Chapter 150: The Contrast!

The crowd fell into a brief silence, which immediately dissolved into even greater chaos!

"Just like that?"

"Frauds, liars!"

"They told us to contribute to the economy, and we did! They told us not to trust Grand Xia, and we didn't! Yet when real disaster strikes, all they care about is themselves!"

"Damn upper-class bastards!"

"The plane seats are full... we can stand! He clearly just didn't want us to get in!"

Several burly men could no longer hold back and shouted at the top of their lungs, "I don't believe they actually dare to kill us! Anyone who wants to survive, charge in with me!"

With that, they took the lead and rushed toward the aircraft!

For a moment, the crowd surged, and the scene instantly turned into a frenzy!

But the next moment.

"Open fire!"

Watching the desperate, chaotic mob charging forward, the officer gave a wave of his hand.

The soldiers guarding beneath the plane expressionlessly pulled their triggers.

*Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang...*

The roaring gunfire of military-grade weapons instantly drowned out the shouts and curses of the crowd. The muzzles spewed scorching flames, and the spinning bullets tore through the air, ripping apart the bodies of anyone who dared to charge forward!

In an instant.

Those Freedom Nation citizens rushing at the front were riddled with bullets, blood filling the air with a pungent, sickening stench!

The previously clamorous crowd instantly quieted down, leaving only wails of agony. Those who had just attempted to forcefully storm the plane immediately backed away.

"Why..." someone cried out in bitter resentment, "We're human too, we've contributed as well... We're just like them."

*Clack!*

The Freedom Nation officer racked the bolt of his rifle and said coldly, "Did you really think you were on the same level as the important figures?"

"Those qualified to board—which of them doesn't have a net worth of over a hundred million Freedom Dollars? Only VIPs worth more than a hundred million Freedom Dollars are qualified to board!"

"With disaster right in front of us, of course our priority is to rescue the important figures!"

"Hmph, people like you are only good for paying taxes to the Freedom Nation. But is the money you earn in a lifetime even a fraction of what those people make? Do you have any idea how many Freedom Dollars the Freedom Nation spent just to rescue these VIPs?! Are you worth it? Do you know how many Freedom Dollars a single seat represents?"

For a moment, the chaotic crowd fell silent.

Everyone wore looks of despair and sudden realization, as if they had finally understood something, or as if they had plunged into utter hopelessness.

And right at that moment.

"I am the Vice President of Aisi Technology!" A white man in a crisp suit stepped out from the crowd.

The officer glanced at him and said in a deep voice, "Your rank is not high enough; you are not on the rescue list."

The white man smiled grimly, "My CEO is on that plane. Tell him that I've changed the password to the company's accounts. Right now, I am the only one who knows the corporate account password!"

"Wait a moment."

A soldier immediately picked up a walkie-talkie to report. Following a slight nod from a middle-aged white man visible inside the aircraft, a soldier immediately shouted loudly, "You, get in!"

"Can I bring my family?" the vice president asked nervously.

"Yes!" The soldier nodded, "There are still plenty of empty seats on board."

As soon as those words were spoken, the crowd fell into a dead silence.

On that plane, there were still plenty of empty seats...

In fact, even if there hadn't been empty seats, it wouldn't have mattered; they could have squatted. As long as they could get on the plane, they could survive.

So why would those VIPs rather leave seats empty than—

That mere hundred-meter distance to the boarding stairs felt like a chasm that could never be crossed in a lifetime.

It was the gap between classes.

The gap of capital.

It was also the gap between life and death.

The crowd looked up at the VIPs sitting comfortably inside the aircraft, while those VIPs didn't even deign to cast a single glance down at them, sitting in plush seats and sipping pleasant drinks.

In this land, human lives seemed to have explicit price tags attached to them.

Some in the crowd wept and wailed, some collapsed in a breakdown, and others rushed forward recklessly, only to be shot dead on the spot.

"In a few minutes, we'll be dead, while those people will be gone..."

At this time, the officer picked up his walkie-talkie and said solemnly, "Three minutes left. The ocean and the sea beasts are about to reach this location; we must leave immediately! All squads, execute orderly evacuation!"

Receiving the order, the soldiers boarded the plane in an orderly fashion, casually cutting down any members of the mob who attempted to charge forward.

At last, the cabin door, reeking of blood, was sealed. The aircraft roared down the runway, took off with a thunderous boom, and soared straight into the sky!

*Boom!*

The citizens of the Freedom Nation could only chase after the plane along the runway, but human legs could never match that speed. Only two lucky souls managed to cling to the landing gear... yet one could easily imagine their ultimate fate, which would change nothing.

Watching the large Freedom Nation passenger plane depart with the VIPs, the despairing crowd plunged into utter silence.

"We're finished..."

"They've abandoned us..."

"Damn upper management! We originally had a chance, but they told us not to trust Grand Xia. Yet now that the disaster has actually arrived, the higher-ups have all run away! They left only us behind!"

But right at that moment.

Someone shouted at the top of their lungs, "There's still a plane parked over there!"

As this crisis approached, on the other side of the tarmac, another aircraft was conspicuously lingering!

Affixed to that plane was the national emblem of Grand Xia, blazing with a striking, vivid red!

"That's... Grand Xia's plane!"

"Quick, hurry over there! Let's charge them!"

"They won't let us in. That's an evacuation plane for their own citizens..."

"Never mind that, let's break through by force. Do those Grand Xia people really dare to open fire?"

"That's right! Don't the Grand Xia people always talk about being benevolent and kind? They even warned us in advance earlier... Surely they won't just stand by and watch now!"

The utterly despairing crowd clutched at it like a drowning man grasping at a final straw. In this hour of impending doom and imminent disaster, that aircraft was their absolute final hope for survival!

As long as they rushed aboard, they could live!

In an instant, these Freedom Nation citizens all frantically charged toward the aircraft dispatched by Grand Xia to rescue the final batch of overseas Chinese compatriots!

"Hurry up!"

A Grand Xia man, carrying his wife and children, anxiously urged his spouse forward.

Although he had started running toward the Grand Xia plane early on and hadn't wasted time at the Freedom Nation's rescue aircraft, he was carrying two children and pulling his physically exhausted wife along.

Compounded by the nerves stretched taut throughout the journey, his physical strength had reached its absolute limit. His legs felt as heavy as if filled with lead, making every single step excruciatingly difficult.

As a result, he arrived beneath Grand Xia's evacuation plane at the very same time as those utterly chaotic Freedom Nation citizens.

When that chaotic mob reached the spot, they couldn't help but pause in slight astonishment.

It was simply... far too orderly!

Grand Xia soldiers clad in military uniform stood in a disciplined line in front of the boarding stairs, smiling warmly as they conducted checks on their compatriots.

Yet at this perilous hour, those Grand Xia citizens were actually queuing up in an orderly fashion to board the plane, presenting their passports and identification documents, guided smoothly by the Grand Xia soldiers!

At the very front of the boarding stairs, a fierce, imposing middle-aged man wearing military general insignia spoke in a booming voice, "All Grand Xia compatriots, do not panic! Maintain your composure!"

"Only by doing this can we process checks quickly. Have your documents, passports, and ID cards ready in advance!"

"If you've lost your documents, don't worry—singing a couple of lines of the national anthem will prove who you are!"

"No one needs to panic! Trust us, trust the Grand Xia government—we will never abandon a single Grand Xia compatriot! We will bring every single one of you home!"

"I, Bai Zhan from Sichuan Province, will be the last to board! As long as a single person is left behind unrescued, I, Bai Zhan, will stay behind to keep them company!"

The Grand Xia general actually still had the heart to joke around, helping to relieve the pressure on those Grand Xia citizens.

*Hahaha.*

Amidst the impending disaster, the Grand Xia citizens chuckled, feeling not an ounce of pressure as they orderly completed their checks and entered the aircraft.

It was as if, so long as that plane bearing the national emblem remained, so long as these soldiers in Grand Xia military uniforms remained, so long as that red flag remained...

Then, even if the gods descended and the oceans overturned, there would be no danger whatsoever!

Beneath this orderly scene lay the absolute trust that the citizens of Grand Xia placed in their government!

"Remember this, no matter when or where: Grand Xia is your home!" Bai Zhan laughed heartily.

This sight deeply touched the frantically running Freedom Nation citizens.

It was hard to imagine.

Just moments ago, amid the chaos on their side where everyone roared and stormed the boarding cabin, these Grand Xia citizens were actually calmly waiting in line to board the plane?!

When their Freedom Nation officers had mowed them down with gunfire to prevent them from boarding, Grand Xia soldiers were conducting rapid checks here, and even a Grand Xia general was cracking jokes to ease the tension of his people?

This...

It was the most direct contrast, the most intense irony!