Han Hongyu grabbed the head of Commander Xu and said fiercely, "Tell me clearly, who ordered you to slander City Lord Qin?"
Commander Xu seemed to be in a daze, his face blank.
Qin Shilei looked at Han Hongyu with a half-smile. "Brother Han, come with me. I'll show you the person behind this."
Then he snapped his fingers. Commander Xu, as if receiving a command, suddenly broke free from Han Hongyu and walked towards the door.
After leaving the room, Commander Xu climbed another three floors and pointed to room 1021.
At Qin Shilei's signal, Duan Tianhe immediately stepped forward and kicked the door open.
Bang!
The entire door flew inwards, almost hitting Hou Chengzong and the other two who were sitting in the hall.
Looking up, Hou Chengzong's face changed drastically. He turned and ran towards the window.
But before he could take two steps, he felt a tremendous force from behind.
Bang!
Hou Chengzong slid slowly from the wall and fell.
As soon as he hit the ground, he immediately took out a scroll from his ring and attempted to tear it open.
Crack.
At some point, Qin Shilei had appeared beside him and stomped on his right hand, breaking it.
Po Wang Zi Mu!
A purple light flashed in Qin Shilei's eyes, instantly controlling Hou Chengzong, who was still in the Black Iron realm.
"Speak, who are you and why are you looking for me?"
Hou Chengzong, with a dazed look, answered obediently, "My name is Hou Chengzong, the younger brother of Hou Chengzhu. I was separated from my brother by insects when I was fleeing and went to Longhua City. I am here to seek revenge on City Lord Qin."
"So that's how it is," Qin Shilei said with sudden realization. "So the zombie attacks that happened in the city were also your doing?"
Hou Chengzong shook his head. "No, I don't know who did it. I just took advantage of the situation to frame City Lord Qin."
"Is there really a zombie king in the city?"
Qin Shilei murmured to himself.
He continued, "How many people do you have left in the city? Find them all."
He then turned to Zhang Cheng and said, "Uncle, take your men and kill these remnants of the Yellow Dragon Sect."
Zhang Cheng hesitated. "This Hou Chengzong is from Longhua City, and the remnants of the Yellow Dragon Sect are also hidden among the city guards of Longhua City. If we go and kill them, I'm afraid it will provoke resistance from the people of Longhua City. How should we handle this?"
Qin Shilei turned to Han Hongyu and said coldly, "Are you trying to stop me?"
Han Hongyu's expression changed, and he quickly apologized. "Brother Qin, this is all my fault. If I hadn't let these people infiltrate, this wouldn't have happened, and your reputation would have been damaged."
"Hmph," Qin Shilei snorted coldly. "It's good that you understand. We kindly saved all the people of Longhua City. Unexpectedly, you almost brought a wolf to Hope City."
Han Hongyu looked ashamed and apologized again. "It's all my fault for not managing properly. I hope Brother Qin will forgive me."
Zhang Cheng said lightly, "Shilei, Kong Zhendong's suggestion is very good. We saved them from Longhua City, and that's more than enough. Why should we let these unrelated people continue to stay in Hope City? They only bring hidden dangers to Hope City and offer no benefits. Why not let them leave Hope City soon?"
Upon hearing this, Han Hongyu's expression changed several times.
They hadn't found a good place to go yet. If they were forced to leave Hope City, where would they go?
Furthermore, after experiencing the sense of security in Hope City, it was unlikely that even three thousand people from Longhua City would be willing to leave with him again.
Would he really have to lead one or two thousand people to establish another city outside?
Even if they could conquer another city, without the protection of city walls, it would likely be breached again by zombies or mutant beasts in the future.
Various thoughts flashed through Han Hongyu's mind. Suddenly, he gritted his teeth and looked up.
"The entire Longhua City will be merged into Hope City. I wonder if City Lord Qin welcomes it?"
"Oh!" Qin Shilei looked at Han Hongyu with a half-smile. "Are you really willing to give up your former power and be subordinate to Hope City?"
Han Hongyu said with a firm gaze, "Power that cannot be defended is just fleeting. Perhaps by following Brother Qin, I can gain even more."
Qin Shilei pondered for a moment and said, "Since you are truly willing to join Hope City, I can give you two choices."
"First, I will allow you to select five thousand people from Longhua City to form a mercenary group. You can continue to stay in Hope City and maintain your relative independence."
"Second, you will completely join Hope City. I will grant you the position of Deputy Legion Commander or a Hall Master of the Rock Solid Legion. However, your people will be dispersed and integrated into my various teams."
Han Hongyu chose without hesitation, "I choose the second option."
When he decided to join Hope City, he had already made up his mind to completely join Qin Shilei's team.
Hope City not only had city walls for protection but was also extremely powerful.
The top three on the strength ranking were Qin Shilei and his two wives. Even Qin Shilei's subordinates had several individuals as strong as himself.
Whether it was to repay a debt of gratitude or to find a strong backing for himself, following Qin Shilei did not diminish his status in any way.
"Very well, you will be the Hall Master of the Thick Earth Hall in our Rock Solid Legion from now on," Qin Shilei immediately decided to temporarily appoint him as the Hall Master.
"I will obey the City Lord's arrangements in all matters."
Han Hongyu cupped his fists and accepted the order.
His feelings were now a mix of emotions.
He had once been a city lord, commanding two to three hundred thousand people. Now, he had to submit to others and become a mere Hall Master.
However, in the near future, Han Hongyu would be extremely grateful for his decision today, as he not only gained immense strength but also far greater power than that of a city lord.
That afternoon, Qin Shilei convened a high-level meeting of Hope City.
Not only did he introduce Han Hongyu to everyone, but he also finalized the specific arrangements for the two to three hundred thousand people from Longhua City.
Most of the nearly fifty thousand city guards from Longhua City would be broken up and integrated into the various legions of Hope City.
Some elites would be selected to join the Rock Solid Legion.
As for the remaining residents, they would either form mercenary groups within Hope City or participate in the basic construction of Hope City.
Hope City's strength had been enhanced to a certain extent as a result.
The rumors had been resolved, but the zombies hidden within the city did not seem to have retreated due to Qin Shilei's search and continued to commit violence in the city.
Qin Shilei instructed Duan Tianhe, "Tianhe, please work hard and continue to search the city to see if you can find them."
"Okay, boss," Duan Tianhe nodded in agreement.
After seeing him leave, Qin Shilei returned to his small world to continue experiencing the power of lightning.
Unfortunately, after more than half a day, he had made no progress and, feeling somewhat frustrated, he left the small world.
As soon as he emerged, he heard a report from Zhang Cheng.
"Duan Tianhe discovered traces of zombies near the research institute, but after he pursued them into the institute, he lost their trail."