The moonlight cast a soft glow on the white walls of the City Lord's mansion.
In the banquet hall, by a large magic dining table, Chen Luo was recounting the day's battle to Su Xiao and others.
As Chen Luo spoke, the others would occasionally cast admiring glances at the dragon girl by the table, who was currently battling with her food.
Such a small creature, yet she was a monster that could put Chen Luo in a tough fight.
However, Chen Luo's strength had long surpassed the current version, and everyone could only listen to the account of the battle with an expression of awe they couldn't quite articulate.
With the embarrassing misunderstanding resolved, Chen Luo had regained his vitality.
On the other hand, the steam-powered girl, who had a certain misunderstanding about riding techniques, hadn't dared to look up since sitting at the table.
Especially when Chen Luo kept looking at her with a meaningful gaze, Hu Tao's head would bow even lower.
However, Chen Luo teasing the little pervert was just playful banter. With Su Xiao, there were still some matters to attend to.
The Kimchi Country had been suppressed entirely, but there were still some troubles to deal with:
"That's basically it. The Kimchi Country currently has only about a million survivors in total, but most of them have been mentally crippled after half a year of being kept like livestock."
"We can easily heal their physical injuries, but we have no good way to deal with this kind of collapse originating from their spiritual essence."
"So, Zhuge Yun and the others are seeking your opinion on how to handle these people."
Su Xiao looked at Chen Luo with a probing gaze. The way these foreigners were handled this time would essentially set the tone for future interactions with other survivors.
Therefore, Zhuge Yun and the others were extremely cautious. According to the old world's customs, Da Yan was quite concerned about international influence, so they would treat these survivors with caution.
But Zhuge Yun and the others knew better. This was now the new world.
Although Chen Luo had delegated authority to everyone, and often didn't require the populace to provide him with resources, even spending most of his time contributing to the people, he was the absolute core of Da Yan today.
And no matter what decision Chen Luo made, Zhuge Yun and the others would faithfully execute it.
Therefore, the handling of these foreign survivors could only be decided by Chen Luo.
Looking at Su Xiao's somewhat scrutinizing gaze, Chen Luo understood their thoughts in an instant.
Looking at the lively scene around the dining table, Chen Luo spoke with a distant gaze:
"I know Zhuge Yun and their concerns. This decision means the life and death of millions."
"In the past world, the so-called human rights were widely trumpeted by many, but times have changed. This is the apocalypse."
"What we are facing is a war of extermination. The so-called human rights concepts of the past world are nothing in the face of future enemies."
"For my compatriots, I can take care of the weak."
"But for foreigners, I am not so benevolent."
A hint of coldness flickered in Chen Luo's eyes, making Su Xiao, who was watching him, feel a different kind of sensation:
"If Zhuge Yun and the others want a plan, then tell them for me."
"Find a translator and tell those survivors from the Kimchi Country. If you want revenge, abandon your past identities and join Da Yan."
"If you don't want revenge, fear the enemy, and are unwilling to join Da Yan, then let them fend for themselves on the peninsula."
"From now on, all foreign races who are absorbed and saved will be executed according to this standard."
"This world only needs one voice: Da Yan."
Su Xiao looked at the young man before her as if she were seeing him for the first time.
If it were in the past world, someone who openly sought to dominate would inevitably be considered a madman, lacking a sense of the bigger picture.
But as Chen Luo said, times have changed.
In this post-apocalyptic new world, Chen Luo's own perspective was humanity's greatest grand strategy.
He could joke around with Hu Tao and others, he could be a seemingly idle hands-off manager, which often led those around him to believe he was just a harmless young man.
But his handling of the Kimchi Country survivors at this moment made Su Xiao feel as if she were seeing him anew.
He was not a saint for all of humanity; he only protected those he recognized.
It was at this moment that Su Xiao, who had been following Chen Luo, suddenly remembered that the handsome young man before her had already slaughtered billions of lives.
In Su Xiao's eyes, Chen Luo's image gradually blurred. He was the slayer of countless alien races, and he was also the protector of Da Yan.
But he was neither a saint who protected everyone indiscriminately, nor a demon lord who wantonly committed evil.
Although he possessed unparalleled strength, he still adhered to the principles in his heart.
"Hey, hey, snap out of it!! My Legion Commander!"
Chen Luo, feeling uncomfortable being stared at by Su Xiao, couldn't help but wave his hand, trying to awaken the big sister whose eyes were shining.
When Su Xiao came back to her senses and looked again, she saw that the coldness in the young man's eyes had completely disappeared, replaced by a slightly disdainful expression.
"You, finish your meal and go home quickly! And next time, don't look at me with such strange eyes!!"
Su Xiao had no mood to bicker. She simply nodded lightly and then lowered her head, quickly waving her chopsticks.
But her heart was beating a little faster.
Chen Luo shook his head, paying no mind to his suddenly strange Legion Commander.
...
At the other end of the dining table, the sisters Ruo Shui and Ruo Xue curiously leaned towards the dragon girl, their big blue and red eyes blinking as they watched the dragon girl eat voraciously.
The dragon girl was focused on enjoying an unprecedented sensory pleasure, but the gazes of the two sisters beside her made her feel quite uncomfortable.
With a honey-glazed chicken drumstick in her mouth, the dragon girl couldn't help but mumble:
"Kang Shen?! Inferior beings!"
After exchanging a glance, the two sisters leaned in a little closer, their eyes shining as they said:
"Dragon-dragon, you're so beautiful!"
"Can you be our friend?"
Hearing this, the dragon girl swallowed the chicken drumstick in her mouth in two bites, and the corners of her sauce-stained mouth curved into a disdainful forty-five-degree angle:
"You are weak, I don't make friends with the weak!"
"Mortals! Do not presume! Hmph!"
After saying this, the dragon girl let out a proud snort and then launched another attack on a roasted suckling pig.
The two sisters, having been rejected, became somewhat dejected:
"Dragon-dragon doesn't like us..."
Xiao Yue, who was also battling with food nearby, was somewhat displeased.
A flash of white light passed, and Xiao Yue rushed to snatch the roasted suckling pig that the dragon girl was reaching for:
"You! Don't look down on people! Suckling pig! Not for you!"
But as the dragon girl reached out, Xiao Yue suddenly missed.
Taking a bite of the crispy and delicious suckling pig, the dragon girl looked down at Xiao Yue dismissively:
"You are much stronger. But still, weak!"