Chapter 1

A fierce cold wind blew, and dark clouds floated in the sky.

Under a dilapidated earthen wall, a beggar with disheveled hair and barely clothed body crouched there, sheltering from the piercing cold wind.

But how could a dilapidated earthen wall possibly block the penetrating cold wind?

"Whoosh~"

The cold wind blew, and the beggar's exposed skin instantly broke out in goosebumps.

"Ouch—so cold, so hungry, why am I so unlucky?"

Liu Feng, with a mournful face, got up from the cold, hard ground. He exhaled warm breath and rubbed his hands continuously, pacing back and forth to stomp his feet. It took a while to feel a bit of warmth, but lying still was better; once he moved, his stomach became even more ravenous.

How I miss braised pork, roasted goose, and fried chicken~

It had been two days since he was transported here. Liu Feng estimated he might be the unluckiest person to ever be transported. Being reincarnated as a beggar was bad enough, but he also encountered a once-in-a-century famine in this era.

People were starving to death, and the famine had driven them mad. They were even resorting to cannibalism. Over the past two days, Liu Feng had seen all sorts of human tragedies. As a weak little beggar, he was lucky to have not been eaten by the starving masses, let alone have a meal.

However, Liu Feng was also very clear that even if he wasn't eaten, he would likely starve to death if he didn't get food soon.

"Food distribution! Anyone who wants to eat, come over here~"

Suddenly, a loud shout came from the direction of a dilapidated land temple. This shout was like a heavenly sound to the surrounding disaster victims.

All the emaciated and weak famine victims, who had been huddled in the corners, suddenly came to life, swarming from all directions.

Liu Feng naturally didn't want to be left behind. However, in the crowd, he felt like he was in a rush-hour bus, no, it was even more brutal. Some people, unable to get to the front, started fighting, quickly turning into a large-scale brawl. Those who were knocked down were trampled and had no chance of survival.

Faced with fists and kicks from all directions, Liu Feng could only protect his head with his hands and charge forward. Despite being hit many times on his back, his small and thin body allowed him to slip through the gaps and reach the front.

In front of the dilapidated land temple, several hundred men with long knives and black headscarves stood guard, blocking the crowd. Behind them were large baskets filled with gray steamed buns and flatbreads.

Faced with the surging crowd, the men quickly formed a human wall, swinging their long knives to cut down those who tried to grab the food. Blood splattered, and screams echoed.

"Everyone, stop!"

The overwhelming stench of blood and the fierce men with sharp weapons instantly sobered the thousands of emaciated famine victims, who stopped in their tracks.

Liu Feng, seeing the bodies lying in pools of blood, felt his scalp tingle. The saw-toothed blades had almost taken his life just moments ago, and human life was as cheap as grass.

Once the famine victims calmed down, a one-eyed man stepped forward and shouted, "One by one, come here after you get your food, don't run around!"

Since Liu Feng was at the front, he quickly received a cold steamed bun and was led to another open area.

Finding a corner to sit, Liu Feng took a big bite of the cold, hard bun.

The first bite chipped his tooth.

The bun was not only unbearably tasteless but also contained sand and grass. If he were back in his original world, even a dog wouldn't eat it. But now, Liu Feng couldn't care less. Despite its awful taste, he closed his mouth and forced himself to swallow the bun.

Just as he was halfway through the bun, someone kicked him hard from behind. With a strong force, he fell to the ground, his back in excruciating pain, and the bun rolled away.

Liu Feng was about to pick up the bun when someone stepped on his hand, causing intense pain. A man in tattered clothes, with a gaunt face, coldly glanced at him, picked up the half-eaten bun, and stuffed it into his mouth.

After eating the bun, the man immediately rushed to the next target.

The black headscarf men with long knives didn't bother to intervene in the food-grabbing chaos.

Liu Feng silently got up and returned to his corner. Despite eating half a bun, his stomach felt even more empty. As for confronting the man, forget it. With his scrawny body, it would be suicide in this environment.

Soon, the food distribution was over, and those who didn't get any food were driven to the open area, making it crowded and chaotic.

Once all the refugees were gathered, a man in black leather armor, with a square face and a straight nose, stood on a broken table, surrounded by the black headscarf men, facing the famine victims.

"You may not know me, but I am Chen Sheng, originally a hunter from Chen Village. These past years have been hard for everyone. The north has suffered from continuous drought, destroying the crops and leaving nothing to harvest. The wild animals in the mountains are also gone. The current government does not care about the famine and has instead increased taxes. Corrupt officials oppress the people, and life is unbearable, with people starving to death everywhere!"

At this point, his tone turned bitter and angry, "Everyone, the government is not giving us a way to live. To survive, we must rely on ourselves. I know you are all hungry, and I haven't had a full meal in a long time either. The food I just had was the last bit I had. But it doesn't matter because I know there is plenty of food in the city. The question is, do you have the courage to join me in taking it?"

Hearing this, the famine victims looked at each other. Even the most foolish among them knew that the black headscarf men were planning a rebellion.

Many faces showed a hint of fear. The Dry Dynasty had ruled for over six hundred years, and the idea of rebellion was a death sentence for nine generations. The thought of this made everyone instinctively afraid.

"Why are you hesitating? Staying here means certain death. Would you rather starve to death than follow Leader Chen to fight for a way out?"

Someone shouted, and Liu Feng immediately recognized that this was a planted supporter.

"You're right, it's just a rebellion. We have no other way out. What's there to fear? Even if we die, we'll die with full stomachs!"

"Right, let's rebel! There's plenty of food in the city waiting for us!"

As the shouts of agreement grew, the fear on the famine victims' faces slowly turned to madness.

"Leader Chen, we'll follow you, let's rebel!"

"Right, let's rebel!"

"Let's rebel!"

...

Seeing the excited crowd, Liu Feng felt a sense of despair. There was indeed no free lunch. Eating half a bun made him a rebel.

But to survive, rebellion was the only way. He wasn't like other transported people who knew how to make soap or glass, or follow a technological farming path. That simply wouldn't work.

"Ding, faction selected successfully, system activated..."

Suddenly, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in Liu Feng's mind, followed by a light screen appearing before his eyes.

Name: [Liu Feng]

Faction: [Rebel]

Rank: [None]

Merit: [0]

Unlocked Units: [Bandit: Initial unit, Training (0/100). Disadvantages: No formal training, poor discipline. Advantages: Strong bodies, high morale, extremely loyal to the host. Recruitment: 1 person/1 merit point.]

Skills: [None]

Reputation: [Unknown]

Trial Mission: [Help the rebel army capture a county. Success: Reward 15 merit points, 20 training points. Failure: System detaches from the host.]

"It seems I'm destined to follow the path of conquest."

Seeing the content on the screen, Liu Feng felt a surge of excitement. It was like seeing a glimmer of hope in the darkness. "But 'rebel' sounds so bad. Why not 'righteous army'?"