Turning around, he began to observe the expressions of each and every laborer around him.
Fools who were unable to make their own judgments, were easily convinced, and would turn against him in an instant were not worthy of being brought back to the basin. They would merely be trouble to the territory.
He comforted himself that it was better to have quality over quantity.
For the first time, Su Mo was disappointed.
His first contact with humans in the wasteland was with the kobold slaves that Chen Shen and others led.
They were extremely loyal and righteous people who knew how to repay the kindness.
Afterward, they were the reason the hundreds of people in Candlelight Village were unsuspecting of him.
The second time he came in contact with humans was when he selected people from the Tundra Fleet.
After he had killed the clones of the Five Imperial Gods, he screened and selected ordinary people who were at the bottom of the hierarchy.
The people he had come in contact with were either high-IQ or potential talents with rich life experiences.
These two encounters with humans had made him misunderstand them.
He was mistaken that the other humans in the New World were the same as the basin’s residents, who had unconditional faith and were willing to work hard for a better tomorrow.
The reality was a sudden slap in the face.
He was immediately reminded of how outrageous his expectations of these people were.
‘One has to take the first step before reaching a thousand miles. One must also accumulate bits of information before forming a vast ocean of knowledge.
‘I would’ve had a more profound misunderstanding toward the outside world if I had stayed in the territory and secretly developed behind closed doors. It would’ve led to bigger trouble and, eventually, my downfall.
‘Fortunately, it’s still not too late for me to learn my lesson. I’ve still a long time and plenty of chances to correct myself!’
Su Mo reflected on himself.
He suddenly recalled the words that Long Anguo had unintentionally said before but made a lot of sense in the current situation.
‘This game is filtering out people. Save as many as you can, but if you can’t, you shouldn’t force it. Everyone has their way of living, and putting pressure on yourself to try to interfere with their fate will cause your own endless suffering.’
In the past, Su Mo thought that he had said that to make him feel less guilty about not being able to save others.
However, it perfectly reflected the current situation!
“You… I don’t want to go with you! You can’t force me to go, and if you try… I’ll fight to death!”
“That’s right! This is our territory! We don’t welcome you! It doesn’t matter whether you’re the real Almighty Su or not. We want to stay here!”
“We can’t fight back since you have guns, but we will never work under you, even if we have to die!”
“…”
Moments ago, they were shouting praises and flattery.
Now, the words from their mouths were the complete opposite.
It was also obvious who had already made up their mind.
Nearly 30 out of the 104 people chose to continue living a miserable life under the Liu brothers over following the mysterious man who was possibly the Almighty Su to another unfamiliar territory to welcome the hope of humanity.
Among the remaining 70 people, about twenty people stood still behind the tall woman.
The other 50 people chose to maintain a neutral stance, and neither indicated wanting to join or withdraw.
The atmosphere came to a stalemate and became increasingly tense.
A few moments later…
A timid man whose face was flushed from the freezing cold looked around and spoke out, embarrassed.
“Sir… Almighty Su, we have no intention of interfering in the battle between you and the Liu brothers, nor do we want to join another territory and live a life being enslaved by another.
“We had a place to live in the deep mountains before, and we had land to work with, but it will be difficult for us to return for now as the snow disaster is not over.
“How about you take whatever resource, weapon, or precious items you like in the cave? We only ask for your kindness to let us stay in the cave for a few more days. After the winter, we will take our things and leave immediately without getting in the way of your progress.
“During this time, we could even use labor to pay rent. We only need the most basic survival resources. Would you be fine with…”
The man scratched the back of his head and was uneasy because he could not figure out Su Mo’s attitude toward his request.
In terms of the combat power of both sides, he fully believed that the other side was capable of making their blood flow into a river in less than ten seconds.
It was unrealistic for them to resist.
However, he and the fifty people behind him could not possibly unconditionally trust the unknown visitors and risk being tricked into another person’s territory again.
“Are you sure?
“From this day forward, no matter life or death, you’d rather wander this wasteland over a steady and wealthy life. Are you sure you won’t regret your decision? Are the fifty people behind you not going to regret this decision?”
Surprisingly, Su Mo did not deny his request, nor did he ask any further questions.
He maintained his previous smile and looked directly at the man who stepped forward.
The man was frightened and trembled slightly as he recalled how Liu Jie had gotten beaten up when Su Mo glanced at him.
He was afraid that he would be severely beaten if they were to have a disagreement.
At that moment, he did not dare to decide for everyone, so he turned around and asked for their opinions.
There were people everywhere around the cave.
The 30 people who stood behind Liu Jie, who were determined to leave with the Liu brothers, tried their best to signal the others with their eyes to be firmer in their decision and not be bewitched by Su Mo.
The 20 people who were determined to follow Su Mo also strongly motioned to the people not to give up after one mistake and lose their faith in others, especially Almighty Su.
However, the wavering group with the most significant number of people stood in the middle, and the 50 people insisted on following their initial decision.
A person should not fall in the same place twice.
They were unwilling to fall into a miserable pit and become a prisoner of others because of empty promises.
“Almighty…Su, we insist on our decision.
“No matter what happens to us in the future, we… we won’t regret it!”
“So be it!”
…
