Those who reincarnate must die.

Star City is an important town in Jiangnan, built along the river with winding city walls. Originally, it had a population of about 200,000. With the invasion of the insect swarm, refugees from nearby villages and towns continued to flee to the city, and now the population of the city has reached nearly 300,000.

However, most of them were ordinary people, and those who actually knew martial arts and could fight the insect swarm on the city walls were less than 40,000!

Regardless of the height and thickness of the city walls, the quantity of defensive equipment, or the strength of the defending forces, Star City is no match for Sunset Fortress! It's truly remarkable that it has survived the insect swarm to this day…

The Dugu siblings, clad in armor, walked the streets, watching the busy but listless residents, and the refugees temporarily housed in shacks because they had nowhere to go, and couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow...

Once a bustling and prosperous city, it is now isolated and cut off from the outside world. Agriculture is essentially paralyzed, commerce has suffered a huge blow, most shops in the city are closed, and the grain has been confiscated and distributed in a unified manner. Only those who can contribute to the defense of the city can get enough to eat. People are no longer busy to live, but to survive.

Suddenly, a series of murmurs came from the ceiling. The brother and sister turned around and saw several people dressed in yellow robes, surrounded by a group of starving people, setting up an altar and performing a ritual while chanting incantations.

The people knelt on the ground, looking devout, and chanted along with the monks.

"It's those charlatans again!"

The silver-armored sister frowned, seemingly intending to go up and disrupt the altar, but was stopped by her brother:

"Well, being born in the end times, having a belief is the only way to survive..."

The younger sister frowned, then snorted coldly and followed her brother away.

The brother and sister arrived at the government office and went to the back hall, where they saw Lord Lin having a meeting with several advisors.

Lord Lin appeared to be in his forties, with a refined and scholarly demeanor and a slender build. He was originally the city lord of Star City, a local official appointed by the imperial court. However, with the arrival of the insect swarm and the retreat of the imperial court, Star City became an isolated city. This civil official, who was unfamiliar with military affairs, became the only support for the people.

Originally, there was a military officer in charge of military affairs within the city, but the country had been at peace for a long time, and the officer, lacking experience, became complacent after two victories in defending the city. He foolishly led his troops out of the city to fight the insectoids on the plains, ultimately losing five thousand elite soldiers and their lives. Fortunately, at this time, the renowned martial arts masters, the Dugu siblings, stepped in to take charge. They not only rallied the army but also gathered a group of chivalrous heroes to jointly defend the city and fight against the insectoids.

Although the brother and sister did not hold official positions appointed by the imperial court, their prestige was so great that Lord Lin trusted them greatly and entrusted them with military power. The two siblings were essentially in charge of military affairs as Lord Lin's advisors!

Upon seeing the Dugu siblings, Lord Lin immediately stood up, his face full of gratitude: "I've heard everything! A resounding victory today! All thanks to you two, all thanks to you two!"

The older brother nodded: "Today's swarm is different; there are almost no high-level insectoids. I'm worried that something might have happened..."

"Fewer insects is a good thing..." Lord Lin nodded. "We can't control what happens if something unexpected happens. Right now, the most important thing is to survive..."

As he spoke, Lord Lin sighed, "We were just discussing how the city's food reserves might not last long..."

The older brother frowned deeply: "How much longer can we hold on?"

Lord Lin held up three fingers.

"Thirty days?"

"It's three days!"

"How could this be?" the older brother exclaimed in surprise. "I remember just a few days ago, we still had more than a month's worth of food left!"

"That was just a lie I told the people of the city to appease them..." Lord Lin sighed.

"Without enough food, we'll probably collapse before the insects even get in! The only thing we can do now is reduce the food supply starting tomorrow; that should give us a couple more days."

At this moment, a staff member with three tufts of beard stood up: "Sir, I've heard that the yellow-robed Taoist priest in the city knows magic and can stop people from starving... Perhaps we could ask him to perform a ritual..."

"How can we believe in such charlatanry!" Before the advisor could finish speaking, the silver-armored sister exclaimed, "I think he's just spouting nonsense and bewitching people!"

The advisor was speechless, but Lord Lin, who was standing nearby, tried to smooth things over, saying, "Miss Dugu is right. Food is the most important thing for people. How can some ethereal magic replace food? Let's find a way to get food."

As they were talking, a guard came in to report: "Sir, a survivor has entered the city, claiming to be a veteran from the front lines, and requests an audience with you!"

"Survivors?" Everyone in the room was taken aback; they rarely heard this term.

It's important to know that the insects had been in Jiangnan for over two months. For the first half month or so, there were often refugees and survivors coming to the city for refuge. However, as the insects ravaged the area, the number of survivors in the wild became increasingly scarce.

Later, some isolated cities did manage to send people to exchange intelligence and supplies under the cover of night. However, with the successive fall of several neighboring cities, no trace of humans has been found in the wild for more than half a month now.

"Could it be that a soldier from some fallen city escaped and came here?"

Lord Lin asked suspiciously. The Dugu siblings exchanged a glance, and the elder brother said:

"The nearest city is over a hundred miles away. Given the current environment, it's probably impossible for someone to escape alone... unless they are extremely skilled in martial arts or possess secret techniques that allow them to evade insects!"

"It seems he's no ordinary person, no matter what!" Lord Lin nodded. "Please invite him in!"

The guards left as ordered, and a short while later, a burly man, wearing a large leather coat, barefoot, covered in dirt, and carrying a package, walked in.

As soon as this guy appeared, the staff members in the room covered their noses; they could smell his stench from a distance. Only the Dugu siblings didn't flinch when they smelled him; their eyes even lit up.

"So you're the survivor?" Lord Lin sized up the newcomer. "You certainly have the air of a warrior! May I ask which city you once garrisoned? What was your rank?"

Zhang Lang shook his head: "I was in Sunset Fortress before, I didn't have a rank, I was just a common soldier!"

"Sunset Fortress?!" The people inside were taken aback. Lord Lin asked suspiciously, "Sunset Fortress fell more than three months ago. At the last moment, the bridge was blown up, and all the soldiers died for their country... How did you get back...?"

"I..." Zhang Lang didn't know how to explain, but Dugu, who was standing to the side, said:

"Before the Sunset Fortress destroyed the bridge and fell, it still maintained contact with Jiangnan. The imperial court sent many reinforcements, and some wounded soldiers were also transferred back to Jiangnan. Even when the bridge collapsed, many soldiers who planted the explosives successfully retreated... We still have soldiers who retreated from the Sunset Fortress in our Star City!"

As he spoke, Brother Dugu looked at Zhang Lang: "Perhaps, he's an old acquaintance of yours!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lang recalled the days of fighting at the fortress and sighed, "I'm a loner, and all the people I know are dead..."

"Let them see!" Brother Dugu instructed the guards, "The brothers from the Eighth Squad should be patrolling nearby today. Go and call them in!"

Clearly, Dugu had some doubts about the identity Zhang Lang had revealed.

Sunset Fortress fell three months ago. Even if they did fight there before, they should have been somewhere else since returning. Claiming to be from Sunset Fortress is suspicious in itself. Although every soldier is an asset now, they still prefer to know everyone's background. This suspicious person, who may be hiding something, needs to be investigated.

Zhang Lang narrowed his eyes, not paying much attention, but looked up at the Dugu siblings, then at Lord Lin: "Who's in charge here?"

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