While the outside was buzzing with activity, there wasn't a peep inside the Abandoned Cave Society. They had many people, but only a few guns, so they didn't even dare to step outside to see what was happening at their door.
It wasn't until Patel made contact with Neili through their secret channel and confirmed that he wasn't an imposter or a traitor that they opened the door and let him in.
They only let in one person, him.
At first, he was worried that Governor would be displeased, but that wasn't the case. Gu Hang generously allowed him to enter first to explain the situation. The Governor's troops would stay outside the Abandoned Cave Society for two days, waiting for his message.
As for what message they were waiting for, Gu Hang didn't specify, but Patel had a rough idea.
The Governor had fulfilled his promise of rescue, and now it was time for the Abandoned Cave Society to show their sincerity.
To this, Patel didn't feel uncomfortable.
What was so bad about the Abandoned Cave Society being completely obedient to Governor?
As he entered through the door, he returned home.
Familiar faces appeared before his eyes, one after another.
Their complexions were both pale and blackened. Pale because they lived underground all year round, away from sunlight; blackened because the sweat from labor mixed with the coal dust, and they had no conditions to wash regularly.
He was the leader of the Abandoned Cave Society; in the cave, he knew every one of the more than nine hundred faces.
People rushed to ask him:
"Patel, are we saved?"
"Were those damn bandits all killed?"
"Who saved us?"
Face to face with these many questions, Patel at first replied while walking, answering them one by one. But later, it became impossible to address everyone's questions individually, so he could only shout out a unified response while trying hard to make his way through the crowd.
"Yes, we are saved."
"All those bandits have been killed."
"The Governor saved us."
Hearing the answers, the people wept with joy.
Having finally made his way through the crowd, he looked back at his compatriots' malnourished and by no means pretty faces, feeling both proud and anxious.
Proud, because he had brought help and saved everyone.
Anxious, because he didn't know what the future held.
Heaving a light sigh, he turned his head and saw his uncle, Butch.
Butch's hand had been crushed by an overturned cart full of ore, got infected afterwards, and had to be amputated, nearly costing him his life. During that time, Patel was elected.
After Butch recovered, he didn't attempt to seize power—there was nothing to seize. In the environment of the Abandoned Cave Society, there was no room for exploitation or oppression. Leaders were elected, and the settlement was so poor that even as leader, there was little difference in terms of labor and living conditions compared to the others.
Due to the disability, Butch couldn't do heavy labor anymore. But he was still contributing his remaining strength, assisting Patel, his junior, with all his heart.
Butch patted his shoulder with his remaining hand, "You've worked hard."
"It's what I should do," Patel replied.
The two of them entered a small room where Patel recounted the entire ordeal of seeking aid to Butch.
Butch let out a long sigh, "It's a disaster, not a blessing."
The old comrade's attitude seemed somewhat pessimistic.
Patel disagreed with his view, "What do you mean disaster, not a blessing? I don't see any disaster here. This is definitely our opportunity. The Governor-General has said that he will not only save our lives but also provide salvation to the end. He has come to build the entire world, and our Abandoned Cave Society is just the first stop."
With a sigh, Butch said, "How can you just believe what those big shots say? In their eyes, we are no different from rats or bugs in the gutter. When have they ever considered us as humans? They say a few nice words when they need you, acting as if they really care about you, but once you're no longer useful, you're ruthlessly discarded."
Patel said, "I don't think the Governor-General is that kind of person."
Butch sneered, "What do you know, you young fool? How many days have you known him?"
"What else can we do?" Patel sidestepped the issue of trust and countered, "Could our situation possibly get any worse? Over nine hundred people working themselves to death beneath these mines, no one dares to slack off—those who do get starved to death. Even so, we still can't get enough to eat or wear, accidents happen frequently, and every winter, some freeze to death."
"We don't have extra property to buy guns and arm ourselves. When danger comes, we can only lock ourselves in the cave and pray it passes by. We haven't perished previously because we were too poor, even thieves didn't want to expend too much effort cracking a turtle shell for just a nibble of meat. Now, faced with the greediest lot, hell-bent on breaking in and selling the living for provisions, all we can do is sit and wait for death."
"I absolutely do not want my people to continue living like this."
"Besides, what else do we have to lose?"
This speech silenced Butch. After a while, he finally spoke, "We would lose our freedom."
"Hahaha! Freedom!" Patel laughed loudly, his laughter nearly reaching beyond the door, and anyone unaware might think he was truly happy, "Can freedom be eaten? This time I also visited the Capital City Revival Town of the Alliance, and I've seen the slaves. Slaves live much better than us, we don't even have a life as good as cattle and horses! If giving up freedom means no more starvation, freezing, or being eaten by others, then I am willing to give up freedom."
Butch was left without any further argument, he could only sigh again, "I don't oppose any of your decisions, I just hope we won't regret it."
"We will never regret it."
…
"I believe you won't regret it."
That very day, Gu Hang saw Patel return with several influential members of the Abandoned Cave Society, all of whom expressed their complete submission to him.
This was all within Gu Hang's expectations.
The people of the Abandoned Cave Society had no choice.
In a humble tone, Patel said, "Governor-General, there are a total of 907 people in the Abandoned Cave Society, awaiting your first command."
"Let's take a look inside the cave."
"What? You want to go inside the cave?"
"Not welcome?"
"No... but... our conditions there are very poor, you..."
He truly did not want Gu Hang to enter the mine, not for any other reason but because the conditions inside were abysmal.
Over nine hundred people living together in cramped caves; even with ventilation, the smell inside was unbearable. The living conditions were primitive, with filth and excrement everywhere...
Patel was afraid the conditions in the mine would soil the Governor's exquisite clothes, even more afraid they would dirty his heart.
Gu Hang waved his hand and said, "I need to see what your situation is really like before deciding what to do next."