"Future Commander, I heard from Commander Zhang that you used to live in town and led a very tough life?" the Great Hoodwinker asked as he watched the refugees outside the stronghold.
They did not directly distribute the potatoes to them and instead walked among the tens of thousands of them to observe their state of hunger.
The refugees were emaciated skeletons. This meant their bodies had consumed all the glycogen in their bodies, and even their fat had almost been depleted.
The stench in some of the makeshift shacks was overwhelming. No one knew when the people inside had died, and some people were even holding their stomachs in unbearable pain. It could be that they had either eaten something raw that damaged their stomachs, or their stomachs were already perforated.
Ren Xiaosu answered, "When I was living in Stronghold 113's town, my life truly was very tough, but it wasn't bad to this extent. Because I'd always lived in that environment, I learned from others how to find food so that I wouldn't starve to death. Meanwhile, some of these refugees were stronghold residents who've just encountered a huge disaster and don't have any wilderness survival skills, so they might die before they can adapt to the environment."
The Great Hoodwinker chuckled and said, "The commander said that you suffered a lot during that time. He even said that he saw with his own eyes that you gave your younger brother the cornbread that you earned from mining and went outside your shack afterwards to secretly chew on tree roots so that your younger brother wouldn't see it."
When Ren Xiaosu heard this, he started reminiscing. At that time, he probably had not learned how to hunt yet and could only work in the coal mines with the adults. But as he was young and weak, the cornbread he earned from working was only enough to feed one person.
However, he replied with a smile, "Speaking of which, it was really tough then. But when I recall those memories, it somehow feels like one of the happiest times I've experienced in the past decade."
"Future Commander, do you know why Commander Zhang chose you to be his successor?" the Great Hoodwinker asked with a smile.
"Why?" Actually, this was something even Ren Xiaosu did not understand.
"Because he saw a lot of invaluable qualities in you that most people don't have." The Great Hoodwinker did not go into detail, but it seemed the reason was connected to the period he lived in town.
At this moment, Ren Xiaosu saw a child hiding in a shack who was staring at him and the Great Hoodwinker. He suddenly crouched down at the entrance of the shack and looked at the child through the gap in the curtain door.
It was as though Ren Xiaosu was seeing the young Yan Liuyuan again. At that time, Little Liuyuan was still not lord of the steppe.
Ren Xiaosu took out a few milk candies from his storage space and spread them out on his palm. The child was so timid he did not reach out to take them.
"Go ahead," Ren Xiaosu said.
The child in the shack quickly grabbed the milk candies from Ren Xiaosu's hand but did not eat them. Instead, he hid them in his shirt pocket as though he wanted to share them with others later.
Ren Xiaosu looked at the other shacks around him and said to the child, "If you don't eat them now, someone will come and steal them from you immediately after I leave. Perhaps you've already gained the courage to want to protect your things, but you don't have the ability to do that yet. So go on, eat them."
After the child heard Ren Xiaosu's words, he seemed to fall into deep thought. Then he peeled eight milk candies and stuffed them all into his mouth at once.
Ren Xiaosu laughed. "Smart kid."
Many of the refugees were looking at the Great Hoodwinker and him. They wanted to surround them and beg for something to eat, but they just cowered and did not go forward.
Ren Xiaosu did not distribute the potatoes to these people. Instead, he started a campfire and threw a few potatoes in to roast.
He and the Great Hoodwinker sat calmly at the campfire as more and more refugees gathered around them, gulping as they watched the campfire.
Twenty minutes later, Ren Xiaosu took out the potatoes from the campfire with his black saber. He did not hide his identity as a superhuman. This made the refugees feel fear and reverence.
"I can see that y'all're very hungry. Share these potatoes," Ren Xiaosu said with a smile.
The refugees immediately bounded forward.
Although the potatoes were extremely hot, the refugees were unwilling to let go even when they got burned.
There were probably several hundred refugees who had surrounded over, but there were only six to seven potatoes to go around, so it was not enough to share at all.
When the first refugee broke open a potato, the aroma immediately spread through the entire crowd, and everyone went into a frenzy as they struggled to get some for themselves.
Very quickly, all the potatoes had been grabbed. Many of the refugees' faces were bruised and swollen from fighting for a piece. They looked at Ren Xiaosu and seemingly asked him without speaking, "Do you have any more?"
Ren Xiaosu looked at them in silence. He still had a lot of potatoes. For the sake of tricking people back to the Northwest, he had even filled half his storage space with potatoes.
But Ren Xiaosu threw his hands up and said, "That's all I have."
Everyone looked disappointed, but no one dared to question him. Suddenly, a man pushed through the crowd and walked out. He was even holding a pistol and pointing it at Ren Xiaosu. "You must have some more food on you. Hand it over. Not even a superhuman can stop bullets."
If this were any other time, normal people would not dare to threaten superhumans like this even if they owned a gun. But this man had gotten way too desperate from hunger.
When the man saw that Ren Xiaosu did not budge, he raised his voice and said, "Didn't you hear what I said?! Empty your pockets and let me see what else is in them! Is there any hardtack or chocolate? Candy's fine too. I saw you giving that child some milk candy just now!"
But just as he finished speaking, the Great Hoodwinker, who was next to Ren Xiaosu, suddenly leaped up like a cheetah. The man could only see a blur as the pistol in his hand got snatched away by the Great Hoodwinker.
The Great Hoodwinker spun the pistol in his hand and sat back down next to the campfire. Then, with a flick of his wrist, the gun in his hand stripped apart, and its parts scattered onto the ground.
Ren Xiaosu glanced at it and saw there were no bullets in the pistol. It had probably already run out of ammo while the man was escaping here, and he was only carrying it around for show to scare others.
Nearby, someone muttered, "So he was already out of bullets. Let's see if he dares to steal from others in the future!"
"Damn, I'd had enough of him the past few days. Since he doesn't have a gun anymore…"
When the man saw the surrounding refugees mean mugging him, he turned around and ran out of the crowd. He did not dare to stay around any longer.
Ren Xiaosu said with a smile, "Are there any more bad people like him around here? I can help y'all take revenge."
The Northwest definitely lacked population and a labor force, but Ren Xiaosu did not have a good impression of those in a refugee group who bullied the weak and feared the strong. Such people were not fit to join the Prosperous Northwest, so he might as well clear them out now.
A refugee replied, "No, he's the only one around here."
Ren Xiaosu nodded. "That's good then."
One of the refugees whispered, "Do you have any more potatoes? My child has been starving for three days, so please let him have a bite. You're clearly a good person. If it weren't for my child, I wouldn't ask you. Please…"
Ren Xiaosu shook his head ruthlessly. "I really didn't bring any food with me, but I know where to find some.. If y'all want to eat and survive, you should come with me."