Shen Feng and Chu Chaoyan arrived at the hornet’s nest and saw that the ground was covered with pits of various sizes. These pits did not look like they were dug by the hornets themselves, but rather like they were excavated by humans.
Shen Feng did not have time to ponder this further. He controlled the strong winds to continue sweeping towards the hornets. Upon finding their nest, the hornets all hid underground. It was clear that the hornets were completely out of options at this point. Even if they charged towards the yellow mist in the sky, the end result would be death by the mist. Now, other than retreating to the nests they had lived in for a long time, there was no other recourse.
Shen Feng showed no mercy. These hornets had killed at least hundreds of thousands of people. For humanity, this was a deep-seated hatred that could not go unavenged. He immediately controlled the strong winds to drill into the underground nest to scout ahead. Perhaps others had no solution for underground hornet nests, but Shen Feng did not care about the influence of terrain. As long as there was airflow, his abilities could affect it.
The strong winds, carrying the yellow-green poisonous mist, penetrated the underground. A large number of hornets were directly killed by the toxic gas, and even the pupae that had not yet grown wings were annihilated. Shen Feng, filled with resentment, wiped out the entire nest.
"Finally, these harmful creatures are all killed. Our mission is considered complete." Chu Chaoyan, in Shen Feng's arms, let out a long sigh of relief.
Shen Feng carried Chu Chaoyan down from the sky. Upon reaching the ground, they discovered many human skeletons scattered on the ground. It seemed that these hornets not only fed on honey but also on human flesh.
"Why are there so many pits here? Were they all dug by others?" Chu Chaoyan could not help but ask.
"I heard that many people dug for hornet honey and sold it to the wealthy to make money. These pits were probably dug by those people," Shen Feng said slowly.
"If that's the case, then wasn't Rongcheng implicated by these honey collectors? Clearly, it was a group of people doing evil, but it caused millions of people to suffer." Chu Chaoyan felt that these honey collectors were extremely wicked.
Shen Feng shook his head and said, "Where is right and wrong in this world? Originally, those people just wanted to collect honey to support their families. They didn't want to cause suffering to the entire city. It's just that the situation changed too quickly. Who could have imagined that the hornets, which had never posed a threat, would suddenly gather to attack humans?"
Chu Chaoyan thought about it carefully and found that it was indeed as Shen Feng said. Everyone was just trying to live better in this world, but unexpected events occurred.
"After this incident, I guess no one will dare to collect honey quietly anymore. Bees are probably quite fierce at this time," Chu Chaoyan said.
Shen Feng checked the time. It was already afternoon. He had spent more than half the day finally eradicating the hornets. The greatest threat was gone. As for mutated beasts, as long as the soldiers could organize themselves, no matter how many mutated beasts there were, they could be dealt with.
Mutated beasts had been suppressed by humans for years. They could not fly and their mobility was not strong enough. Therefore, as long as they faced fully armed humans, and humans formed a firepower suppression, no matter how many mutated beasts were on the opposite side, they would eventually die under the bullets.
"Since these hornets have been dealt with, we should also return to the camp. However, there are even more troublesome matters ahead." Shen Feng couldn't help but sigh. At this moment, although he had dealt with the ferocious hornets, more difficult issues awaited him in the camp.
Now that Rongcheng had been destroyed by the earthquake, millions of people were displaced and did not know where to go. These people had to be resettled, but resettling so many refugees was clearly not an easy task.
Shen Feng brought Chu Chaoyan back to the camp. As soon as they descended from the sky, many refugees around them could not help but kowtow to Shen Feng. They kowtowed and thanked him: "Lord Wind God, thank you for saving us! We will never forget your kindness."
"Lord Wind God, you cannot abandon us now. We are all fellow townsfolk. You also came from Rongcheng. Now we have no place to go, and only you can help us."
"Lord Wind God, there are still hundreds of thousands of people trapped under the ruins in Rongcheng, waiting for our rescue. You cannot just leave!"
"We are all from the same hometown. Even if Lord Wind God has prospered outside, you cannot forget our hometown."
In China, there is a very deep sense of hometown sentiment. Many people who work in other places tend to stick together, usually with people they know, and then with fellow townsfolk. This shows that Chinese people recognize their fellow townsfolk. This concept is inseparable from the household registration system. For thousands of years, people have recognized household registration and origin. Now, many people in distress immediately try to establish a hometown connection with Shen Feng.
Shen Feng saw the dense crowd kneeling before him and felt immense pressure. These people were indeed his fellow townsfolk, and he could not remain indifferent to their requests. He replied, "Don't worry, I will not stand idly by. I will definitely help you."
Li Keyi and Chu Chaoyan were a little anxious upon hearing Shen Feng agree so readily. They walked to Shen Feng's side and whispered, "Why did you agree so directly? Do you know that these are millions of starving people? Does Yuzhou have this capability?"
"I can only agree to their requests now because I cannot stand idly by. They are all my fellow townsfolk. They are seeking my help now because they trust me. If I refuse them, I will no longer be considered a person of Rongcheng," Shen Feng said seriously to the two of them.
"It's useless to tell us this. The people who oppose this are not us. You need to explain this situation to the others in Yuzhou. Who is willing to lower their quality of life to help others? This cannot be solved with just sympathy. This concerns the interests of the entire Yuzhou. If the benefits do not reach your own people, how much support can you, as the City Lord, still have?" Chu Chaoyan was anxious and began to criticize Shen Feng.
"I will rush back to Yuzhou immediately. I will try my best to persuade them. In short, I must save these people, and I will also consider the interests of Yuzhou," Shen Feng said earnestly.
After saying this, Shen Feng went to Xiao Sheng's tent to visit him, comforted him with a few words, then made some arrangements with Chu Chaoyan and Li Keyi, and then flew into the sky, heading towards Yuzhou. After three hours, he arrived in Yuzhou.
The conference room in Yuzhou was in chaos. Those who didn't know would have thought it was a marketplace in the conference room. Everyone was discussing how to handle the situation in Rongcheng.
Some believed that Yuzhou should fund the reconstruction of the city for these disaster victims, considering the money as a loan that Rongcheng would repay later.
Then, someone began to oppose this proposal. If nothing else, the cost of rebuilding the city alone was unknown, and even if Rongcheng was rebuilt, it would take a long time to repay the funds. At such a critical juncture, with such a huge expenditure of funds, should Yuzhou still develop?
Someone else suggested accepting the refugees, stating that it was unavoidable. The border between Sichuan Province and Yuzhou was very long. If millions of refugees poured into Yuzhou, Yuzhou would have to passively resettle them.
This proposal was also rejected because some believed that Yuzhou's current capacity was already saturated. Even with the recruitment of agricultural settlers, there was no land for cultivation. Even in the southern mountains, villages had been formed, and there was no more space to accommodate more people for cultivation.
There were even more radical individuals in the conference room. Some believed that now that Sichuan Province was weak and Rongcheng was destroyed, and Sichuan Province was leaderless, Yuzhou should seize this opportunity to march into Sichuan Province and directly occupy the Sichuan Basin. This area was known as the "Land of Abundance" in ancient times, with fertile soil suitable for farming and many plains. If they annexed it, they would truly have the capital to contend for the Central Plains.
"This is utter nonsense. If we enter Sichuan Province at this time, we won't be able to get out for many years. Will we be trapped in Sichuan Province forever?" This idea was once again opposed.
While the conference room was in an uproar, the conference room door was suddenly pushed open, and Shen Feng walked in. His face was haggard, and he was covered in dust, with messy hair, clearly not having taken care of himself. Chang Jianyi was sitting in the head seat, feeling a headache from the arguing crowd below. When she suddenly saw Shen Feng enter, she was overjoyed.
"Afeng, you're back! I heard Yiyi say you were in Sichuan Province, and I thought you wouldn't be back for a few more days. I didn't expect you to be back now. Come and sit down quickly." Chang Jianyi quickly vacated the head seat and found a chair to sit beside Shen Feng.
After Shen Feng entered the conference room, the people in the room fell silent. Everyone was surprised that Shen Feng could return so quickly. Now, whatever they discussed would definitely be heard by Shen Feng.
Shen Feng was very important to the high-ranking officials of Yuzhou. Although Shen Feng often fought outside, his prestige in people's hearts was higher than anyone else's. No matter what Shen Feng wanted to do, he would receive the support of a large number of people. Even if the matter was wrong, no one would question it.
As a result, the previously noisy conference room suddenly became quiet. After Shen Feng appeared, his haggard appearance became the focus of everyone's attention. No one dared to speak first at this time because they couldn't gauge Shen Feng's intentions. If they said the wrong thing, they would definitely be disliked by the City Lord.
"Since everyone is discussing so enthusiastically, I don't want to disturb you. Please continue," Shen Feng said lightly.
For a moment, everyone dared not speak first, and finally turned their gaze to Tu Xuhuai. Tu Xuhuai was best at guessing the leader's intentions. When he first followed Shen Feng, his suggestions were often valued by Shen Feng. Especially now that he was in charge of personnel and operations, he was the absolute leader of the civilian staff, and it was appropriate for Tu Xuhuai to step forward and inquire.
Tu Xuhuai did not disappoint everyone's expectations and quickly stepped forward, saying to Shen Feng, "City Lord, we are currently discussing the future of Rongcheng, but we don't know your intentions, and we haven't reached a consensus. How about giving us a topic for discussion?"
Upon hearing this, everyone secretly praised the remark. It was a well-put statement, allowing Shen Feng to set the tone himself, and everyone could then discuss along that tone.
Shen Feng smiled slightly and said, "Since we are discussing the future of Rongcheng, let's discuss how to rebuild Rongcheng. There should be no problem discussing this, right?"
When everyone heard Shen Feng's answer, although it was unexpected, it was within reason. After all, they knew that the City Lord grew up in Rongcheng, and now that Rongcheng had been destroyed by the earthquake, he naturally wouldn't stand idly by.
"Since we are to discuss rebuilding Rongcheng, of course, we will not object. We have already discussed this issue before. It is best for Yuzhou to provide funds for the disaster victims of Rongcheng to rebuild the city, and they can repay these funds later. This is already the best solution at the moment," Yang Ye said with a smile.
Shen Feng's gaze swept across, and he looked at Yang Ye, then said seriously, "It's not just about providing funds to help, but about providing full assistance! Do you understand what I mean?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the conference room fell silent. Many people looked at Shen Feng in disbelief. Clearly, no one expected Shen Feng to say such a thing.