"I've already clarified everything. They were simply caught off guard and deceived into coming to the wrong place. Now they regret it, they know they made a mistake, and they want to return home. Is that not allowed?" Xu Xing asked.
"I'm not saying they can't return home, but for me to help them is clearly impossible. You say they were deceived, so let me ask, are people capable of immigrating fools? Did they not consider the possibility of being tricked? Now, saying they were deceived is merely shifting responsibility. Since they had the ability to immigrate overseas, they should have the ability to return home. It's not as if they're forbidden to go back, but they should have the capability first!" Shen Feng said calmly.
"But this is a special situation. They have genuinely regretted it because they discovered this place is far inferior to their homeland. Isn't there a saying, 'A prodigal son returning is more precious than gold'? City Lord, you should understand this principle." Xu Xing continued to defend the refugees.
"I certainly understand that principle, but you must also realize one thing: a prodigal son is always at home, which is why they can be called prodigals. These people who have fled their homeland to enjoy high welfare benefits abroad can only be called ungrateful children. I've never heard of anyone being pleased when an ungrateful child returns. In other words, these people are dictated by their circumstances; they are truly opportunistic, going wherever is good for them, without any patriotic sentiment." Shen Feng said sternly.
"But we can't just stand by and do nothing! They are very pitiful. Among them is the daughter of Professor Niu, who is the dean of the research institute in Yuzhou! Even if you don't consider the monk, you should consider the Buddha, shouldn't you?" Xu Xing continued to ask.
Shen Feng was somewhat surprised by this response. He had asked Professor Niu about this before, intending to relieve him of any worries. However, he later learned that Professor Niu's family had already gone abroad and couldn't be brought back. He hadn't expected to see his family here.
"So, we must help. City Lord, it's only a few hundred people; we have the ability to save them!" Xu Xing said earnestly to Shen Feng.
At this moment, Xu Xing's intention was very simple: to help their compatriots as much as possible. She had seen the miserable state of these people earlier. Many children looked sickly and malnourished. There were almost no elderly people, indicating that most of the elderly had succumbed to the disaster and died.
However, after hearing Xu Xing's suggestion, Shen Feng still shook his head vigorously and said, "Don't create trouble for yourself. It may seem like only a few hundred people need help now, but if we step in, it won't be just a few hundred; eventually, tens of thousands will be waiting for help. Since Professor Niu's daughter is here, take her to the military camp. I believe no soldier will stop you. As for the others, let them fend for themselves."
After Shen Feng said this, Xu Xing was stunned. She couldn't believe such cold-blooded and heartless words were coming from the City Lord. It was utterly unbelievable.
"City Lord, how have you changed? You were always a benevolent leader before, but now you've become cold-blooded and heartless, even refusing to help those in need. Not to mention they are our compatriots; as long as they are human, they should receive help." Xu Xing said earnestly to Shen Feng.
"I have never changed; I just dislike people who are meaningless. Do you understand? When they crossed the ocean to join other countries, they should have considered that they would have to bear the risks today, rather than shifting all responsibility onto others." Shen Feng explained to Xu Xing.
"If you don't think they are pitiful enough, you can go out and see for yourself. Once you witness their plight, you will surely soften your heart. I'll take you there now!" Xu Xing understood Shen Feng's attitude and thought of a way: to let Shen Feng see the refugees' situation firsthand.
Shen Feng immediately broke free from Xu Xing's grasp and continued to hold the venison, beginning to feast. "There's no need to show me what they look like; I can imagine it. I've known how pitiful refugees are for so many years, but I tell you, taking them back is absolutely impossible."
"I'm not talking to you anymore!" Xu Xing declared, then walked out of the military camp.
"Where are you going? Do you think you can take these people back?" Shen Feng asked when he saw Xu Xing's actions.
"I'm going hunting. I don't have any other skills, so I can only do my best to catch some prey and give it to these poor people, at least so they can eat their fill and the babies still in swaddling clothes can get some milk!" Xu Xing replied irritably.
Seeing Xu Xing's attitude and her continued desire to help others, Shen Feng understood that she was very kind. He then said, "Come and eat quickly. After we eat, I'll help you figure something out. I'm truly exasperated with you for always looking for trouble!"
Shen Feng had initially intended to do nothing, letting these people fend for themselves. However, seeing Xu Xing's resolute attitude, he realized that if he didn't help Xu Xing, she would work tirelessly to hunt animals, and him standing by would be inappropriate.
Upon hearing Shen Feng's response, Xu Xing immediately smiled and ran to the bonfire. "Brother Shen Feng, you're the best. I knew you had a compassionate heart."
Shen Feng shrugged, thinking to himself, "You just called me cold-blooded and heartless a moment ago. It seems women change their minds very quickly!"
Xu Xing then began to eat, and soon finished the venison on the fire. At this point, Shen Feng spoke, "It's clearly impossible to take all these people back to China. Let alone having only one plane, even if we had ten, more people would come seeking help, and our planes wouldn't be able to take off. So, the only thing we can do is find a place for these people to survive, so they can live. It's as simple as that!"
Although Xu Xing was dissatisfied that their wish couldn't be fulfilled, she agreed to Shen Feng's solution, as it was at least a way to help them. "Alright, let's do that!"
"Next, we need to go find Tom. We can't do this without their consent!" Shen Feng said.
"Why do we need to find them? They definitely won't agree because they were very discriminatory towards these immigrants before. Many of them can't even farm properly. If we ask them, they won't agree to take in refugees!" Xu Xing quickly said to Shen Feng.
"Don't worry, I will persuade them. They have to give me this face. I will find a new piece of land for them to farm and survive on." Shen Feng said calmly.
Afterward, Shen Feng took Xu Xing to find Tom. Tom was still busy with various documents, coordinating the delivery of supplies from the city to the army. If the army lacked supplies, it would be difficult to deal with the locusts. He hadn't expected Shen Feng to show up at this moment.
"Mr. Shen, what can I do for you? If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask. Whatever you want, we'll deliver it to you immediately!" Tom said earnestly to Shen Feng.
"I'm not here for myself this time, but for some refugees. These refugees are of Chinese descent, and they speak the same language as me. They are living very poorly here, so I want to help them. What are your thoughts on this?" Shen Feng said calmly.
"This is a difficult matter, as it's essentially a conflict over resources. People in big cities are always crowding each other out because resources are very limited. If resources were divided equally, it would be impossible. Ultimately, they chose a method of discrimination to drive the Chinese out of the big cities, letting them fend for themselves outside and providing them with no help. This is a societal problem, and I can't help with it!" Tom said seriously.
"I'm not asking the city to take these people in; they can't integrate into the city anyway. I want to find a place for them to survive. That shouldn't be a problem, right?" Shen Feng stated his solution.
When Shen Feng explained his objective, Tom immediately agreed because it had no impact on the city's interests. Let these people go wherever they want, as long as they don't come to the big city to compete for resources.
"If it's just about giving them a place to survive, then I have no objections," Tom said with a smile.
"Also, I need to borrow some food and firearms from you!" Shen Feng continued.
"This... requesting material support might be a bit troublesome. If it were in the past, it would be very simple; I could just gather some food to support these refugees. But now, plagues have appeared in various cities. Transporting supplies to other places before the plague is resolved would put me in a difficult position." Tom said helplessly.
Shen Feng had anticipated his refusal. However, without sufficient supplies, the refugees wouldn't be able to survive even if they reached a new place. So, Shen Feng said seriously, "Since you cannot provide material resources, we will have to let these refugees leave for now. But don't worry, after your plague and skin disease problems are resolved, we will return quickly to complete our mission. We won't leave."
After saying this, Shen Feng prepared to leave with Xu Xing.
Xu Xing didn't understand why Shen Feng was leaving so easily. If the other party didn't provide supplies, they should have persisted. As long as the City Lord continued to insist, the other side would eventually provide the supplies, no matter how difficult.
However, after Xu Xing had walked a few steps, she suddenly realized that this was the City Lord's tactic of retreating to advance. This move was typically seen among market aunties, who, when haggling over prices, would often say, "I'll go look at other stalls!"
Usually, if the vendor didn't want the market auntie to leave, they would say, "I'll sell it at your price."
The current situation was similar to that in the vegetable market. As Shen Feng was leading Xu Xing out of the tent, Tom quickly caught up. He was also an ability user with strange speed, covering the distance almost instantly and appearing behind Shen Feng.
"Mr. Shen, please don't leave. I haven't finished speaking. Although this puts me in a difficult position, based on our relationship, even if it's difficult, I will fulfill your request. You don't need to leave the military camp for these few days. Whatever you want, have someone deliver it immediately!" Tom said quickly.
Shen Feng had grasped the other party's weakness: if he left, their plan couldn't proceed. After all, what these people lacked was an ability user who could change the climate, and in the entire world, only he could do it. Therefore, Shen Feng appeared confident and unconcerned.
"Since Mr. Tom is so understanding, I am relieved. I thought you truly couldn't spare any supplies. However, we are only settling a few hundred people, so it won't occupy too many resources!" Shen Feng said with a smile.