Chapter 390: Grudges and Grievances
Chapter 390: Grudges and Grievances
2024-11-25
On one hand, he was eager to recruit Jiang Cheng to his side.
The Resistance Army's numbers had been dwindling over the years, and their talent pool was even more limited.
On the other hand, he was also concerned about Jiang Cheng's potential change of heart after entering the Inner District.
His worry was not unfounded, as it had happened numerous times before. Those sent to gather information in the Inner District had turned against them, causing significant losses.
"Elder Qin, you misunderstood. I was just curious," Jiang Cheng said sincerely.
Jiang Cheng added earnestly, "And given my character, even if I were to find out, I would never betray you."
Hearing Jiang Cheng's words, Elder Qin chuckled and said, "Hahaha, I was just joking with you. And it's not really a secret; you can find out by asking around in the Inner District."
He paused, as if lost in his memories, his voice turning deep and hoarse, "The Resistance Army is indeed a collective term, or rather, an alliance of several resistance forces. We are one of them, code-named Hope. There are two other organizations: Dawn and Revenge."
Elder Qin took a moment to reflect, then continued, "Our goals are the same: to drive out the Horn Clan and reclaim our land. Although it seems difficult, even impossible."
Jiang Cheng nodded in agreement.
It did sound incredibly challenging.
After all, even at the Resistance Army's peak, they couldn't achieve it.
"But some things need to be done by someone," Elder Qin said with a sigh. "Just like a hundred years ago when the Horn Clan arrived. If everyone had just hoped for others to resist, would the Yanren people have had a future?"
Elder Qin continued, "Our principles are the same, but our methods differ greatly."
"Your group is more moderate, while the Revenge Organization is more... bloody, right?"
"Yes," Elder Qin affirmed with a nod.
"You've interacted with us in the slums, so you should have some understanding of our situation. For ordinary people, we feel sympathy because we know that under the current circumstances, they can't do much.
This includes many family forces in the Inner and Outer Cities; we understand their position. Not everyone can abandon their homes and businesses to stand up against the oppression of the Horn Clan and their accomplices."
"Like the Wu Family Fortress?" Jiang Cheng asked.
"It seems you've heard something about them," Elder Qin said, his smile bitter, and his eyes flashed with anger. "Yes, take them as an example. To be honest, we've been fighting with the Wu Family for years, and both sides have suffered casualties. But in the end, it's just small-scale conflicts. Unless we completely eradicate the Wu Family, the hatred won't disappear. Yet, as of today, our positions have reversed."
He sighed, "During the Resistance Army's heyday, the Wu Family's Ancestor was only mid-ranked among our Supreme leaders. But his betrayal caused us heavy losses, and even the surviving Supremes were greatly weakened and their strength declined.
However, the Wu Family's Ancestor not only remained unharmed but also gained the favor of the Horn Clan. He established the Wu Family Fortress, and their strength only grew. Even if our two Supremes were to take action, they might not be able to defeat him now."
Jiang Cheng's heart sank upon hearing this.
"You mentioned your group is more moderate; now, tell me about the Revenge Organization."
Elder Qin sighed and didn't want to dwell on the previous topic.
"The Revenge Organization believes that not only those living within the city, but everyone in the inner and outer districts should die, even those in the slums."
"Do they think that those people didn't choose to resist and instead chose to compromise?"
"That's right. Their methods are often extreme. They frequently launch revenge operations without considering the safety of those around them, and many innocent casualties have resulted from their actions."
Elder Qin sighed again.
"The Dawn Organization's approach is somewhere in between, right?"
"More or less."
Elder Qin nodded slightly.
"But if I have to say, they lean more towards the Revenge Organization. Over the years, they've grown closer to them."
Jiang Cheng wasn't surprised.
After all, in such a high-pressure environment, human nature can easily become extreme. Moreover, if his guess was correct, among these three organizations, Revenge was undoubtedly the strongest.
Otherwise, it would be impossible to carry out resistance activities in the inner city.
As for Elder Qin's Hope organization, it was the weakest, only able to leave a few people behind as informants.
However, the actions of the Revenge Organization gave rise to an idea in Jiang Cheng's mind.
"Elder Qin, does the Revenge Organization truly disregard the safety of those around them?"
"Well..."
Elder Qin hesitated for a moment, but after a while, he nodded,
"Yes, that's why the original resistance alliance split into three. Of course, this is just one of the reasons."
He added, "The main reason is to preserve the spark of resistance. If we're ever found by the Horn Clan, we won't be wiped out all at once."
"I understand."
Jiang Cheng nodded.
A few days ago, he had heard from Ding Lei and the others about the Inner City's major forces, including the Shadow Church, which had an irreconcilable hatred for the Yan Nation. They took pleasure in killing Yan Nation citizens, and the stronger the person they killed and the greater the destruction they caused, the happier they were.
In that sense, they were similar to the Revenge Organization of the Resistance Army.
Both were causing trouble in the Inner City.
Both engaged in indiscriminate slaughter.
Of course, these were just Jiang Cheng's speculations, and saying them aloud might seem like he was trying to sow discord.
It was enough for him to keep these thoughts to himself. If he ever encountered someone from the Revenge Organization, it wouldn't hurt to be extra cautious.
"Anything else you want to ask?"
Elder Qin's voice echoed with laughter, though not as loud as before.
"Not for now."
Jiang Cheng quickly replied.
"If you have no more questions, you can always ask me. By the way, young brother, how have you been doing at the Gu family? With your alchemy skills, your status and treatment must be quite good, right?"
Elder Qin asked tentatively.
"It's not bad, but it's not as great as they initially promised."
"Oh?"
Elder Qin became intrigued and urged Jiang Cheng to continue.
Jiang Cheng then recounted the whole story.
In his heart, he also wanted to join the Resistance Army.
Only by joining the Resistance Army could he fully unleash his desire to do what he had longed to do, such as killing Bing Li, the director of the Northern City Enforcement Bureau, Gu Changjun of the Gu family, the Horn Clan who caused all this, and their accomplices.
He was different from Gu Changkong and the others; he had come from the slums and had witnessed the misery of ordinary people.
Staying here wouldn't allow him to do these things, and if he were exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable.
(End of Chapter)
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