Chapter 426: The Association President Cannot Bear to See Suffering

"Alright, next I will speak of the main matter. You all listen clearly: from this moment on, none of you will need to live outside the city anymore."

"What! We don't need to live outside the city anymore?"

"If I don't live outside the city, where am I supposed to live?"

"Is the Association President going to drive us away?"

Hearing this, the crowd felt as if the sky were collapsing.

Many among them had exhausted their family fortunes and endured countless hardships just to gain a foothold in the Zhai outside the city.

Yet now, a single sentence from an Awakened inside the city could instantly turn everything they possessed into a bubble, causing them to lose the home they relied on for survival.

What would await them next went without saying.

Even so, no one dared to utter a single complaint; they could only beg incessantly.

Large swaths of people knelt down with a "thud" once more, kowtowing continuously toward the people on the city wall; the sound of foreheads colliding with the ground seemed exceptionally jarring in the silent atmosphere.

Seeing this, many guards on the city wall felt a surge of satisfaction.

They had long been unable to stand these people outside; usually, these people would run into the city for no reason, causing them quite a bit of trouble in their work.

Driving these so-called "refugees" away was just right; their work would be much easier from now on.

However, several D-rank Awakened were full of confusion.

What was this situation? Why didn't the Association President finish the second half of the sentence? Their hearts were filled with doubt, not understanding what medicine Hai Qiong was selling in his gourd.

Hai Qiong looked at the crowd kneeling below again, his lips pressed tightly together.

That's right, he had done this on purpose.

People, after all, never know how to cherish things obtained too easily.

If he had just simply stated the good news, the people below might have been moved, but not moved to the marrow of their bones.

Therefore, he wanted to let these people first fall into the bottom of the valley of despair, and only then pull them up to the peak of hope.

In this way, from now on, until the end of their lives, they would never forget the grace of Association President Su.

Although Association President Su had not given such instructions, as a subordinate, he felt he had to consider everything thoroughly.

"I beg you, Association President, let us stay, please?"

"As long as you don't drive us away, we are willing to do anything."

"Association President, if we leave here, we will be homeless and surely die. Association President, I beg you to show mercy and spare us."

The sound of wailing echoed through the sky; the scene was truly enough to make those who saw it sad and those who heard it weep.

"That's enough." Seeing that the timing was ripe, Hai Qiong gave a wink to the Awakened beside him.

"Quiet!" As soon as that Awakened spoke, the voice was like rolling thunder, directly drowning out the voices of everyone present.

With a swish, the area under the city wall instantly fell into a deathly silence; no one dared to make another sound, only looking at the figure on the city wall with entreaty, their eyes full of despair and helplessness.

"I haven't finished speaking yet, what are you all crying for?" Hai Qiong said with a displeased look.

"That's right, I did say that from now on, you cannot live outside the city, but I still have a second half to that sentence."

"The second half?" Tens of thousands of people looked at each other, their eyes filled with doubt and anticipation.

"That's right, my second half is: after I finish speaking these words, all of you will pack your things and move into the city."

As the words fell, not only were the people under the city wall stunned, but the residents inside the city and the guards on the wall felt as if time had frozen at this moment; everyone was so shocked by this sudden news that they were at a loss.

"Yes, you heard me correctly, and I am not joking with you," Hai Qiong continued, "To be honest, based on who you are, you have no qualifications to move into the city at all."

"If you don't believe it, we can go ask people from other cities to see what price those living outside have to pay if they want to move into a city."

"However, our Association President Su is kind-hearted and cannot bear to see you suffering outside, so he is willing to let you move into the city free of charge. This is the reason I called you here. Do you hear clearly?"

Under the city wall, no one dared to speak. Because they truly could not believe that such a good thing would befall them.

And just at this moment, one person gathered their courage and said boldly: "A-Association President, are, are you telling the truth? Can we really, without spending a single cent, can we, can we live in the city?"

"Do you think I have any need to lie to you?" Hai Qiong sneered, a trace of disdain showing in his eyes.

Then, he swept his gaze across the crowd and said loudly: "I will say this one last time. In a moment, someone will come to guide you. Everyone, regardless of gender or age, can move into Yongan City; you do not need to pay anything."

"Because this is a gift from Association President Su. Of course, if anyone is unwilling, Association President Su will not force them. But once you move into the city, everyone must follow the rules; otherwise, you will bear the consequences yourself!"

Having finished, Hai Qiong turned and gracefully disappeared from everyone's field of vision.

"You heard him, go back and pack your things."

"Remember, you must properly thank our Association President Su, otherwise, you would never have had the chance to move in."

"Go back now, be quick."

Several D-rank Awakened gave a few instructions and also walked down from the city wall one after another.

The people around were still immersed in astonishment.

They could not believe that this matter was actually true; could they really move into the city?

Was this fake? How could it be? Those were Awakened adults; how could they make such a joke? Furthermore, so many people had heard it.

Could this be a trap? But with the strength of the Awakened, if they wanted to do them harm, would they need to use such a roundabout method?

So, was it really that Association President Su who had shown mercy and allowed them, these people living outside the city, to move in?

"Many thanks to Association President Su! Many thanks to Association President Su!"

Finally, someone reacted, kowtowing excitedly while shouting loudly.

Others also gradually came to their senses, one after another kowtowing desperately on the ground, their gratitude overflowing in their expressions.

After all, inside the city, if nothing else, the safety was more than ten times higher than outside, not to mention the living conditions.

They worked hard outside, risking their lives every day to go hunting, wasn't it all just to save enough money to gain the qualification to live in the city?

Yet now, that Association President Su was actually distributing the city's residency quotas to them for free; how could they not be moved to tears?

Tens of thousands of people shouted the name "Association President Su," the sound like surging sea waves, lasting for a long time.

Even Liu Yong and the others were teary-eyed at this moment, their hearts filled with gratitude toward Association President Su.

Of course, not everyone thought this way.

For instance, many people inside the city were currently plunged into a daze, their minds completely blank.

Those refugees outside the city were actually, actually able to move into the city?

And, without having to pay any price?

This was simply hard to believe; they kept asking themselves in their hearts: Impossible, how could this be possible!

And just outside the city, several people hidden in the shadows saw this scene, the shock on their faces having reached an extreme point.

"Bi-big brother," the bearded man widened his eyes, turned his head in disbelief, and asked: "I'm not dreaming, am I? Or am I having hallucinations? Su Luo, he actually let the people outside the city all move into the city?"

"I, I heard it too." The woman listened to the tsunami-like cheering from ahead, swallowed nervously, and said: "These people are all ordinary people; even if there are Martial Artists, they have no practical use. Letting them move into the city too, what exactly is he after?"

"Yeah, and it doesn't cost a single cent." The fat man took a fierce bite of the beast meat in his hand, his face full of disbelief.

"I, I don't know either." Meng Rang's face was written with bewilderment, his heart filled with doubt.

Not to mention anything else, by letting so many people from outside the city move in for free, what would the people inside the city think?

Had that President Su considered this problem?

Furthermore, logically speaking, this was completely unnecessary, right? The people outside were all ordinary people; even if many more died, so what?

Only Lao San said with an excited face: "Big brother, that President Su doing this is a huge stroke of good fortune for us!"