Wasteland Commander

Guo Zhun's orders were issued, and the Liberation Army launched another operation.

Twenty thousand veterans, along with twenty thousand new recruits, set off from the Ice City Base once again, taking a detour. It's estimated that they will meet up with the team led by Guo Zhun at the Daqing Mountain Prison Base in three days.

This was also part of Guo Zhun's strategy. On the surface, a grand army of sixty thousand was dispatched, but secretly another forty thousand were concealed. At a crucial moment, these forty thousand would be thrown onto the battlefield, certainly achieving a surprise effect.

Perhaps this would be the last straw to break the back of the Dawn Army. Guo Zhun had great confidence in his troops.

Of course, he wasn't completely unconcerned about the horde of undead by the Riverfront.

For this reason, he specifically checked the temperature of the past few days.

The temperature had been steadily rising these days, and there were signs of ice thawing on the river's surface. According to past experience, the Songjiang River would be clear within three or four days.

Having confirmed this, Guo Zhun was completely at ease.

Even if the undead by the Riverfront were led by a Corpse King, once the river surface thawed, the Great River would become a natural barrier, and the horde would have no way to cross.

He simply didn't believe that in just three or four days, any major changes could occur.

Even if some changes did occur, he couldn't believe that his seventy thousand garrison troops in the city couldn't hold out for just a few days.

At this point, Guo Zhun believed everything was ready and finally began to proceed with grand military maneuvers.

.....

Inside the radar station of Dawn City.

Ye Fan calculated every possibility but didn't foresee that his call to Guo Zhun would have the opposite effect.

Guo Zhun not only didn't reinforce the Riverfront's defense but instead sent another team out of Ice City, suspiciously advancing by a detour, seemingly also targeting the Daqing Mountain Prison Base.

"Has this old bastard gone mad? Did he not investigate the movements of the undead in the Jiangnan District?"

Ye Fan couldn't believe Guo Zhun was so careless, but why did it end this way?

Now calling back was useless; Guo Zhun had no trust in him whatsoever, and he might even be using this to launch a surprise attack.

Still, Ye Fan was a bit curious. Guo Zhun dared to act this way, proving he believed the horde by the Riverfront was no threat.

An undangerous horde could only mean it was not led by a Corpse King. Scattered zombies, even in thousands or tens of thousands, would have no impact on a large base like Ice City and would only serve as cannon fodder.

"Could this horde be naturally formed without a Corpse King leading it?"

Ye Fan stared at the radar screen for a long time and quickly dismissed his idea.

A naturally formed horde couldn't gather in such numbers, but where was the Corpse King?

Ye Fan was puzzled, with an unsettled feeling in his heart, and he left the radar station.

Troubled, he had no mood to stroll in the Inner City District and planned to head back to the residence to feed Xiaoba.

Xiaoba had been feeling cooped up lately. Although every day someone broke the ice in its pool to prevent it from freezing, it was, after all, a marine creature, and in such a small pool, it couldn't do much.

Even having the War Bear stay to entertain Xiaoba couldn't lighten its gloom.

Only when Ye Fan visited would Xiaoba happily extend its big paw, as if asking for a hug, covering Ye Fan in its slime.

Ye Fan changed into a camouflage suit specifically for feeding Xiaoba, then went to the poolside.

Xiaoba immediately poked its mound-like head out of the water, extending its long tentacles.

While tossing meatballs to it, Ye Fan chatted with the guard responsible for feeding Xiaoba.

"How's Xiaoba's mood these days?"

"Reporting, Sir, Xiaoba has been much better recently because the pool's icing slowed down, and the temperature isn't as low. Xiaoba mainly isn't used to the cold weather; now that it's warming up, it's feeling much better."

"Warming up... the water isn't freezing..."

Thinking of this, Ye Fan suddenly realized why Guo Zhun could advance so recklessly.

One reason was the horde by the Riverfront lacked a Corpse King, and another was surely the warming weather.

As the weather warmed, the ice would melt, and the Songjiang River would likely thaw.

Once thawed, the horde threat would naturally disappear.

At that moment, Ye Fan didn't know if he felt a sense of relief or a bit of regret.

Both emotions may be present, feeling fortunate that the survivors in Ice City avoided a disaster, while also regretting that Guo Zhun was indeed lucky enough to escape again.

Why would God stand on the side of someone like him?

But it doesn't matter; with the spy satellite monitoring, Guo Zhun's movements are entirely under control, and Ye Fan is still confident of winning this battle.

He relaxed and continued feeding Xiaoba, and after a while, Zhuge Yunxue informed him that Logistics Officer Zhang Kunlin requested a meeting.

"Let him come."

Zhang Kunlin arrived at Ye Fan's residence and got straight to the point.

"Commander, shouldn't we prepare for spring farming? It's already April, and the frozen soil is starting to thaw; it's time to start, isn't it?"

Ye Fan glanced at him: "Have you prepared your seeds? Are your human resources ready?"

"Everything is ready. We've been collecting seeds for a long time. When the troops went out, they specifically scoured the surrounding agricultural supply stores and seed companies. We have a large number of seeds for crops like rice, corn, soybeans, sorghum, and wheat, and also seeds for economic crops like watermelon, and vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers."

"We've also prepared human resources. The newly established agricultural department has issued a plan. Currently, all land within the safety zone controlled by the Dawn Army belongs to the Dawn Army, but it can be leased to farmers for cultivation. Once you reclaim it, pay the land rent as per the regulations, and report it to the agricultural department, your land will be protected by the Dawn Army."

"However, if you reclaim it, you must cultivate it, or it will be considered illegal. Currently, the enthusiasm for farming within Dawn City is very high, with nearly 200,000 people registered to cultivate land. The activity of land division is very heated, and many people are fighting to cultivate more land."

Ye Fan laughed heartily after listening: "These people don't need to be like this. It's the apocalypse, and the population has decreased by more than 90%. Isn't there more land than we can cultivate?"

"Commander, that's not the same. Nobody dares to cultivate the land in the wilderness due to the many zombies. Only the land within the safety zone controlled by the Dawn Army is now in demand. Currently, the survivors in the city trust the Dawn Army greatly and move freely within the safety zone. Outside the safety zone, only those adventurers dare to venture out."

Ye Fan nodded: "Indeed, tell the survivors to maintain this mindset. Currently, we only have so much land. Within a hundred kilometers around Dawn City, it's basically fine. Beyond this distance is out of control, and we presently don't have a way to expand the safety zone. After all, Ice City is ready to attack us, so after dealing with Guo Zhun, the troops can then make some room to further expand the safety zone."

"Yes, Commander. We have already formulated a plan to recover the next county, just waiting for Guo Zhun to be dealt with to start."

"Good, then call on the survivors to start spring farming. Food cultivation is a major event. After harvesting, most of the grain will be purchased by our troops at market prices so that ordinary survivors don't lose money."

"Understood! I'll arrange it immediately then."

Zhang Kunlin turned to leave, but shortly after, he sent a message again, asking Ye Fan to come to the entrance of the core area.

Ye Fan didn't know what had happened and got up to go out.

The core area and Inner City District are separated by a ten-meter-high wall, and the core area has a crack generator, which automatically creates fog, making it impossible for outsiders to see inside the core area—even radar and satellites cannot detect it.

Therefore, the core area is off-limits to non-Dawn Army personnel, and even Ye Fan's parents have never been there.

Ye Fan came out and saw Zhang Kunlin talking to an old man at the gate of the core area.

"Elder Li, please don't keep pestering me. I've already reported to the Commander, who has allowed us to begin spring farming. Many excavators, loaders, tractors, and other farm machinery are ready. Once I give the order, the reclamation army will set out. You causing trouble here isn't helping the construction of Dawn City."

The white-bearded old man called Elder Li held onto Zhang Kunlin firmly: "You can't go, at least not for another half-month until spring sowing. If the spring freeze comes, the seeded crops might freeze to death."

"Is it really as severe as you say? There's no weather bureau now; can you still predict the weather?"

"Even though I can't see the satellite cloud map now, I've been in meteorology for so many years. Even without the cloud map, I can predict with about 80-90% accuracy. This year's climate is exceptionally cold, and if the spring freeze hits, there will be another freeze, which won't thaw quickly. It won't truly warm up until after April 20th, so the best sowing period should be around May Day, not now."

Zhang Kunlin continued talking with Elder Li, but the old man insisted on his point.

Ye Fan, listening not far away, suddenly had a thought.

Spring freeze!

Such events are indeed common in the north. When a spring freeze hits, it can cause significant damage to already sown crops, sometimes resulting in total loss.

This means a significant drop in temperature and, if this year's weather brings a spring freeze, it might be even more severe than in previous years.

Ye Fan immediately called out: "Zhang Kunlin, take the old man to the radar station and let him look at the satellite cloud map. Confirm his judgment, and if he stands by it, then follow his advice and delay farming."

The spy satellite can capture not just zombies but also the distribution of clouds within a 3,000-kilometer range, which indeed helps in determining the weather.

On receiving Ye Fan's orders, Zhang Kunlin immediately proceeded to execute without question.

At this moment, Ye Fan's thoughts turned to another matter.

Currently, Songjiang is somewhat thawed, which is Guo Zhun's reliance.

But if the spring freeze suddenly arrives, will the thawed Songjiang become a thoroughfare?

However, at this moment, Ye Fan didn't want to call Guo Zhun anymore.

He just felt that, in the end, the heavens weren't on Guo Zhun's side.