human civilization has taken a somewhat 'deformed' path.

The reason is simple: the destruction of knowledge.

The painstakingly built education system was shattered, and the 'knowledge bearers' accumulated over two generations perished in the disaster.

Moreover, because the population was already small and productivity limited, pre‑disaster humanity could not muster high organization, and the things they could pass downward also plummeted off a cliff.

From quantum mechanics to 'clay making,' this startling gap unmistakably displays the suffering humanity has endured.

Even now, the aftershocks of that suffering have not fully dissipated.

Watching the residents busily clearing the houses previously blown apart by shells and salvaging food and daily necessities from within, Chen Jian let out a long breath.

Never mind.

Those who come can still be pursued.

As Huang Yu said, the residents who have already left Huangshi City were deeply infiltrated by the Machine God Sect, while those who remain still hold faith in their ancestors.

Although the shift in thought is not swift, their cultural commonality is advantageous for building a new Huangshi City!

With that thought, Chen Jian decisively gathered his emotions, reassembled his seven‑person squad plus the tested Huang Yu, and began to discuss the next steps.

".Now we have three main things to do."

"First, we need a group of personnel to continue transporting weapons, ammunition, and equipment to the 7025 fortifications."

"This task remains under Lei Jie's responsibility; Li Shi's injury is healing well, so he will assist from the side."

"As for other manpower, we can select from the remaining residents."

"During the process, Lei Jie, you can give them a simple orientation, letting them learn the history of the great catastrophe and their ancestors."

"Do you understand what I mean?"

"Understood. Hands‑on education is more useful than any other."

Lei Jie answered immediately, Chen Jian nodded, and continued:

"Second, we must quickly restore production and order in Huangshi City to guarantee sufficient food supply and achieve self‑sufficiency."

"This task goes to Huang Yu—you know Huangshi City well; decide the specifics as you see fit."

"Understood."

Huang Yu nodded hastily, then said:

"There's no problem here; we were originally self‑sufficient."

"If it weren't for having to feed those degenerates of the Machine God Sect, we wouldn't be short on grain."

Hearing this, Chen Jian couldn't help but furrow his brow:

"The fishery resources here are abundant; even if they take the lion's share, how could we not have enough rations?"

"Most of the fish we catch are sent to the Huangzhou ruins to feed the monsters; they need food to pacify the creatures."

"When food runs low, they even resort to using human corpses."

Huang Shi paused, then added:

"Sometimes, they even use living people."

"I can guess that."

Chen Jian did not pursue this topic further, but turned to the third plan.

"Third, this concerns external environmental safety."

"We know that Mongolia is linked to the Machine God Sect, having been cultivated as a weapon; now that their strongest weapon has been destroyed, we can expect them to launch retaliation against us."

"Furthermore, this retaliation may not come solely from Han Shui City." "All nearby Machine God Sect forces could possibly attack us; aside from Han Shui City, where is the largest concentration of their power?"

Huang Yu looked bewildered, while Zeng Yi spoke up in reply:

"The nearest is Xishui City, almost entirely under the Machine God Sect's control, but its population is small—only a few hundred."

"Further away is Xianning City, with roughly 3,000 inhabitants; the Machine God Sect's combatants there number about 400, a considerable force—indeed, even Han Shui City actually has only about 800 usable fighters."

"800, 400, plus about a hundred from Xishui City—altogether we could face a siege of roughly 1,300."

Chen Jian furrowed his brow, pondered a moment, then said:

"We cannot let these people gather near Huangshi City; if surrounded, our situation would become extremely difficult."

"Even if they do not attack, merely blockading us would be enough to wear us down."

As his words fell, Xie Liu, standing nearby, suddenly spoke:

"Don't forget the refugees who fled Huangshi City; they could be coerced by the Machine God Sect and turn against us."

"Will they?"

Chen Jian looked at Huang Yu, whose expression was grave, yet he slowly nodded and replied:

"Quite likely."

"That makes things even more troublesome."

Chen Jian unconsciously scratched his head, then said:

"We need to disperse our people."

"At the very least, we need to establish a circular perimeter within ten kilometers of Huangshi City."

"The numbers need not be large; their role is merely to give early warning upon spotting the enemy, then guide and assist in an attack to destroy each incoming force."

"However, if we do that, their weapons must be upgraded a bit."

"Going on reconnaissance with fire‑sticks is useless—we should distribute the weapons seized from the guard teams of the Protector‑Teach Army, pick out the best of the other collected arms, and prioritize giving them to the outer scouts."

"That probably won't work."

Zeng Yi shook his head, probing:

"Do you really think these residents are trustworthy? If not restrained, they are likely to use the weapons we give them to turn against us."

"The Machine God Sect feels comfortable letting civilians bear arms because they already control them through faith."

"What do we have? We have only just taken this city, and the residents' trust in us is likewise limited."

"In this world, trust is a precious commodity."

"I, Xie Liu, and Li Shi chose you because we have seen and also experienced certain things."

"But they have not."

“Give it another thought; if it truly fails, our speed is sufficient—watching over most of the region poses little difficulty.”

“No need.”

Chen Jian declared decisively:

“Just let them go.”

“But before we let them go, we must make them understand why they are fighting.”

“Huang Yu, in the shortest time possible, inventory all of Huangshi City’s resources.”

“Then, distribute them to each person.”

“Tell them that if they stand with us, the resources will be theirs.”

“If they turn to the Machine God Sect, everything will belong to the Machine God Sect!”

“There’s one more chapter; I’ll post it later.”

(End of chapter)