Wasteland Commander-Chapter 391 - 82: What Do These Survivors Mean?

Throughout Qin Han, everyone knew a civil war was coming, but few knew where the first shot would be fired.

Currently, the situation in each base city was relatively stable, and people had temporarily put aside the threat of zombies. They became military commentators, making various predictions about the impending war.

Who would attack first, who would defend, and where would the first attack take place? Opinions varied.

Some said it would be at Dawn Island, others said Jiangzhou, some said Qi Lu Province, and others said Dawn City.

But most were wrong; the first battle erupted at the harbor of Jiangnan Base.

On the night of September 23, the harbor of Jiangnan Base suffered a sneak attack by sea monsters.

Countless giant octopuses emerged from the water, using their massive tentacles to wrap around the ships docked in the harbor.

The giant octopuses were terrifying, their enormous brute strength overturning the ships.

The scene from Shanshen Country played out once again, with nearly all of the over 200 ships collected by Jiangnan Base being pulled underwater within two hours.

Jiangnan Base had made adequate air defense preparations, but they were of little use at the moment.

Only the coastal defense troops attempted to attack with guns and cannons, but these weapons were ineffective against the underwater octopuses.

Mere superficial wounds didn’t affect them at all, and countless troops on the shore could only watch as the ships perished and sank into the sea.

This event was met with ridicule by the people of Shanshen Country.

The people of Shanshen Country believed that those at Jiangnan Base lacked crisis awareness. Despite having suffered once before and being warned before the battle, they still failed to learn their lesson and underestimated the Dawn Army, resulting in a painful price.

It should be noted that it took more than twenty days for Jiangnan Base to gather those ships, and now the nearby waters were almost stripped bare. It would be extremely difficult to gather more, making it impossible to participate in this war drama.

No one believed they could cross the zombie-infested Zhonghai, as it was a forbidden zone for humans.

......

"Major news! Major news! The Dawn Army is confirmed to have a mysterious octopus unit, which deployed again and dragged all of Jiangnan Base’s ships into the sea!"

"The miraculous Ye Fan and the amazing Dawn Army, how did they control the sea monsters?"

"The war has just begun, and the situation has reversed. What was a two-to-seven battle has now become two-to-six, and Jiangnan Base has been forced to withdraw!"

News reports played on the Dawn Island and Yuanjing TV stations.

This battle involved the Alliance of Su Qiao and Ye Fan against the seven-family Alliance. Before the battle, it was two to seven, and few had any hope for Su Qiao and Ye Fan’s side.

But the moment it started, Jiangnan Base lost its transportation, which would undoubtedly have a significant and far-reaching impact on the future of the war.

Almost everyone saw these news reports, even the zombie hordes in Zhonghai.

Inside the National Gold Mansion on the Bund, Hua Wushuang saw the news.

After becoming the Corpse King, Hua Wushuang’s face underwent some changes; she lost some of the innocent and naive charm of a young girl, gaining a colder, more aloof elegance. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Now, she was the Zombie Queen, an incredibly powerful one.

Upon seeing the news, Hua Wushuang wasn’t surprised because she had long known that Ye Fan had giant octopuses.

"So that’s indeed what happened. This way, the Dawn Army has gained an advantage, and their chances of winning are increasing."

After watching the news, Hua Wushuang approached the window of the National Gold Mansion and looked outside.

Below her lay the great bend of the Yellow Leaf River flowing through the city, Zhonghai’s most picturesque stretch.

The river flowed unchanging, and the banks were crowded with visitors, except these visitors were not alive.

Hua Wushuang felt a bit happy for Ye Fan, releasing a surge of spiritual power.

She often did this because constant manipulation helped train her spiritual power. Now, the number of zombies she could control alone exceeded fifteen million.

As her spiritual power spread, the nearby zombies were incessantly manipulated.

Gradually, she discovered that zombies and Mutated Birds within the surrounding area had all been controlled, and she still had surplus spiritual power.

Looking at the vast river, she had a sudden idea and directed her spiritual power into the water.

She could control the zombies and Mutant Beasts on land and the Mutated Birds in the sky, so could she control aquatic creatures in the river?

She sensed a three-meter-long fish swimming by and immediately exerted her spiritual power to control it.

No obstacles!

Success!

The over three-meter-long giant catfish swayed its tail a few times, sticking its head out of the water to blow bubbles in submission to the Corpse King’s control.

A smile appeared on Hua Wushuang’s face, and her spiritual power continued to expand.

Fish after fish leaped out of the river, their numbers increasing!

The smallest were over half a meter long, the largest nearly five meters, far surpassing the size of former freshwater species.

"If I can control so many fish, then I should also be able to control marine creatures."

Hua Wushuang recalled her past experience feeding Xiaoba and felt a bit intrigued.

Perhaps she should consider raising a few marine creatures in the river below to pass the time.

She wanted to find Ye Fan, but not now because Ye Fan was busy.

And she wasn’t sure in what capacity to meet him; she definitely couldn’t go as the Corpse King. If possible, she wanted to approach him as a human.

She had learned from Wang Huining that Ye Fan was somewhat mysterious.

He seemed to be able to determine the locations of zombies for precise strikes, but it was unclear how he observed this.

So she must make complete preparations; when she goes to Ye Fan, she absolutely cannot expose the identity of the Corpse King.

It’s best if Ye Fan doesn’t recognize her; she wants to start anew with him.

.....

"Report... report! Report to the leader, after the Dawn Army destroyed our sea ships, they indeed relaxed their supervision of us. Their aircraft carrier battle group even started heading north. The destination is unknown, but it has been confirmed that it is no longer on Dawn Island!"

"It worked!"

"They took the bait!"

Ma Guoxing and the envoy clapped excitedly indoors; the Dawn Army’s current performance clearly shows they don’t regard their Jiangnan Base as a threat.

They even arrogantly moved away their aircraft carriers, confident that our side doesn’t have the capability to launch a marine attack on Dawn Island in the short term.

The intelligence from Dawn Island is quite impressive, but they are not fools.

Those Jiangzhou ships were sent into the river early on, fearing the Dawn Army would discover our plot.

Now it seems the Dawn Army is truly oblivious.

"Ma Guoxing, now that the Dawn Army’s navy has left Dawn Island, there’s no time to lose; we must deploy our forces immediately."

Ma Guoxing nodded enthusiastically: "Good, the troops are all prepared. I will now have them board the ships and set off."

"Good. By the way, is the anti-radar coating installed properly?"

"Installed. Everyone knows the Dawn Army’s radar is formidable; how could I not make preparations? This time, everything must go flawlessly."

"Well done. Are the gasoline and flamethrowers prepared?"

"All prepared. The biggest concern when traversing Zhonghai is the Mutated Bird; flamethrowers and gasoline barrels are ready, and skilled soldiers are arranged."

"Very good. This time, with over a thousand ships on your side, we can transport a hundred thousand people at once. Once these hundred thousand people land on Dawn Island, the Dawn Army’s weapons of mass destruction will be useless. I will immediately inform the Duke and wait for your good news."

Ma Guoxing put on a military hat and saluted: "Please rest assured, Duke, I will personally lead the team and guarantee a surprise attack on the Dawn Army. As long as Dawn Island is taken, and Ye Fan’s stronghold is overturned, I believe the day you ascend the throne is near!"

Ma Guoxing has always been a dedicated follower of Zheng Jinnan; this time, the action is truly taking the lead.

The envoy nodded and personally saw Ma Guoxing out.

He escorted him all the way to the Jiangkou pier, watching Ma Guoxing board the ship as countless ships majestically departed Jiangnan Base, heading north.

Upon leaving, they would enter the Yellow Leaf River pathway, then cross Zhonghai, finally entering the Celestial River, directly heading toward Dawn Island.

The journey is expected to take around five days, with landing anticipated on October 3rd or 4th.

Currently, the situation at the central line is extremely tense; the Dawn Army is about to confront the forces from Mountain River Base and Huaihai Base, drawing everyone’s attention there.

Thus, Ma Guoxing’s actions are highly covert, and the envoy believes this surprise attack will undoubtedly teach Ye Fan an unforgettable lesson.

......

Ma Guoxing left Jiangnan aboard the ship, and after two days, he had entered the edge of Zhonghai Base.

A grand fleet of more than a thousand ships entered this largest earthly hell of Qin Han.

Seeing the ships approaching, countless zombies screamed from the shore, and Mutated Birds circled the skies.

Ma Guoxing sat at the ship’s bow, looking at the zombies on both shores without fear, even mocking them.

"Hahaha! For so long in the apocalypse, it’s my first time hearing the zombies’ voices; I find them quite pleasing. Listen, doesn’t it sound like a grand choir of countless people?"

"It’s just that the male and female voices are somewhat alike, and there’s an echo between the east and west banks, slightly disrupting the rhythm."

"Scream away, shout away! As mere walking dead, you have nothing else going for you, hahaha!"

Ma Guoxing was very excited, brazenly ridiculing the zombies from the ship.

Such trivial matters no longer interest him, but having been oppressed by Ye Fan, he is eager to achieve something of his own.

In the apocalypse, belittling zombies is common among Adventurers; those who do not fear zombies are true heroes.

Having participated in the Adventurer Squad, Ma Guoxing is well-versed in this.

Therefore, he is more excited than anyone on this journey.

After more than three days of sailing, they finally arrived at the most prosperous section of Zhonghai, the place where the Yellow Leaf River takes a major turn.

Ma Guoxing’s enthusiasm remained undiminished as he went to the bow to observe the zombies once more.

"Look, how neatly those zombies stand."

"Oh ho ho! Guess what I saw? Zombies are waving towels! Haha! How are they managing that?"

"Huh! Why are there lights in the buildings by the shore?"

The more Ma Guoxing looked, the more amazed he became, grabbing binoculars to inspect closely.

Upon close inspection, he was incredibly shocked!

Because right in this spot, he saw a large group of survivors!

Those survivors waved frantically at him, seemingly signaling him for something.

"Strangely enough, why are there survivors here? What is the meaning of them waving their arms at me so intensely?"

"Do they want me to leave quickly? To retreat? Or do they want me to rescue them?"

"They’re certainly imagining too much; I’m no saint. You can stay here and endure slowly."

Ma Guoxing’s lips curled into a cold smile, completely uninterested in meddling. Regardless of the survivors’ intentions, he disregarded them entirely.