Chapter 47: Welcome Banquet

Eat.

Lin Yue's voice was very flat.

The man trembled as he reached out and took the piece of grilled meat.

He didn't immediately put it in his mouth; instead, he first held it under his nose and greedily inhaled.

It's this flavor!

The next second, he could no longer hold back, opened his mouth, and bit down hard.

The scalding meat seared his mouth, but he didn't care at all.

Uuu… uuu uuu…

The man wolfed down the food while suddenly bursting into loud sobs, tears and snot mixing with the food in his mouth and streaming all over his face.

This scene, like a signal, completely ignited the emotions of all the survivors.

Give me… please, give me a bit…

I'm about to starve to death… I'll do anything…

Everyone surged forward in a crowd, their hands outstretched, eyes full of pleading.

Don't scramble! There's enough for everyone!

Seeing this, Wang Gongtou quickly called over Han Ya and the others, distributing the biscuits and purified water one share at a time.

Although the scene was chaotic, oddly, no one went to scramble.

Each person who received food treated it like a rare treasure, retreating to a corner and wolfing it down, afraid someone would snatch it away.

Watching this crowd, Lin Yue's face showed no expression, but in his heart he let out a soft sigh.

This is the apocalypse.

However, just as everyone was immersed in the immense satisfaction brought by the food, an old and trembling voice sounded.

Ci… City Lord…

An old man with white hair and a stooped posture, leaning on a wooden stick he had picked up somewhere as a cane, walked shakily out of the crowd.

He carefully tucked the biscuit, of which he had taken only one bite, into his bosom, then walked up to Lin Yue, his face full of reverence and unease, and bowed deeply.

This old man… this old man dares to ask a question…

He lifted his head, his cloudy eyes full of apprehension.

You… you have bestowed this food and clean water upon us; I… I wonder what price we must pay?

As soon as he spoke, everyone stopped what they were doing, dozens of eyes turning in unison toward Lin Yue, filled with tension.

Yes, a price.

In their gathering place, a bottle of clean water could buy a woman's chastity for a night; a piece of moldy bread could make a man kneel on the ground and bark like a dog.

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

They understood this truth better than anyone, for they had been cast out of the gathering place precisely because they couldn't afford the price.

Lin Yue looked at the cautious old man before him, then swept his gaze over the survivors whose faces had turned pale from tension.

He didn't answer right away, but slowly walked to the bonfire and placed the last piece of luncheon meat on it.

Sizzle—

The meat aroma spread once again.

Under the breathless gaze of everyone, Lin Yue turned around, a faint smile appearing on his face,

Price?

The only price is that from today onward, you forget the past and live well.

This is a welcome feast celebrating your rebirth.

Today, everyone, eat your fill.

The moment his words fell, the entire venue fell silent.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

The old man stood there dazed, his cloudy eyes full of disbelief.

The survivors also froze, even doubting whether, from extreme hunger, they were having auditory hallucinations.

A full ten or so seconds passed.

Waaah—!!!!!

A wail suppressed to the extreme erupted suddenly from the crowd!

Immediately after, a heart-rending wail echoed throughout the night sky of Xuanwu City!

In that wail were the wild joy of surviving a catastrophe, the emotion of being treated as a person, and even more, boundless hope for the future!

Thank you… thank you, City Lord!

Uuu… am I not dreaming? Really… really I can eat my fill…

Back when we were in the 'Dawn' gathering place, those people ate steak and drank wine themselves, yet only gave us moldy wheat bran! My brother died from eating that stuff! Compared to them, City Lord, you… you are practically a living bodhisattva!

A survivor who had once suffered inhuman treatment in the 'Dawn' gathering place cried while denouncing past injustices.

His words instantly resonated with countless people.

For a time, the survivors' favor and respect for Lin Yue reached their peak.

In their hearts, Lin Yue's image instantly rose to that of a generous, benevolent savior worthy of being followed with one's life!

Lin Yue quietly watched the scene before him, his heart undisturbed.

That was exactly the effect he wanted.

Meanwhile, Wang Gongtou, standing nearby, swallowed the words he had prepared to say upon seeing this scene.

Forget it; when the boat reaches the bridge, it will straighten itself naturally!

……..

The banquet ended.

"City Lord, please wait!"

Lin Yue turned his head and saw a young woman about twenty-five or twenty-six, wearing black-rimmed glasses, with delicate features and a calm demeanor, parting the crowd and quickly walking toward him.

"I have a very urgent matter that must be reported to you immediately!"

Everyone's gaze instinctively focused on her.

Lin Yue's brow twitched almost imperceptibly; he knew this woman—she was one of the few in the group who had not been addled by hunger and had remained calm and observant.

"What is your name?"

Lin Yue asked calmly.

"Reporting to the City Lord, my name is Sun Qian; before the apocalypse, I was an attending physician in the Department of Internal Medicine at Hangcheng's First People's Hospital."

The woman answered quickly, without any nonsense, fully displaying her professional competence.

"A doctor?"

Lin Yue's heart stirred; this was truly an unexpected delight.

In the apocalypse, an experienced doctor's value can even exceed that of a fully armed small squad.

"Doctor Sun, what is the matter?"

Lin Yue's tone also became a bit more solemn.

Sun Qian did not answer immediately, but pointed to a not‑far‑away area where the female military medic Xiao Xie was in charge of looking after the critically injured.

"City Lord, may we have a word?"

Her expression was extremely grave.

Lin Yue nodded and followed her over.

In the critical injury area, more than a dozen survivors rescued from the cocoons lay on makeshift beds of packed earth; though they were no longer in immediate danger of death, their condition was terrible—each had an ashen complexion, weak breathing, as if they might breathe their last at any moment.

As Lin Yue approached, his brow furrowed tightly.

The female military medic Xiao Xie, sweat pouring down her forehead, was changing an IV bottle for a patient; seeing Lin Yue and Sun Qian approach, she wearily lifted her head, her face full of helplessness and defeat.

"Mr. Lin, you've come."

"How is the situation?"

Lin Yue asked.

Xiao Xie shook her head, her voice full of resignation:

"Not good. I've used up all the broad‑spectrum antibiotics and nutrient solutions I brought, but… the effect has been minimal."

Sun Qian crouched down and gently lifted the blanket covering a middle‑aged man, revealing his waxy‑yellow skin.

"City Lord, look."

She pointed to the man's abdomen, which was already slightly swollen,

"This is typical ascites. His liver, having been soaked for a long time in the Spider Queen's paralyzing toxin, has developed severe fibrosis and is near failure."

She then pointed to another young woman whose lips were purple and limbs swollen.

"And she suffers from acute kidney failure; her body can no longer properly excrete toxins and fluid, and if this continues, she will die of uremia and heart failure in no time."

"City Lord, there are fifteen critically ill patients like them here. Although the Spider Queen's venom is not lethal, it causes irreversible damage to the body's organs. Doctor Xiao Xie's medicines only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. To save them, we must immediately carry out professional blood‑purification therapy, and we also need large quantities of liver‑ and kidney‑protective drugs, as well as precise medical equipment."

She drew a deep breath, a flicker of reluctance flashing in her eyes,

"Otherwise… given their current condition, they will last at most… three days."

PS: New book, please urge updates and collect!