After conquering Rock City, Lin Feng's next target is Hope Town in the south.
This is a settlement established by soldiers, characterized by strict discipline and formidable combat capability.
However, when Lin Feng's army arrived, the expected battle did not take place.
A lone messenger, carrying a white flag, emerged from the town.
He was brought before Lin Feng.
This was a soldier with a resolute face and clear eyes. He gave Lin Feng a standard military salute.
"Respected shelter leader, my name is Chen Jianjun, and I am a representative of Hope Town."
His voice was steady and powerful, “We have heard of your swift and decisive methods in uniting the surrounding forces. We acknowledge that your power far surpasses ours.”
“However,” he said, changing the subject with a composed yet firm tone, “we hope to reach an agreement with you.”
"Speak," Lin Feng said succinctly.
“We can sign a non-aggression pact.” Chen Jianjun’s eyes held a hint of pleading. “We are willing to submit to you and pay you a certain percentage of our resources every year in exchange for the right to self-government. We are compatriots, one of the few remaining human races in this wilderness. There is no need for us to conquer each other and kill one another.”
His gaze swept over the well-equipped soldiers behind Lin Feng, his tone tinged with regret.
"We should be equal partners, facing this damn world together."
"Equality?" Lin Feng uttered two words coldly, his eyes icy. "You make it sound nice. But you have no idea what we're about to face."
Lin Feng's voice suddenly turned sinister.
"A great catastrophe is coming. A catastrophe that could destroy us all."
"At times like these, they are either my people or my enemies."
"I will not trust any force that is outside my control!"
Chen Jianjun's expression changed: "A major disaster? Aren't you... exaggerating? Aren't our enemies just those strange beasts and nature itself?"
"Scar-mongering?" A cruel smile curled at the corner of Lin Feng's lips. "It seems you won't understand unless you witness despair firsthand."
He turned to Su Wanqing and said, "Give him the coordinates of that valley."
Su Wanqing stepped forward and handed a data terminal to Chen Jianjun.
"What is this?" Chen Jianjun asked, puzzled.
"The entrance to hell." Lin Feng's voice echoed softly, "Don't you have many excellent scouts in Hope Town? Send your most elite men to take a look. After you've seen them, come back and tell me if we still have the right to negotiate."
"If you can come back."
Chen Jianjun returned with the coordinates, still somewhat doubtful.
Three days later.
Of the elite squad of twelve top-notch reconnaissance soldiers sent out by Hope Town, only three returned.
When these three people returned, they were no longer recognizable as human beings.
One of them had a mental breakdown on the spot and started biting anyone he saw.
One was unconscious and had a persistent high fever.
Only one of them retained a sliver of consciousness. What he brought back, besides endless fear, was a blurry video recording obtained at the cost of his life.
When the leaders of Hope Town saw the video in the conference room, the entire room fell into a deathly silence.
The video shows an overwhelming array of bizarre and terrifying monsters. It shows a surging tide of laughing corpses. It shows a bottomless, enormous cave.
What made them most desperate was the final sound of a heartbeat at the end of the video, a deep and powerful sound that seemed to pierce through all the noise and come from the depths of hell.
"Thump!"
At that moment, the expressions of all the high-ranking officials in Hope Town changed drastically.
They were completely devastated.
Half a day later, the gates of Hope Town opened wide, and its leader, an old general with white hair, personally led the town's three thousand soldiers and civilians to present their weapons and loyalty to Lin Feng.
After taking over Hope Town, Lin Feng made a surprising decision.
He instructed Su Wanqing's intelligence department to release the despairing video, along with information about the "valley monster" and the "apocalyptic catastrophe," to all the people under his kingdom's rule in a controlled manner.
In an instant, the entire kingdom was shrouded in immense panic.
However, Lin Feng then delivered his second and final address to the public.
His image appeared on every screen in the sanctuary, and his voice was broadcast to every corner of the kingdom.
"My people."
"You have seen the truth. Yes, we are standing on the edge of destruction. An unprecedented catastrophe is about to unfold. Those monsters are just the vanguard; behind them lies a sleeping monster capable of devouring the entire world."
"Fear is useless. To run away is to die."
"We have nowhere to retreat! Behind us lies our homeland!"
“But!” His voice suddenly became impassioned and full of power: “I, your king, will be with you! Look at the factories around us! Look at the weapons in our hands! Look at our ever-growing army!”
"Catastrophe is coming. The only way to survive is to use your own hands to work and produce! Use your flesh and blood to fight and resist!"
"Turn your fear into anger! Forge your sweat into bullets! Forge your will into steel!"
"Follow me, and together we will seize fate by the throat!"
This inflammatory and ruthless speech was like pouring a bucket of cold water into a pot of boiling oil.
The public's panic was instantly ignited, and then, under the guidance of Lin Feng's powerful and unquestionable image, it transformed into an unprecedented, do-or-die production frenzy and fighting spirit!
"Fight for the leader!"
"Fight for survival!"
The slogans resounded throughout the entire kingdom.
Under such extreme pressure and the will to survive, the entire kingdom's productivity unleashed unimaginable potential.
At this time, Lin Feng's kingdom had a total population of nearly 30,000!
These 30,000 people, regardless of who came first or last, whether former managers or ordinary citizens, all worked frantically and without distinction in this catastrophe called "survival."
An unprecedented and insane military buildup has begun!
Lin Feng's telekinetic powers operate continuously, 24 hours a day.
He no longer manufactures each gun himself, but instead acts like a super AI, simultaneously controlling dozens of production lines, optimizing every process, and raising production efficiency to an unbelievable level!
A torrent of steel flowed from the mines to the smelters.
A torrent of weapons poured from arsenals into military camps.
In just one month, a kingdom of 30,000 people managed to build a regular army of 5,000 men, all equipped with automatic rifles, bulletproof vests, and standard combat gear!
That's not all; various large-caliber mortars, howitzers, and heavy machine guns were also produced at breakneck speed, like dumplings being dropped into boiling water.
Furthermore, with Chen Feng's cooperation, a simple infantry fighting vehicle based on the "Land Walker" chassis and equipped with twin 37mm autocannons has also entered the mass production stage!
The entire shelter has been transformed into a heavily armed war fortress.
However, Lin Feng's sense of urgency grew stronger and stronger.
He could clearly "hear" the evil heartbeat coming from the eastern valley, growing stronger and more frequent.
It's about to wake up.
He began to station men around the perimeter of that eerie valley. Not for attack, but for surveillance.
The scouts sent out were equipped with the most advanced reconnaissance equipment and heavy sniper rifles.
Taking advantage of the complex terrain, they established dozens of hidden observation posts, which, like nails, were firmly anchored around the valley.
The intelligence that came back made Lin Feng's heart sink to the bottom.
That valley was even bigger than I had imagined.
The interior is crisscrossed with ravines and caves, making it impossible to fully explore its contents.
The number of monsters inside far exceeded their expectations.
Bone Rippers, Acid Vultures, Shadow Lurkers… all sorts of monsters are emerging one after another. Their numbers are increasing every day, as if the black fungal carpet itself is a breeding ground for monsters.
They were waiting for something and did not leave the valley in large numbers. Only occasionally would small groups of monsters rush out of the valley to forage, but they would quickly retreat.
But Lin Feng knew that their appearance was inevitable.
They were simply waiting, waiting for the sleeping "king" to unleash his first roar upon awakening.
That roar will be the final clarion call that ignites this apocalyptic war.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com