Chapter 44

Li Wanshan's eyes flashed with a hint of emotion; the punishment Cheng Yang mentioned seemed far too light to him, considering it was a matter of a human life. However, Li Wanshan did not know that in the apocalypse, human life was the least valuable.

Cheng Yang then said, "Now that this passage has been opened, entering Xiangcheng City will no longer be difficult. However, Xiangcheng City is not entirely peaceful, and we need to discuss our plans first."

Next, Cheng Yang had the deputy leaders of each team gather all the combatants to rest on the spot, while he, Yu Kai, Liu Hao, and Li Wanshan walked to one side for a brief meeting.

Yu Kai said, "Yangzi, do you have any understanding of the situation inside Xiangcheng City?"

Cheng Yang replied, "I wouldn't say I understand it, but I can guess a few things. The military has already occupied the main city of Xiangcheng, but their number of combatants is not yet large. They are likely still active around the main city, and the rescue efforts for the entire city have just begun."

Yu Kai frowned and said, "The main city you mentioned is similar to our Luofeng Village, right?"

Cheng Yang nodded and said, "Exactly. The main city of Xiangcheng is currently only about four to five square kilometers in size, with less than ten thousand soldiers inside, and the other civilians should not exceed fifty thousand."

Yu Kai's eyes lit up, and he immediately said, "Yangzi, why don't we take over the main city of Xiangcheng?"

Cheng Yang rolled his eyes and said, "You make it sound easy. Although the number of people who have changed professions in Xiangcheng is not many, it is still more than our two hundred or so people. Besides, the military still has a lot of guns and cannons, which pose a significant threat to you."

Yu Kai's face fell, and he said, "What should we do? If the military finds out about our existence, they will not tolerate a place like Luofeng Village. Even if they don't destroy us, they will bring us under their control. With their strength, how can we fight them?"

Li Wanshan immediately said, "Then we will enter quietly without letting the military know about our existence. Once we rescue our families, we will return to Luofeng Village and focus on enhancing our strength."

Cheng Yang said, "Old Li, what you said is exactly what I was thinking. As long as they don't know about Luofeng Village, we will have a month to develop, and we will no longer fear the military power of Xiangcheng. You are all people I trust, and I can be clear with you: I don't want my future to be in the hands of others. Since I have taken over Luofeng Village, I have no intention of giving it up. If you stay in Luofeng Village, you can achieve great things. But if you go to the military, what prospects do you have? Think about it."

Liu Hao smiled and said, "I won't say much more, but the four of us are determined to follow you. I don't know about the others, but I am clear on one thing: if I want to save my family in the future, relying on the military is impossible. They won't go to great lengths for someone like me. Kai, what do you think?"

Yu Kai's smile carried a hint of bitterness, and he said, "I have the same thought, hoping that my family can survive this disaster."

Although they had called their families as Cheng Yang instructed, this only gave them a better chance of survival. If they could enter the light curtain immediately after the earthquake, it would be a huge opportunity for them, and their chances of survival would be much greater. However, if they didn't manage to enter the light curtain during that time, they would not have a significant advantage over others.

Li Wanshan also said, "My lord, you understand my thoughts. I have lived a mediocre life so far, but if I have this opportunity in the second half of my life, I will make it a grand one."

Cheng Yang nodded and said, "Since that's the case, let's plan our next move."

He paused and continued, "If we all go into Xiangcheng City, our target will be too large and easily draw attention. I suggest we select the members whose families are in Xiangcheng City to go with us four. The rest will return to Luofeng Village under the leadership of the deputy leaders, responsible for clearing the monsters around Huimin Town and Luofeng Village. What do you think?"

Li Wanshan and the others exchanged glances and all agreed.

Cheng Yang then said, "Old Li, I estimate that most of the people whose families are in Xiangcheng City are the drivers and laborers you brought. A small portion of the people we rescued from Huimin Town might also have family in Xiangcheng. After gathering everyone, you will be responsible for compiling the possible locations of their families. Although the houses in the city have been destroyed, due to the threat of the mutated beasts, most people will stay near their pre-earthquake locations and won't move too far away."

Li Wanshan nodded and said, "My lord, rest assured, I will compile this information."

Yu Kai suddenly asked, "Yangzi, how long will we stay in Xiangcheng City? Will we return to Luofeng Village at night?"

Cheng Yang said, "We will definitely return. The specific time will depend on how many people we rescue, but it won't be later than 6 PM."

Yu Kai and the others understood Cheng Yang's decision, which was to maximize the efficiency of upgrading the territory. After all, only Cheng Yang and Li Wanshan could upgrade the territory statue, and now both needed to go to Xiangcheng City, so they would naturally need to return at night.

After that, Cheng Yang and the others dispersed to gather information on the combatants in their teams, separating those whose families were in Xiangcheng City. The remaining members were led back to Luofeng Village by the deputy leaders.

The only issue was with Li Wanshan's team, as his deputy leader was one of the drivers who also had family in Xiangcheng City. In this situation, Li Wanshan temporarily appointed a combatant as the leader.

The overall leader of the team returning to Luofeng Village was Zhao Chuan. After a few days of interaction, Cheng Yang trusted him. Of course, with such a large team, Cheng Yang could not leave all decisions to Zhao Chuan; the deputy leaders of the other teams also had some decision-making power. Once they returned to Luofeng Village, the only person with the authority to temporarily allocate all teams was Niu Bing.

Although Cheng Yang's absence would not be long, these arrangements were necessary. In the apocalypse, unexpected situations could arise at any time, and if the command was chaotic, the entire team could be lost.

After Zhao Chuan led everyone into the northern forest and disappeared, Cheng Yang turned to look at the people in front of him.

There were now thirty-one people left, plus Cheng Yang and the three others, making a total of thirty-five.

Cheng Yang stood in front of the team and said seriously, "You all have family in Xiangcheng City, right?"

"Yes!" everyone answered in unison.

Cheng Yang said, "I understand your feelings. The main purpose of opening this passage is to go to Xiangcheng City and rescue your families."

"Thank you, my lord," one person in the team said, leading the others to express their gratitude to Cheng Yang. Among them, some clever people took the opportunity to show their loyalty.

As for how sincere these people were, Cheng Yang did not want to investigate. He never considered himself a natural-born leader who could make thousands of heroes kneel with a single roar. However, loyalty can be cultivated. As long as they developed a sense of belonging to Luofeng Village, the chances of them leaving would be much smaller.

Cheng Yang nodded with a satisfied expression and said, "I am honored by your loyalty. However, there are some things I must say about this mission."