Return to the City: The Strongest King

As soon as these girls walked in, their eyes widened. It was like stepping into a fairy tale world, allowing them to witness a truly ancient world.

Especially when they saw some bizarre creatures, they couldn't stop exclaiming in delight.

The news of Song Xiaodong's return to this place was immediately communicated to the four City Lords.

That day, the four City Lords hurriedly came over with their people. Song Xiaodong had promised to bring some good stuff, and they were afraid that if they arrived late, the good things would be taken away.

"Ladies and gentlemen, after I returned, I had a discussion with the top leadership."

The expressions of the City Lords tensed up. Although they now had some people, they knew from ancient relics that the outside world was vast and densely populated. If the outsiders wanted to destroy them, it would be all too easy.

Song Xiaodong said, "The higher-ups' intention is to allow you to maintain your original way of life and not interfere with your world."

The four City Lords immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Human nature is inherently selfish, and deep within them, they feared the outside world. After Song Xiaodong left, they were genuinely afraid that outsiders would harbor thoughts of invasion towards this world.

Song Xiaodong continued, "The higher-ups will not interfere with you, but they recognize you as descendants of China, belonging to us. They are aware of your scarce resources, and thus, they have agreed to allocate some living supplies to you each month to gradually improve your lives so that you can have a happy life like the people above."

Last time, Song Xiaodong had already brought some items. Although they seemed to be very ordinary little things, once here, they were extremely advanced items. Some upper-level figures immediately monopolized these items and were reluctant to use them carelessly, fearing they'd run out in the future.

So hearing Song Xiaodong say this, their faces showed excitement.

"There is one condition from the higher-ups that you must agree to: we will leave some people here, firstly to teach you some modern knowledge, to nurture your abilities, and to develop your education. They will have special privileges here and will not be subject to your regulations, and you absolutely cannot harm them."

"Of course, they will not interfere with the governance of your four cities. You will remain as City Lords, but acts like warfare are absolutely not permissible."

The four City Lords hesitated for a moment but agreed.

Song Xiaodong then stood up, took out an item, and said, "City Lords, I know you are still unclear about the outside world. I will now tell you about a matter you care most about: what would happen if a war broke out."

"What would happen?" The four City Lords looked at the black object in Song Xiaodong's hand, bewildered.

Song Xiaodong said, "This is a handgun, the smallest powered weapon outside. Let me show you its effect now."

Song Xiaodong and the City Lords went to a hunting ground where there was a thick-skinned, tough-fleshed animal resembling a pig but much fiercer.

Song Xiaodong raised his hand and fired a shot, hitting the animal squarely in the forehead. The creature staggered a bit before collapsing to the ground with a thud, twitching a few times before remaining still.

The four City Lords inspected it and were stunned. At a distance of over twenty meters, Song Xiaodong merely raised his hand and without seeming to exert force, they heard a distinctive sound, and the creature's forehead now had a bloody hole. If this hit a person, there wouldn't be time to react, resulting in a fatal outcome.

The City Lords, all top-level martial artists, couldn't help but wonder about facing the situation. While they might dodge a firearm facing them, an unexpected shot from behind could render their martial skills useless.

Song Xiaodong solemnly said, "Even your strongest crossbows here are certainly no match for the power of this handgun, and outside there are all sorts of other weapons, even shells that could destroy one of your cities in one shot."

He had to keep it simple; otherwise, explaining missiles or nuclear weapons would be incomprehensible to them.

"In our world, wars are rare because weaponry is so powerful that large-scale wars could obliterate the entire world. I certainly don't want such flames of war reaching here."

The four City Lords realized Song Xiaodong was displaying power, a military threat, but they were genuinely shocked.

The Flying Eagle City Lord smiled wryly, "Mr. Song, this is truly terrifying."

Then Song Xiaodong smiled again, saying, "My gesture is also for everyone's good, preventing any misguided thoughts from leading to unknown deaths."

The four City Lords exchanged glances. With the many good things Song Xiaodong brought, how could they not harbor greed? But now, that notion was entirely dispelled.

Song Xiaodong then smiled, saying, "Outside, normal life is very nice, as you can see from the items I brought. I can also promise that as long as your people adhere to the law, we will choose some of you for studies outside every year."