In the early morning, as the bell for work rang out in all directions of the territory, numerous laborers, still sleepy-eyed, climbed out of their makeshift beds and streamed out of their dilapidated shelters, gathering into a crowd that dispersed towards various factories. Unlike their usual exhaustion, the extra hour of sleep and increased food rations seemed to have invigorated the majority, a glimmer of hope now evident in their eyes.
However, as they passed by the central territory where a certain ** was hanging high, their faces would suddenly turn pale, not daring to look any longer, and they would quickly move away.
In a certain corner, upon learning that Chen Chong had left the territory before dawn with a group of people, the five awakened ones - Zhang Long, Gu Jun, Qian Xu, Sun Yimao, and Wang Qianlie - gathered together in silence, gazing at the ** hanging from the gantry.
Zhang Long broke the silence first, hesitatingly asking, "What do you think...our leader is up to?"
"It's best we don't ask too many questions. That way, we might live longer," one of them replied.
Gu Jun shook his head, scoffing at himself, "What does it matter, whether it's the Blood General or this new leader? As long as we can survive, being a dog to anyone is the same, right? From what I've seen, this new leader is much more merciful than the Blood General. That's a silver lining in our otherwise grim situation, isn't it?"
The other four present fell silent.
Indeed, in this world, only by aligning with the strong could one survive. They were well aware that without a Transcendent to protect them, their settlement would be unable to withstand the constant threats and would fall apart in no time.
Looking up at the gruesome ** of the once-feared Blood General, Sun Yimao sighed, "The notorious and powerful Blood General ends up like this. Life is unpredictable. I wonder if he ever imagined that he would die at the hands of our new leader?"
"Who knows?" Qian Xu exhaled, his eyes still filled with fear and disbelief. "I've been thinking about it all night, but I still can't understand."
Actually, it wasn't just him; the other four had also spent the entire night tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
Unlike the ignorance of the other lackeys and laborers, each of them was acutely aware that Chen Chong's sudden display of extraordinary power, which had swiftly killed the Blood General, was not just due to a surprise attack. The immediate defeat of Tie Shan and Li Bao was proof enough that Chen Chong's strength had reached the level of a Transcendent!
This was the fundamental reason why they had no intention of resisting, and also the aspect that left them utterly perplexed. With their knowledge and understanding, they simply couldn't comprehend how Chen Chong could rise so rapidly from an initial awakener to a Transcendent.
Could it be that Chen Chong had been deceiving everyone from the start?
As the five of them remained lost in thought, the faint sound of an engine rumbled in the distance, followed by a commotion near the territory's entrance.
The new leader had returned!
Hearing the noise, Gu Jun and the others quickly came to their senses, exchanging glances before hastily dispersing.
They didn't want to risk being accused of conspiring by the new leader if they were found gathered together in private.
However, they hadn't gone far when several lackeys, panting heavily, ran to find them, delivering the message:
"Captain, the leader commands you to report to the manor immediately!"
...
"The leader is back, the leader is back!"
Under the gloomy clouds, the guards at the entrance shouted loudly as three off-road vehicles, trailing dust, entered the Crimson Territory. With everyone watching in awe, the convoy pulled up to the manor entrance, and Chen Chong stepped out of the vehicle and into the luxurious living room.
Having fought off several waves of ferocious radiation-mutated creatures along the way, he reached the abandoned service area mentioned by Tie Shan but found no message from Qiao Jun. Ultimately, he returned to the territory empty-handed.
Chen Chong didn't think that Tie Shan was deceiving him. The guards he brought with him were once direct subordinates of both Xue Jiangjun and Tie Shan, and they had followed Xue Jiangjun to the service area more than once, so they were familiar with the route. The lack of communication is likely because the Chenxi Gathering Ground hasn't officially taken action yet; all we need to do is wait patiently.
For Chen Chong, despite his desperate desire for a bloody revenge on the base, his cultivation time has been too short, and his current strength is far from being able to ignore everything. Therefore, without the Chenxi Gathering Ground taking the lead, he would never act as the vanguard.
Thinking of this, Chen Chong returned to his cultivation room, took out two maps, and spread them out on the table for careful comparison.
One of them was, of course, the map he brought from the base and handed over to Xue Jiangjun, while the other was found in Xue Jiangjun's study.
Comparing the two maps, Xue Jiangjun's map was actually more detailed and comprehensive, clearly marking most of the ruins, resource points, and dangerous areas with radiation creatures within a radius of over a hundred kilometers of the Chihong Territory.
In addition to these, the map roughly indicated the directions of the other two survivor gathering grounds in a triangular formation, namely the Chenxi Gathering Ground and a more distant one called the Black Furnace Camp. The distances between them were at least a hundred kilometers apart. The closest to the base were undoubtedly the Chenxi Gathering Ground and the Black Furnace Camp, less than 200 kilometers away.
In Chen Chong's view, if the Chenxi Gathering Ground wanted to forcefully attack and take the base, they needed a small but elite force and must deploy vehicles. Before taking formal action, they would inevitably send out an advance team to explore the safest route through the wilderness, which would be the least costly method.
"Leader, the five captains are waiting in the living room."
At this moment, the housekeeper's voice sounded outside the door. Chen Chong put away the maps, left the cultivation room, and went to the living room, where he saw the Bone Army and four others standing respectfully and waiting.
Chen Chong sat down on the tiger skin chair with a grand gesture and looked at the five of them: "I ask you, how much do you know about the Chenxi Gathering Ground?"
Until now, the Bone Army and the other four awakened ones still didn't know about the base. It was probably because Xue Jiangjun didn't reveal any information to anyone other than his confidant, Tie Shan, to avoid leaks. However, Chen Chong also didn't plan to let them know at the moment. Most of his understanding of the Chenxi Gathering Ground came from Lin Kun, and he needed to learn more.
The five of them exchanged glances, although they didn't understand why Chen Chong asked this question, they immediately answered:
"Leader, the Chenxi Gathering Ground has nearly twice the population of our area. Their leader, Dragon Eagle, is also a transcendent who has activated his gene lock, and he has more than a dozen awakened followers with varying strengths. Their overall strength is very powerful."
"Moreover, they have many skilled craftsmen and several precision lathes, so their weapons and equipment are a notch better than ours."
One transcendent, a dozen awakened ones... their overall strength is indeed far stronger than that of the Chihong Territory, and taking the base would not be difficult.
Chen Chong's eyebrows raised, and an idea flashed through his mind as he continued to ask:
"How much do you know about Dragon Eagle's strength?"
What does this person want to do?
The five of them felt a slight jump in their hearts, and the Bone Army thought for a moment:
"Dragon Eagle is a legendary figure with extraordinary strength and tactics. He single-handedly established the entire Chenxi Gathering Ground and has an extremely high reputation. Although I have not seen this person myself, I have heard that Xue Jiangjun once encountered Dragon Eagle in the wilderness and seemed to have suffered a considerable loss, which has stuck in Xue Jiangjun's mind. Judging by this, Dragon Eagle's strength should be stronger than Xue Jiangjun's!"
Stronger than Xue Jiangjun... So Dragon Eagle might be a transcendent with a mid-level life field. But it's unknown who is stronger between him and Dirith.
Chen Chong immediately had an idea in his mind and waved his hand:
"Alright, you may go now!"