When the sun rose on the eastern horizon, Fu Chen’an and his team had finished their meal and closed their eyes to rest.

The atmosphere in the slum area was gloomy and oppressive.

Cries, coughs, and groans could occasionally be heard from nearby alleys. Sometimes, the sound of children crying echoed briefly before quickly falling silent, as if someone had covered their mouths.

Even in their sleep, the soldiers remained alert. Their hands rested on their weapons hidden on their clothes or boots, while their bodies leaned against the walls.

Fu Chen’an only rested with his eyes half-closed. Although his body was tired, his mind remained vigilant. This mission was too important for them to lower their guard carelessly.

Several hours later, the city gradually became noisier. The sound of footsteps, curses, and crying spread throughout the slum area.

Fu Chen’an slowly opened his eyes and looked toward the alley entrance.

He saw several thin women carrying wooden buckets while following a barbarian soldier. Their expressions were numb and lifeless, as if they had already lost the will to resist.

Not long after, another group of barbarians dragged several people out of the dark alleys. One of them was an elderly man whose face was swollen and bruised. Beside him was a teenage boy trembling in fear.

A barbarian kicked the old man to the ground and cursed loudly. Although Fu Chen’an couldn’t understand their language completely, he could roughly guess that they were demanding food.

The old man knelt on the ground and kept kowtowing. His thin body trembled violently while he protected the teenage boy behind him.

Seeing this scene, several soldiers in Fu Chen’an’s team clenched their fists tightly. Rage burned in their eyes, but no one dared to act rashly. They knew very well that once they exposed themselves, their entire mission would fail.

The barbarian soldier seemed dissatisfied and suddenly drew his whip.

Pa!

Following the crisp, loud cracking sound, the whip landed heavily on the old man’s back, leaving a bloody mark instantly. His body shook violently, but he still endured the pain and continued begging for mercy.

When the old man was beaten until he was on the brink of death, the teenage boy finally couldn’t hold back anymore and rushed forward. "Beast, don’t hit my grandfather!"

Unfortunately, before he could even get close, another barbarian kicked him in the stomach. The boy was sent crashing into the wall and coughed up blood.

"Akh!" The next second, he lay on the ground unmoving.

Seeing this, one of Fu Chen’an’s team members subconsciously moved, but Fu Chen’an immediately grabbed his wrist firmly.

"Don’t move," he whispered as he shook his head.

The soldier’s eyes turned red from anger, but he still forced himself to calm down.

Meanwhile, the barbarian soldiers laughed loudly as if they were enjoying the suffering of others. After beating the old man again until he lost consciousness, they finally lost interest and left while cursing.

Only after they disappeared did the surrounding people dare step forward. Several women dragged the old man while a boy carried the unconscious boy away.

The entire process happened silently. No one cried loudly, and no one dared complain. It was as if everyone had already become numb to this kind of scene.

Fu Chen’an lowered his gaze and slowly loosened his grip on his subordinate’s wrist.

At this moment, everyone’s hearts felt heavy.

For the first time, they truly understood what kind of hell the Northeast City had become after falling into the barbarians’ hands.

Fu Chen’an looked at the devastated crowd and clenched his fists silently. No matter what, they must retake the Northeast City.

Turning to his team members, Fu Chen’an said in a low voice, "Eat something first."

Although the soldiers’ hearts were filled with anger, they knew their priority was to gather information and complete their mission. Only after defeating the barbarians would they be able to save these people.

Since they were in the slum area, they didn’t dare make a fire. Everyone silently took out their dried food from their waist bags.

Fu Chen’an glanced around and made sure that no one was paying attention to them before taking several marrow cakes out of his spatial bag. He nudged his team members and distributed the cakes. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

The soldiers were taken aback, and one of them asked, "Squad Leader Fu, where did you get these cakes?"

"My wife sent them to me a few days ago." Fu Chen’an looked around cautiously before adding, "Eat quickly."

Hearing this, they no longer doubted him. After all, everyone knew that Fu Chen’an’s wife often visited the barracks and sent food to him.

The marrow cakes looked similar to the cakes used as sacrificial bread during sacrificial ceremonies. Although it was an uncommon daily food, it was one of the most convenient foods for traveling.

When they bit into the cakes, the soldiers were surprised by the marrow cakes’ texture and taste.

Sacrificial bread was usually hard and bland because honey was rare and expensive, so most people didn’t add it. But these cakes were softer and sweeter. They also didn’t taste greasy. Instead, the oil added a subtle fragrance.

Each cake was as big as their fists. After eating a marrow cake and a black steamed cake, they were 70% full. After drinking some water, they finally felt 80% full.

Now that they had finished their meal and regained some energy, Fu Chen’an unfurled a map made of animal skin. This was a map of the Northeast City.

He pointed at several areas and said in a low voice, "These areas were granaries before the barbarians attacked the city. These are the town guards’ compounds."

"The nine of you will split into three teams. One team will investigate the granaries, one team will go to the town guards’ compounds and check their patrolling schedules, and the last team will mingle among the people to investigate their current situation and how many people are left."

"Squad Leader, what about you?" one of the soldiers asked.