Chapter 674: Convoy

Chapter 675: The ConvoyAuthor: Sanjiu Yinyu

Red Dust Main City.

A neat convoy slowly pulled to a stop in front of the main city gate.

At the city gate, several groups of refugees from various towns were also queuing to enter the city. Their bodies were covered in dust and sweat, and the long journey had left them famished. They froze in place, momentarily stunned, as they suddenly saw a neat convoy driving out from within the main city.

Several police officers, responsible for registering the refugees' names and numbers, exchanged puzzled glances and quickly walked towards the convoy.

The window of the front black car slowly rolled down.

"Hello, we are the convoy from the Huang Financial Group. We need to leave the city," Uncle Quan proactively stated.

"The Huang Financial Group?" Hearing these words, the officers seemed to recall something. Their gazes, filled with a hint of surprise, passed through the car window to the young woman in the yellow long dress in the back seat.

Living in the Red Dust Realm, the Huang Financial Group's name was, of course, well-known to them. Especially its chairman, Huang Suyue, whose reputation was even more astonishing: a rising star in the Red Dust business world, the youngest financial group chairman in history, and a business genius who, by her own efforts, elevated the Huang Financial Group into the ranks of the top-tier financial groups...

But he didn't understand why the Huang Financial Group would be leaving the city at this time.

"Miss Huang, it's very chaotic outside the city right now. Going out could put your lives at risk," the officer warned gravely.

Before Huang Suyue could answer, Uncle Quan replied in advance, "We know, but we still need to leave. Please make an exception for us... we will take full responsibility for any consequences."

"It's not a matter of making exceptions..."

"Forget it, let them go," another officer said, patting his shoulder. "Our only responsibility is to guard the city and let the refugees in. As for whether they want to leave, that's not our concern."

"...Alright then."

The officer stepped back two paces and waved his hand. "There are many people entering the city right now, so please drive slowly."

"Thank you."

Uncle Quan signaled the driver to proceed.

The convoy hummed to life, slowly driving out along the city gate. Refugees queuing to enter the city walked around both sides of the vehicle procession. Countless eyes fell upon the convoy; some with envy, others with confusion, and some with surprise... After all, for residents who had grown up in the villages and towns outside the main city, most had never even seen what a car looked like.

"Mommy, what are these 'rumbling' things?"

"They're cars, they can carry people forward."

"They're so big... why don't we have them in our town?"

"These things are very, very expensive, and our town only has narrow roads, so cars can't drive there..."

"Tsk, so many cars. Are these the prominent families from the main city?"

"Officer, excuse me, I'd like to ask where we can buy food? We walked all the way from Han Town, and we're incredibly hungry..."

"You'll have to bear with it for a bit. The main city was just attacked recently, and several main granaries were destroyed... We're short-staffed right now and can't coordinate food distribution."

"I can still hold on... but my child..."

"If it's truly impossible, you might have to try buying some from local residents of the main city. They live here and might have food reserves at home... But most residents have already fled to underground shelters, so don't have too much hope."

As the car window rolled up, the outside noise was gradually shut out.

The bustling shadows of people flowed past outside the window. In the quiet back seat of the car, Huang Suyue sat with her hands on the leather briefcase on her lap, her head bowed, feeling somewhat downcast.

"Miss, is something wrong?" Uncle Quan asked.

"I just..." Huang Suyue opened her mouth, then said, "I just feel a bit like a deserter."

"A deserter?"

"The situation in the main city isn't good, is it?" Huang Suyue looked through the car window at the bare city walls and the few police officers sparsely standing by the gate. "All the residents of Red Dust Main City are converging here, but apart from the Floating Life Scroll, there's almost no means to protect them... Even the police officers only have one pistol each. Can these things really stop the Boundless Realm?"

Uncle Quan paused for a moment, then shook his head reassuringly:

"Miss, you're overthinking it... Ultimately, we are just merchants. Even if we know about Red Dust Main City's predicament, what can we do?

The Whale Shark Financial Group, the Paradise Financial Group, the Tripod Deer Financial Group—which of these old financial groups hasn't kept a contingent of bodyguards with divine powers? But when trouble arises, aren't they the first to hide and protect themselves? What's more, our Huang Financial Group has only recently risen; we don't have their deep-rooted foundations. What can our three or four bodyguards even do?

These refugees came to the main city to save their lives; we are leaving the main city for Willow Town to save our lives... Everyone is the same."

Huang Suyue remained silent for a long time, then could only let out a helpless sigh.

As Uncle Quan said, they were just merchants.

"So, what happened to those three financial groups?" Huang Suyue asked.

"To my knowledge, the moment the disaster bell rang, the Whale Shark Financial Group and the Paradise Financial Group relinquished a portion of their interests and sought refuge together in the Tripod Deer Financial Group's underground shelter."

"...Those three major financial groups are hiding together now?"

"Yes. Previously, the estates of all the major financial groups were built for luxury and comfort. Only the Tripod Deer Financial Group, which started in land development, built an underground palace beneath their own property," Uncle Quan couldn't help but exclaim. "The Tripod Deer Financial Group truly had foresight... However, they are also the most unfortunate."

Huang Suyue raised an eyebrow, about to ask why, when she suddenly understood the reason.

"The Tripod Deer Financial Group primarily deals in real estate development, and most of its assets exist in the form of land and buildings... But in the previous Grey Realm invasion, nearly half of the buildings in the main city were destroyed, and now there's a realm war. After these two rounds of disaster, the Tripod Deer Financial Group will likely go bankrupt."

"That's right. After this, it's likely the most valuable assets the Tripod Deer Financial Group will have left are those large construction machines, transport vehicles, and land-blasting explosives." Uncle Quan glanced contentedly at the convoy behind them. "Compared to that, we should be the luckiest among the major financial groups."

The convoy slowly drove out of the city gate, proceeding along the muddy path. A fine rain, mixed with splashing mud and stones, splattered against the humming vehicles. Their previously clean and tidy bodies instantly took on a wilder appearance.

The convoy's headlights cut through the dim rainy curtain, advancing in formation. Initially, there were many refugees on the main road, all preparing to enter the city, but as the convoy turned onto the side road leading to Willow Town, the number of people on the road grew increasingly sparse.

Huang Suyue sat silently in the back seat, watching the barren, withered mountains and land outside the window, lost in thought.

Just then, the driver suddenly spoke:

"Miss, there are two people lying on the ground ahead... They seem to have fainted."

Huang Suyue looked up and saw, indeed, two figures, one large and one small, lying in the middle of the muddy road as if unconscious, blocking the convoy's progress.

"Let's go down and check," Huang Suyue said, pushing open the car door.