56. The war broke out
The Cloud Peak City troops quickly approached. At the head was a row of modified off-road vehicles with machine guns mounted on the truck beds, followed by a considerable number of infantrymen, marching in orderly formation.
In the lead SUV, a short-haired woman was holding a gun in one hand, her body half-hanging outside the vehicle.
Before the car had even come to a complete stop, she nimbly jumped out.
Fu Yunong discovered that these people really liked jumping off the train.
The woman didn't even glance at the people from the White Tiger Base. She walked straight up to Fu Yunong and the others, bowed respectfully, and said, "Greetings, everyone. I am Chu Li, the captain of the third squad of the Cloud Peak City Guard. I have come here on the orders of the City Lord."
Only after she finished greeting them did she turn around, her gaze turning cold as she looked at the burly man, her tone forceful, "Do you have something to say? These are distinguished guests of our Cloud Peak City. Don't bother us here without reason!"
The man's eyes were cold as he glanced at the equipment behind Chu Li, then at the infantrymen standing ready for battle, and clenched his fists.
He gestured for his men to put down their guns, forcing a stiff smile. "I heard you can trade anything here. We're here to make a deal. There's no reason to turn away customers when you're in business."
As soon as he finished speaking, his men behind him brought over several tattered sacks that reeked of blood, with chunks of undried meat and dark red bloodstains still on them.
“Eh…” Huangfu Jinrang looked disgusted.
Fu Yunong silently opened the system and glanced at it. The number of crystal cores was quite large, and the amount was considerable.
She accepted it without hesitation.
Seeing the bag deflate, the man reached out and touched it, and immediately flew into a rage, shouting, "You cheated!"
Fu Yunong spread her hands, looking as if to say, "I don't understand what you're talking about."
She knew perfectly well that the White Tiger Base had come with a menacing attitude and harbored ill intentions from the start; how could she possibly negotiate a deal with them? Hadn't Cloud Peak City always wanted to unify the country? Well, now the opportunity had arrived.
Rather than the major bases uniting, it's actually a good thing that they are now checking and balancing each other.
The man's face darkened completely, veins bulged on his forehead, and a cold, metallic sheen appeared on his palms.
Chu Li was prepared. With a wave of her hand, the troops behind her immediately changed formation: the soldiers in the front row raised their guns, and the machine guns on the vehicles in the back row turned in unison.
Chu Li's eyes grew even colder. Everyone says that a superhuman can take on a hundred people, so they'll send a thousand, ten thousand! For the base, for the city lord, they are not afraid to die!
Perhaps intimidated by this aura, the man's expression changed several times. He stared at Chu Li for a long time before finally gritting his teeth and spitting out, "Fine, you're all very well done!"
He glared at Fu Yunong and the others, then cursed as he got into the car and drove off.
As the vehicles from the White Tiger Base disappeared, Fu Yunong felt a strange sense of disappointment. Why did it end so soon?
Chu Li stepped forward and said solemnly, "Everyone, the White Tiger Base came here to spearhead the attack. Now that they have suffered a crushing defeat, they will most likely join forces with the Azure Dragon Base to launch another attack. You must be careful. I will report the situation to the City Lord immediately so that she can make preparations as soon as possible."
"Understood, thank you for making this trip, Captain Chu." Fu Yunong nodded in agreement.
Chu Li quickly waved her hand, "Protecting everyone is our duty. If anything happens, Cloud Peak City will be there at any time." After saying that, she led the team to withdraw in an orderly manner.
After the chaos subsided, the supermarket quickly restored order.
The survivors who had been watching from a distance returned one after another as the crisis passed.
Fu Yunong provided generous compensation to Xiao Chen, who had passed away.
Lu Zhan took the items and said solemnly, "Don't worry, I will personally deliver them to his family."
That evening, the supermarket closed on time.
Lu Zhan and his men had just finished packing their things when they turned around and saw the RV disappear from the spot.
A new survivor was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, but Lu Zhan patted him on the shoulder as if it were nothing unusual, saying, "You'll get used to it."
They once thought that Fu Yunong and the others were immortals, appearing and disappearing without a trace, and that they collected useless things to exchange for food and supplies.
The aroma of roasted meat had already filled the air.
Fu Yunong and the others sat around the restaurant, where top-quality pork and beef sizzled on the teppanyaki grill.
Xiao Linfang picked up a piece of roasted beef that was charred and fragrant, dipped it in a little salt, and popped it into her mouth, squinting her eyes in satisfaction. "It smells so good!"
Fu Yunong poured fine wine for everyone, saying, "Thank you to the White Tiger Base for sending the crystal cores. I hope they will continue their efforts and achieve even greater success!"
The group laughed heartily, clinked glasses together, and the crisp sound echoed in the air. The busyness of the past few days gradually dissipated amidst the aroma of barbecue and wine.
In the City Lord's reception room in Cloud Peak City, the atmosphere was unusually heavy.
The governor of the White Tiger Base sat on the sofa, a forced smile on his face. "Lord Ru, how about we join forces to capture those women and split what we get?"
Ru Feng gracefully tapped her knee with her fingertips, glanced at the three people opposite her, and said in a light tone, "Not very good. If you have come all this way just to talk about this, then I'm afraid I cannot entertain you any longer. I have a lot of things to take care of."
The white-robed elder said in a deep voice, "Ru Feng, if we hadn't given you a break back then, would you have been able to stand on this high ground? Some people shouldn't get carried away just because they're given a little face."
Ru Feng smiled and said, "I still remember everything that happened back then. I will repay you handsomely when the time comes."
The man in the dragon robe glanced around, covered his nose with a handkerchief, and said in a low voice, "Since City Lord Ru is determined to break with us, there's nothing more to say. You'll soon find out what happens when you disobey us." After saying that, he stood up first, gave Ru Feng a mocking look, and turned to leave.
The governor of the White Tiger Base glanced at Ru Feng and then got up and left.
The white-robed elder shook his head, revealing a pitying expression, "Why bother..." Before he finished speaking, he turned and left.
The moment the door closed, the smile on Ru Feng's face vanished.
She sat on the sofa with her head down, gradually increasing the pressure of her fingertips.
The long, six-month-long winter froze countless zombies, so long that people almost forgot these monsters existed.
As the ice and snow melted, these rigid sculptures came to life. They broke free of their icy shells, their claws digging into the ground, and stood up unsteadily, like demons crawling out of hell.
Following the sounds of human activity, they swarmed towards various bases in droves, and a new round of slaughter began.
Only then did people suddenly realize who their real enemy was.
The Azure Dragon Base was the first to encounter the zombie horde, and the area beneath the city walls was quickly filled with the remains of zombies, but the monsters behind continued to surge in like a tide.
The white-robed elders of the Xuanwu base were busy using their supernatural abilities to defend themselves, unleashing all the power they originally intended to use to oppress ordinary people onto the zombies.
The White Tiger Base was attacked from both sides, with several breaches in its outer walls caused by zombies, and it almost fell.
The major bases had successfully fended off several waves of zombie hordes, and everyone was exhausted from fighting them off, so they couldn't spare the time to cause trouble for Fu Yunong and Yundian City.
Fu Yunong and her group had already settled in Cloud Peak City.
Ru Feng had specially reserved a corner of the city wall for them, where the view was unobstructed. Fu Yunong took out a large speaker and played catchy music on a loop.
On the high platform, the group sat calmly in their respective positions, their eyes sweeping over the surging tide of corpses without showing any sign of panic.
The first to charge were the agile swiftmen. These monsters were very fast, and they would leap into the air from time to time, swooping towards the city wall. Their sharp claws were terrifying.
Following behind were ordinary zombies, swaying unsteadily, the largest group, a dark mass that sent chills down one's spine.
Even more troublesome are the giant armored creatures mixed in with the horde of corpses. They are covered in thick, hard shells, and ordinary bullets are like tickles to them. Ordinary people who face them will only end up being slammed into the ground or torn apart by their bare hands.
These zombies are attacking in formation, so there must be high-level zombies hiding inside.
"They're here."
Silver-blue lightning crackled in Shi Dong's palm. As soon as she finished speaking, a lightning whip as thick as an arm lashed out from her hand, striking the front row of zombies with a "crack," instantly scorching a large area. Two reckless dashers next to her were also electrocuted and collapsed to the ground, convulsing.
With a flick of her wrist, her lightning whip swept across, and every zombie it touched was engulfed in smoke. Those swift attackers who tried to ambush her crashed into the static electricity cage she had set up as soon as they approached the platform, and were silenced in no time amidst the crackling sound of electricity.
Slender green vines sprouted from Xiao Linfang's fingertips, wrapping around the ankle of a giant armored creature, severely restricting its movement, before she pierced its skull with a wooden spear. In the intervals between attacks, a pale blue light emanated from her palms, silently replenishing her teammates' energy.
At the same time, several swift riders pounced over and crashed heavily into the shield. Lin Songsong used one hand to support the shield and the other to manipulate the metal blade, precisely piercing through the eye sockets of several giant armored creatures.
As more and more zombies appeared below, the electric arcs in Shi Dong's eyes surged.
"Boom!"
A blinding thunderstorm descended from the sky, slamming into the densest part of the horde of corpses, instantly clearing a vacuum zone.
Huangfu Jinrang closed his eyes, his brows slightly furrowed, and spread his mental energy to the maximum, accurately locking onto the large-bellied zombie behind the horde of corpses, which was none other than the Level 4 Nest Mother.
Once she locked onto her target, she focused her energy, transforming her mental power into invisible spikes that pierced the Nest Mother's consciousness. The Nest Mother suddenly stopped roaring, and the horde's attack faltered.
Not far away, a level-five Brain Eater was trying to take over command, but it was also detected by Huangfu Jinrang's mental power. She immediately dispersed her mental power to interfere, and the Brain Eater instantly became agitated, throwing the horde of corpses into complete chaos.
Hua Hua seized the opportunity and leaped down from the platform with a "whoosh," charging into the horde of zombies like a cheetah. With a swipe of its massive claws, it instantly crushed the heads of two swiftmen. Then, with another swipe of its mouth, it grabbed the neck of a giant armored creature and hurled it violently, tearing the hard shell apart as if it were made of paper.
It moved with incredible agility, dashing left and right through the horde of zombies, and any that got close to it met their doom. Once it was covered in blood, it leaped back onto the platform, flicked its tail, and stood quietly at Fu Yunong's feet.
Fu Yunong sat calmly on the high platform. As long as the zombies were within range, she could harvest their crystal cores with a mere flick of her finger. In her eyes, whether it was a low-level crystal core from an ordinary zombie or a high-level crystal core from a giant armored zombie or a brain-devourer, they were all just spoils of war that she could collect in the blink of an eye.
However, these monsters are extremely troublesome for ordinary people and most superhumans. Despite repeated bombardments with heavy weapons and explosives, many lives are still lost.
With the support of Fu Yunong and the others, the defensive pressure on Cloud Peak City was greatly reduced, making it the least damaged of the major bases.
The horde of zombies receded temporarily, and a brief period of peace was restored outside the city.
In the afternoon, Fu Yunong and her friends opened their "Conscience Supermarket" in the central square as usual. Every time it opened, the survivors flocked to it.
At this time, the common currency in Cloud Peak City had long since become crystal cores.
Fu Yunong and the others were so busy that they barely had time to rest, and the crystal cores in the space were piling up more and more.
Ru Feng stood on the steps of the government office, looking at the lively yet orderly scene in the square, a smile appearing on her lips.
Su Ya stood beside her, smiling as well, "Everything is ready."
Ru Feng's smile remained unchanged, and she parted her lips slightly, "Go."
The night was as dark as ink, and brief disturbances were reported from several bases.
As dawn broke, the Holy Emperor's Dragon Robe of the Azure Dragon Base, the Governor's Token of the White Tiger Base, and the White Robe Badge of the Great Elder of the Black Tortoise Base, along with the heads of their owners, had been secretly delivered to the City Lord's Office of Cloud Peak City.
The ordinary survivors and low-ranking soldiers of the three bases were completely unaware of this. Some core members who were loyal to their former masters wanted to rise up in rebellion, but they found that the main fighting force around them had already defected to Cloud Peak City at some point.
In the study of the city lord of Cloud Peak City, Ru Feng leaned back in a large armchair and let out a long sigh.
Su Ya walked in carrying freshly brewed tea and placed a list on the table. "The core teams of the three major bases have all been cleared out, and the subdued superhumans and soldiers have all been registered."
Ru Feng picked up the list and glanced at it, then said quietly, "After enduring so much, it wasn't all for nothing. If it weren't for those waves of zombies, I really wouldn't have dared to make a move so easily."
"You are still the master strategist who wins battles from afar," Su Ya said softly.
Ru Feng waved her hand. "Give the order to implement the summer work schedule starting tomorrow."
They are more experienced in dealing with summer than winter.
Over the next few days, Ru Feng's orders were relayed to the three major bases in an orderly manner:
First, organize people to clear the zombies between the bases, and use heavy weapons and superhumans to open up safe passages.
Afterwards, the supplies of each base were uniformly allocated, the survivors of the Xuanwu base who were short of food were moved to the Baihu base where food was plentiful, and the craftsmen and superhumans who were skilled in construction were transferred to the Qinglong base to repair the city walls.
The four bases, which were originally independent of each other, were completely integrated in just ten days, and the Cloud Peak City base was transformed into the Cloud Peak City-State.
On the day the prisoners were transported, the streets of Cloud Peak City were packed with people. The surviving core members of the old guard were tied up with their hands behind their backs and walked in a string towards the square in the center of the city.
They walked with their heads down, their faces filled with bewilderment. As they passed, the survivors cast disdainful glances their way. They had long heard that these people used to be arrogant and domineering, and they deserved their current fate.
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