The sudden heavier rain caught Wang Zhi and his group by surprise; they hadn't expected the rain not only to continue but to become even heavier!
The mist outside made the surroundings indistinct, and the gale blowing from the Northern Sector instantly threw the entire Dawn City into chaos.
Wang Zhi endured a slight burning sensation and ran toward the City Lord's Palace.
At the entrance of the City Lord's Palace, although the water level hadn't reached halfway up the threshold, sandbags were already piled high to prevent rainwater from rushing inside.
"Everyone move aside!" Wang Zhi shouted at the other survivors blocking the entrance.
Quite a few survivors had already taken shelter inside the City Lord's Palace in advance. Members of the Guard Team had already deployed dozens of armed guards in the rear, watching the entrance to prevent any riots from breaking out amidst the chaos.
Wang Zhi shoved aside the survivor blocking the doorway. Only after the people behind him got in safely did Wang Zhi breathe a sigh of relief.
"Are you sick? Why did you push me?" A woman's voice came from behind Wang Zhi.
Wang Zhi glanced back at the woman; she was one of the survivors who had been blocking the entrance just now. Wang Zhi didn't have time to deal with her now. He needed to find Jie Xi quickly. Given the situation, he felt they should retreat to the Dawn Tower.
"You bump into me and think you can just leave?"
Just as Wang Zhi turned to head inside, the woman grabbed hold of his clothes.
Wang Zhi frowned. He didn't know where this fool came from. Without thinking, he kicked the woman hard in the stomach. The woman cried out in pain and immediately let go. Wang Zhi ran toward the stairs without looking back.
"Someone hit me! Aren't you people with guns going to do anything? Is there no order here?!" the woman yelled, pointing at the guards gathered around.
But none of the guards made a sound, letting the woman scream there.
"Shut up! Stop embarrassing yourself here!" Seeing the woman wouldn't stop, her Captain walked out and dragged her into a corner.
The reason he, the Captain, hadn't stepped forward earlier was that he was afraid the previous incident would be pinned on him. Only after Wang Zhi left did he dare to come out and pull the woman back.
"Captain Wei! Where is the Tower Master?" On the stairs, Wang Zhi saw Wei Changzheng, who had a grave expression, coming down.
"She's in the room," Wei Changzheng replied briefly before hurrying away.
Wang Zhi jogged all the way to Jie Xi's room.
"Jie Xi, should we evacuate?"
"We can't."
At this moment, Jie Xi was standing by the window, already wearing her armor, with a greatsword placed upright beside her.
"Can't evacuate? Why?" Hearing that withdrawal was impossible, Wang Zhi became somewhat panicked.
"The Dawn Tower is sealing all entrances; otherwise, rainwater will seep inside," Jie Xi explained.
"Then what do we do? Is the Tower Master just abandoning us here?" Wang Zhi sounded confused.
"This area is on high ground on the plains. The water overflowing from the Moat will flow outwards. We just need to wait here calmly until the water recedes."
"Then what about the other survivors? The water level outside is already one centimeter high. Never mind if it continues to rise, but at this rate of rainfall, in less than two hours, this water will rush into the buildings," Wang Zhi said, pointing outside.
"Alas, I told you, our greatest enemy is nature itself. How can we mortals fight against the heavens? We must let nature take its course," Jie Xi said with a hint of helplessness, looking forlornly out the window.
Hearing Jie Xi's words, Wang zhi leaned weakly against the table. Faced with this situation, even Jie Xi, the City Lord, was out of options. What could he, as just one survivor, possibly do to resist this disaster?
"Do you know why I didn't evacuate?"
Just as Wang Zhi was feeling lost, Jie Xi suddenly spoke.
"Didn't you say you already sealed the entrance?" Wang Zhi moved to Jie Xi's side and asked.
"Then do you think the Tower Master would lock me outside?" Jie Xi retorted.
"Then why is that?"
"Heh, if I, the City Lord, fled? After this disaster, who would remain loyal to me? You? Or those others?"
"Don't worry. We still have reserve food. As long as the rain doesn't reach this spot, we will be fine," Jie Xi added when Wang Zhi remained silent.
"Hmph~ That's good. Then what about the other survivors?" Wang Zhi inquired.
"We will still sell our food externally, although the price will be a bit higher. Whether they can afford it, or rather, whether they can find a way to survive, is up to them."
"Heh heh, reality is still this cruel."
"What about your companions? Aren't you going to invite them up for a seat?" Jie Xi turned around and said to Wang Zhi.
"That-better not. I'm afraid Ying will say something rude to you again," Wang Zhi declined.
"What? You think I'm afraid of her/' jie Xi slanted her eyes at Wang Zhi.
"How could that be? I'm just afraid you two might damage the peace between you."
"Hmph, damaging the peace is just a matter of time. Hasn't she always wanted to try something against me, this Little Yellow Hair?" Jie Xi said coldly.
Hearing the term 'Little Yellow Hair,' Wang Zhi froze instantly. Where did Jie Xi learn that? Did he have a mole among his people?
"No need to be so surprised. What do you think Ling lingyao is for?" Jie Xi prompted Wang Zhi.
Upon hearing Jie Xi's words, Wang Zhi immediately understood-Ling Lingyao also had a listening function!
"I... I didn't hear you mention that before," Wang Zhi asked, scratching his head sheepishly.
"If I told you about it, what else would I get to hear?"
"Alright, hurry down and call them up. i'm treating you to this meal today," Jie Xi insisted.
"Okay!"
--
"How are things? When do we return to Dawn Tower?" Old He stepped forward to ask upon seeing Wang Zhi come down.
"We can't go back. The entrances have all been sealed to prevent rainwater from seeping in," Wang Zhi replied.
'This..."
Everyone looked at the heavy rain outside, somewhat at a loss.
"Let's go upstairs and sit for a while," Wang Zhi said, leaning in to whisper something near Su Muying's ear.
Su Muying's cheeks flushed crimson after hearing Wang Zhi's words, and she said with vexation, "That damned Little Yellow Hair is actually monitoring us!"
"What? We're being monitored?" You Luo frowned and asked.
"Yes, but it's understandable. Monitoring the various teams' conversations can effectively prevent many incidents," Wang Zhi replied.
"Phew~ Good thing I didn't say anything bad about Dawn City behind their backs," Fatty sighed in relief.
"Haha! Ying, you better watch out. You've said quite a few scathing things about them," You Luo chuckled.
"Tch, you think I'm afraid of her? It's not certain who would win if the two of us fought one-on-one," Ying retorted, displeased.
"Then should we ask Wang Zhi to arrange a duel for you two?" You Luo egged them on, clearly enjoying the drama.
"You Luo, just settle down. we're going up because Jie Xi invited us to eat, not to fight. What nonsense are you spouting?" Wang Zhi quickly stopped her.
Wang Zhi and the ten of them rested in Jie Xi's room for a bit before being invited to another room. A long table was set up there, and Jie Xi had already arranged several extra chairs in advance.
Everyone took their seats, and the dishes slowly began to be brought out.
The spread was a mix of meat and vegetables. Though not extensive in variety, it was already extremely luxurious in the Apocalypse. Among the dishes was the pork chop Su Muying had mentioned that day.
looking at the dishes on the table, Fatty and the others could hardly stop swallowing their saliva. They hadn't eaten such things in a long time and stared fixedly at the food.
Seeing that the group could barely contain themselves, Jie Xi smiled slightly and picked up her chopsticks first.
Seeing Jie Xi start eating, the others immediately grabbed their chopsticks and reached for the meat dishes.
"I always thought that the City Lord would also eat simple meals like us, but seeing this now, I'm truly a bit surprised..." Su Muying suddenly said.
"Heh, I'm not as noble as you think. If you should treat yourself well, then do so. There's no need to make things hard for yourself to fulfill others," Jie Xi said with a slight smile.
"That makes sense. Then I won't be polite," Su Muying agreed with Jie Xi's words and also began to eat.
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