Wasteland Commander

Ice City North Base.

The arrival of survivor groups from all directions made Guo Zhun smile from ear to ear.

In his mind, expanding territory and gathering population is the definitive rule for strength in the apocalypse.

It's not like before the apocalypse now, with all kinds of industries; the industries are very singular.

All industries mainly revolve around livelihood, and the trading market can already meet most of people's needs.

Because of the singularity of industries, there's a lot of idle population, and joining the army has become the best choice for many aimless youths in the apocalypse.

Ice City Base is already the largest base in the province, with a population of over a million. Now, with survivors continuously arriving from various places, Guo Zhun calculated that the final population could reach about three million.

With these people, he could immediately reorganize a force of one hundred thousand, becoming the undisputed ruler within the province.

Standing on the twelve-meter-high wall of Jiangbei District for a while, Guo Zhun inquired of the adjutant beside him.

"Recently, there's still a block on the river surface, isn't there?"

This is also a concern for Guo Zhun, after all, Jiangbei District and Jiangnan District are separated by a Great River, and now the river surface remains frozen. He's worried about Mutant Beasts coming over.

After all, Mutant Beasts are also infectious; once the infection spreads, it will be hard to control.

"Don't worry, Chief, patrol and vigilance on the river surface have been ongoing. Recently, some stray zombies occasionally come over, but we've immediately killed them without causing any trouble."

"Hmm... occasional zombies coming over?"

Guo Zhun was slightly puzzled. If it's a habit for Mutant Beasts to wander, zombies generally don't wander aimlessly.

They only roam without purpose, and generally, the roaming distance isn't too far.

To cross the Great River and come here is indeed rare.

"Yes, just occasional, the kind that stumbles when walking, easy to take down."

Guo Zhun didn't think too deeply: "We're not bombing the ice layer now, right."

"We're not bombing it, Chief. The weather is still cold; if the ice layer is blown open, it'll freeze again within a day. It's too wasteful for the explosives, and the riverbank is too long, bombing a small section is meaningless."

Guo Zhun nodded: "Then pay attention to vigilance; with so many people arriving, the noise might alarm the zombies on the opposite bank. Keep everyone alert."

"Rest assured, Chief, I'll take care of it."

"Is the army ready?"

"All ready, eighty thousand troops, waiting for your command."

"Hmm, contact General Rikov for me, I need to talk to him."

A communicator immediately used the radio to contact Rikov of Hai Shan Wei.

But the frequency that usually connects quickly was silent today, with no response.

"What's going on with Rikov? We agreed to contact today to determine the specific time and plan of action. How can he drop the ball at a crucial time?"

Guo Zhun muttered to himself and immediately ordered someone: "Ask the TV station over there, any news from Hai Shan Wei TV Station today?"

The adjutant quickly sent someone to check, and after a while, returned with a grim face.

"Chief, something happened."

"What happened?"

"Hai Shan Wei TV Station has stopped broadcasting."

"How does stopping broadcasting mean something happened? It's common for signal issues during snowy weather."

"But... you'd better come with me and see for yourself."

Guo Zhun followed the adjutant back to his office, turned on the TV, and saw the TV station was replaying the recent news from Dawn TV Station.

"Latest news from our station, after a day and night of fighting, our army finally conquered Hai Shan Wei City. The battle annihilated more than fifteen thousand of Hai Shan Wei's troops, captured more than sixteen thousand, and only over a thousand escaped. Hai Shan Wei's leader Rikov was also captured in this battle."

"Currently, the entire Hai Shan Wei is under our army's control. Leader Ye Fan arrived at Hai Shan Wei City Hall today, telling the people of Hai Shan Wei to abandon fantasies, not to oppose the garrison, and not to provoke the garrison, or else face severe consequences."

"The more than twenty thousand Qin Han compatriots captured by the Rakshasa in Hai Shan Wei in previous days have been fully rescued. Here we warn some people in the country, whether before or after the apocalypse, actions selling national sovereignty cannot be tolerated, no matter who it is! Next, please watch the on-site interview report... ."

Following this, Lin Xiaona and others appeared on screen, recounting the events.

But by this time, Guo Zhun could no longer watch.

He only felt his head buzzing, unable to comprehend how Hai Shan Wei was taken by the Dawn Army in just over a day.

Could it be that the thirty thousand troops of the Rakshasa are so feeble? So vulnerable when faced with the Dawn Army?

But the news did not detail the course of the battle, only the outcome.

Among their warnings to certain people, there was no doubt they were referring to himself.

At this moment, Guo Zhun could even foresee that after this battle, many within the province would back Ye Fan.

Lin Xiaona's team, and quite a number of people from Hai Shan Wei, would undoubtedly join Dawn City. If any others join, there's no doubt that Ye Fan would become the main challenger to his dominance in the province.

Guo Zhun always regarded unifying Divine Dragon Province as his mission, and he absolutely cannot allow this situation to occur.

Though unaware of the battle details, he already had a profound understanding of the oppressive combat power of the Dawn Army.

"No, I can't continue to wait like this!"

"I must obtain a legitimate title, and quickly!"

Launching an attack on Dawn City is no longer realistic. Without Rikov's cooperation, relying solely on the current Liberation Army, Guo Zhun has no confidence.

Sitting there deep in thought for a long time, he called his adjutant over again.

"Did you finish filming the propaganda video?"

"It's in the process of being filmed; it will be organized in the next few days."

"Good, give it to me when it's done, and I'll take the propaganda video out on a trip."

The adjutant nodded in agreement, knowing that the leader planned to show this propaganda video to the Grand Duke Zheng Jinnan in the south.

The leader's greatest dream is to become an empire noble, to truly stand above others. Now it seems that this dream is encountering trouble.

The trouble stems from Dawn City over four hundred kilometers away, from that person called Ye Fan.

However, Ye Fan has no channels of contact with the outside world, and the outside has no understanding of the internal affairs of Divine Dragon Province. It seems Guo Zhun, the leader, doesn't want to wait for complete unification before proceeding with this matter.

As long as the leader can become a noble and obtain official recognition from the empire, the situation in the province will reverse.

With an official title, ninety percent of people will probably come to Ice City. At that time, Dawn City won't be able to turn things around.

......

With Guo Zhun's order, the production of the propaganda video was swift.

Two days later, a colorful propaganda video was freshly produced.

It includes the bustling construction sites in Jiangbei District, the display of food in warehouses, and the preparations for planting in the coming spring.

The nearby coal mines have resumed operations, with a continuous flow of coal being transported to Ice City.

Production lines for bullets, firearms, and even armored vehicles have been established, and Ice City can now achieve self-sufficiency in producing these items.

The arrival of a large number of survivors was also a propaganda focus. In the video, Guo Zhun claimed that the population of the Ice City Base had surpassed 4.7 million and was expected to exceed 5 million by the end of the month.

The video also prominently showcased the Songjiang Defense Line.

A Great River separated the zombie-infested Jiangnan District, making the Jiangbei District appear very tranquil.

People were laughing and living in peace, a scene of prosperity.

Amidst the fanfare of drums, a school in Jiangbei District reopened, with surviving children returning to the classroom.

The curriculum in the classroom had been considerably adjusted, including courses in wilderness survival, food identification and collection, zombie characteristics, and basic combat training.

After the propaganda video was completed, Guo Zhun watched it and immediately took a special plane to leave Ice City.

This time, he was going directly to Jiang City Base City along the Celestial River, which was established by Grand Duke Zheng Jinnan.

It's a gigantic base city with a population exceeding 5 million and an army of 500,000 modern troops.

Moreover, the noble status of Zheng Jinnan represents, to some extent, the higher echelons of the empire.

At that time, having him confer a title upon himself, promoting him to nobility, and then returning with the propaganda video.

When the new propaganda airs on the provincial TV station, the locals of Divine Dragon Province will undoubtedly be amazed.

Last time, things were disrupted by Ye Fan, but this time there would be no such unexpected events.

Then, in his new role as an Imperial Count, when he calls for unity, the locals of Divine Dragon Province will surely flock to Ice City, coming to his command.

Then, when Ye Fan is eliminated, the entire province, and even the formerly external Hai Shan Wei region, will come under his management.

The territories that Ye Fan painstakingly built will inevitably serve as a wedding dress for him.

With this determined mindset of victory, Guo Zhun boarded the plane, flying towards the south.

Traveling from Jiangbei District to the south, one must pass through Jiangnan District.

Guo Zhun was formerly from Jiangnan District, but he hadn't returned home in a very long time.

Jiangnan District has become a paradise for zombies, and it is estimated that the zombies and Mutant Beasts entrenched there number over a hundred million.

Initially, there were occasional survivors, but in recent months, there hasn't been a single survivor.

If not for the Great River's barrier, Guo Zhun wouldn't have dared to establish a base in Jiangbei.

As the plane flew over Jiangnan District, he looked down.

Below the plane, there stood a tall tower, over three hundred meters high.

This tower is called the Divine Dragon Tower, the tallest structure in the city, formerly the signal tower for Divine Dragon Province TV Station, also a great place for dining and sightseeing.

As the plane flew over, a large flock of Mutated Birds suddenly took flight from the top of the tower!

Each was enormous, with wingspans of several meters, numbering in the tens of thousands!

Seeing the plane pass by, these Mutated Birds came swarming towards the plane.

Frightened, the pilot made a steep ascent, narrowly escaping disaster.

Guo Zhun was also frightened into a sweat, and when they finally reached a safe altitude, he breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Too dangerous, the Mutated Birds have turned into social animals, a mixed group of various species. It seems best to stay away from Jiangnan District."

At this time, Guo Zhun was unaware that in the restaurant on the top floor of the Divine Dragon Tower, three pairs of eyes were staring intently at the departing plane.