While NAC was launching a full-scale attack against Guru Tribe, Empire's commander at the frontlines realized their opportunity might have come.
The hailstorm of missiles was dominating, but they couldn't have an infinite supply. Since NAC had one thousand soldiers, their shortage in numbers meant they couldn't fight on both lines.
But at the critical point of fending off an external enemy, there was a servant coup taking place in Empire. Aside from the arena in the capital, almost all territories lit up with uprising smoke. The Donggang Plantation had the largest uprising. The slaves not only occupied the armory and executed the supervisors of the plantation, but they also hung heads up on the walls!
At the same time, Federation pushed their mechanized division next to Gang River, eager to move against Empire on the brink of collapse. The two sides had fought in the open and in the dark for many years. This was Empire's most tumultuous period in twenty years, so their arch enemy naturally wouldn't let go of this heaven-sent opportunity.
They had been drooling over Empire's "vast" territory and massive population. If they could annex Empire's land, including the territory east of Gang River, into its borders, Federation would indeed become the most powerful force in the province.Faced with external and internal threats, the elders immediately ordered a retreat.
The two Empire divisions had to give up on the perfect opportunity to attack the NAC outpost. With their backs against their mutated human allies who suffered an excruciating defeat, they had to retreat from the defense bunkers they just built.
…
July 1st marked over half a month since the NAC soldiers set foot in Hucheng.
They used the cover of the night to fly their flag of order over Guru Tribe's land.
With the assistance of missiles, NAC's forces broke through Guru Tribe's line of defense.
In the final moment of battle, their reserves of missiles and bombs were all exhausted, but they were okay without any support.Their victory was already certain. With a population of 80 thousand mutated humans, over 50 thousand died under missile fire. The remainder died, escaped, or fell under the airstrike of Aurora-20.
The ten thousand clan leader died.
When he rushed out from the shadows swinging his power hammer, he wanted to vent his anger through brute force. But he didn't manage to kill anyone - his head was cut off by Jiang Chen's private force captain, Li Wang, with a dagger.
Guru Tribe's elder took his confidants and supplies to escape into the fallout shelter. They locked the door.
Jiang Chen's orders on the mutated humans acting like turtles were concise.
"Bury them."
Jiang Chen wasn't interested in the FEV virus anyways.
It made no difference whether it was buried or destroyed.
With the size of the mutated humans, they couldn't remain in the hibernation chamber. Even if the fridges of the fallout shelter were stuffed with food, it would last them ten years at most.
When their food become depleted, there could only be two endings.
Starve to death.
Or death through internal conflict.
Regardless of the ending, only despair and death awaited them.
That was the punishment for the atrocities they committed under the tolerance of Empire.
Soldiers in power armor threw the mini-nukes they confiscated from Guru Tribe into the end of the tunnel underground then Jiang Chen pressed the detonate button.
The high temperature even melted the surface of the fallout shelter. A scorching light erupted from the ground like an active volcano and brought burning radiation dust to the surface.
The explosion shook the ground. Even the capital, tens of kilometers from Panyang Lake, could sense the tremor.
The 1000-meter tunnel collapsed and buried the fallout shelter stored with FEV virus data underground eternally.
With the cheers of the slaves, NAC soldiers took control of mutated human territory.
20 thousand slaves were all freed, and Guru Tribe was renamed Golden River Farm and categorized as an NAC economic zone in Hucheng. All citizens could join NAC at their will, record their information to obtain an identity card, receive nutrient supply aid, and wait for the next arrangements.
To ease the process, under Jiang Chen's directions, Wang Zhaowu selected 500 reserves from the villages beside the water treatment plant who joined NAC from the beginning. A small amount of leadership from Third Division soldiers was provided to maintain the order of the farm while nutrient supply was distributed.
The raw ingredients for nutrient supply were all available, and the mutated humans' warehouses were filled with mutated fruit, so Jiang Chen didn't feel any pain in consuming 20 thousand nutrient supplies per day. Some of the land already planted with mutated fruit trees were divided among the slaves.
While these freed slaves were still planting mutated fruit, free citizens with property worked much harder.
They worked for mutated humans before, but now, they worked for next month's food.
...
The tent of Guru Tribe elder was bulldozed, and NAC's construction robots rebuilt a concrete command past at the same spot.
Jiang Chen was inside the command post discussing next steps with Han Junhua.
"Empire's First Division is currently in a stalemate on the Gang River Bridge against Federation. From the position of the cannons, it is highly likely it will escalate into a military conflict."
"Picking the fruit while we're working on Empire? Federation has a good plan. Aside from a standoff, did they do anything else?" Jiang Chen didn't seem worried and laughed instead.
"No." Han Junhua shooked her head. "They should be waiting for us to finish resting."
"While we demolish Empire's land forces, they'll cut the meat behind their backs?"
Han Junhua nodded. Her calm eyes cast a rational light. "That's right."
"So your suggestion is...?"
"If General is planning to include Federation in NAC's territory, how much meat they cut from Empire doesn't really affect us."
"Makes sense." A smile surfaced on Jiang Chen's face then he changed the topic. "What are the movements of the other three divisions?"
"Empire's Third Division retreated to the capital for defense, while Empire's Fourth Division is contracting its line of defense. They're clearing out local insurgents. Empire's Second Division moved to Donggang Plantation and surrounded the local insurgents with cannons and mortars. But due to the frequent activity of zombies and mutants nearby and lack of ammunition, the defense still remains intact while the attack caused sizeable casualties to the insurgents. The local insurgents requested assistance from us through radio."
Jiang Chen only contemplated for two seconds before he strategized the attack.
"Respond to their request for assistance. Send Aurora-20 to strike Empire's Second Division. Before the next batch of supplies arrives, we still need them to waste some more time."
"Yes."
