After thinking for a moment, Zhang Ge reached out his other hand and patted the official on the shoulder, startling him.
"I ask you, are you loyal to the nobles, or loyal to the Imperium?"
Hearing this death question, the official squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying. Facing Zhang Ge's gaze, he finally had to answer:
"Th-this, th-these two, should they not conflict?"
"Hmm, is that so?"
Zhang Ge said a short sentence nonchalantly. However, before the other party could relax, he continued:
"I've seen quite a few cultists. For some reason, the more I look at this scene, the more familiar it becomes. Is this somewhat similar to a preparatory site for a Chaos ritual?"
"Ah, ah?"
"Of course, this place was previously the domain of House Agamemnus. I believe that the family you serve has no suspicion. In this way, you first contact your main family. As for the content of the contact... you only need to say that I came here to investigate some matters."
Without waiting for his response, Zhang Ge said to a female slave on the other side:
"You go guard the city gate. Don't let anyone in until I notify you that it is permissible to enter."
"Yes."
After the female slave agreed and turned to walk out the door, Zhang Ge said to the others:
"Let's go, let's deal with your affairs first."
If the group wanted to continue moving forward, they had to pass through the pile of people.
Amidst the heavy footsteps of the Power Armor stepping on the ground, Zhang Ge scanned the surroundings and saw the expressions in the eyes of the people on both sides of the aisle.
Either fear or awe, but no hatred could be seen. They shrank back in unison, squeezing the already small space, trying to make more room for the group to move forward.
Suddenly, nearby, a low-pitched argument caught Zhang Ge's attention. He turned his gaze to a father and son next to him who were whispering and arguing about something.
Both of them had severe disabilities. The father only had one right arm left. He had just used this hand to slap his son's head hard, but when Zhang Ge's gaze came over, he used this remaining hand to pull his son behind him, and at the same time humbly... or rather, abjectly, pressed his forehead to the dirty ground, and said timidly:
"L-leader."
"What were you arguing about just now? Tell me the truth."
Zhang Ge didn't even need to threaten much. The slightly old father's face turned pale. He hesitated for a long time, not daring to look directly into Zhang Ge's eyes. He answered while touching the ground:
"Leader... before, I suspected those lords. My son always believed in them, so there was an argument... After seeing you, I realized that I was wrong. It really was letting us take refuge here temporarily. I am willing to accept any punishment."
Hearing this, Zhang Ge's gaze swept back and forth between the two of them several times before continuing:
"You said it backwards, right?"
"This, leader, I, I received commendations in the battle against the Orks, leader, please look!"
Hearing Zhang Ge's words, the father said urgently. His only remaining hand was trembling. He even made several mistakes in the simple action of reaching into his clothing pocket. He finally pulled out a crudely made but well-maintained medal in a panic.
Judging from the fact that it hadn't been dirtied even in this environment, it was clear that the owner of the medal valued this honor very much.
Faced with the tension of someone like Zhang Ge, coupled with the desire to protect his offspring, all kinds of emotions conflicted, making his language exceptionally fragmented, and even ultimately only making a sound without being able to speak.
"Alright, put it away. I didn't mean to blame you. However, I have a question that I would like to have answered: Even in this environment, do you still believe in the Imperium? If you were to be conscripted into the battlefield again, would you be willing?"
"This, of course! The Emperor is on high. There is a war going on now. I know that resources are extremely scarce. Being able to take care of burdens like us and let us live, what else can we ask for?"
"Okay, I understand."
Before turning to leave, Zhang Ge paused again and turned back to them, saying:
"The refuge will end soon. Hold on for a few more Terran hours."
Ending man-made disasters should also be considered ending the refuge. This lie still needs to be continued for the time being. Whether it is trusting the Imperium or believing in the Emperor, this kind of spiritual pillar is now necessary to maintain their lives.
Thinking this way, Zhang Ge led the group through piles of people, and amidst the gazes they concentrated with countless emotions, they finally walked into the elevator.
The poorly maintained elevator door slowly closed, isolating the external space.
Inside the closed elevator, the floor numbers jumped in silence until they finally reached the twentieth floor.
The elevator door opened, and two guards standing outside saluted, and the scene here came into view.
Compared to the suffering below, the environment here was more than ten times better. At least the rooms were still rooms and hadn't been demolished into that messy state, and the environment was maintained at the level of normal residences.
However, an atmosphere called bewilderment filled every inch of the place.
Corridors and doorways were filled with young girls sitting blankly with eyes either confused or empty. Most of them didn't make any sound, not even the slightest movement. If it weren't for the ability to see basic physiological activities such as breathing and heartbeat, they might be mistaken for corpses.
"Has it always been like this here?"
"No, this, we don't quite understand what's happening either."
Not wanting to waste time, Zhang Ge patted a female slave and asked her to find the Clan's leader and bring her before him.
After she nodded and walked into the room, not long after, a beautiful woman wearing a thin shirt followed behind the female slave and finally came before Zhang Ge.
"What happened? Keep it simple."
"Are you... Colonel Zhang Ge?"
There was no confusion in her eyes, mainly fatigue and worry.
"Yes, I have been invited to come here to solve the problems you are facing."
The other party sighed and said, somewhat recklessly:
"To be honest, the biggest problem we are facing now is the destruction of the main family."
After saying this, she looked at Zhang Ge's expression. Seeing that he didn't look angry, she continued:
"Teachers, officials, guards, anyone related to the main family has been taken away. In this situation, what was it that we did before, and what should we do next? Although I have tried my best, I still can't stop this trend of doubt from spreading..."
Her voice was abruptly interrupted by a sudden sonic boom that tore through the air, and even the window sills trembled slightly under this wave.
Hearing this sound, Zhang Ge smiled, walked towards the window, and also signaled the other party to follow.
Looking out the window, he could see a conspicuous, luxurious gold-edged shuttle slowly landing. Then, a group of nobles wearing flowery and ornate clothes rushed out of the belly of the aircraft and ran all the way to the gate.
However, as soon as they reached the city gate, they were stopped by the female slave he had arranged. A group of people gradually couldn't maintain their etiquette and showed an attitude of wanting to force their way in but not daring to.
Listening to the communication application prompts that kept ringing in the Vox-caster, Zhang Ge just watched their appearance by the window with people, without intending to respond.
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