From Huacheng City, heading north for dozens of kilometers, is the headquarters of the Wangbei Army's Steel Group.

And from the Steel Group, another dozen kilometers north, is the riverbank of the Shenlong River.

On the riverbank, there's a pier called Jiangxue Ferry.

Out of 365 days a year, at least two hundred days have snow here, hence its name.

Now, Jiangxue Ferry is heavily guarded, with a Wangbei Army company stationed to ensure smooth communication with the northern Rakshasa.

Some off-road jeeps are braving the snow approaching.

Although the snowfall is heavy, it's the first of winter, and since the temperature hasn't dropped much yet, the snow isn't packed hard by the north wind, so it doesn't greatly hinder these high-performance jeeps.

Beep! Beep!

The car horns sounded.

The Wangbei Army soldiers on guard took a glance, immediately stood at attention and saluted, then lifted the barrier to the dock.

One by one, cars filed in, moving along the snowy road all the way to the banks of the Shenlong River.

The car doors opened, and people inside got out.

The person in the first car was none other than Zhang Zhijian, the second leader of the Wangbei Army.

Zhang Zhiguo is recuperating and not involved in worldly affairs, leaving the Wangbei Army effectively under his command, and he single-handedly facilitated the transactions with the Rakshasa.

The people getting out from the following cars were leaders from various factions within the Survivor Alliance.

For example, Pang Yong and Wang Dashan from the Burning Corps, and Wang Juan from the Women's Army.

The group arrived at the riverbank, watching the thin ice by the water.

"The temperature this year is much different from past years; it's freezing before November."

"Yeah, the Shenlong River's current is vast, and it used to freeze in December, now it's two months earlier."

"It's damn cold, Second Leader, where's your ship?"

"There it is, didn't move all night, got stuck in the ice, it will be ready soon."

On the shore, a group of Wangbei Army soldiers were breaking the ice around the ferry, trying to free it.

Zhang Zhijian rubbed his hands: "This ferry won't last much longer; once the river surface freezes over, the ship becomes worthless."

The crowd nodded, but their expressions showed they didn't see it as a big deal.

Zhang Zhijian was a bit displeased: "Don't take it lightly. Without the river's ferry service, do you think you would have today's prosperity?"

"The weapons and ammunition you use were all transported back by ship from the opposite Hai Shan Wei City. Without these weapons, we would either have been eaten by zombies or live like ordinary survivors, dependent on others. Now, facing the Dawn Army, we probably wouldn't even dare to breathe heavily."

Pang Yong from the Burning Corps, always following Zhang Zhijian's lead, immediately said: "The Second Leader is right. Although we are Evolvers and have decent abilities, facing endless zombies, individual skills are useless. At most, you can barely survive, and getting scratched one day means death regardless."

"It's the Second Leader who brought us all this, thanks to which we contacted the Rakshasa and have today's good life, so everyone shouldn't forget their roots."

Other faction leaders echoed, praising Zhang Zhijian's great achievements.

Zhang Zhijian's expression softened a little: "This time, as we head to Hai Shan Wei together, we are to make transactions with the Rakshasa. It can't always be us, the Wangbei Army, providing steel. You also need to offer up your reserves, or the Rakshasa won't provide us with weapons."

"You must be aware of the Dawn Army's capabilities. Not only do they have strong city defenses, but they also have armored vehicles and tanks. Didn't Wang Dashan barely escape under tank cannon fire?"

Wang Dashan immediately nodded, feeling a chill in the past few days about the incident.

"Without advanced weapons, we can't fight against the Dawn Army, so we have to request help from the Rakshasa."

"Once we reach Hai Shan Wei, behave yourselves; the Rakshasa's military production lines are restored, and Hai Shan Wei is fully reclaimed, something far beyond our capabilities. When they ask for grain, medicine, or even women, offer them up without hesitation!"

Pang Yong from the Burning Corps tentatively asked: "What if they want land?"

Zhang Zhijian sneered: "Why do they need so much land now? The Rakshasa, with vast lands and a sparse population, already far larger than our Qin Han, only have a tenth of our population. Even Hai Shan Wei's city's population is less than one of our small cities, hence their quick reclaiming of Hai Shan Wei. They don't lack land."

"Even if they needed land one day... we'd still have to give it up. In these post-apocalyptic times, land is inherently unclaimed, naturally belonging to whoever has the bigger fist."

The group listened, nodding, although the words were harsh, they were true.

After understanding the Dawn Army's strength, their reliance was on the Rakshasa's support to confront them.

But this support came with a heavy price.

However, to defeat the Dawn Army, they were willing to pay the price.

Zhang Zhijian continued: "Have you heard? The survivors in Coal City have already unified. Now they use the Daqing Mountain Prison as a base and are expanding their territory, unlike us, still a loose alliance."

Wang Juan from the Women's Army asked: "Second Leader, even if Coal City is unified, doesn't their power just match ours in the Alliance?"

"They might, but I heard that in Ice City there's a large survivor group, whose leader has unbelievably strong personal skills, commanding over three hundred thousand people. Unifying Ice City might be just a matter of time."

Zhang Zhijian showed a bit of concern: "While others rapidly grow stronger, we still have this stumbling block, the Dawn Army. If we don't eliminate the Dawn Army and strengthen ourselves soon, we'll either be killed by zombies or annexed by others."

"Therefore, to eliminate the Dawn Army, I am willing to pay any price....."

During the conversation, the ship by the riverbank was finally freed.

The ship started its engine, and the Wangbei Army members said to Zhang Zhijian: "Second Leader, we can set sail now."

"Alright, follow me to meet Mr. Rikov."

The leaders of the Survivor Alliance boarded the ship, and the ship began to sail on the river.

During the journey, the captain introduced the river to everyone.

"Shenlong River is the largest river in the north, with a width of 3,500 meters and an average depth of 26 meters. The river is rich in aquatic resources, with giant salmon that taste delicious, but you must be cautious when crossing, as some aquatic creatures have mutated and may pose a threat to humans."

Just as he finished speaking, a colossal four-meter-long fish suddenly leaped out of the water ahead, appearing very striking under the sunlight.

"Watch out! That's a mutated catfish; these creatures can eat humans."

Everyone remained on high alert; although they were Evolvers, their abilities were greatly diminished in the water.

As the ship moved away, Wang Juan, feeling uneasy, remarked, "Such a big fish. If these Mutant Beasts ever attack humans, they might be even more terrifying than zombies."

"Indeed, there are far more animals in the world than humans. Even if only one-tenth of them mutate, it would be enough to overwhelm us."

"Let's hope zombies and Mutant Beasts never learn to collaborate."

This thought sent a chill through everyone; if zombies and Mutant Beasts became that intelligent, what hope would humanity have?

Let's hope that day never comes.

The ship pushed through the waves as it gradually approached the Rakshasa border.

On the shore, a lookout tower was manned by Rakshasa Soldiers who immediately called out loudly in their language.

The captain on this side began waving flags to signal and identify themselves.

Zhang Zhijian snorted through his nose, "Taking off pants to fart, what a redundant action. Aside from our Wangbei Army ships, no one comes here anymore, yet they do this every time."

The ship approached the riverbank, where a group of Rakshasa Soldiers was already waiting.

Among them, there were even Qin Han People who had originally worked on the Rakshasa side, survived the apocalypse, and became part of the Hai Shan Wei survivors.

As they traded with the Wangbei Army, this Qin Han person became the translator.

"Ha ha! Second Leader, you're here."

"Yes, our Alliance leaders are all here."

"Welcome, welcome. On behalf of Mr. Rikov from Hai Shan Wei, I welcome you all. We are compatriots. My name is Meng Jie, but you can call me Xiaojie."

After the greetings, Meng Jie said, "Everyone, I apologize, but you need to leave your weapons behind before entering the Hai Shan Wei with me; it's the rule."

The leaders of the Survivor Alliance handed over their weapons and then followed Meng Jie into the vehicles.

Four armored assault vehicles were already parked onshore, looking brand new.

Everyone exchanged glances, feeling that the trip was worthwhile.

Indeed, the Rakshasa have reclaimed Hai Shan Wei and achieved great success in establishing an armament factory; even armored vehicles can be mass-produced now.

The vehicles left the dock, speeding along the highway, and entered Hai Shan Wei.

The city's population wasn't even two million, with just over a million zombies. The Rakshasa took a month to completely rid Hai Shan Wei of zombies, making it the first city to return to human hands that they knew of.

The pristine snow covered the bloodshed, and the place seemed not very different from before the apocalypse.

Only the streets were very empty, as most of the city's population now lived near the city hall.

The armored vehicle continued deeper, and after a while, defensive fortifications appeared ahead.

The wall was four meters high, with a thick, heavy iron gate guarded by fully armed soldiers.

After seeing the armored vehicles, the iron gate opened, and they passed through the wall.

Inside was the residential area.

On the streets, there were even people doing business, trading various goods and materials, all through bartering.

To them, it all felt fresh since the Survivor Alliance hadn't reached this stage. Survivors there knew nothing but lining up for porridge after work each day.

The convoy arrived at the city hall, stopping at the square.

"Gentlemen, we're here, please disembark."

Zhang Zhijian and his group got out of the car, and their eyes lit up instantly.

They saw two brand new tanks parked on the city hall square!

Though they were light tanks, they had clearly been recently produced.

The paint on them hadn't even fully dried.

The purpose of displaying them here was clear: to intimidate the Survivor Alliance.

But without a doubt, the effect was surprisingly good, immediately giving the Survivor Alliance hope.

Where there's production, there's mass production, and these ambitious Alliance leaders were filled with hope.

No matter the cost, they must procure!

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