Chapter 228.2: They're Finally Out!

North of Elm District.

An abandoned town sat on the edge of the forest.

Even the howling northern wind can't dispel the blood that had settled there.

There used to be more than 100 survivors living there, living a life basically isolated from the rest of the world.

However, just a month ago, a group of marauders arrived, completely turning the isolated town into a hell on earth.

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Some people could not stand the torture and were slaughtered and hung themselves, while a few survived and became their slaves.

The marauders occupied their homes, robbed them of their food for the winter, and turned their houses into fortresses, placing wooden obstacles on the streets and windows, digging trenches, and building improvised fortifications.

That was not something an ordinary group of marauders would do.

Even if they had slaves at their disposal, few knew how and where to dig trenches and foxholes.

Constructing a position was a very delicate subject, and for the marauders who were accustomed to either harassment tactic or intimidation tactic. It was a skill that they didn't need at all.

This all thanks to their advisor, the man named Bernie.

As a former brigade commander of the Army, his understanding and application of light infantry tactics could be said to have reached a consummate level.

After all, no one who could survive the indiscriminate bombing of the Great Rift Valley was an ordinary person.

Not just building positions. The defense deployment from the inside to the outside, as well as the patrol route of the patrol team, were all planned by the staff officer himself.

That was why when Yang Er, who was covered in snow, stumbled out of the woods, he was immediately discovered by the marauder who was patrolling with a dog.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot! I'm one of yours!"

Seeing the two marauder sentries aiming their guns at him, Yang Er immediately threw the gun in his hand on the snow and hurriedly raised his hands.

"One of ours?" The marauder, who was walking in front, held his gun and looked him up and down with a suspicious expression. "Which leader are you under? Who is your superior?"

Yang Er said immediately before he could catch his breath, "Gray wolf! I'm a scout under Gray Wolf... Please take me to see the brigade commander, I have something important to report!"

The two marauders exchanged glances, feeling that he didn't seem to be lying, so they took him to the checkpoint on the edge of the town, searched him, and sent someone to report the situation to the brigade commander.

After hearing the news, the brigade commander agreed to meet him.

Soon, Yang Er was brought over.

As soon as Yang Er entered the room and saw the man sitting on the chair, he immediately knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed against the floor, trembling and afraid to say a word.

Leaning lazily, Lion Fang, who was sitting on a chair, looked down at him and said slowly, "Your group lost?"

Yang Er swallowed and said while still pressing his forehead on the ground. "Yes, sir."

Bernie, who was sitting next to Lion Fang, looked at him and said, "Tell me what happened the night before."

Not daring to hide it, Yang Er immediately explained, "... After making our preparations, we launched a raid on Longevity Town under the orders of Gray Wolf. However, the resistance of the survivors was more tenacious than we thought. We took down their walls at one point, but soon more and more reinforcements came. We were still outnumbered in the end."

Yang Er described in detail what happened at that time, including their fierce battle with the defenders at the north gate, the rubber continuous tracks of the local survivors, and the incredibly powerful rapid-firing cannon.

"Quad-mounted anti-aircraft cannons, and high-explosive shells..." Bernie, who was standing next to Lion Fang, listened to the scout's statement carefully. After thinking for a long time, he said solemnly, "These survivors are difficult to deal with.”

Especially the continuous rubber tracks on the truck. This was something he hadn't expected. What made him even more confused was where those people get so much rubber?

The expression on Lion Fang's face was one of indifference.

After all, he didn't hold out much hope that Gray Wolf would take down the survivor stronghold.

Looking at the scout kneeling on the ground, he continued, "Where's Gray Wolf?"

Yang Er said timidly with his head firmly against the floor. "I don't know... Gray Wolf, he said he wanted to stay behind to cover our retreat."

Cover their retreat?

This sentence successfully made Lion Fang laugh.

What an euphemistic excuse.

But it doesn't matter. That guy is a useless pawn anyway. It is not bad to use the lives of some outsiders to test the strength of the survivors in the northern suburbs of Clearspring City.

We can also lure the cunning snake to attack first.

It can be said to kill two birds with one stone... Oh no, kill three birds with one stone.

"You can get out of my sight now."

Hearing those words, Yang Er felt that a huge boulder was removed from his chest. He breathed a sigh of relief, unaware that his back was already soaked with sweat.

"Thank you sir!" Not daring to stay here for a second longer, he hurriedly turned around and left.

With the door closed, Lion Fang looked at the staff officer sitting beside him, and said in a casual tone, "I didn't expect the entire group to be wiped out ."

Bernie gave him a strange look. "I thought you did it on purpose."

Lion Fang shook his head slightly. "You've misunderstood it. I never planned to let him die outside. I just wanted to take this opportunity to teach this disobedient guy a lesson. But I didn't expect this guy to be so foolish, and he actually ended up getting himself and more than 150 of his men killed."

Bernie frowned, "Then why did you give him the flare gun?"

Lion Fang said with a smile. "It's for Black Snake, of course."

Bernie was silent for a while.

For some reason, he suddenly thought of the disappeared General Klaas, and the expedition that was huge but ultimately failed.

Perhaps they too were abandoned pawns.

Who knows?

Those big men never told them everything, at most they only told them what to do when they needed it done.

Even now, it was the same.

He still didn't understand why his superiors chose to join a group of natives. The people of the Great Rift Valley didn't kill them all, and it was not that they had no chance to return home.

"If Gray Wolf is captured, he will tell those people all our information, which is not a good thing."

Lion Fang chuckled softly, "I know, but what does it matter? We are far stronger than them, and even if we see each other's cards, we have a better chance of winning. The only suspense now is, how long can they hold out against Black Snake's attack? We have to choose the right time to enter the battlefield. It should not be too early, nor too late... What do you think?”

Bernie thought for a while and shook his head. "I don't know, but it's not easy for Black Snake to win."

Lion Fang indifferently said. "Because of that cannon?"

Bernie continued. "It's not a problem with a certain piece of equipment, but the survivors in the northern suburbs obviously have industrial capabilities and have been preparing for this war for a whole winter. And we have very limited information on their logistics situation. In fact, we don’t even know anything. If this war drags on for too long, it may not be a good thing for us.”

But on the other hand, if they could capture this survivor settlement, the benefits they could get from it would also be huge.

A survivor stronghold with industrial capabilities would be far richer than those agricultural settlements.

In the few strongholds they looted before, there were only some shofar potatoes and green wheat left in their warehouses. If they could capture the northern suburbs of Clearspring City, their odds of attacking Boulder Town would be much higher.

Lion Fang stroked his chin. "Then how do you think we should end this war as soon as possible?"

Bernie said. "It's best to act with friendly forces."

"That's impossible," Lion Fang waved his hand and interrupted him, "I know that guy too well, he will definitely not cooperate with us."

Bernie gave a wry smile.

Noticing the expression on the staff officer's face, Lion Fang smiled and comforted him. "Don't worry, this hard bone may be hard to chew, but it's only a little bit. We have an absolute advantage in both equipment and manpower. We will have no problem defeating them.

"As long as our friendly force takes action and contains their frontal forces, I will immediately set off with my brothers, appear on their flanks unexpectedly, and cooperate with our friendly force to annihilate them in one fell swoop!”

"Don't you think this plan is perfect?"

He could also allocate some of his staff to snatch their stronghold ahead of Black Snake.

When that sky guy sees my flag flying above Longevity Town, it would definitely piss him off.

Thinking of what would happen, Lion Fang couldn't help showing a gleeful expression.

Looking at this overly optimistic brigade commander, Bernie sighed softly in his heart. "You're right. It might be a good plan."

If only everything went as planned.

It was a full 20 kilometers away from Longevity Town, and the 20 kilometers of the snowy journey was not easy to traverse. During the period, they would pass through forests and ruins. The group may be stretched very long, and they would also consume a lot of physical strength.

Assuming that Black Snake really fell into their trap and decided to launch a lightning-like offensive before the end of winter, the snowy journey may become the biggest variable in the battle.

Would they really be able to arrive at those people's flanks quick enough when the battle situation was the most critical?

It would not be as simple as drawing on a map.

The next moment, footsteps came from outside the door, and a marauder walked in quickly.

There was an excited expression on the man's face.

After entering the room, he knelt down on one knee and said in an excited tone. "Sir! The snake finally emerged from its nest!"