Me? I was transported into a book? And I became a vicious villain?

The smoke cleared, the sun shone through the clouds, and shone on the devastated land. The war was over, and what replaced it was the relief of surviving the disaster and the confusion about the future.

Chu Mengmeng and her family of three followed the Self-Defense Forces and headed eastwards to a legendary peaceful place that had not yet been affected by the war. It was indeed as rumored, with lush vegetation, chirping birds and fragrant flowers, but there was an lingering, disturbing silence in the air.

"Is this really... a peaceful place?" Chu Mengmeng muttered to herself as she looked at the village with a few dilapidated houses scattered around.

"The president said it's safe here, so it must be safe." A young Self-Defense Force member next to him said in a firm tone, but his brows could not hide a trace of fatigue and anxiety.

After settling down, Chu Mengmeng discovered that the distribution of resources in this so-called peaceful land was extremely unbalanced. The places close to water sources and with fertile land had long been occupied by local forces, who were full of vigilance and hostility towards outsiders. However, the places where the Self-Defense Forces were stationed were poor in resources and difficult to maintain long-term life.

As night falls, the bonfire crackles, reflecting people's uneasy faces.

"President, what should we do next?" A member of the Self-Defense Forces couldn't help but ask, with a hint of confusion and anxiety in his tone, "Although it's safe here, resources are scarce. We can't keep going like this, right?"

His words resonated with the people around him, and they all whispered in agreement. The long years of fleeing and fighting had worn away their wills, and now they longed for a stable home and a normal life.

Xiao Yichen looked around and took in everyone's expressions. He said in a deep voice, "I know everyone is having a hard time and is worried about the future. But please believe me, we will definitely find a place that suits us and live the life we ​​want."

"But……"

"No buts," Chu Mengmeng interrupted the team member. She walked to Xiao Yichen, took his hand, and swept her eyes across the crowd with determination. "We will face it together with you, overcome difficulties together, and rebuild our home together."

The crowd gradually quieted down. The words of Chu Mengmeng and Xiao Yichen were like a shot of adrenaline, injecting them with strength and hope.

"It's getting late, everyone should go to bed early," Xiao Yichen clapped his hands, motioning for everyone to disperse, "I'll go check out the area tomorrow to find a suitable place for us to live."

Late at night, Chu Mengmeng looked at her sleeping daughter, sighed softly, turned to look at Xiao Yichen, and hesitated to speak. Xiao Yichen held her hand and comforted her softly: "Don't worry, it will be fine."

The next morning, Xiao Yichen packed his simple bag and set out alone. He walked across the fields, through the woods, and walked far away, but...

Xiao Yichen's figure disappeared at the end of the golden field. He headed east, crossed a low hill, and found a clear river winding along the river, nourishing the fertile land on both sides. In the fields, the green crops were growing well, obviously being carefully cared for.

A glimmer of hope ignited in his heart, and he walked forward along the ridge of the field, hoping to find the owner of the land and see if he could negotiate in a friendly manner and accept the Self-Defense Forces and those who had fled.

However, when he came to a fenced courtyard, he was blocked by two burly men.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" one of the men asked with a rude tone and an unfriendly look on his face.

"Hello, brothers. I am a refugee from the west. I would like to know where the owner of this land is. We would like to..."

Before Xiao Yichen could finish his words, he was interrupted impatiently by another man, "Go away, what are you talking about, you are escaping? Outsiders are not welcome here, get out now!"

Xiao Yichen wanted to fight for it again, but was pushed out by the two. He sighed helplessly. It seemed that the competition for resources was still cruel in peacetime.

On the other side, Chu Mengmeng and her daughter Ling'er were looking for water near the station. After walking for a long time, they only found a muddy stream with a small flow and a strange smell.

Ling'er was very thirsty and pointed to the stream and said, "Mom, I want to drink some water."

Chu Mengmeng looked at her daughter distressedly and handed her the last bit of water in the water bag. "Be good, drink some first, and mom will think of a solution."

At this time, several women came to the stream to wash clothes. When they saw Chu Mengmeng and her daughter, they stopped what they were doing and looked at them with strange eyes.

"It's those outsiders again," one of the women whispered, "They come and steal our water source. I don't know what they are up to."

"That's right, look what they've done to the place," another woman echoed, her tone full of hostility.

Chu Mengmeng protected her daughter behind her and felt the unfriendly gazes. She took a deep breath and was about to explain when she suddenly heard a chaotic sound of footsteps mixed with quarrels behind her.

"Why don't you let us pass? Does this water belong to you?"

"That's right, we've been walking for several days and we're almost dying of thirst!"

Chu Mengmeng's heart tightened. She turned around and saw a group of self-defense team members confronting several villagers. The two sides were on the verge of a fight, and the atmosphere was extremely tense...

"Stop it!" Chu Mengmeng shouted in a low voice, but with a sense of authority that could not be ignored. Everyone turned around and saw Chu Mengmeng holding the child standing at the back of the crowd, her brows furrowed and her eyes fierce.

When the self-defense team members saw Chu Mengmeng, their momentum suddenly weakened a bit, and they all lowered their heads, not daring to look at her. They all knew that although Chu Mengmeng was a weak woman on the surface, she could always show amazing courage and leadership at critical moments. More importantly, Xiao Yichen entrusted the team to her before leaving, and her orders represented the captain's orders.

"Have you forgotten how much hardship we have gone through along the way? We have finally arrived at a relatively peaceful place, and you want to stir up trouble and destroy this rare peace?" Chu Mengmeng looked around at everyone and said sternly, "What is the purpose of our Self-Defense Force? It is to protect the weak and maintain peace! It is not to oppress the people and rob them!"

"But captain's wife, we've been walking for so many days, we're tired and thirsty, we have to find a place to rest, right?" A tall team member complained in a low voice, "The people here clearly have water sources and fields, but they occupy them and refuse to share any with us. This is too unfair!"

"That's right, Captain's wife, we can't swallow our anger any longer! If we continue like this, we'll die of thirst or hunger sooner or later!" another team member echoed, his tone filled with anger and despair.

Chu Mengmeng took a deep breath, suppressed her anger, and patiently explained: "I know everyone is having a hard time, and I understand how everyone feels. But we can't forget our original intentions and principles because of temporary difficulties. We should communicate and negotiate with local residents in a peaceful way to gain their understanding and help, rather than resorting to force and creating contradictions and conflicts."

"Peace? Communication?" A sharp voice came from the crowd. "Look at their faces. Do they look like they are willing to coexist peacefully with us? Talking to them about reason is like talking to a cow!"

Chu Mengmeng looked in the direction of the voice and saw a thin team member looking at her with a mocking expression, his eyes full of contempt and disdain. Her heart sank, and a deep feeling of powerlessness surged in her heart...

In the distance, a familiar figure appeared on the horizon, walking towards this side. Chu Mengmeng ignited a glimmer of hope in her heart, but when Xiao Yichen approached, his expression made Chu Mengmeng's heart instantly fall to the bottom...

Xiao Yichen's face was gloomy, and his eyebrows were full of fatigue. He walked to Chu Mengmeng, patted her shoulder gently, and said in a low voice: "Mengmeng, I have been looking for a long time along the river, but I haven't found a place suitable for us to live."

His words were like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, stirring up a thousand waves. The Self-Defense Force members were already dissatisfied with the lack of water and food, and now they heard that they didn't even have a place to live, and they were immediately furious.

"What? Didn't find it? Are we going to sleep in the wilderness?"

"Captain, what should we do? We have so many wounded soldiers with us. We can't just sleep in the open like this forever, right?"

"That's right. If we continue like this, we'll probably collapse before we find a new home!"

……

Complaints, cries, and desperate sighs mixed together, echoing in the empty wilderness, making people feel upset.

Chu Mengmeng hugged Ling'er tightly in her arms, feeling the warmth from her daughter, and an unprecedented sense of responsibility surged in her heart. She couldn't watch everyone fall into despair, and she couldn't let her daughter suffer with her.

"Everyone, be quiet!" Chu Mengmeng raised her voice, trying to make it sound calm and firm. "I know the situation is very bad now, but we can't give up hope. Brother Xiao has done his best, and we can't add more burden to him."

She looked around, her eyes swept across the tired and desperate faces, and said firmly: "I believe that as long as we unite and help each other, we will be able to overcome the difficulties in front of us and find our own home!"

Although Chu Mengmeng's words were full of inspiring power, the cruel reality made it difficult for the team members to ignite hope. They looked at each other, their eyes full of confusion and helplessness.

Chu Mengmeng knew that words alone could not solve the problem, and she had to take practical actions to prove her determination.

She took a deep breath, looked firmly at the strange and unknown land in the distance, and made a decision in her heart.

"Brother Xiao, come with me, I have something to tell you."