Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

The disaster site was a scene of utter devastation. Houses and streets within a radius of three thousand square feet had been destroyed by the aftershocks of the battle. Ruins and rubble were everywhere, and severed limbs and corpses littered the streets and ruins. It was a truly horrifying sight.

Zhai Xingyuan was pale and weak, with a regular wound on his chest and abdomen where the flesh was visible through the bone.

Wounds inflicted by rules cannot heal on their own; without proper treatment, the wounds will bleed uncontrollably.

This was because he was injured by Ouyang, and in the instant of the battle, Ouyang stole the magic power from Zhai Xingyuan's body.

If it weren't for the Dragon Ball in the palm having the effect of automatically protecting its owner.

They would probably be killed instantly.

Even now, Zhai Xingyuan still feels lingering fear when he thinks back on it, feeling as if he has never been so close to death.

Originally, it was a four-on-one ambush, with dozens of elite subordinates at the Devouring Fiend Realm assisting me. The advantage was mine, and there was no reason for me to lose. However, the battle turned out to be so brutal.

Ouyang, as expected of a Class A wanted criminal on the most notorious wanted list, has developed extremely strong combat awareness and fighting ability through years of life on the run and rich experience in surviving in the wilderness, far surpassing that of ordinary cultivators of the same level.

The fact that he dared to ambush in the shadows knowing his hiding place was exposed, and then immediately escape after succeeding in his attack, already demonstrates his strength.

Fortunately, Che Yuxuan was in charge of organizing and directing the operation. He had already died at Ouyang's hands, so all the blame could be shifted onto the dead man. In any case, Zhai Xingyuan was only assisting in the arrest, so it had nothing to do with him.

Zhai Xingyuan took out a pill specifically for those in the Poison Realm to restore their mana and swallowed it. He then took out a large string of mana coins containing his own mana and quickly absorbed the mana to restore it.

"Manager Zhai, what should we do?" Dozens of subordinates at the Food Fiend Realm gathered around, asking for further instructions.

Zhai Xingyuan calmly ordered: "Now that things have come to this, saving lives is the top priority. Pass on my orders: divide into four teams. Team 1 will be responsible for search and rescue, Team 2 for medical treatment, Team 3 for logistical support, and Team 4 for security..."

He decisively ordered his men to divide into several groups, each responsible for a different task.

The search and rescue team, led by several highly skilled subordinates, used their magical abilities to search for survivors in the ruins, paying special attention to the city dwellers trapped under the rubble and rescuing them in a timely manner.

The medical team, composed of subordinates skilled in medicine, carries various healing medicines and magical artifacts to provide initial treatment to the wounded they find, ensuring that they do not die on the spot due to the severity of their injuries.

The logistics support team is responsible for setting up temporary camps to provide shelter for rescue workers and rescued residents, while also collecting food and water to ensure that the basic living needs of the affected city's residents are met.

The security team is responsible for maintaining order at the scene, preventing chaos, protecting rescue teams and survivors from secondary injuries, and being vigilant against potential threats.

Zhai Xingyuan then calmly issued one order after another: "The situation here is too serious. We cannot rely solely on the existing resources. Quickly go to the city lord's mansion to apply for additional medical teams and material support."

A trusted clerk replied, "Yes, Supervisor Zhai, I will take care of it right away."

At this critical moment, Zhai Xingyuan remained calm and composed, directing the disaster relief efforts and handling everything in an orderly manner. He issued orders one after another quickly. As the deputy director of the Fifth Division, he was the second-in-command of the Fifth Division before Zhou Qingfeng arrived. He was a true pragmatist who had handled countless emergencies.

Despite his talent for forming cliques and engaging in factionalism, he possesses genuine abilities. He rose through the ranks step by step through solid merit and achievements, and his personal capabilities are undeniably strong.

It can be said that he could stand alone in any position.

"Deputy Supervisor Zhai, what's the situation on the ground?" Zhou Qingfeng risked his life to personally lead all his subordinates to the scene to participate in the rescue. Zhai Xingyuan was somewhat surprised to see Zhou Qingfeng arrive.

However, Zhai Xingyuan quickly regained his composure and handed over the command and dispatch authority on site to Zhou Qingfeng, and gave Zhou Qingfeng a brief, direct and important report: "Reporting to the commander, there are currently more than 1,000 wounded and more than 7,000 dead. Deputy Supervisor Che has been completely killed, Supervisor Yan and Supervisor Hao are missing, and the culprit Ouyang has disappeared without a trace."

"I have applied to the City Lord's Mansion for medical teams and supplies. The Day Patrol Division, Night Patrol Division, and City Defense Army have arrived at the scene to participate in the rescue and maintain order."

"In addition, the Imperial Medical Academy also sent two teams of doctors to participate in the treatment of the injured."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng nodded repeatedly and said, "You've worked hard. Go and heal your injuries. I'll take over command now."

Zhai Xingyuan clasped his hands in a salute and said, "I can still hold on."

Zhou Qingfeng didn't give Zhai Xingyuan a chance and said directly, "Someone, Manager Zhai is seriously injured. Quickly send him home to rest and send a doctor to take good care of him."

Zhai Xingyuan looked displeased and was slightly angry. Zhou Silang seemed to have good intentions, but in reality, he was only giving him the meat and not even letting him drink the soup. If he left like this, he probably wouldn't get any credit in the end.

"Thank you for your concern, Commander. Saving lives is the priority now. My injuries are insignificant, and I can still manage. I'll leave this place to you. I need to go and rescue people." Zhai Xingyuan said righteously, clasped his hands in a gesture of apology to Zhou Qingfeng, and turned to stride towards the ruins ahead, personally participating in the rescue efforts.

Zhou Qingfeng frowned slightly, but he couldn't stop him. There was no reason for him to do so. The man was bleeding profusely from a wound on his chest, yet he still insisted on saving the person. He couldn't be blamed for being loyal to his duty, loving the people, and loving the city lord.

Although Zhai Xingyuan's motives were to put on a show to boost his reputation and claim credit, it is a fact that he personally participated in the rescue efforts on the front lines. The city's residents will see it, the city lord will see it, and the powerful and officials will see it.

Zhou Qingfeng cannot use his power and high position to deprive Zhai Xingyuan of his merits.

He cannot control everything at the moment.

"Come back." Seeing that he couldn't stop him, Zhou Qingfeng decisively kept him here. Rather than letting Zhai Xingyuan go to the front line of rescue and cause trouble, it was better to keep him under his nose and control him, and then find an opportunity to make things difficult for him until he felt comfortable.

Zhai Xingyuan paused, turned around, clasped his hands, and said in a high-pitched voice: "Commander, there is no need to persuade me. My mind is made up. My personal health is not important. What is important is the safety of the people of Jianta. The thought of the people of Jianta still suffering in dire straits makes my heart ache. How can I go home to recuperate in peace?"

Zhou Qingfeng remained calm and said with a smile, "Why are you in such a hurry? Since Deputy Supervisor Zhai insists on participating in the rescue despite his injury, then let him stay. However, we need to come up with a plan for disaster relief; we can't just act recklessly."

Upon hearing this, Zhai Xingyuan raised an eyebrow slightly, harboring doubts. He didn't believe that Zhou Qingfeng would share some of the credit with him. If such a good thing really happened, something was very wrong, extremely wrong.

Thinking of this, alarm bells rang in Zhai Xinyuan's mind, and he regretted it a little. He should have gone home to recuperate, at least he wouldn't have been at risk of being scammed. Now he couldn't take it back, so he could only bite the bullet and agree.

"Thank you for your understanding, Commander." Zhai Xingyuan clasped his hands in a salute and walked back to the temporary disaster relief command camp.

Seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng glanced around and said, "Fellow colleagues, I am Zhou Qingfeng, the current Deputy Governor of Jianta and a member of the Council of Councilors, as well as the Deputy Commander of the Censorate. Some of us are meeting for the first time, while others are old friends and acquaintances."

"I won't go into too much detail about introductions. We'll get to know each other as we work. Every minute saved means we can save more lives. Since the situation is urgent, I'll get straight to the point: what do you think we should do now? What problems need to be solved immediately? Please feel free to share your opinions, and don't blame me if I'm wrong."

Zhou Qingfeng said he would take over command, but when it comes to disaster relief and saving lives, he is only vaguely aware of the basics. Now that he has arrived at the scene to take command, he doesn't know what to do.

Fortunately, it doesn't matter if he doesn't understand; with so many people under him, someone will surely understand.

Besides, being a leader doesn't require knowing a lot; all you need to do is be good at recognizing and utilizing people.

Moreover, people from various departments, including the Day Patrol Division, Night Patrol Division, City Defense Army, Imperial Medical Academy, Plum Blossom Division, Ever-Normal Granary Division, Demon Suppression Division, and Cremation Bureau, were present at the scene. He didn't believe that so many people were useless good-for-nothings.

However, among the twenty or so officials surrounding Zhou Qingfeng, not one of them spoke when Zhou Qingfeng asked them questions.

Zhai Xingyuan knew but didn't want to say it, because he didn't want to do the work for others, especially his mortal enemy Zhou Silang. He was hoping that Zhou Silang would be embarrassed in public and ruin the disaster relief and rescue efforts, so how could he help at this time?

As for the others, they all looked at each other, and seeing that no one took the initiative to speak, they simply kept quiet.

Seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng decisively pointed to Duanmu, the first secretary of the Riyou Division: "Duanmu, you speak."

First, Duanmu licked his lips and thought for a moment before saying, "The wounded need food, medicine, water, warmth, and temporary shelter. These are all problems. The dead also need to be properly dealt with. After all, thousands of people have died violently, including some cultivators at the Devouring Fiend Realm. This kind of environment is particularly prone to breeding vengeful ghosts, and the corpses are also very prone to turning into zombies."

Zhou Qingfeng nodded slightly and said, "Very good. Apart from that, do any of you colleagues have any other questions?"

The twenty or so officials present were all seasoned veterans. They wouldn't speak unless their names were called. Each of them was very shrewd, but precisely because they were shrewd, they all cherished their own interests. In short, they believed that by not offering advice, not speaking, and not doing anything, they wouldn't make a mistake.

If you have a task, just assign it to us, and we'll be responsible for carrying it out. If the execution is successful, we'll get credit for it. But if there are any problems with the execution, Zhou Qingfeng will take the blame. Don't even think about shifting the blame.

"Your humble servants will obey the Commander's orders." Many officials put away their food and responded with clasped hands.

Seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng frowned. He really didn't want to play mind games with them at this time, because the situation on the ground didn't allow for taking things slowly. The urgent matter had to be dealt with quickly and decisively.

"If there's a problem, we'll solve it; otherwise, the city lord wouldn't need to support us."

"Now that the problem has been raised, it's up to you to solve it."

"Come to me and get your tasks, starting with food and water."

"Who will solve the problem of food and drinking water for the residents of the affected city?"

"Is there anyone who will step forward to take responsibility?" Zhou Qingfeng stood with his hands behind his back, facing the twenty or so officials in front of him. His expression was cold and imposing, a far cry from his gentle and easy-going demeanor just moments before.

Zhai Xingyuan, the First Duanmu, and the other officials remained silent, at most exchanging glances, showing no intention of taking the initiative. Seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng simply shifted his gaze to the First Duanmu.

"Alright, since no one is willing to volunteer, I'll take the initiative to assign tasks."

"Officers of the Day and Night Patrol Offices, you are responsible for providing food and water to the affected city residents. Before nightfall, I want all the affected city residents to have hot meals. I'm telling you, if even one ordinary city resident starves or dies of thirst, you should immediately report to the city lord's office and resign."

Seeing that the two were about to speak, Zhou Qingfeng's face hardened, and he pointed at them directly, saying, "Don't complain, don't refuse, don't make excuses. If you have difficulties, find a way to overcome them yourself. If you can't even solve this small problem, then resign in front of me now. I will personally submit your resignation to the City Lord's Mansion, and your deputy will take over for you."

Upon seeing this, Duanmu was speechless.

The same was true for the Night Tour Sisi Mansion; faced with Zhou Qingfeng's strength and domineering manner, he dared not say anything.

After arranging the food and water, Zhou Qingfeng immediately pointed to the physician from the Imperial Medical Academy and asked, "What's your name?"

The physician clasped his hands in response: "Commander, my surname is Lin."

Zhou Qingfeng said, "Medical Officer Lin, I'm entrusting the injured to you. I have only one request: do everything you can to treat them. Don't give up on any of them, and don't let any of them die in their hospital beds. Can you do that?"

Physician Lin bowed and clasped his hands, saying, "I will do my best to save you, but I have difficulties."

Zhou Qingfeng nodded slightly: "What difficulties are you facing? Tell me."

Physician Lin said, "We are short of doctors. We have only sent twenty doctors. Although we are all highly skilled and have studied medicine extensively, there are currently over a thousand injured people, and the number is still increasing. We need a stable supply of medicine and at least eighty more doctors."

Zhou Qingfeng waved his hand dismissively: "I'll take care of that for you. Where are the city defense troops?"

A city defense officer stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, “Commander, my surname is Hai, and I hold the rank of officer. I usually assist the general in managing city defense affairs. I have been ordered by my superior to bring three hundred city defense soldiers to provide support.”

Zhou Qingfeng said, "General Haishen, immediately dispatch manpower to open the life channel, requisition all the doctors and apprentices from nearby clinics to come and save people, and also requisition all the medicinal materials from the pharmacy. I'll give you half an hour. If the required medicinal materials and eighty doctors are not in place within half an hour, you can retire from your post."

Upon hearing this, the sea cucumber general panicked. He wouldn't believe such a person could have such great abilities if others said it, but the person in front of him was no ordinary person. He was the fourth son of the first city lord, and he dared not disbelieve what he was saying.

"Yes, Commander, I will take care of it right away." The sea cucumber general took off running, not daring to waste any time.

Zhou Qingfeng turned to look at Physician Lin and said, "I've taken care of your problem."

Physician Lin clasped his hands in a salute: "Then I guarantee that I will absolutely not let any of the injured die in their hospital beds."

Zhou Qingfeng nodded slightly and continued, "What about the person in charge of the Ever-Normal Granary?"

A female official stepped forward, clasped her hands in greeting, and said, "This humble official is Jiang Hongla, the principal officer of the Ever-Normal Granary."

Zhou Qingfeng said, "You are responsible for keeping the injured and disaster victims warm and providing them with temporary shelter. Tonight, you must ensure that every injured person and disaster victim has a place to shelter from the wind and rain, and that no one freezes to death or sleeps on the street."

"Your subordinate obeys." Jiang Hongla didn't say much, because she knew very well that Zhou Qingfeng wasn't discussing things with his colleagues, but rather issuing a direct order that no matter how difficult it was, the matter had to be carried out, or else he would be punished.

Zhou Qingfeng's gaze turned cold as he continued to assign tasks by name: "Where are the people from the Demon Suppression Division and the Cremation Bureau?"

"Xiao Hongyun of the Demon Suppression Division greets the Commander."

"Wu Ji, the person in charge of cremation, greets the commander."

Zhou Qingfeng said, "You two are responsible for cleaning up the corpses and preventing any incidents of corpses turning into zombies or vengeful ghosts attacking people."

Xiao Hongyun smiled slightly, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I accept the order."

Ren Wuji's pale face was lifeless. He bowed, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and replied in a hoarse voice, "I obey."

Zhou Qingfeng clapped his hands: "Alright, everyone disperse. Don't waste time. Everyone, do your jobs."

The twenty or so officials scattered immediately, following instructions to lead their teams into action. Although Zhou Qingfeng might not be able to dismiss them from their posts, even if he were to report them to the city lord, they would be in a difficult position.

Zhai Xingyuan remained where he was, silent, as he had nothing to do.

Zhou Qingfeng, however, did not forget him. Instead, he deliberately left it until the end and said, "Deputy Supervisor Zhai, I have a very important task for you to do. I don't trust anyone else to do it, and after thinking it over, only you are capable of handling it."

Zhai Xingyuan: "..." Damn it, I wasn't wrong, you really were trying to trick me!