Beside him, dozens of fully armed, hard-faced soldiers of the Peric Clan wielded sharp blades and leather whips, silently forming a semicircle to effectively seal off the main exits leading from the square to the upper district.
Their gazes were like razors, sweeping over the sallow, emaciated, and terrified refugees below.
The crowd in the square fell deathly silent for a moment before erupting into chaos and disbelief.
"A safe passage? Didn't they say all the passages were sealed a few days ago?"
"They want us to hold back the monsters? With what?"
"I'm not going! It's a suicide mission!"
"My child is still so young..."
The din of doubt and fear swiftly grew.
"Silence!" The officer waved his hand sharply, a vicious glint in his eyes. "This is a direct order under martial law! Anyone who disobeys will be treated as an enemy collaborator and executed on the spot! Cooperate, and you might just have a chance to live!"
