The voices grew louder, sharper, and more bitter. And in the center of it all, Lang Yao stood frozen.
He tried to defend himself again, but his words were lost under the growing noise.
One woman threw a rag at him. Another man pointed toward the base’s gate and shouted, "Get out!"
"You think we’ll follow you back to that rotten base?" someone else sneered. "You couldn’t even protect your own people!"
"Get out! Get out!" others began to chant.
Lang Yao’s face twisted in anger and shame. Fear flashing across it...but no one was on his side anymore.
The same people he tried to turn were now pushing him away.
He was escorted to the outer gate by a few guards who didn’t even need to use force. The crowd cleared a path, spitting curses and insults, their trust in Liora more solid than ever before.
"No one like you deserves a place here," someone growled.
The guards who escorted Lang Yao didn’t speak a word as they walked him to the gate. They weren’t cruel, but they didn’t bother to hide their contempt either. One of them, a woman who had once listened to his advice, clenched her jaw the entire time.
She removed her armband and stared at it for a moment before tying it back on. "Let this be the last time we trust the wrong person," she muttered. Her partner nodded. Their duty had never felt this heavy before.
Lang Yao turned once, perhaps hoping to find even one person defending him. But there were none. And with that, the gate closed behind him.
The heavy iron door slammed shut behind him, making a final whine.
Lang Yao stood there, motionless, as if he had stopped breathing.
The dry wind blew from the wilderness, lifting the corners of his tattered clothes. Behind him, the voices in the base gradually died down, the noise faded away, leaving only a dead silence.
His expression began to twist. ——
The anger, humiliation, and fear on his face just now receded like a tide, replaced by a cold and vicious smile. The corners of his mouth slowly rose, revealing a grim smile.
"Hmph..."
He took a step forward, suddenly turned around, and faced the closed door again. His once frightened eyes were now as cold as ice blades, burning with hatred.
He suddenly spat at the iron gate, his voice low and full of venom:
"Stupid lowlife."
Although his voice was light, every word was like a knife, and he continued with gritted teeth.
"Do you think you’ve won by kicking me out? Do you think this means you’re noble?"
He reached out and wiped his messy hair, and a low laugh suddenly came out of his throat. The laugh was hoarse and harsh, with undisguised madness. Searᴄh the NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"Wait until this base falls, wait until those monsters tear down your high walls, and step on your self-righteous female leader..."
His eyes narrowed slightly, and an almost morbid pleasure and expectation emerged in his eyes.
"I will stand there and watch you kneel down one by one, howling with hunger, crying for mercy... At that time, I want to see what you still have to insist on the so-called "dignity."
"—Liora, right? Let’s wait and see."
He snorted coldly, and his eyes stayed on the heavy door for a moment, as if staring, but also as if cursing.
"Reject the East River base? Very good."
"Then you wait and see what kind of enemy you have made."
The base returned to silence and peace. The tense atmosphere from the previous night was gone, and people sighed with relief that the traitor in their base was finally kicked out, and now they could live peacefully.
Many of them were very angry with themselves because of someone like him. They had actually doubted their Miss Liora. How could they forget her kindness? The most guilty people were definitely those who had come to the base with Liora, the group of roadblockers.
When the crowd began to disperse, returning to the canteen, the farmhouse, and their duties. Liora remained where she was, her hands clasped lightly in front of her. She saw the chefs heading back to their kitchens.
She let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding and thought to herself, They believed me. They still trusted her.
Even after such chaos, even after being nearly crushed under fear, they chose to believe in her words.
And she would never let that trust break.
"I’ll protect this base," she thought. "Even if it costs me everything."
Her heart ached a little, not from pain, but from the weight of carrying people’s hope.
This base wasn’t just a survival point anymore. It had become a home to hundreds who had lost everything. And she wouldn’t allow anyone—Kazren, traitors, or even herself—to destroy that.
Her gaze shifted to the side where one of the management screens still glowed faintly with text.
She felt a small smile rise on her lips.
"Thank you, System," she whispered inside her mind. "That announcement... was perfect. I didn’t even need to argue."
The system responded, as calm and neutral as always:
[It is the Base Management Hall’s responsibility to protect the base’s internal security. Early detection and exposure of high-risk individuals is part of its core functions.]
Liora laughed under her breath.
"Still... Who would’ve thought it could expose something like this? Someone sneaking in from another base?"
She shook her head slightly.
"If East River Base is that close... then this won’t be the last attempt. I have to be careful."
Her gaze turned sharp again. Now she understood that this base was no longer just her shelter. It was a threat to others, who had been trampling on civilians for a long time. And now, when another base has started providing better than them, their jealousy will be natural.
When this base is a symbol of hope to many civilians, it is also a thorn in the eyes of greedy leaders.
Which meant, whether she wanted it or not... people would try to take it down. But she wouldn’t let them. Not while she was still standing.
And with that thought, she turned around and walked toward the base management hall, her mind already filled with the next step—it was time to strengthen the base.