Wasteland Commander

After a month, the Rakshasa people repaired their broken weapons, modified them, and assembled them with raw materials, finally fulfilling the Survivor Alliance's order.

This transaction was a delight for both parties involved.

The five tanks and twenty armored vehicles of the Wangbei Army comprised the largest order.

After all, Wangbei Army paid the most, offering crystals and steel.

The other groups weren't far behind; after Wang Dashan succeeded Pang Yong as the leader, he almost went broke to obtain two tanks and five armored vehicles.

Each of the other groups secured one to two tanks with several armored vehicles and other weapons.

The main forces are still the Wangbei Army and the Burning Corps.

They not only purchased tanks but also a variety of other weapons, such as heavy machine guns, rocket launchers, and even portable surface-to-air missiles.

Because they heard about the Dawn Army having aircraft, though the specifics were unclear.

When the weapons arrived, the leaders of various forces gathered again at the Shenlong River Pier to meet with Rikov.

The crowd sat indoors at the pier, enviously looking at Rikov.

Even though the Survivor Alliance's strength had soared, the power of the Rakshasa's Hai Shan Wei still left a deep impression on them.

Rikov also followed the troops this time, bringing along some trusted aides.

Compared to the last time, Rikov's strength had improved significantly, but he still hadn't reached the level of a Level 2 Evolver.

Reaching Level 2 Evolver is indeed very difficult, as if there's a bottleneck between Level 1 and Level 2, trapping many strong individuals.

"Mr. Rikov, we owe our success this time to you."

Zhang Zhijian smiled at Rikov, his gaze drifting, looking at the beauty beside Rikov.

The Rakshasa are reputed for beautiful women, and as the king of Hai Shan Wei, Rikov naturally lacked no women around him.

However, Zhang Zhijian found the woman very beautiful, yet Rikov was somewhat indifferent.

He fancied a Qin Han woman, who joined Hai Shan Wei recently and was quite famous there, garnering many admirers.

Rikov was enchanted by her alluring beauty, wanting to win her over for himself.

But the woman was not one to be easily persuaded; she'd rather die than surrender. When Rikov tried to force her, she even attempted suicide, which made him hesitant.

Rikov could only slowly approach her, not knowing what charm she possessed to captivate him, a man known for strong self-control.

The woman's stunning conversation skills and extensive knowledge proved her extraordinary identity, making Rikov feel increasingly inseparable from her.

After much coaxing, there was finally some progress; the woman agreed to have dinner with him now.

He believed with a bit more effort, he could win her over shortly.

Thus, coming with the troops to Qin Han, his mind was somewhat distracted, thinking of resuming his pursuit of the beauty.

He wasn't overly concerned with Zhang Zhijian's flattering, as he came with another purpose.

"Mr. Zhang, gentlemen, our leader Rikov came mainly to see if you have the capability to deal with the Dawn Army. Mr. Rikov mentioned that since he has assisted you in weapon production, he doesn't want his efforts to be in vain. If you find yourselves at a disadvantage in battle, you are welcome to seek assistance from us, Hai Shan Wei, at any time. We can cross the river at any moment to help you resolve the Dawn Army."

Rikov's translator spoke eloquently, conveying Rikov's intentions.

The group quickly declined; if they could handle it themselves, they weren't eager to invite the Rakshasa into the matter.

But the translator did not relent, as this scenario was anticipated.

Currently, Hai Shan Wei's strength is formidable, and facing the Survivor Alliance or the Dawn Army alone, they deemed themselves advantageous.

However, handling both together proved to be more challenging.

Therefore, Rikov needed an excuse. Once the Qin Han people's internal strife was near its end, he planned to use this excuse to cross the river and seize the opportunity.

This way, he wouldn't have to bear the moral responsibilities, and could later annex the populations of the Survivor Alliance and the Dawn Army.

He currently lacked population. If he could absorb the population here in Huacheng, Hai Shan Wei's power would surge. With some armament, he could even attack the north.

This was Rikov's ambitious plan.

Hence, the translator persuaded, "Don't underestimate the complexity of the situation. Nothing is absolute. In case things don't go well, you should keep a backup plan. Thus, we'll station some people here at the Riverfront Pier. If the situation becomes unfavorable, you can always seek our assistance."

"If you win, we can simply withdraw. We'll station only a few dozen people, who won't affect anything. This is for your benefit. What do you think?"

The Survivor Alliance members looked at each other. In the end, Zhang Zhijian made the decision.

If they won, just expel them. If they lost, this card might actually come in handy.

"Alright, we agree."

Rikov's translator rejoiced, informing Rikov. Both parties signed a contract, allowing the Rakshasa to station troops on this side of the Shenlong River.

Then came the weapon handover; the Survivor Alliance members acquired their desired weapons.

Then Rikov returned to Hai Shan Wei.

The Survivor Alliance members brought their weapons back to their respective bases to familiarize themselves with their performance and operation, as the Rakshasa had instructed them.

Once these basic operations were completed, they would commence an offensive against the Dawn Army.

********

All actions of the Survivor Alliance were conducted in secrecy.

Back then, Zhang Zhijian announced over the broadcast to Ye Fan, giving him 72 hours to flee to another province, which has since become a source of ridicule for many.

People thought Zhang Zhijian was bluffing, all talk and no action.

But that was just the effect Zhang Zhijian intended.

To make the Dawn Army underestimate him; the more they underestimated, the better, so that when he suddenly attacked, he would catch the Dawn Army completely off guard.

They believed that the Dawn Army had no knowledge of their actions.

After the weapons were delivered back, the Wangbei Army began rapid armament.

All the old and worn-out firearms in the team were eliminated, and everyone was equipped with new-style gear, training intensively.

Not only the Wangbei Army, but several other units did the same.

Having received supplies, they couldn't claim to be on par with the regular army, but they were probably at the level of some of the chaotic armed forces of other countries before the apocalypse.

However, along with the training, they had one worry.

How to fight this battle against the Dawn Army?

Directly attacking Dawn City was the worst strategy.

They had all witnessed the city defenses of the Dawn Army, and the giant cannon was hard to contend with.

If they launched a massive attack, countless lives would be lost under the walls of Dawn City, which was something they did not wish to see.

Since the battle couldn't be fought in Dawn City, it was best to lure the Dawn Army out of the city.

Where should the battle take place?

How to lure the Dawn Army out of the city?

These were two difficult problems that constantly lingered in Zhang Zhijian's mind.

However, in the past few days, Zhang Zhijian had already come up with a plan in his mind.

He spread out a map that covered hundreds of kilometers around.

The distribution of several Survivor Alliances, the location of Dawn City, Huacheng City, Qinghe, Lin Hai, and the nearby Coal City were all included.

The distribution of mountains and rivers was all clearly marked.

Looking at the map, with his finger moving inch by inch, Zhang Zhijian had already selected the battle site.

From Dawn City, taking the main road led straight to Huacheng City.

Zhang Zhijian pointed to a location: Huacheng City Bank!

The bank was located in Huacheng City's South City District, neither in the busy downtown nor in the suburbs, moderately bustling, but not too remote.

The number of zombies in this district was not small, and ordinarily, Zhang Zhijian would never have thought of coming here, even if the team was armed, entering the South City District was basically suicidal.

But he knew one piece of information: the Dawn Army was collecting gold and silver.

They might be collecting gold and silver for industrial production, or jewelry to please women.

It could even be for minting coins, but that wasn't important; Zhang Zhijian didn't care.

As long as he knew this information, it was enough, and in the entire Huacheng City, the place with the most gold and silver, the bank vault would certainly be one of them.

Now, in the apocalypse, everything was ownerless; whoever could take it, it was theirs.

He now wanted to create a condition for Ye Fan, a condition where he had no choice but to act.

The Survivor Alliance had a large number of people who could attract zombies from various directions away from that area. Although this task was very onerous and highly dangerous, it was worth trying.

He wanted to create a false appearance, a pretense that the Survivor Alliance was going to take the bank vault.

He would pretend to inadvertently leak a bit of information through broadcasts, then send some survivors to spread the news, as long as it caught Ye Fan's attention, this task would be half-successful.

As long as the Dawn Army dared to leave the city and head to Huacheng City, they would fall into their ambush circle.

As long as they destroyed part of the Dawn Army, there was no fear Ye Fan wouldn't come to fight them desperately.

This plan was extensive and required close cooperation with other units, and a lot of people needed to act, attracting zombies, even at the cost of many lives.

Therefore, Zhang Zhijian's plan was very detailed, taking into account many unexpected events.

He prepared the detailed battle plan and then began secretly delivering it to each unit.

Throughout the process, he acted personally, without letting anyone else pass it along, to ensure the confidentiality of the operational plan.

All the strategic plans were set, and now as soon as the second snowfall stopped, they would launch.

The last place Zhang Zhijian went was the Burning Corps.

After receiving Zhang Zhijian's operational plan, Wang Dashan's eyes revealed a strong battle intent.

"Rest assured, Second Leader, this time our Burning Corps is willing to lead the charge and defeat the Dawn Army comprehensively!"

Zhang Zhijian appreciatively patted Wang Dashan on the shoulder.

He had every reason to believe they would win.

This time, after fully arming, the alliance's troop count had reached fifteen thousand.

Fifteen tanks, over forty armored vehicles!

Countless various weapons, and ample ammunition.

Along with at least five thousand people from Daqing Mountain Prison cooperating in combat, and the Rakshasa always ready to join in.

How could they not win?

After this battle, Huacheng City would be completely unified, wouldn't it?

Zhang Zhijian walked out of the Burning Corps' base, looking up at the sky.

A giant mutated eagle swooped through the air.

This stirred his emotions.

The Dawn Army was still in the dark, right?

By the time they figured it out, it would all be too late.