Meanwhile, Chen Beipan was leading a group of mutual aid society members, following One-Eyed Dragon and his two companions towards a shelter.

“Zhang Shi’s development is ahead of its time, and he’s a tough nut to crack. Boss Bell’s idea is to first wipe out and occupy all the shelters around him, and then when the time is right, send a large army to press on and defeat him in one fell swoop.”

The adjutant, with his hands behind his back, walked beside Chen Beipan and relayed Bell's plan to him.

Although Chen Beipan harbored some resentment towards the Eagle Gang's infiltration, he showed no sign of it. For him, eliminating Zhang Shi would allow him to become the strongest survivor in the division, making things much easier.

"However, the distribution of all survivors is random. If they encounter forces from other major factions, it may cause unnecessary conflicts."

Chen Beipan feigned concern, but in reality, he had already thoroughly investigated the survivor forces in the vicinity and knew that there were members of the Light Alliance. His original intention was to kill two birds with one stone, using the Eagle Gang to take care of the opposing forces as well.

The redneck, with an arrogant expression, stroked his musket and said very cockily.

"Hmph, they're just a bunch of beggars playing house. Do they even deserve to be called a force? Besides, no matter how big they are, can they be bigger than our Eagle Regiment?"

One-Eyed Dragon glared at Redneck, but did not reprimand him, which showed that he was extremely arrogant and thought there was nothing wrong with what Redneck said.

The mutual aid society members standing nearby were somewhat dissatisfied. The redneck's words were like nails falling into their ears. Coupled with the hot weather, the anger in the hearts of several troublemakers flared up instantly, and they began to mutter sarcastically.

"Hey you, the one testing the bull demon, we've been providing all your heatstroke prevention medicine. What are you dawdling about?"

Redneck is also a hot-tempered person. When he heard someone making veiled insults and disgusting remarks about him, he raised his fists and started fighting with his temporary companions.

Those troublemakers were also full of martial spirit. Relying on their numbers and heavy blows, Redneck, although a trained fighter, was suddenly hit hard and his head was spinning. He was put at a disadvantage for a moment.

Seeing the conflict escalate, Chen Beipan verbally urged them to stop, but he didn't actually do anything. It was only when the one-eyed man saw that the redneck was going to be at a disadvantage that he forcibly dragged him away and brandished his weapon to stop the farce.

...

Meanwhile, Liu Yu's Light Alliance was secretly gathering manpower and purchasing equipment. One of the vice presidents even rallied a large group of people and, without informing Liu Yu first, took action on his own, preparing to launch a surprise attack on a mutual aid society stronghold under the cover of night.

Unfortunately, the two groups are heading in the same direction, so there's a high probability they'll run into each other.

This matter was leaked to Liu Yu by someone, and he personally sent it over through some means. Before he could even reprimand him, he was stopped by the members.

"Leader, don't be soft-hearted. The Mutual Aid Society has bullied us and robbed and extorted our alliance members more than once or twice. I think they are deliberately targeting us. If we don't fight back, the alliance will be devoured by them sooner or later."

"Yeah, they're practically riding right up to us. Even a mud man has some temper. If you ask me, we should just fight them."

"Alright!"

Chen Beipan's face was gloomy as he stared at the vice president who had acted without reporting and was about to take action on his own.

"Vice President Tang, you need to give me an explanation for what happened today!"

Liu Yu still held some prestige within the alliance, and the moment he spoke, the previously noisy scene instantly fell silent.

The vice president, surnamed Tang, had bloodshot eyes and knelt on both knees.

"Chief, I, Tang Hao, will take full responsibility for what happened today. It's just that the Mutual Aid Society has gone too far. They've colluded with the Eagle Gang, plundering everywhere. Many brothers who haven't moved to the stronghold have been bullied by them. A few young men couldn't stand it and argued with them, and they even lost their lives..."

Tang Hao's words further enraged everyone present, with several hot-tempered individuals even cursing and shouting that they wanted to avenge their brothers.

Seeing the crowd's agitation, Liu Yu knew that the die was cast and had no choice but to strike. He glared at Tang Hao and then waved his hand helplessly.

"This is a big deal. As the leader, I should take the lead. Besides, we need to plan the specific actions. Let's calm down and discuss a strategy before we take action."

...

Wu Qing was carefully tending to the greenery in her shelter. The sunlight from the giant sunflowers ensured that her shelter was not dark at night. Shennongjia made her crops grow rapidly, and many of the high-grade plants even developed sentience. Her shelter was a huge treehouse, surrounded by intertwined vines and thorns, capable of attacking intruders on its own. Ordinary wild beasts and enemies could not threaten her safety at all.

After finishing her work, Wu Qing was still covered in sweat despite the plants regulating the temperature. Putting down her tools, she decided to take a bath to cool down.

Wu Qing took out the ice cubes Zhang Shi had given her from the cellar and put them in the bathtub. She then tore off some rose petals and sprinkled them into the water before lying down in the bathtub.

Ice cubes cooled the water, which had become lukewarm. Wu Qing enjoyed a brief moment of comfort and tranquility, took a long breath, and was about to close her eyes for a short rest when a series of noisy sounds suddenly came from outside.

"President, we've spotted something ahead. There's a giant sunflower that's glowing."

"Wow, is this a shelter? Look, there's a treehouse in that tree. We're rich!"

"What? It's been released? I bet this shelter belongs to Zhang Shi's men. Let's take it down and use it as our frontline command post."

Wu Qing sat up and heard a commotion outside. Some people mentioned Zhang Shi. She thought of the Eagle Regiment's recent activities and became alert. She dressed and looked out the window at the crowd below. Seeing that there were quite a few people, she picked up the totem on guard and sent a message to Zhang Shi for help.

The people below were the members of the mutual aid society led by Chen Beipan and the three mercenaries from the Eagle Group.

Chen Beipan looked at the towering tree, his heart stirred slightly, but he did not rashly rush forward to attack. After all, those who could live in such a shelter were no ordinary people.

Redneck, however, paid no heed. Grabbing his musket, he scaled the fence and ran toward the vegetable garden, then picked a fresh fruit and popped it into his mouth. Suddenly, a thorn lashed out at him like a whip. Though reckless, Redneck was still somewhat agile, and he dodged the blow by scrambling into the mud.

Before Redneck could catch his breath, more thorns bound him like pythons, wrapping him up like a dumpling. The sharp thorns tore through Redneck's skin, making him scream and cry out, and he even dropped his musket.

Seeing his companion in danger, One-Eyed Dragon disregarded everything else and called for everyone to come to his aid. The members of the mutual aid society, who normally wouldn't listen to One-Eyed Dragon's orders, were now blinded by greed. With one person taking the lead, others followed suit. In an instant, all the members of the mutual aid society rushed forward, wielding sharp weapons to cut down the thorny vines. Even Chen Beipan couldn't stop them.