"What?" Xu Anbang was taken aback upon hearing this and looked at Chen Yu with a puzzled expression.

"Just you wait and see!" Chen Yu said confidently.

He glanced at the time, then said to Xu Anbang, "Now we can announce the results of the discussion. Our village has voluntarily submitted to the Fire Seed Base."

Upon hearing this, Xu Anbang was dumbfounded again. What did that mean? Didn't we agree to resist? Besides, even if we surrendered, they never intended to give us that chance! Didn't you personally interrogate them to find out their true intentions?

Xu Anbang's eyes widened, his mouth slightly open, as if he wanted to say something, but he was interrupted by Chen Yu's next action.

"Uncle Xu, don't worry, everything is under control." Chen Yu patted Xu Anbang on the shoulder, then stood up and walked towards the villagers who were having a heated discussion.

He cleared his throat and said loudly, "Fellow villagers, please be quiet and listen to me."

The villagers gradually quieted down, and all their eyes turned to Chen Yu.

Chen Yu looked around and slowly began to speak: "After everyone's heated discussion, I've heard all sorts of different opinions—some opposed, some supported, and some suggested negotiation. But I want to say that no matter what our wishes are, reality is always before us. The Fireseed Base is a powerful force, and it will be difficult for us to protect what they want. In the apocalypse, survival is the most important thing. We should let go of material possessions; there's nothing we can't let go of. Dignity can be regained after it's lost, but if you lose your life, then you truly have nothing left."

"Uncle Xu, what do you think?" Chen Yu turned his gaze to Xu Anbang, who was still in a daze, his tone carrying a hint of inquiry and expectation.

As an outsider, his words were naturally hard to believe. In the entire village, only the village chief, Xu Anbang, had enough prestige and weight to convince the villagers of his decisions.

Xu Anbang was called out by Chen Yu, which brought him back to his senses.

A bitter look flashed in his eyes. What kind of situation is this?

He had previously considered that Chen Yu had uncovered Li Liguo's conspiracy, and seeing Chen Yu's confident and determined demeanor, he placed his hopes for breaking the deadlock on Chen Yu. Little did he expect that after all this time, Chen Yu had done nothing at all!

Knowing that the other party had ill intentions, he couldn't understand why they would waste time doing these meaningless things.

If he were unaware of Li Liguo's conspiracy, there would be no problem with him agreeing to the surrender plan.

But now, Xu Anbang hesitated, knowing that doing so would be tantamount to pushing the villagers into a fire.

"Village chief, please say something! We'll all listen to you!" a villager shouted, his voice filled with anxiety and anticipation.

The other villagers nodded in agreement, their eyes fixed on Xu Anbang. Clearly, at this crucial moment, they all needed a leader to guide them.

Looking at everyone's expectant eyes, Xu Anbang felt uneasy. He wanted to tell the truth he had learned from Yin Wende and tell the villagers the true intentions of the Fire Seed Base.

But he also knew that doing so would only cause greater panic and chaos.

Seeing Chen Yu's sincere eyes, Xu Anbang made a decision in his heart. He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "The Fire Seed Base is too powerful for us to match. Relocation is also not realistic. Let's prepare to submit!"

If you employ someone, trust them; if you don't trust them, don't employ them. At this point, further hesitation will only make the situation worse.

Since there is no way out, it is better to trust Chen Yu than to make a futile struggle.

In this way, even if it fails, at least it can reduce some of the villagers' suffering.

Most importantly, he still harbored a sliver of hope: what if the people at the Fire Seed Base changed their minds and decided to accept the villagers instead?

As the village head, he needs to be responsible for the villagers and do his best to ensure their survival.

Their village has a history of over a thousand years. If the villagers were to suffer a catastrophic disaster under his rule, wouldn't he become a sinner for all time?

Based on these considerations, Xu Anbang ultimately decided not to tell everyone the truth and instead chose to continue supporting Chen Yu.

With Xu Anbang's statement, the villagers' disputes gradually subsided. Although their village was small, they were very united. Since they had made a decision, they abandoned their prejudices and worked together to implement it.

After calming the villagers down, Chen Yu checked the time. It was already 10:30, and there was only half an hour left before Li Liguo and his men stormed the village.

Just as he was about to let everyone have breakfast, a series of hurried footsteps came from the village passageway.

"They're here!" Chen Yu narrowed his eyes slightly.

It seems this life isn't entirely the same as the last one; the people at the Fire Seed Base arrived half an hour earlier than in the last life.

But it didn't matter. Chen Yu didn't care about any of that, since he had already prepared everything.

At this moment, the villagers also became nervous. How could they not be nervous in the face of this unknown fate?

Several villagers, including Xu Anbang, who knew the inside story, had beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.

Xiang Shaogang, who was tied up in a corner of the canteen, breathed a slight sigh of relief. He smirked and thought to himself, "Mountain folks are just mountain folks. You think you can deal with me? You ants dare to try to fight against the Fire Seed Base? Just obediently become my stepping stones!"

The rest of the transport team remained silent, their thoughts unknown.

Chen Yu was calmer than he had imagined. He had thought that he would be somewhat turbulent when he was about to confront his inner demons from his past life, but at this moment, he was unusually calm.

He was the first to walk out of the cave canteen, looking calmly into the distance of the passage.

Xu Anbang and several other respected villagers came out and stood beside him, while the rest of the villagers waited quietly in the canteen.

The sounds of doors being violently opened, accompanied by the clanging of heavy weapons, intensified the already tense atmosphere.

After a long while, a group of armed personnel dressed in black combat uniforms appeared in everyone's sight. They were carrying automatic rifles and other weapons, and their faces were covered with terrifying masks. Their eyes were cold and sharp, like death gods who had walked out of hell.

Li Liguo was also among them, his tattered cotton-padded clothes making him stand out starkly among the uniformed armed personnel.

Although his clothes were rather shabby, his aura was no less imposing than that of the armed men, and he even seemed to be showing signs of becoming the leader of this group.

He strode forward, his eyes revealing an absolute confidence in victory, as if everything was under his control.