Wasteland Commander-Chapter 380 - 71: News from Yuanjing

After entering August, all the feudal lords quieted down.

In the current situation, neither Ye Fan nor Zheng Jinnan could easily deal with the other for the time being.

Zheng Jinnan knew the strength of the Dawn Army and did not dare to act rashly, and it was much the same for Ye Fan.

Before the missile troops were equipped, attacking Jiangzhou would result in significant casualties for the Dawn Army, even if they won; Ye Fan didn’t want to do that.

After all, during the zombie siege, Jiangzhou’s performance wasn’t too bad. They brought out all sorts of secret weapons, which, though not very effective against zombies, were definitely formidable against humans.

As for others, they didn’t have the courage or strength to stir up trouble.

Everyone needed time to develop, so it was a rare period of peace.

As for zombies, they were not much of a concern either, although the horde entered Zhonghai and disappeared entirely, Dawn Island was surrounded by water on all sides, so there was no need to worry about safety.

At this time, Ye Fan could finally set off for the Western Region.

This time, there was no need to travel with a base car. Ye Fan had over 20 million in funds, and there was also a repair factory, so he could manufacture a base car after reaching the Western Region.

Since it was a lightweight expedition, not many people were needed. Ye Fan decided to bring only the Guard Company and travel in five Night Hawk helicopters.

Transport planes were faster, but landing was an issue. Without understanding the Western Region, Ye Fan did not dare to travel by transport plane.

Helicopters were a bit slower, but they were more convenient, and fueling wasn’t an issue. Ye Fan’s Commander’s Backpack could carry a lot of gasoline, which was enough to support a flight to the Western Region.

......

August 18th.

Ye Fan departed from Dawn Island, setting off for the Western Region.

Five Three-star Night Hawks were already on standby at Dawn Island Airport. After Ye Fan and his old subordinates from the Guard Company arrived, the planes took off.

On the plane, Director Shen reported the situation to Ye Fan.

"Sir, during this period, you asked me to collect information on the Western Region. I have done some preliminary sorting, hoping it will be useful in choosing your destination."

"Hmm, let’s hear it. Since we started, we’ve been operating in the northeastern region and then moved to the eastern region. We know almost nothing about the west, so we need to understand it."

"Yes, sir. According to your instructions, we learned a bit about the Western Region from some civilian survivors."

Director Shen cleared his throat and began the formal report.

"In our Qin Han Empire, the major population centers are concentrated in the southeastern region, but there are also large cities in the west, with our capital, Yuanjing, being the foremost."

Hearing the name Yuanjing, Ye Fan felt the name had a sense of history.

It was the capital of the Qin Han Empire, located in the central-western region, the second-largest city in the nation by population, second only to Zhonghai, and a massive urban cluster with a population exceeding 500 million.

However, after the apocalypse, people living in the northeastern and eastern regions had not heard any news from Yuanjing.

It was very far away, nearly ten thousand kilometers from Dawn Island, with mountains and waters in between, and communication was cut off, making it very difficult to obtain news from there.

Even when televisions became available, no base city could achieve national TV signal coverage, so naturally, people didn’t know what happened to Yuanjing.

The Qin Han Empire originally had an emperor, but after the apocalypse, the term emperor felt both foreign and distant, and the imperial family members had all disappeared, allowing someone like Zheng Jinnan, a Grand Duke of the Empire, to become orthodox.

Among all the known figures, Zheng Jinnan held the highest status.

Occasionally, adventurers from afar mentioned that after the apocalyptic meteor shower, the imperial emperor mutated, and most members of the imperial family also mutated.

Apparently, only one or two remained, but the specifics were unclear.

Now, Shen Ruihui had compiled some information, giving Ye Fan a bit more understanding.

"Sir, according to some adventurers, when the apocalypse broke out, the Imperial Capital fell almost immediately. The Empire’s Capital Guard was heavily bombed by the meteor shower, with few survivors. Only the Second Prince and the Little Princess survived, escaping from Yuanjing City with the help of remaining soldiers, heading west."

"This group of adventurers provided only this information. I also found another group of adventurers who, during their exploration of the Western Region, encountered a group of refugees. One of the refugees informed them that after the Second Prince and Little Princess escaped, they established a survival base in the Empire’s west, named Yuanjing Base City. Due to having imperial legitimacy, many people in the Western Region chose to go there, making it the largest survival base in the Western Region, with a population close to thirty million."

Ye Fan showed some interest upon hearing this: "Oh, such a large base city? Then shouldn’t the Second Prince have inherited the throne, given that it’s necessary during an apocalypse?"

"This was also mentioned by the refugee, but it seems he did not inherit the throne. With two imperial descendants present, and given that the Empire has had empresses before, the Little Princess also has a right to the throne. The Second Prince doesn’t have a very good reputation, and there are many supporters of the Little Princess. It seems there are some internal disagreements, so it’s not been decided who will become emperor."

Ye Fan reminisced for a moment; in this internet age, the imperial family was not so mysterious.

Even royal family members frequently appeared in public, and some even casually livestreamed.

Both the Second Prince and the Little Princess were known to him. The Second Prince Su Jing was a super-rich second-generation, not considered the intended heir by the emperor before the apocalypse. He spent his days indulging in eating, drinking, playing, flying eagles, walking dogs, and getting into fights, making him the leading playboy of the Empire.

Of course, the Little Princess, Su Qiao, couldn’t be the heir to the throne, but her reputation was extremely loud.

As the most beloved princess of the Empire’s Emperor, Su Qiao was almost a perfect little girl, not only incredibly beautiful but also very smart, and she loved music and dance. Before the apocalypse, a dance video she posted at the age of fifteen on her social media instantly gained over a billion followers. Known as the Pearl of Qin Han, even Ye Fan followed this little girl’s social account when he was in college.

It’s not an exaggeration to say there was some unrequited affection; the entire Empire was filled with people secretly in love with Su Qiao.

If charm was the measure, the Little Princess Su Qiao was far more popular than the Second Prince Su Jing, a hundred times over.

But that was before the apocalypse.

After the apocalypse, everything must have changed.

No longer restrained by the Emperor, anyone could have the right to inherit, wouldn’t that naturally lead to disagreements?

Ye Fan thought for a moment and said, "To become emperor, you’d need the Imperial Seal, are there any leads on that?"

"That’s unknown. After all, those refugees aren’t important figures and can’t possibly know much."

Ye Fan asked again, "Do you know the specific location of the new Yuanjing base city?"

"I think it’s near Bihai Lake, because the survival of so many people can’t do without a water source, so they moved over there."

Ye Fan knew of Bihai Lake, the largest water reservoir in the entire Empire, almost comparable to a small ocean. It’s not surprising Yuanjing is located there.

"Alas! There’s no dynasty that lasts a thousand years. Even if the Qin Han Empire restores the Imperial Family, this country isn’t the same as before; its decline is almost inevitable."

Ye Fan sighed, "But that has little to do with us now. We need to rush the establishment of the satellite launch center. Jiangzhou is making frequent moves over there; we don’t know what means they’ve used to gain support from countries worldwide. If we don’t act quickly, they’ll certainly become our rivals. Has the location for the satellite launch center been selected?"

"It’s been chosen, initially between Jiucheng and Xichang. After discussions, everyone thought Xichang was better because Jiucheng is closer to Yuanjing Base City."

Ye Fan nodded, "Indeed, we should avoid getting too close to Yuanjing at this time. It’s not that we’re afraid of them, but those who claim legitimacy always consider themselves superior, and they’re quite annoying."

Shen Ruihui nodded in agreement. In the eyes of these Red Alert officers, they didn’t care about the Empire; Ye Fan was their sole superior and sole loyalty.

The helicopter formation began flying west along the designated route.

After the Night Hawk helicopter upgraded to Three-Star, both endurance and speed far surpassed ordinary helicopters. Even encountering mutated birds in the sky, none could typically catch up with them.

Even for the occasional fast-flying mutated bird, it was unlikely to pose a threat to the helicopter, so safety wasn’t a concern.

The journey to the Western Region was too long, and nightly rest was needed, so the helicopter flew for two full days before reaching the west.

On the morning of the third day, Ye Fan saw a golden river below from the airplane.

That was Qin Han’s second-largest river, also called the Gold River, a river over ten thousand kilometers long.

They flew along the Gold River for a while and gradually arrived at the former Yuanjing area.

Like Zhonghai, Yuanjing was a mega city group occupying tens of thousands of square kilometers, formerly the most prosperous place in the Empire.

Even though he was prepared in mind, Ye Fan’s heart still sank upon seeing Yuanjing.

The core of the former Empire was now riddled with scars.

Upon reaching the edge of the city group, one could see all sizes of meteor craters.

Ye Fan had been in the Divine Dragon Province for a long time and had seen many meteor craters but nowhere as densely packed as here.

Ye Fan didn’t know what places those meteors destroyed, but he knew the remaining ones were mostly civilian facilities with little value.

As the plane flew near the city, he could even see zombie hordes wandering within it.

Though the apocalypse had long passed, the hordes inside the city were still massive and daunting, giving a sense of an endless fight when viewed from above.

Opening the portable radar, he couldn’t see any green signals, only red and purple everywhere.

"Ultimately, it has declined. The losses brought by the apocalypse were too great, especially in the Western Region; apart from cities overrun by zombies, it’s a state of desolation for miles."

Ye Fan felt a bit sentimental and urged the plane to accelerate.

About two hours later, they flew past the old site of Yuanjing’s city group, entering the even more desolate west.

Below had entered the endless Gobi terrain, and in just over an hour, they would reach their destination.

Just as Ye Fan thought they would reach the scheduled destination smoothly, suddenly the pilot reported.

"Commander, approximately seven kilometers ahead, there’s a vehicle running in the desert, with other vehicles chasing behind. They’re in combat!"