"Dad, it's been several days, why hasn't the city lord punished Zhang Lin yet?"

Peng Yong raised a question amidst the crowd.

These past few days, he's been waiting for Zhang Lin to be taken down so he can become the second team leader.

After waiting for several days, Zhang Lin was completely fine.

Even now, he is still sitting in the seat below the city lord, which clearly shows that he is still trusted by the city lord.

"The city lord loves to train new talent!"

"This Zhang Lin seems to have some potential, so the city lord has shown him some consideration and hasn't directly stripped him of his position..."

Peng Bing stroked his chin thoughtfully as he spoke.

"Then... about me becoming the second captain?"

Peng Yong asked, clearly unwilling.

"Don't rush!" Peng Bing said calmly. "The city lord is fair in his rewards and punishments. Zhang Lin killed another captain, so the city lord will definitely punish him. Let's wait patiently and see if there's any room for maneuver..."

"Okay." Peng Yong nodded helplessly.

The father and son stopped talking and looked at the city lord sitting in the head seat.

The city lord then turned his gaze to Zhang Lin.

It's normal for a group of people to elect her as the leader.

But she wanted to push Zhang Lin out.

As Zhang Lin said before, he has no reputation, and it would be difficult to convince the public if he were to step forward rashly.

Therefore, the city lord decided to first cultivate some prestige for Zhang Lin.

“I appreciate your kindness, but I cannot become the leader of the alliance right now, because there are still people from one of the settlements who have not arrived. We will decide on the leader's position after they arrive.”

Instead of refusing outright, she found an excuse to stall.

But after she finished speaking, everyone present seemed to remember something and showed thoughtful expressions.

"This... does the city lord mean...?"

Chengdu is a city with a population of over ten million. Although more than ninety percent of its population has died in the apocalypse, there are still many survivors.

There are also many gathering places.

Among them, Hope City is the most powerful.

However, there are other major powers as well.

Peng Bing's gathering place was large, but compared to a well-known force, it was nothing.

"That's right, they are people from the Tang Dynasty."

The city lord nodded in agreement.

“Li Tianfang contacted me. He also wants to join the alliance. That old guy is quite strong. Let’s discuss the selection of the alliance leader after he arrives.”

The Tang Dynasty.

Li Tianfang.

Upon hearing this name, everyone present simultaneously displayed the same expression—pain.

After the apocalypse, order collapsed, and those who have survived to this day have seen everything. But what Li Tianfang did is something that makes everyone feel annoyed, which shows that he is an extraordinary person.

What did he do?

Ji Yuetong sat next to Zhang Lin and whispered about Li Tianfang's deeds in his ear. Zhang Lin was expressionless at first because he had never heard of Li Tianfang before, but after hearing about him, his expression became very strange.

"What? He declared himself emperor?"

Zhang Lin couldn't help but ask in surprise.

"Hmm~"

Ji Yuetong nodded.

Zhang Lin was speechless.

Ji Yuetong just told him everything.

Li Tianfang is indeed an oddball. In the post-apocalyptic world, there are many people who do evil by virtue of their strength, and there are also many who wantonly vent their perverted desires. There are also people like Peng Bing and Liu Guorong who create their own forces.

But Li Tianfang was different.

He declared himself emperor!

Yes, literally.

He claimed to be a descendant of Li Shimin, a member of the royal family, and that after the collapse of the last order, he established the Tang Dynasty and became emperor.

If it were just a matter of simply proclaiming himself emperor, that would be one thing; it would just be self-indulgence in a collapsing world order.

The key point is that he truly considered himself an emperor.

He made his wife empress, his eldest son crown prince, created new clothing and flags, established a system of etiquette, appointed civil and military officials, and even built a small palace on his own territory. He usually referred to himself as "朕" (Zhen, meaning "I" or "the Emperor"), and in his eyes, everyone was his subject. Anyone who did not kneel before him would be beaten and killed.

Li Tianfang wielded considerable power and influence, but because of his eccentric personality, the superhumans near Rongcheng tried to avoid him and refrained from interacting with him.

For example, when Peng Bing met the city lord, although there was a difference in their status, they could still maintain a facade of equality, and the city lord would not treat him as a subordinate.

But what if Peng Bing were to meet Li Tianfang...

He would have to perform the three prostrations and nine kowtows, addressing himself as "Your Majesty" and referring to himself as "your subject." If he didn't, Li Tianfang would choose to fight Peng Bing to the death...

Peng Bing is also the head of a local power. Anyone with a sound mind wouldn't do something like this.

Therefore, to avoid Li Tianfang fighting them to the death, everyone tries their best to avoid dealing with him. If they accidentally run into him, they hold their noses, endure the disgust, and play along with his act, letting him experience being an emperor for a while, before quickly running away.

Li Tianfang himself seemed to be quite self-aware; he didn't actually wage war everywhere, nor did he adopt the tactic of "all land under heaven belongs to the king, and all people within the realm are his subjects."

He only ruled his own territory, indulging in his emperor's fantasy, and he didn't seek out others unless they came to him.

In the past, even during beast tides, he did not communicate with the outside world.

But this time, things seem to have changed.

"It seems that this beast tide is really unusual. Even that old bastard Li Tianfang has left his territory and brought people to Hope City."

After introducing Zhang Lin, Ji Yuetong couldn't help but sigh, "I just hope this old man doesn't want to set up an emperor's shop in the city anymore, otherwise, I'm afraid everyone will kill him before the beast tide!"

Zhang Lin thought to himself that Li Tianfang must have some ability, otherwise the city lord would not have waited for him to come before deciding on the alliance leader.

At that moment, the city lord's voice suddenly rang in her ears.

It was her real voice, a little soft and sweet, yet carrying a sense of authority.

"Do you remember what you promised me last time?"

"Let's cooperate!"

Zhang Lin looked up instantly, only to see her sitting upright in the head seat, not moving an inch, her gaze fixed on the ground below.

He nodded almost imperceptibly.

Since I agreed last time, I'll just go through the motions with her.

"Zhang Lin!"

This time, the city lord called out his name directly, and everyone heard it. "You killed Chen Junyu. Although Chen Junyu provoked you first, I cannot let you go unpunished. Li Tianfang sent a message saying that he encountered obstacles on the way and cannot reach Hope City for the time being. I am sending you to bring Li Tianfang and his men over to atone for your crime. Are you willing?"

This was her first step in the plan.

Let Zhang Lin achieve some results first. Fortunately, because of Chen Junyu, Zhang Lin agreed to cooperate with her once. Now, there's no need to worry about Zhang Lin refusing.

It's just about bringing Li Tianfang and the others over; there's no danger. Once Zhang Lin returns, we can reward him for his contributions...

If this happens a few more times, Zhang Lin will gain fame.

After that, she could then naturally make Zhang Lin the leader of the alliance.

After the city lord finished speaking, he looked at Zhang Lin.

Below, the Peng family father and son were dumbfounded.

"Is this what you call punishment?"