CHAPTER 199: CHAPTER 197: AZU’S AMBITION

The power outage in the city had a significant impact, but the culprits behind it were not affected at all.

Although Azu had previously met with his subordinates and Secretary Li in the city, in reality, the stronghold where he and his men were based was outside the city.

The stronghold controlled by Azu was quite a distance from the city. Although it was in the same region as Chen Xin’s shelter, it was even farther from the city, just a small village-level shelter.

Shelters like these were not rare. Even though they were all built within three months before the disaster struck, considering the small population in villages and towns, the construction of such temporary shelters was not particularly massive. Therefore, at that time, the government of Flame Country built quite a few of these small shelters in various villages and towns.

These shelters were not large, nor were they built deeply. Most were simply large pits dug about ten meters deep, with small bunkers built inside that could accommodate a few hundred people, followed by refilling the soil to form a layer about twenty meters thick.

Although simply constructed, they were sufficient for three to five hundred people to take refuge for a short time.

After all, these shelters were only intended to withstand the flames, low temperatures, and other secondary disasters brought by the apocalypse, not to resist nuclear or conventional missile strikes. They did not need to reach the high defense levels of military fortifications.

However, such small shelters naturally had their disadvantages. Due to the limited space, they couldn’t have dedicated greenhouses or comprehensive living facilities like larger shelters. Additionally, because of the constrained area, the living conditions for survivors inside were far from comfortable.

This shelter was not one that Azu and his men had seized; it was the shelter of the village where their families and relatives originally resided.

Azu’s group did not just appear out of nowhere, nor were they mindless lunatics.

Azu and his closest brothers were locals, but in their youth, they were hotheaded and reckless, known in the local dialect as "zao (cao) zi," individuals who did not study well and hung around aimlessly.

Azu’s parents died when he was young. Although he was raised by his second uncle, who was already a civil servant in an agency under city administration and had little time for him, he ended up becoming a street thug.

However, Secretary Li, who at the time had a certain status and connections, arranged for Azu to join the army for Azu’s own good.

Even in the military, some of Azu’s bad habits persisted, and after two years of service, he returned to the city and remained idle without a proper job.

Unwilling to see Azu continue down this path, Secretary Li introduced Azu to a friend doing business in Yunnan Province, hoping Azu would learn some skills.

Thus, Azu followed Secretary Li’s friend to Yunnan Province.

As for how Azu became a mercenary and made a name for himself with a group of brothers in Southeast Asia, it was simply due to individual encounters and opportunities.

Originally, Azu and his brothers were doing quite well in Southeast Asia, helping local warlords with battles, training troops, and living a carefree life. They never even regarded the regular armies of several local countries seriously.

Though they couldn’t defeat them, the regular armies couldn’t do anything to them, either.

Living such a life, although it offered no future prospects, seemed acceptable to them, considering they were mercenaries who might die at any time and had little interest in the future.

But, due to a chance encounter, Azu came into contact with a Doomsday Sect.

The core doctrine of this sect wasn’t complicated, emphasizing freedom and happiness. At first glance, there was nothing wrong with it, but their interpretation of freedom was quite twisted.

According to the sect’s doctrine, true freedom couldn’t be bound by anything; all morals, laws, and rulers were just shackles oppressing freedom. Only with the advent of the apocalypse, breaking all these restraints, could true freedom be attained.

To any sane person, such talk was utter nonsense. Absolute freedom doesn’t exist in this world because living in this world entails being influenced and constrained by other factors, making complete freedom impossible.

Moreover, if you act on your whims, what about others?

For example, if you want to roll freely on the street, and someone else wants to freely speed down the street, without rules, someone is bound to run you over.

Thus, the existence of rules and constraints is essential. Unrestrained freedom would inevitably lead to destruction.

Yet to mercenaries, who are inherently lawless, this kind of talk resonated deeply with them.

As a result, Azu and his brothers began to believe in this Doomsday Sect, becoming increasingly reckless and disregarding even the regular armies in Southeast Asia.

Everything could have continued this way without incident, whether Azu and his men were eventually eliminated by the regular armies or decided to retire after earning enough money, or were lured by the Doomsday Sect into becoming cultists.

However, the arrival of a meteor disrupted everything. Under the threat of apocalyptic disaster, no country in Southeast Asia could control the situation, and everything descended into chaos.

With the collapse of order, it should have been the era of freedom proclaimed by the Doomsday Sect. However, the sect was merely a tool for the sect’s leadership to accumulate wealth, and under the true threat of the apocalypse, even the sect’s leaders fell into collapse.

Azu was obviously greatly disappointed by this situation and, after killing the sect’s collapsed leadership, found himself at a loss for what to do next.

Eventually, an old brother suggested returning home, giving Azu and his group a sense of purpose and direction. Using the money and connections they had accumulated over the years, they crossed the border into Flame Country through Yunnan Province and, after several twists and turns, returned to their hometown in Xiang Province.

Because Azu and his group had registered citizenship in Flame Country, and had not used their real identities in Southeast Asia, they presented as normal citizens returning from there, encountering no issues regarding their identities.

Additionally, having entered through official channels without carrying dangerous items, their entry into the country caused no trouble or waves.

Back in their hometown in Xiang Province, even these lawless mercenaries became much more disciplined before the apocalyptic disaster, creating no trouble or unrest and smoothly entering the small hometown shelter.

As previously mentioned, the living conditions in such small shelters were far from good. Initially, due to the threat of disaster, this group was able to endure, but as external conditions stabilized and living conditions worsened, certain thoughts began to grow in these mercenaries’ minds.

Using methods learned from the Doomsday Sect, Azu and his group started spreading the sect’s teachings within the small shelter. Through familial connections, they quickly turned the hundreds of people in the shelter into followers and spread their beliefs to several nearby village-level small shelters.

For these mercenaries, who had long operated in Southeast Asia, the chaotic world of doomsday was an ideal environment. Combined with the teachings of the Doomsday Sect, they easily gained a large number of loyal followers, with the elite being strictly trained and mentally controlled, becoming fearless elite "cannon fodder."

This is why, during the attack on Baling County’s Shelter No. 2 and City Hall Shelter, they were able to employ tactics like suicide attacks, for they had "death warriors" under their command.

However, cultivating these "death warriors" wasn’t easy, and if not for realizing his plans, Azu wouldn’t exhaust his subordinates like this.

Now that his basic objective was achieved, it was time to consider the next move.

"Old Four, how’s the situation with that shelter I’ve asked you to monitor?" Azu looked at one of his brothers and asked.

Old Four, responsible for intelligence and surveillance in their mercenary unit, replied to Azu’s inquiry about that shelter: "It’s pretty much the same as before, no significant changes. As I mentioned earlier, two female police officers live there, and they haven’t left much during this period.

Only a few days ago, when we made our move, a group came by. Later, they drove a modified vehicle that could run normally on snow. This technology is highly useful, and we should have it under our control."

After hearing Old Four’s report, Azu raised an eyebrow: "A vehicle that can run normally on snow? It seems that the people living in that shelter are quite remarkable! Our enterprise needs that person."

As mercenaries, even without understanding the technological intricacies of snow-driving, they knew what mobility meant in military operations.

"But that shelter isn’t easy to breach. I’ve seen its gates, and even with rocket launchers, it’s hard to get in. As long as they don’t open the door, we can’t touch them." Old Four certainly understood the significance of the shelter they were discussing, but the problem was it was indeed a tough bone to chew. Perhaps fearing Azu didn’t grasp it, he added, "We’ve been observing that shelter for months. They can produce a truckload of vegetables each month, proving they’re not worried about food and water. If we can’t breach the doors, they can outlast us."

"So, we must strike swiftly, seizing the opportunity when they open the door or go out, quickly attack, and control the people inside the shelter." Of course, Azu listened to Old Four’s analysis. "Even if they don’t know about the technical aspects of snow driving, they can’t possibly deal with my brothers and a group of trained death warriors."