I have a city in another world

Chapter 7052 Resentment and Escape
The battle for control of the mountain town settlement did not end as quickly as the survivors had prayed for, but instead became a long and brutal tug-of-war that lasted for three days and three nights.

The roar of guns and cannons, the howling of energy, the collision of flesh and blood, and the dying cries intertwined to form a symphony of destruction that echoed day and night across the wilderness.

The outer city was reduced to ruins, with flames and thick smoke rising into the sky, making it unrecognizable from its original state.

The two sides, both in a sorry state, engaged in street fighting amidst the ruins, and the close-quarters combat became even more bloody and brutal.

As the defenders annihilated each wave of attacks, new enemies would emerge on the horizon at the edge of their vision, seemingly endless.

Enemies from all directions of the wasteland, along with mutated monsters of various shapes and howling roars, surged like an unstoppable tide, wave after wave crashing against the seemingly solid defenses of the mountain city settlement.

From a high vantage point, the mountain town settlement has been completely surrounded.

Once war begins, there are no real winners; it's always a case of killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of your own.

In this war of attrition, the outer city area, which served as the first line of defense, was almost completely razed to the ground.

The residents' businesses, built up bit by bit over many years, were reduced to dust under the gunfire and claws, and the hopes and foundations of survival for countless people collapsed along with them.

The survivors huddled in the corners of the ruins had no way of knowing how much damage the inner city had suffered, but they knew in their hearts that their homes had been completely destroyed.

What they lost was not only their homes, but also their loved ones, friends, and their hopes and expectations for the future.

As the outer city's defenses were gradually depleted and almost completely exhausted, the nobles of the inner city could no longer stand idly by.

If we wait any longer, the monsters will break through the walls and slaughter all the residents of the inner city.

With each command issued, the valuable resources accumulated over the years were transformed into a deadly destructive force.

Shells, boxes of energy batteries, and elite soldiers were continuously thrown into the crucible of war.

Those with discerning eyes can see that this is perhaps the enemy's true objective.

Through a brutal yet highly effective war of attrition, the beast was continuously bleeded until it was completely worn down.

However, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse.

The fact that the mountain town has been able to stand here for so many years naturally indicates that it has a profound foundation and a tenacious vitality that far exceeds the enemy's imagination.

Destroying it in a short period of time is by no means an easy task.

With the current offensive consisting mainly of low-level combatants and mutated monsters, it is almost impossible to achieve a decisive victory.

Standing on a distant rooftop, Tang Zhen, observing calmly, had already formed his judgment.

The attackers did not expect to kill their prey in one blow; they were more like a group of patient hunters. The purpose of this siege was to severely injure their prey, break its spine, and weaken it.

Afterwards, they would linger like ghosts, constantly seeking new opportunities.

By not allowing the wounds time to heal, the prey eventually collapses on its own after a long period of torment and exhaustion.

This is a common tactic used by demonic cultivators: to create maximum panic and psychological pressure with minimal direct cost, thereby undermining the opponent's will from within.

Even now, the mastermind behind all this has yet to reveal their true identity.

Those fighting on the battlefield are nothing more than his henchmen or enslaved servants and cannon fodder.

These consumables may seem like a huge loss, but for those who still exist, replenishing them is not difficult.

If the truth is as Tang Zhen predicted, then the future situation in the mountain city settlement will become extremely grim. Especially for the residents of the outer city, the relatively peaceful days of the past are probably gone forever.

Being forced to leave their hometown may become their only option.

Three days of hellish torment resulted in extremely heavy casualties among the outer city residents trapped inside the battlefield, who served as a buffer and human shield.

Faced with a cruel and desperate situation, the will to survive erupts instantly.

Starting early the next morning, the residents of the outer city, realizing that there was no hope of rescue in the inner city, quietly began a large-scale exodus.

Traversing collapsed houses and stepping over scattered rubble and debris, the survivors moved through thick smoke and flames.

Despite the presence of fierce-looking supervisory teams suppressing the enemy from the rear, and numerous drones released from the inner city hovering at low altitudes, issuing stern warnings in cold, synthesized electronic voices that "desertion will be met with death," and even occasionally shooting down cowardly deserters.

However, none of these measures could stop the residents from fleeing.

If staying means certain death, why not escape and seek a glimmer of hope?
The exodus quickly spread, reaching the entire outer city battlefield.

Whenever they saw an opportunity, the residents would rush towards the gap in the blockade without hesitation, even at the cost of engaging in firefights with the mountain city's army, using their flesh and blood to charge at the gun barrels.

Even if they were to die, they had to die outside the city, rather than remain as a human shield.

The inner city commanders, aloof and arrogant, used coercion and intimidation to consume lives, utterly chilling everyone's hearts.

The last vestige of belonging that might have remained was shattered, replaced by a deep-seated, bone-chilling hatred.

Their wishful thinking vanished, and the harsh reality, like ice water poured over their heads, brought the residents of the outer city to their senses.

They finally admitted the truth they didn't want to admit: their lives were worthless in the eyes of the big shots in the inner city, and could be sacrificed at any time for the so-called greater good.

Even if they were within arm's reach of the inner city gates, that gate, a symbol of hope for survival, would never open for them; anyone who tried to approach would only be met with merciless shooting.

With brutal enemies in front and their own people forcing them to their deaths behind, the surviving residents of the outer city had no choice but to flee this land of despair.

The attackers were clearly aware of this and intentionally or unintentionally left some passages open, failing to make a full effort to intercept the survivors who escaped the outer city.

This tacit approval only strengthened the fugitives' resolve.

In an instant, groups of survivors, carrying their meager remaining belongings, spread across the wasteland like a flood bursting its banks.

The mountain city army, engaged in battle, received a death order from the inner city: shoot down anyone attempting to escape and maintain the stability of the front line at all costs!
Unbeknownst to them, this order sparked tremendous resistance among the troops at the front lines.

From the start of the battle until now, they too have suffered heavy casualties, watching helplessly as their comrades fall, while reinforcements from the inner city have yet to arrive.

Only the drones monitoring the battle and the occasional artillery fire that falls indiscriminately remind them that a group of superiors are monitoring the entire battlefield.

The commanders, hiding behind relatively safe bunkers or city walls, roared and cursed in frustration, but it did little to provide any real help.

Harboring deep resentment, many of the outer city garrison soldiers outwardly obeyed orders but inwardly defied them, deliberately raising their gun muzzles by an inch when firing.

Some soldiers refused to comply because they saw their relatives and neighbors among the fleeing crowd.

Even worse, some simply threw away their weapons, blended into the fleeing crowd, and disappeared silently into the mountains and fields.

They no longer wanted to risk their lives to protect those high-ranking officials, but rather to see them as cannon fodder, cold-blooded butchers, and parasites in the inner city.

As the battle situation continued to deteriorate, these organized desertions and passive resistance intensified, infuriating the commanders in the inner city, yet leaving them helpless.