For Hu Ke, the half-year journey to the north had been even more nerve-wracking than his initial flight from his hometown of Chonglu Fort.
The brutality of the battle at Chonglu Fort was far more exaggerated than his current escape to the north. But back then, he was by himself, only concerned with his own life.
However, this time, he was with his whole family.
This psychological pressure was so much heavier than before.
But with his sufficient skills, the Aberrant Beasts on the road often couldn't pose a threat to him. Sometimes, he could control several Aberrant Beasts to help him find some food.
Of course, he adhered to a principle, not to use the same Aberrant Beast for too long to avoid dangerous loss of control.
With his own capabilities and a bit of luck, he not only escaped the pursuit of the Nature Salvation Society but also evaded the threat of Aberrant Beasts and the increasingly numerous looters amidst the chaos, successfully making it from the southernmost tip to the northernmost end of the Green Valley Region.
Here, he heard about the Alliance, heard about a Governor arriving at Rage Owl Star, proclaiming to save the entire world.
Of course, just that alone couldn't touch anyone's heart.
However, based on what he'd heard, in that so-called Central Province, in the Twin Cities Region of the Alliance Capital... it seemed they were indeed doing well?
Especially surprising to him was hearing that a Green-skin Orc Tribe had appeared at the ruins of a high tower, only to be dealt with by the Governor.
The high tower ruins, with only a moment's thought, he knew it was the biological research institute where he had once worked. He could guess why Green Skins had emerged there; part of his job was to research Green Skins.
If a mere mortal like himself could rely on being frozen to survive to the post-war era; if Ge Wajia could live until now through life-extending surgeries; then what's so surprising about Green Skin Orcs, with their vitality far beyond that of humans, living until this time?
Not destroying the research live samples was a grave mistake, but in the face of war's arrival, everything was in utter chaos. Struggling to escape, to resist, to die, it was understandable that they didn't manage this task.
But for live samples to survive to this day and evolve into an entire Green Skin Tribe was a huge disaster.
Yet, they were taken care of by that Governor?
This was beyond his expectations.
He knew how troublesome Green Skins could be once they formed a tribe.
Could just two cities, one province, barely supporting a population of a million, really handle a Green Skin tribe?
And even go to heaven to fight a battle and kill a Beastman Overlord?
This was quite impressive.
Furthermore, hearing that Twin Cities were also doing very well in terms of public welfare, he couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
With his abilities, if he were to reveal his identity, show his knowledge, he was confident that the Governor, if he had even the slightest discernment, would provide him with a good treatment.
But he was truly scared by his previous experiences.
He feared encountering another unscrupulous leader.
If it were only the leader's lack of integrity, that would be tolerable, but such a person often posed a threat to the safety of him and his family.
With his capabilities, even if he doesn't seek refuge with the Governor, he could still make a living by finding a place to settle in seclusion.
It's just the quality of life...
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look towards his children, who were wolfing down their food, and his wife, who had turned her back and was silently shedding tears, feeling a touch of sadness in his heart.
His children had never had a good life since the day they were born, frozen with him till today; his wife, once literate and well-educated, had experienced so much hardship on the escape northward that now, disheveled, she bore no resemblance to her former elegance.
He wanted his wife and children to have better living conditions, for his wife who loved beauty and books to continue enjoying her grace, to brew a cup of tea in her spare time and read stories; he wanted his children to have a complete childhood, not to be secluded with him in a hideaway for a lifetime, perhaps never seeing another new person.
If there were no choice, of course, life safety comes first;
But it's not really without choice.
He struggled within himself but suddenly heard a noise outside the door.
"...This is the place! He lives here!"
Hu Ke's hair stood on end.
A multitude of thoughts raced through his mind, and his biggest worry was that Ge Wajia's henchmen had come knocking.
It was possible, in fact, all through his escape he had always been under the threat of Ge Wajia's Nature Salvation Society. In the Green Valley Region, this society wielded great influence; they had extended their reach deep into many plantations by helping them with superior breed transformations, soil environment improvements, and teaching planting techniques.
All those technologies had hidden corruptions, even secretly turning many plantation workers into deformed puppets for the Nature Salvation Society.
These deformed puppets were very difficult to distinguish under normal circumstances, but they were actually controlled by the Nature Salvation Society.
Furthermore, even without the deformed puppets, many plantations grateful for the help were completely blind to the true nature of the Nature Salvation Society. They did not know that the annual exotic tide ravaging Green Valley was the doing of these people. In their eyes, these were good Samaritans, exchanging food for yield-increasing technologies, a wonderful trade indeed.