Terra Tinkers Construct is fine.

Milan seemed lost in thought.

In conclusion, the Canned Team maintained their excellent record of no casualties after this battle. Under Alexei's command, they did not pursue but quickly regrouped and cautiously moved towards Milan, forming a defensive formation.

"Release Broken Bones!"

Among the reunited Reunion Movement members, someone shouted this in a trembling voice.

Milan lowered his head—the limp, broken bones at his feet, though powerless, were still struggling, repeatedly trying to get up, but failing several times.

"Reunification Movement?"

Milan's voice sounded somewhat muffled through the mask.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Whether it was a stitch or coughing up blood, Suigu coughed a few times and stubbornly raised his head, his voice still full of resentment and anger.

"So what!"

"You executioners, oppressors, lackeys!"

"You will never understand the suffering of those infected! We are simply trying to reclaim what we deserve!"

Let's be reasonable and speak the truth.

Milan's first thought was: As expected of a top-tier Terra player, your physical attributes are impressive; you're already shouting here so quickly.

My second reaction was: Kid, are you even thinking straight? Do you really know what kind of nonsense you're trying to make with your language skills?

"Everyone in this city who has discriminated against...everyone who has persecuted us! They all deserve to die!"

He was still venting his emotions; even though he couldn't get up, he was still stubborn.

Milan paused for a moment, then said quietly, "I've dealt with the Reunion Movement before."

"How did the Reunion Movement become like this?"

"What do we look like!?"

As if a nerve had been pierced, Broken Bones retorted excitedly, "We are rebelling, we are fighting for our right to survive! All non-infected people are accomplices! They are all enjoying the benefits and conveniences gained from oppressing us, they all owe us!"

"How could you high and mighty non-infected people possibly understand...!"

"Alexei."

Milan suddenly interrupted him, his attitude as calm as still water. Without turning his head, he waved his hand and said, "Infected."

Alexei immediately understood. He pulled over a member of the canned food squad, and the two of them worked together to remove the breastplate. The melee hand then lifted the shirt—immediately revealing the not-yet-heavy, but clearly visible black crystals on the side of his ribs.

The sound of bones shattering stopped abruptly, and the surroundings immediately fell silent—even with the mask on, Milan could see the visibly shocked pupils behind his lenses, his eyes clearing instantly as if he couldn't comprehend what he had just seen.

Just like the Reunion soldiers behind him who were initially hostile.

They stormed into the door in a menacing manner.

They keep saying they want the infected to take revenge on the oppressors.

In order to fight against the violence of ordinary people who oppress the infected, they despised the so-called shady gangs here—but now it seems that the other side is also a group of infected people.

So what exactly does this fierce fight amount to?

Infected person fighting infected person?

And they haven't even fought yet?

"You...you are also...?"

The man lying on the ground, his eyes darting around, seemed to have found a clue after a long while. He managed to say, "Then, why don't you join the Reunion Movement?"

"We can work together for the future of those infected..."

"stop."

No one in the canned food team responded to him. Even the infected melee fighter put his chest armor back on with the help of his teammates and returned to the queue without saying a word.

Milan walked away, picked up the spear amidst the fearful gazes of the Integrator soldiers, and said from outside Shattered Bones's sight, "We're just looking for a place to make a living. From the wilderness to the city, we just want to survive."

"If the Reunion Movement can't even tolerate this little bit of hope from our brothers and insists on exterminating them... then I'll be your enemy, so let's not talk nonsense."

"I'll let you off this time for the sake of the Reunion Movement."

As they stared in shock, Milan picked up his spear, spun around briefly, and said, "If I ever encounter something so indiscriminate again, I'll kill you all."

"Get out now."

The spear vanished from his hand as mysteriously as it had appeared. Milan turned around and said without looking back, "Get out of my sight."

The remnants of the Reunion Movement felt as if they had been granted amnesty. They quickly dispatched men to lift up the shattered bones that were almost impossible for the injured to stand, as well as other wounded who were still able to move. Seeing the wary Canned Food Squad and Milan, who didn't even intend to turn around, they tried to collect their companions' bodies before hastily fleeing the scene amidst the complex gazes of the various gangs.

Geor, his face ashen, led his few remaining subordinates, who had initially been excited about "this show," and gritted his teeth as they caught up with the Reunion Movement—no matter what, he knew he couldn't stay in this area any longer and had no choice but to follow the Reunion Movement to the bitter end.

This gathering, which was supposed to establish underground rules, ended up failing in this unexpected way.

"grown ups."

Alexei watched as the Reunion Movement members and members of various gangs gradually left in silence, leaving only them there for a moment—he breathed a sigh of relief, but still spoke up: "Is it really a good idea to let them leave like this?"

"That's good."

Milan took off his helmet, let out a long sigh, and shook his head.

"There are only a few days left. There's no need to create unnecessary trouble. Let's pretend it's an accidental conflict of power and register as an infected person with the Reunion Movement. That will save us a lot of trouble."

“It’s not difficult to kill them, but killing Shattered Bones is a different matter. Even if it’s just to maintain the banner and prestige, the main force of the Reunion Movement must launch a large-scale attack.”

"So, that's fine."

Chapter 79 - A Little Bit of Hardship

The cracked tooth was destroyed.

The mysterious force "Canned Goods" has risen to power and is now embroiled in a fierce conflict with another group of outsiders.

Such news spread like ink drops on water, quickly permeating the gray areas of Chernobog; while the details became blurred as it spread, the core remained relatively clear no matter how it was circulated.

Some say they were actually the private soldiers of a fallen nobleman who possessed ancient forging secrets, enabling them to mass-produce high-quality equipment.

Some say they are the Sarkaz who once wandered to Ursus, and that they can use witchcraft to imprison people's souls in their armor, which is why their soldiers are taciturn and insensitive to pain.

Some say that "Canned Food" is a group of infected warriors who fled from the North, each wearing heavy armor that is impervious to swords and spears, and their leader is a monster who can overturn a giant shield with his bare hands.

In the rumors, these elaborate details became increasingly exaggerated, but the core remained unchanged: infected, heavily armored, powerful, of unknown origin—the title "Canned Food" sounded somewhat comical at first, but when the name was associated with these rumors, it was at least no longer considered a "comical" code name among gangs.

This title now signifies a violent organization that can seize a niche in the gray areas of mobile land and rise to power as soon as it arrives.

These messages, naturally, also flowed into the information network they had woven in Chernobog through the Integration Movement's own channels.

——Integration Movement——

"That's just the way it is."

The sound of bones breaking came from the communicator. He was still lying in the medical ward of the Reunion base. Milan had gone easy on Siesta, but for a Terran of his caliber, it was still an injury that couldn't be easily healed.

For the time being, this was the only way he could attend the Integration Movement meetings and report his experiences to Talulah and several other cadres; his voice still carried a heavy, uneasy quality amidst the static of the communicator.

There was also humiliation.

"They are definitely infected! My men, my subordinates, and the rest of the headquarters can all testify to this; we all saw that person's creation with our own eyes!"

Shattered Bones emphasized, as if trying to justify his defeat by denying the importance of fighting: "You didn't experience it, you didn't fight that guy... His strength is inhuman! My spells and my attacks were completely useless!"

"He must have used some trick! Or there's something wrong with that armor... Yes! The armor! And the armor of those guys!"

To be honest, his response was filled with subjective incomprehension, subconsciously attributing his provocation to "testing the other party's position"; he wanted to send a message to his colleagues: the other party possessed such power but was unwilling to join the Reunion Movement, so there must be some ulterior motive.

Just as the information he obtained by risking his life, even his own, must be extremely important.

But when he got to this point, not only the other people in the room, but even he himself became confused as he spoke.

Milan said they were just trying to make a living.

Regardless of whether they can be considered enemies of their own Reunion Movement... are their ideas really wrong?

"But no matter what, you got beaten pretty badly."

In the light, a boy dressed in a white children's military uniform with equally white hair, which seemed out of place, leaned on a cane and said in a sarcastic tone, "I thought I'd discovered something interesting, but it turns out I just ran into a brick wall."

"Got a lesson from some random tin can? How pathetic~"

In the shadows behind him stood another boy, draped in a dark cloak, silent as a statue.

Standing next to the head of the meeting was a girl wearing a hood, with a high-necked scarf covering the lower half of her face, revealing only a few strands of red hair. She listened with a frown for a long time before finally saying, "Defeating you head-on is indeed quite impressive, but since the other party chose to let you leave, they don't seem like our enemies at least for now."

"Ah."

A muscular man with the signature large horns of the Sarkaz did not interrupt, but simply gave an ambiguous, cold laugh.

"..."

On the other side, a huge shadow stood in the shadows, making the tall, white-clad woman in the light beside him appear exceptionally petite; if Milan were present, she would certainly recognize these two familiar faces—just as when she heard the news, even in silence, Froststar's long ears twitched.

--Father?

She looked up at the tall figure beside her, her eyes filled with surprise and confusion.

Mass-produced heavy armor units.

Heavy armor.

Extraordinary brute force.

These features, which are particularly striking in a certain sense, inevitably reminded her of the young craftsman—although, in other words, they could also be linked to another unit.

The crimson gaze of the leader of that unit, Bozokastie, seemed to freeze for a moment.

Could it be him?

We parted hastily back then, hoping never to meet again... but how did we end up bumping into each other in this godforsaken place, Chernobog, so soon?

Even someone as weathered as him couldn't help but sigh.

At this moment, the leader, seated on the throne, finally spoke—the industrial Originium lamps shone a stark white light, illuminating her position from top to bottom: she was a tall woman, who remained upright even while seated, her face still bearing the vividness of youth, but her expression, like her tone, contained an unquestionable authority and composure.

She wore a black dress with an irregular hem, bearing the marks of ashes and damage as if it had been burned; the horns protruding from her white hair were different in shape from those of the Sarkaz, or rather, fundamentally different from most of the horned races on this land.

Her horns are a symbol of her bloodline, as if proclaiming the very existence of her lineage, which means "kings and generals are truly born with noble blood."

"You've worked hard, Broken Bones, take good care of your injury."

Her voice was calm and steady, with a comforting power: "It is heartbreaking for compatriots to have misunderstandings, but since the other party was also infected and chose to let go in the end, it may show that they still have goodwill towards their compatriots."

“Being temporarily blinded by the pressure of survival is not a fault. We all go through such a phase. They have not yet understood what the real future of infected people is, nor is it a reason for us to push them to the opposite side.”

"The Reunion Movement has enough power to make its voice heard in Ursus. We don't necessarily need more power to take this city... In contrast, our cause has reached its most critical moment, and that's what we should be focusing on."

"A new beginning is coming to Chernobog."

"Once we take over this city, we will have ample time and opportunity to make them understand where the road leads."

Chernobog, Block 13, underground, middle level.

The bloodstains at the assembly hall have been cleaned up, and the aroma of stewed bone soup seems to linger in the air, but it's irrelevant now.

There's nothing new under the sun; life goes on, and gang members are no exception.

After taking over the territory of the Cracked Tooth, [Canned Food] did not expand wildly or plunder wealth everywhere as many people had worried; instead, the upper ecology of this plot was occupied by violence that was enough to intimidate everyone, and the order of the underworld unexpectedly stabilized.

Soon, the black market resumed operation under this new order, but the atmosphere changed for another reason: intercity logistics were increasingly affected, and it was no longer just open freight that was affected; even the black market became sluggish and deserted. Some observant people also noticed that Chernobog's external communications had become unreliable; not only did the intercity network seem to be malfunctioning, but even official news had become silent.

"I haven't heard of any natural disaster warnings recently."

For the people of this land, communication disruptions caused by natural disasters seem to be commonplace, so these subtle changes have not attracted much attention.

But it will inevitably attract the attention of those who are interested.

"It's getting more and more lively here."

This was the first thing Herag said to Milan when he visited—but it's not entirely incomprehensible: while the black market business throughout the city may have become quiet, the gang trade here has not become depressed.

For gang members who run businesses underground, the "canned goods" were an unexpectedly generous offer.

Although the Canned Team is mostly composed of people who "follow" Milan, their gratitude can support them through arduous training and even to the point of fighting to the death for Milan; but as the saying goes, Milan is not some kind of devil - the hard training and the danger of battle are pressures that accumulate in the objective reality.

High pressure always needs to be relieved, and there's no reason to make people risk their lives while withholding their pay.

So, unable to provide more positive feedback in terms of realistic promises, ideals, and honors, he chose the most straightforward way to maintain cohesion.

Throwing money.