CHAPTER 848: CHAPTER 848: COUNTDOWN TO WAR

Jingalon Harbor.

Alliance Military Base.

Seated on the bench near the save point, Fang Chang was meticulously flipping through the Survivor’s Daily in his hand.

Due to matters related to the Baiyue Corporation’s business dealings, he returned to Dawn City early last month, and then went to Ideal City for some Long Moon Group business, only making his way back to Jingalon Harbor last night after several transfers.

He had been following the situation in the Poluo Province region on forums, even offering some immature advice to newcomers involved in the events.

Still, to better understand the local situation, he followed the suggestion of Governor’s Mansion secretary Yoder and went to the newspaper office to buy a compilation of the Survivor’s Daily.

This is a publishing method developed independently by the local Survivor’s Daily office, innovating upon the groundwork of Dawn City’s Survivor Daily.

With breaking news occurring frequently in the area, additional editions were printed every few days, making it easy to miss critical information if not careful.

And in a port brimming with financial and import-export prosperity, information meant money.

Thus, at the readers’ request, the Survivor’s Daily extracts critical information from the month’s headlines and special editions every month, compiling them into a summary edition for the public to digest or collect.

In addition to this, there are "quarterly compilations" and "annual compilations," with the cover usually featuring the prominent figures of that quarter or year.

Currently, the Survivor’s Daily in populated areas like Dawn City and Giant Stone City has also introduced this publication method.

Although Jingalon Harbor’s Survivor Daily is a mimic of the former, the Alliance isn’t too particular about this.

After all, as the Manager once said, even voices of progress emerging from a decayed coffin are indeed progress.

And at this moment, Fang Chang held in his hand the quarterly compilation of Jingalon Harbor’s Survivor Daily, which sorted through events that had occurred in recent times.

["Back from the dead"! Survivor of the church massacre returns to West Sail Port, suspected manifestation of the Silver Moon Goddess!?]

[Absek issued a public statement claiming he personally authorized Anvo to secretly transfer the survivors inside the Silver Moon Sect Church, stating that reform should not aim for bloodshed, even if it is Vellante people’s blood.]

[Poluo Country’s representative Anvo gives an interview, revealing little-known details of the West Sail Port massacre! Ordered by Anush himself, civilians in the port district were massacred, with over two hundred survivors hanging by a thread!]

[The messenger "Pangolin" visiting Poluo Country on behalf of Triumph City was arrested by the Southern Legion, highlighting fierce factional strife within the legion!]

[The second blazing fire!? The West Sail Port massacre resurfaces! Numerous civilian organizations like the Family Meeting faced bloody repression by the legion, with several Alliance figures expelled.]

[West Sail Port authorities sign an executive order banning the Family Meeting! Over 7,000 family members arrested by authorities, nearly a thousand executed by firing squad!]

[Alliance Foreign Minister Cheng Yan strongly condemns the Southern Legion’s barbaric actions! Demands they immediately cease persecution of innocent survivors!]

[High-level internal strife in Poluo Country suspected?! "Leopard King" Nigeli harshly criticizes Absek’s appeasement, handing West Sail Port survivors over for execution by the legion!]

[Military advice gaining ground?! Protests resurface in Tiandu! Reformist grassroots officers parade through the streets in protest, demanding the government abolish West Sail Port-related treaties, forsaking all fantasies, and complete dissociation!]

[Absek responds passively to grassroots officers’ demands, stating Poluo Country currently lacks sufficient strength to reclaim West Sail Port and will not abandon negotiations with Triumph City.]

[General Giulion responds forcefully to the Alliance’s accusations, stating West Sail Port is a gift from the Empire to the legion, and the Alliance has no right to meddle, while continuing to reinforce the West Sail Port area!]

[Anger of the gods and men alike! West Sail Port incident lands on Dawn City’s Survivor’s Daily!]

[Giant Stone City Workers’ Association president and city master Lovett states they will not abandon the suffering laborers, Giant Stone City will support West Sail Port in their own way!]

[Protests erupt in Jingalon Harbor, Tiger State, Leopard State, and Mammoth State, with participants mostly young laborers, officers, and classroom students, requesting authorities to declare war on the Southern Legion in addition to supporting West Sail Port survivors.]

[Craftsmen representatives in Jingalon Harbor sharply criticize the United Federation for being weak and incompetent! The legion provokes time and again, yet the Federation throws cold water on their own people!]

[Family Meeting exiles take refuge in Poluo Country, President Zayed gives an exclusive front-line interview with our reporters in Lion City, complaining about the unfair treatment laborers faced in West Sail Port.]

[Hero or coward? West Sail Port demands the extradition of Family Meeting President Zayed, Absek resolutely refuses, yet remains vigilant against Family Meeting everywhere!]

[Frontline tensions continue to rise, Southern Legion deploys 902mm heavy artillery!]

[Negotiations succeed! Poluo Province state representatives sign a ceasefire agreement under the Alliance’s mediation!!]

[Grey Wolf Army defeated, former troops roam in the western Mare State.]

[Nearly 2,000 officers from Mammoth State, Tiger State, Leopard State, and Lowell State head to Tiandu! Poluo Province’s united front taking initial shape!]

The final report was about the Emperor of West Winds, but it only consisted of a few words.

[The death of the Witch Camel.]

Having read the newspaper to the end, Fang Chang closed it and placed it aside.

At this moment, Old White, who had just finished teaching the young officers at Jingalon Harbor, walked over, sat beside him, and said with a smile.

"Why didn’t you say a word when you arrived? I thought you were still on the plane."

Fang Chang smiled faintly and said.

"I just got off the plane last night, then went to the Governor’s Mansion for a meeting, and I haven’t had a break since... I was planning to tell you after going offline later, but since the save point is right here in the barracks, I figured I’d just come over."

"Hang on a moment."

With that, Old White got up and went to the vending machine next to the save point, bought two cans of coffee, and handed one can to Fang Chang.

Reaching out to take the coffee, Fang Chang pulled the tab on the can, brought it to his mouth, and took a sip.

"Thanks... To think there’s even a vending machine here."

"Well, it’s been almost two months since this save point opened," Old White said with a casual smile, "by the way, how’s the space elevator going? Is the progress smooth?"

Fang Chang replied casually.

"It’s going well. Somehow, the Academy suddenly changed its previous non-cooperative stance and even proposed to transfer the gravity well technology to us."

Old White’s eyebrows raised slightly.

"Not cheap terms, I bet?"

Fang Chang nodded.

"Indeed, not cheap. They listed a whole catalog of conditions that’s even more verbose than a company’s contract... But to sum it up simply, it’s about technology equity. And when the space elevator is completed, we need to build them a colony ship as per their standards, not lower than the stranded Pioneer from Ideal City, and then they will return the shares they hold as agreed."

Old White chuckled bitterly.

"That could end up costing more than the space elevator."

He had seen what the Pioneer looked like.

The tallest building in Ideal City looked like a chopstick next to that thing.

Fang Chang nodded again.

"It does seem that way for now, but it’s not without benefits for us. They want us to help them produce it, so they have to provide us with the corresponding technology. For the past two centuries, they have been sorting the technological heritage of the Prosperity Epoch. That’s going to be a huge fortune."

Old White paused and rubbed his chin in thought for a while.

"Thinking about it like that, it’s actually quite profitable."

Fang Chang smiled faintly.

"More than just quite profitable... Our friends in Ideal City were all shocked. They’ve spent over a century without being able to pry open the Academy’s mouth, and we managed to do it in just two or three years, and even got them to bring out so many good things."

"The engineers at Ideal Group are pondering how to apply anti-gravity technology to architecture, which will usher in a new profit growth point for the companies... Of course, it’s the same for us, and being a blank slate in many fields, we’ll grow even faster than they do."

Knowing the Alliance Managers, that gentleman is unlikely to make a losing deal.

He must have seen this day coming from the very start.

Now the space elevator, evolving from an unprofitable research project, is gradually becoming an international engineering project that can bring a win-win situation for all parties involved.

Although most games balance and enhance the abilities of NPCs for playability, he couldn’t help but admire the tactics of that Chu Guang.

No matter in capability or vision, that person was one of the best.

"... There’s not much to say about the space elevator. At this stage, it’s mainly the work of scholars and engineers. What we need to do is create a stable environment for them so they can fully unleash their talents and creativity."

"The most pressing issue right now is the situation in Poluo Province. As it stands, this land has already entangled the main survivor forces of the entire Central Plains Continent."

Fang Chang paused for a moment, took a sip of his coffee, and looked at Old White before continuing.

"By the way, have the cause of Witch Camel’s death been found out?"

This guy died so coincidentally that it’s hard not to suspect it was premeditated.

Old White’s expression turned a bit odd at this question.

"... You might not believe it, but that guy died of diabetes."

"Dia... Diabezz?" Fang Chang was stunned, completely at a loss.

Many incurable diseases in reality could only have symptom management, but on the wasteland, they are just minor ailments, not only having treatments but also multiple solutions.

For instance, the simplest and most straightforward method is to replace the faulty part.

If that doesn’t work, they could even let Xiaoyu touch it and gamble on a glorious evolution.

In this era that puts cyberpunk 2077 to shame, Fang Chang couldn’t comprehend how anyone could die of diabetes.

Even if that guy didn’t have Alliance healthcare, money shouldn’t have been an issue, right?!

Old White also had a complex expression on his face.

"His medical records indicated that months ago, he was sent to a hospital on the outskirts of Jinjaron Harbor for examination, and he was diagnosed with diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The doctor advised him to get an implant, but he was rejected by a bunch of empire ministers in his circle, so it was changed to medication treatment..."

After pausing for a moment, he sighed and said again.

"Don’t say you’re surprised, even I feel those ministers have no good intentions. Each one cried miserably, but I bet they all secretly wished that guy would die sooner."

Standing from the emperor’s or royal family’s standpoint, an alliance uninterested in land is clearly more reliable than the army, even if they have a better relationship with the army.

However, from the ministers’ standpoint, it may not necessarily be so.

This country was never theirs, anyway, so working for someone is just working for someone.

The fault of feudalism lies here.

An ostensibly stable entity is actually maintained through mutual attrition among various classes. This also leads to the entire empire appearing as a behemoth, but its cohesion output is negative.

Now that Witch Camel is dead, this West Wind has also finally taken its last breath.

"...As for Witch Camel’s cause of death, let’s leave it to the local police to investigate. We won’t get involved in this fuss; it’s meaningless anyway. He couldn’t do much when alive, let alone after his death."

Fang Chang touched his nose with his index finger and continued to ask Old White.

"What about the army? It’s probably them who killed him, and I guess they got the news before us."

Old White nodded, his expression serious.

"The intelligence we received is pretty much what you guessed. The army almost immediately announced the emperor’s demise after Witch Camel died, while Prince Dilip aboard the ship was still pondering how to seal the news, keep it confined to the ship..."

Fang Chang showed a wry smile.

"What was he thinking?"

Isn’t this just like covering one’s ears and thinking others can’t hear them?

Old White shook his head.

"Who knows? Maybe Witch Camel told him something. Only he knows exactly... Anyway, shortly after, Prince Akbar, who had fled to West Sail Port, declared himself the successor to the throne, setting his coronation date three days from today."

After a pause, Old White continued.

"At the same time, General Giulion, the chief commander of the Poluo Province’s combat area within the Southern Legion, issued a final ultimatum to the Mammoth Nation, asking them to withdraw from the Northern Three States within 72 hours and return the illegally occupied territories."

Fang Chang squinted slightly.

"If Laxi accepts their demands, their next target would be Bull State in the Poluo Country."

"Yes," Old White nodded, "we think so too, so we got in touch with Laxi... that guy is easy to talk to, completely different from Buseik, never harboring any illusions about negotiating with the army from the start."

"Buseik is our biggest hidden danger," Fang Chang’s gaze fell on the newspaper beside him, "unlike Laxi, that guy doesn’t have the guts to be a tyrant, nor does he want to delegate power, indecisiveness is a big taboo."

Old White sighed.

"Vanus is also worried about that guy, but right now we don’t have a better solution either; we can’t expect every card we hold to be a good one."

"That’s true... only seventy-two hours remain until war breaks out."

Placing the coffee on the bench, Fang Chang picked up the newspaper he had set aside.

"Luckily, a unified front has now formed; the only issue remaining is whether, if the Southern Legion declares war on the Mammoth Nation in the name of the West Wind Empire, this becomes an internal war of the empire. If we directly dispatch troops, it might overturn the achievements already made by the Sticky Community."

Not only the results of the Sticky Community but it might even lead to another Battle of the Falling Leaves.

If this fire really starts, the entire Central Continent could be engulfed.

Before, the Alliance was only dealing with the Eastern Legion’s eastward expansionists; moreover, they were crippled by the Grand Canyon. But now, they face the entire Southern Legion that has reached a consensus.

The difficulty of this matter lies not just on the battlefield but even more so in the areas beyond it.

Seeing Fang Chang frown deeply, Old White smiled and said.

"Actually... you needn’t worry about what you just mentioned. The Manager even made a special phone call yesterday regarding this matter."

Fang Chang put down the newspaper, looking at Old White with surprise.

"What did he say on the phone?"

Old White replied with a smile.

"He told us not to worry, the Alliance’s foreign minister, after concluding their visit to Jinjaron Harbor, went with Bennott’s introduction to the Eastern Legion’s capital for negotiations and has already achieved some results."

"I don’t know the specifics, but according to the negotiation results, the Eastern Legion has clearly stated they won’t participate in the war initiated unilaterally by the Southern Legion. Moreover, they hope we can treat them as an ’independent entity’ rather than as a vassal of Triumph City or an ally of the Southern Legion."

Fang Chang paused for a moment, then asked further.

"What about Triumph City?"

Old White continued speaking.

"It’s the same with Triumph City. They even hope we can give the Southern Legion a profound lesson, preferably like the lesson the Grand Canyon gave to the Eastern Legion. Although they cannot provide us with more support, they promise that this war will not affect our cooperation and will not escalate into a full-scale war... However, in turn, they hope we minimize the spread of the war to each other’s homeland to prevent too many civilian casualties."

"Based on the above reasons, the Manager has issued new instructions for the deployment on the frontline. In the absence of a direct declaration of war from the Southern Legion, we will also not declare war on them, but rather continue to respond with equivalent military strategies."

Looking at Fang Chang’s surprised face, Old White grinned and continued speaking.

"If they invade Poluo Province as mercenaries to help the pseudo-West Winds regime realize their ambitions, we’ll dissolve into smaller units and head to the frontline, participating as volunteer fighters!"

...

With Prince Akbar’s succession, the South Legion’s ultimatum has completely lit the fuse on the powder keg that is Poluo Province.

The war between the West Winds Empire’s exiled regime and the Mammoth Nation has entered its final countdown.

Both sides are increasing their stakes on their respective borders, with the Vellante "mercenaries" on one side, and the Moon Clan Resistance and alliance "volunteers" on the other.

Ultimately, what cannot be obtained through conspiracies and strategies will be decided on the battlefield.

Anyone with a keen eye can see who stands behind each warring side and what the war goals are.

However, even those who can discern some clues from the hints can only silently pray that the disaster doesn’t spread too far...

The Battlefield Atmosphere Group boarded the ferry heading to Triumph City, with Penny accompanying him by his side.

Yarman fulfilled his promise by opening a route to Haiye Province for the survivors of West Sail Port with his fleet.

There, refugee Moon people, dark-skinned expeditionary soldiers, and a group of survivors from other regions of the Wasteland will establish a new home on that land barren of everything but hope...

Meanwhile, the Army’s thirty ten-thousand troops have landed at West Sail Port, completing the final preparations before the invasion, with military personnel visible throughout the port.

On the other side, the faraway City of Dawn remains peaceful, much like the Southern Legion’s capital, Yavente, with no signs of the impending war visible in the streets.

This is actually Chu Guang’s intention.

Since this war won’t escalate to a full-scale war, mobilization isn’t necessary.

Moreover, the Alliance is no longer the small organization struggling on the line of death; there’s a lot to do, and it’s impossible to exert full effort for everything.

The Alliance Building’s No. 1 meeting room.

Chu Guang sat quietly at the conference table, browsing the forum, occasionally checking who was praising his handsome looks, killing time before the meeting began.

After around twenty minutes, he sighed softly and spoke to the holographic screen.

"Are you ready yet, Xiao Qi?"

A pale blue holographic image popped out from the side of the screen, and Xiao Qi looked at him pitifully and said,

"Um, sorry master... The communication range is really too long, and the communication conditions in the Great Desert are extremely unstable. Our lines here are smooth, but it seems they haven’t connected to us."

The Eastern Legion’s development in the Great Desert is very low, almost equivalent to none, and only recently have they built some outposts on the west side.

But thanks to this, both sides can barely manage "cross-region" communication through Pioneer City as a "signal relay station," supplemented by command vehicles and radio stations.

However, the intermittent signal issue still exists.

Just like now.

"You don’t need to apologize for others’ mistakes, I’m just habitually urging..." Chu Guang glanced at the time on the screen, "It seems our friends aren’t very eager for this meeting, maybe another day would be more suitable."

His time wasn’t unlimited, though perhaps he could stay here waiting indefinitely.

Just as Chu Guang was about to get up and leave, a communication icon marked with an exclamation mark on the holographic screen suddenly flashed into a signal.

"Got it!" Xiao Qi’s eyes lit up and disappeared from the screen instantly.

At the same time, a beam of pale blue light appeared directly in front of the conference table, and a torn holographic image gradually emerged from the beam.

"Ahem! Pleased to meet you, esteemed Alliance Managers. Unfortunately, our communications officer encountered a sandstorm, apologies for making you wait a bit... Hope it wasn’t too long of a wait."

Chu Guang wasn’t unfamiliar with the plain face in front of him.

After all, over the past year, exchanges between the Eastern Legion and the Alliance weren’t few, and he always had various opportunities to see him.

However, face-to-face interaction was a first.

Putting away the holographic computer pen, Chu Guang calmly looked at the man standing in the holographic beam and smiled indifferently.

"I’m afraid I did wait quite a while, but fortunately, it seems my waiting was worth it after all."

After a brief pause, he continued,

"... It’s nice to meet you, Legion Leader of the Eastern Legion, Mr. Salen."