Chapter 122: Crossroads of Alliances

Three days…

I’ll do my best.

Seeing that Yenir was so insistent, Wang Zheng hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing. Although the Military had already booked that shipment, the goods were still in their hands. If push came to shove, he could always claim they’d been hijacked.

When Chen Yong saw that Wang Zheng had agreed, he let out a sigh of relief and quickly added:

“Wang Zheng, don’t worry—I’ll leverage my connections. I’ll do everything I can to help you pull this off.”

After finalizing the amount, Yenir nodded and prepared to leave.

Staying in Zhenjiang was pointless now. All he needed was to wait until his attributes hit their peak, and then his trial would begin.

In his backup plan, Yenir even considered that if he couldn’t ‘snatch’ supplies from those seed vendors in time, he’d have no choice but to reveal his identity as a Second-Stage fighter!

Advancing so quickly, he could claim an SSS-Level Talent and even fabricate another talent by saying his Willpower talent boosted his skill power. Surely, with such a triple combo, the Military would pay him more attention.

Before leaving, it seemed Yenir had thought of something, and he suddenly spoke up:

“In the coming days, you all should pay a visit to the Tianfeng Security Zone.”

“Chen Yong, didn’t you mention that your father wanted to discuss some matters in detail with me? I’ll watch the situation over the next few days, and if the timing is right, we can arrange a meeting.”

Just as Chen Yong was about to see Yenir off, his eyes lit up with intense joy upon hearing these words!

Could this mean an alliance is in the works!?

Over time, he had often hinted to Yenir about joining their faction or lending his support. A mid-level Third-Stage fighter wielded far more deterrence than a few early Third-Stages. In his eyes, complete backing from Yenir might even propel his standing in the Military to the next level.

Until now, however, Yenir had kept quiet on the matter, as if he wasn’t interested in any collaboration.

“No problem!”

“Lord Ye Lin! I’ll immediately inform my father. Just let me know when it suits you over the next few days!”

Chen Yong replied eagerly, and as he watched Yenir’s retreating figure, he couldn’t help but clench his fist with excitement.

Excellent!

Nearby, Wang Zheng observed Chen Yong’s beaming face and felt a twinge of bitterness. Although the Merchant Guild was powerful, they had only one loyal Third-Stage fighter—the guild president’s trusted subordinate. The other Third-Stages were expensive hires with little more than nominal deterrence.

Even though Yenir had mentioned them, Wang Zheng dismissed it as mere courtesy.

After all, Yenir had clearly indicated he’d consider meeting with Chen Yong’s father.

There was a distinct nuance here—it wasn’t just a straightforward monetary transaction. Yenir’s move plainly signaled a desire to negotiate a deeper alliance!

Seeing his good friend look a bit dejected, Chen Yong flashed a hearty smile and patted him reassuringly on the shoulder.

“Brother Wang, look on the bright side! Just help Lord Ye Lin get this sorted out, and he might just lend you a hand!”

Knowing that his brother had long aspired to compete for the next head of the Merchant Guild, Chen Yong mused internally about how best to pull the strings.

………

Eager to return home.

Speeding along the road between Tianfeng and Zhenjiang, Yenir was in high spirits, though his thoughts drifted to his mother and little sister.

It was hard not to be excited—since his rebirth, barely over a week had passed, and he was about to reach Third-Stage.

There’s still plenty of time; everything can be salvaged!

He had his next moves mapped out clearly.

After reclaiming his First-Sequence Firebrand identity, he planned to contact several high-ranking figures from his former life in China, begin evacuating coastal survivors, and construct a final stronghold to resist the disaster!

A First-Sequence status certainly carried its weight.

But since the communications among those high-ranking individuals were all encrypted and untouchable without permission, he had even thought about approaching them on the day of his rebirth. With his foresight, it might have earned him their trust—but given his previously weak state and his inability to reach a few key figures, he had to let it go.

As he drew closer to Tianfeng, watching the fleeting wastelands pass by, a hint of doubt flickered in his mind.

The area he was in was, in fact, nearing the outskirts of several major pre-apocalypse cities.

Normally, the Tianfeng Security Zone would frequently deploy air units to patrol and prevent zombie hordes or mutant uprisings.

Yet for some reason, he hadn’t seen even a few stray patrols along the way.

Hadn’t he warned Xiao Hai? That during this period, a massive zombie horde would rapidly converge around Tianfeng, so caution was required.

Given the current situation, how was there not a trace of any preparation?

Perplexed, Yenir decided to quicken his pace.

In his estimation, it wouldn’t be more than a few days before that massive zombie horde attacked Tianfeng. With two Third-Stage Mutants among them, the Security Zone would face devastating losses.

He needed to find a way to catch Tianfeng’s attention…

Third-Stage fighters might handle individual threats, but a full-blown zombie horde was something he alone couldn’t fend off.

………

“Is this really Tianfeng?”

From two slowly descending helicopters, three Third-Stage Awakeneds stepped out nonchalantly, surrounded by a throng of Second-Stage fighters.

Observing that the Tianfeng Security Zone was a world apart from Zhenjiang, many couldn’t hide a hint of scorn in their eyes.

Especially when they noticed that among the people ‘welcoming’ them, there was only one Third-Stage fighter—Xiao Hai—with his accompanying Second-Stage soldiers hardly matching the top tier.

With such strength, do they really dare provoke Zhenjiang?

The air was thick with tension.

Zhenjiang Security Zone commander Yu Zhengwei fixed his gaze on Xiao Hai and got straight to the point:

“Commander Xiao Hai, you know exactly why we summoned you.”

“What? Is your Security Zone’s Third-Stage not stepping forward? Or have we got you instead?”

“How dare you seize our resources, yet lack the nerve to face us head-on!?”

With the aura of three Third-Stage fighters looming over him, Xiao Hai’s face turned pale as he forced a smile:

“Commander Yu, you must be joking. We in Tianfeng have only one Third-Stage fighter—there’s no one else.”

“I don’t understand a word you’re saying.”

“What? Is someone really bold enough to attack you?”

He looked genuinely surprised.

Xiao Hai had decided to play dumb and act as if he knew nothing. In truth, he was indeed being unjustly blamed.

Moreover, he was well aware that Tianfeng, having come over directly on the pretext of seizing targets, must have suspected that the mysterious individual wasn’t even one of theirs. In essence, it was just an excuse to target him!

With the two Security Zones being so close and clashing regularly over resources, Commander Yu Zhengwei wasn’t about to let such a perfect excuse pass him by.