Even if it's 20,000 pigs, you have to catch them for a while when you run into the city.

Not to mention people?

Red River and the Snake Clan fought in the north for nearly half a year, spending enough money on mercenaries and military purchases to buy a mine.

Even so, they didn't take advantage of the marauders.

It wasn't just Sim who got the news, but other chamber of commerce owners and mine owners in Red River Town.

Soon, this terrible news spread throughout Honghe Town......

The conference hall of the Mining Association.

More than ten minutes have passed since the president of the association announced the topic of the meeting.

Everyone sitting at the conference table looked at each other, and no one said anything for a long time.

Unable to stand the eerie atmosphere in the conference room, a miner's index finger hooked his collar and loosened, breaking the silence with a hesitant voice.

“…… Is the message reliable? ”

The president of the association nodded with a complicated expression.

“…… It should be reliable, and they will not slap themselves in the face with a lie that may be exposed at any time. ”

It's too easy to check the authenticity of the news, and send someone over to see if Xizhou City has been defeated.

What's more, there is no need to cheat at all.

Declaring victory in the war ahead of schedule did not bring any substantial benefits to the new alliance.

Whispers rang out in the room, and everyone began to talk in whispers.

“…… I think it is necessary to reconsider the relationship with the new alliance. ”

"Why don't you build an office with them?"

"But in whose name...... Do you want to build it separately? Or in the name of the Mining Association? ”

"I think it's all necessary, even if you don't consider their military power, they're also an important trading partner for us."

This war shook them deeply.

From the blitzkrieg of Qingshi County to the Battle of Songlinyu...... Judging from the available information, every war the new alliance has fought against the Chewy Bone Tribe, whether as an attacker or a defender, has ended in a landslide victory.

It is not ruled out that they may exaggerate the results of the battle and conceal their own casualties, but in terms of the final result, the strength they showed is surprising enough.

An emerging force of survivors with a total population of less than 10,000.

In just two months, the Marauder Clan, which had 30,000 troops and 27 tanks, was defeated!

With such a terrifying strength, it's hard not to be jealous!

Moreover, unlike the old survivor forces like Boulder City, which have stopped expanding.

This new alliance that has suddenly appeared not only has a strong war potential, but also does expand its territory.

At first, they only had one park, then it was the northern suburb of Qingquan City, and now it has expanded to Xizhou Lake, more than 100 kilometers north of Qingquan City.

What's next for them?

Continuing north?

Or ...... to the east

While everyone was discussing how to deal with the new alliance, someone suddenly stood up.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if I'm not mistaken, our topic today should be to discuss our future relationship with the new Alliance, but so far all I've heard is how we should please our neighbors...... Do you really think that we will have peaceful coexistence with the new alliance? ”

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Sim paused and continued.

"You must not forget that the first thing they did when they conquered Xizhou City was to announce the liberation of the slaves of the marauders!"

Surprise was written across their faces, but the people who, like Sim, knew something beforehand remained silent.

Soon there was a cacophony of discussion at the conference table.

Emancipation of slaves......

This is definitely a sensitive topic in Red River.

The "mine" in Honghe is not a mine in the traditional sense, but a mountain of garbage that has been compacted and landfilled. Because landfill data was lost in the war, only God knows what will be dug up from below, so mining disasters often occur.

It's not that they can hire free men to mine those mines, not because of the amount of money they have and the amount of money they have to pay for, but because the benefits are completely disproportionate to the amount they pay.

Red River could not be without slaves, this was the consensus of all mine owners and the presidents of the comptoirs.

If the blue ticket is to coordinate the ore production capacity and help the mine owners sell the ore at a better price, then the red ticket for the purchase of slaves is issued to facilitate the major mines to obtain a large and stable source of labor......

One chamber president raised his hand to object.

“…… Your message is not accurate, and the information on my side is that they gave the slaves the status of 'warded', which is obviously not a complete release of them. ”

His name is Andrew, the president of the Grey Rhino Chamber of Commerce, and he is mainly in the import business. Whether it was the import of weapons, or the import of food, or the fodder for the slaves.

He knew what Sim was saying, after all, he had an office in Dawn, but he didn't really care.

The only business under the Gray Rhino Chamber of Commerce that has anything to do with slaves is nutritional paste.

Andrew objected to being completely expected, and Sim continued with a blistering voice.

"Does it make sense to pick words? Whether it's the warded, or the managed, or some other new word they coined...... They can't hide what they're doing. ”

"Now they are freeing the slaves of Xizhou City, what if one day in the future, they will come and free the slaves in our hands? Mr. Mdis of the Misty Mountain Mines, would you give your freedom back to the slaves in the mines? ”

The bald man looked away.

Sim stopped looking at him, and continued to look at another person—his strategic ally, Temples of the Blackstone Mines.

“…… Or are you? My dear Mr. Temples. ”

"I don't think so...... Some of the slaves were also marauders, or clones, synths that were about to be scrapped. Moreover, even in their own territory, they only bought slaves from the slave owners, and did not force them to hand them over. ”

Temple's tone was slightly hesitant, but the nervous expression had betrayed the apprehension in his heart.

Seeing through his thoughts, Sim admitted and continued with an iron.

"All of your assumptions are based on what you think is 'not going to be up.'" A year ago, the Chewing Bone Tribe was still doing business with us, is it different to say that if you turn your face? ”

A chamber of commerce owner couldn't help but say.

"So what should we do? Is it against them? ”

Sim said immediately.

"Of course not, with our current strength, there is no benefit in going against them, but we have to be aware that it is extremely dangerous to get too close to these blue coats, and we should at least be vigilant."

"We first had to come together and form a more centralized body than the mining associations. It should take on more responsibility, not just for issuing those red and blue tickets, but also for building up the standing force, dealing with other survivor settlements, deciding who to do business with, how to do business, and running our own settlements. ”

"After that, we should strengthen our ties with the surrounding survivor settlements and reduce our dependence on the new alliance...... Both weapon, and militarily. ”

After a pause, Sim raised his voice and slammed his fist twice the table.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the alarm bell has sounded, the province of the river valley is ushering in changes unseen in a century, and the methods of the past are no longer applicable."

"Whether you want to or not, if you don't want to be eliminated from this world, we must look forward."

"I'm done talking."

Sim's voice fell, and there was a commotion at the conference table.

Some people are in favor of it, and some people are against it.

Strangely, however, most of the people who support "a more centralized management body" are the mine owners.

On the contrary, the bosses of those chambers of commerce stood opposite Sim as a peer this time.

Everyone had their own opinions, from the initial argument, to the end of the almost no quarrel.

"Forming a more centralized agency? How else do you want to concentrate? Will you find someone to come out and take care of our business? ”

"I think Sim has a point!"

"There's a reason for his grandmother! Isn't it good for everyone to take care of their own business like they are now? ”

"Of course not! You don't care who sells all that garbage to, but I have to make sure that the garbage I sell doesn't turn into bullets and fly back! ”

So who will be the leader of this new organization? That's all I care about! ”

The president of the Mining Association banged his hand on the table, but everyone was arguing so violently that no one noticed what he was saying.

The meeting was interrupted.

After the meeting, several chamber of commerce bosses gathered together and talked in a whisper.

"What kind of nerve does this Sim have? Why did he suddenly represent the interests of the mine owners? ”

"It is estimated that it is a miserable loss, I heard that he has hoarded a batch of copper ore before...... Thousands of tons were smashed on the hands. ”

At this time, Andrew, the owner of the Gray Rhino Chamber of Commerce, suddenly spoke.

"I have a piece of gossip here, but it's not necessarily reliable."

The boss of the Chamber of Commerce immediately looked at it with interest.

They may not care about other people's news, but this Mr. Andrew's news can always bring them business opportunities.

"What's the news?"

Andrew said in a low voice.

"The New Alliance has discovered copper in Qingshi County, and it looks like they've been mining for a while."

This is terrible news.

Expressions of surprise and even surprise immediately appeared on everyone's faces.

"Copper Mine?!"

"How do you know?"

Faced with everyone's questions, Andrew said softly.

It's not hard to speculate...... The trains to Qingshi County did not come back empty, and some copper-containing slag could always be picked up near the tracks. And according to my salesman's judgment, the grade of that copper mine is not low. ”

Hearing this, the expressions on everyone's faces were moved.

The new alliance has discovered a copper mine!

No wonder they suddenly announced the Northern Expedition!

No wonder the price of copper ore and sulfur has hardly fluctuated after two months of fighting!

It is no wonder that Sim's reaction was so violent, both to set up a more centralized organization and to enlist the surrounding neighbors to be alert to the threat of the rise of a new alliance.

Thinking of the thousands of tons of copper ore hoarded in the warehouse of the Horseshoe Trading House, the owners of the chambers of commerce couldn't help but mourn for a second in the hearts of their peers.

It's a tragedy.

……

The owners of the Chamber of Commerce and the mine owners in Red River are at odds over how to deal with the new alliance.

A similar scene was also played out in the council hall of Junk City.

Members of the House of Representatives are arguing over whether and what kind of diplomatic relations should be established with the new coalition.

It all happened too suddenly.

A month ago, they were still discussing the issue of increasing armaments, how to deal with the crisis of the Chewy Bone Tribe's southward movement, and most importantly, how to convince Boulder City to join the war. Gu Wan

And now, suddenly, they were told that the Golden Tooth was dead and that the war was over.

This is certainly a happy event......

But the powerful war potential shown by the new alliance made them happy at the same time, and they couldn't help but feel a little more jealous between their eyebrows......

……

The outer city of Boulder.

City Hall.

Looking at the report jointly handed over by several large business owners, the director of the city hall pinched his eyebrows with some headaches.

"It seems that the situation in the northern suburbs may have exceeded our expectations...... Although they were dealing with the Bone Chewing Tribe, the speed at which they were expanding their armaments was hard not to be worried. ”

The secretary standing next to him whispered.

"Indeed, airplanes, artillery and rockets...... Although they don't have tactical nuclear bombs, they are not much more powerful. ”

It doesn't have to be high-tech to have a destructive effect.

A pound of iron weighs as much as a pound of cotton, and a sufficient amount of black powder, even flour, can produce the same fearsome power.

Of course, he could see that it wasn't the guns of the New Alliance that really worried the factory owners in the city, but the ballooning productivity in the northern suburbs that was taking away their profits.

In Boulder City, the retail price of nutritional paste is 1~2 chips per kilogram, the wholesale price is 300~400 chips per ton, and the production cost is about 450.

But in Dawning City, this number is only 200 silver coins, and even the exchange ratio of silver coins and chips is firmly locked at 2:1 by the New Alliance Bank.

Even if it is other products, the nutritional paste has no technical content at all, no brand effect, and no quality difference, it is purely a feed.

Now the entire nutritional paste market in Boulder City has almost been snatched up by that Didiwei brand nutritional paste.

The new alliance not only manipulated the exchange rate, but even subsidized industry and trade with fiscal subsidies.

This is what the factory owners of Boulder City hate the most!

The director of the town hall pondered for a long time.

“…… We really should have discussed security with them, and their battle is over. ”

The secretary whispered.

"There's only so much we can do...... I suggest that this matter be reported to the lord of the castle. ”

"Lord of the Castle ......"

The director of the town hall smiled wryly.

That person doesn't care about these things at all.

Unless the group of blue coats who don't play cards according to common sense are involved in the affairs of the center of Qingquan City, or the affairs of enterprises and legions.

But this is too unlikely......

……

The news of the liberation of Xizhou City by the new alliance stirred up the situation in the southern part of the entire river valley province.

And at this moment, the man in the middle of the storm was following the footsteps of the rock tooth and came to the "palace" of the golden tooth.

In fact, it is not so much a palace, in the eyes of Chu Guang's taste, it is simply a pigsty.

The ruins of the five-story villa have been re-reinforced with wood and concrete, the walls and gates are adorned with parts of humans or xenomorphs, and the wall at the front of the hall even has the head of a dead man on the wall.

And in that skull, there is a human head.

Even if he was standing here, even if he was wearing power armor, Chu Guang could still feel the SAN value go crazy.

On the other hand, Yanya, who was standing on the side, did not feel any discomfort on his face.

And this also strengthened Chu Guang's thoughts, these marauders were not human beings at all.

It's better not to manage them the way a manager does......

"Golden Fang lives in a place like this?"

Iwaya had a flattering smile on his face.

"This is his living room, his treasures are upstairs, please come with me!"

As he spoke, he took Chu Guang and a group of guards and walked towards the upstairs of the villa and came to a door.

As if to accommodate the size of the gold tooth, the entire door was widened.

From the moment he stepped through the door, Chu Guang smelled a pungent stench and couldn't help frowning.

In front of me is a large bed that is always 5 meters wide, and more than a dozen white flesh. The body is tethered here.

They were good-looking, with bumpy figures, fair skin, and no yellow hair, and they didn't look like survivors in the wasteland at all, but they didn't look like people in the Vault either.

From the bruises and scars, as well as the stains on the floor, it's not hard to imagine what kind of torture they had endured before.

And what happened to the slaves who were locked up in the dungeon is even more conceivable.

Looking at the crowd at the door, a flash of fear flashed in the girls' eyes, and the chains tied to their ankles made a tinkling sound.

“…… These are the high-end goods that Lord Golden Fang bought from the Free State of Bugra, unlike those stinking slaves. Hehe, now they're all yours—" Feeling the killing intent on the side, Rock Fang was so frightened that he immediately shut up.

Chu Guang glanced at him meaningfully, but he didn't count what the golden tooth did on his head.

Looking at the guards next to him, Chu Guang said.

"Find them a piece of clothing to wear."

The guards standing on the side stand on the right path.

"Yes!"

After posting a task, he found a few female players from the neighborhood to come over to help, and Chu Guang asked Yanya to take him to continue searching in this villa.

According to information from other captives, Golden Fang had previously gotten 2 million dinars from the Legion, and that money had not been spent on weapons.

It didn't cost so much money to buy a dozen clone slaves, and Chu Guang wanted to figure out what else this guy had bought.

Came to the basement of the villa, which was converted into a warehouse.

With a strong grip and tearing the door lock off the door, Chu Guang pushed open the half-drooping iron door and walked in.

The area of the warehouse is not large, only fifty or sixty square meters, and it is full of sundries.

And to Chu Guang's surprise, among these miscellaneous items, there was a thing that looked like a high-tech.

After studying for a long time, he didn't understand what the device was for, so Chu Guang could only take a few photos, and returned to the ground to call Yin Fang.

"I found something interesting here in Xizhou City, and the photos have been passed to you......"

"You can help me see what that thing is now."

……

In the eastern part of Xizhou City, on the streets littered with concrete debris and car wreckage.

Under the protection of the soldiers of the Third Corps, Ma Ban, Wu Chengyi, and other high-ranking members of the resistance group slowly walked out of the abandoned entrance of the subway station.

The sun shone on his face, Wu Chengyi subconsciously raised his hand, and his eyes narrowed into a slit.

Looking at the familiar street in front of him, this man with a resolute face suddenly loosened his tear ducts.

Speaking of which, when was the last time you were bathed in the sun?

He couldn't remember.

Yang Duo, who was standing next to him, was the same, and even his voice became more swallowed.

"Tooth Clan...... Those marauders, were they really driven away? ”

Maban replied.

"Captured, to be exact."

After being silent for a long time, Yang Duo lowered his head and said softly.

"Thank you......"

"Even if you want to say thank you, don't just say thank you, go to the people who deserve to be thanked...... I was one of them too. ”

As he spoke, Ma Ban had a comforting smile on his face, and reached out and patted his arm, "Don't keep your head down, go and call everyone to come up." ”

"The war is over."

Yang Duo went back to the subway

It didn't take long for the residents of Hope Town to come out of the subway station one after another with large bags and small bags.

There were also people who were empty-handed, as if intending to leave those dark days underground.

Of course, it could also be because there is nothing left and there is really nothing to take with you.

Looking at the long-lost sunshine, people breathed in the outside air, and many people even shed tears, hugged each other and cried bitterly.

Looking at the scene in front of him, Ma Ban's heart was also a little throbbing, but he did not forget the work given to him by the manager.

There's still a lot of work waiting for him to do, and now is not the time to be sentimental.

After finally counting the number of people and confirming that no one was left behind, Ma Ban took these surviving survivors to the southern suburbs of Xizhou City under the protection of the Third Corps.

Next to the wreckage of the viaduct is a relatively open and flat lot, which is relatively more suitable as a new settlement than a rat-infested urban area.

The trenches and positions of the new coalition were not far away, and standing there were soldiers of the 1st Corps.

Although the Tooth Clan has been defeated, the threat to the wasteland is far beyond the Marauders, and the xenos roaming the vicinity need to be wary of as well.

Seeing the banner of the New Alliance, the residents of Hope Town immediately rushed up, surrounded the sentinels patrolling in front of the position, and anxiously asked.

"What about those who have been captured by the Bone Chewing Tribe? Are they here? ”

"My father, who was captured by the Tooth Clan, was probably locked up in a marauder's dungeon...... Can you let me go over and have a look? He's definitely alive! ”

"My wife and I are separated, let me go to the dungeon and have a look...... Please! ”

The sentry who was surrounded didn't know what to do for a while.

Looking at the chaotic scene, Ma Ban, Wu Chengyi and others had numb scalps and wanted to go up to maintain order, but the scene was chaotic, and no one could hear his shouts at all.

Seeing that the situation at the scene was showing signs of getting out of control, the wrench immediately stepped forward, turned on the speaker on the helmet, and shouted loudly into the crowd.

"Quiet!"

The noisy sound of the scene was a little weaker.

People subconsciously stopped the noise and looked at the man in the exoskeleton.

Seeing the corps commander come out to preside over the overall situation, the sentry who was surrounded by the residents finally breathed a sigh of relief and let go of his tense nerves.

Glancing around at the survivors, the wrench continued in a loud voice.

"I know that many of you were separated from your loved ones in the chaos of a year ago, and I understand your eagerness to be reunited with your loved ones, but things have to come one step at a time."

"The resistance of the Tooth Clan is almost over, but there are still a few diehards in the city resisting, and I believe you don't want to fall at the last moment before dawn and become the target of those mobs, or even their rations."

The mood of the survivors has finally stabilized.

The wrench paused, and continued in a soothing tone.

“…… Your loved ones will soon return to you as long as they are alive. What you have to do now is to obey the arrangement, to be patient, and to build your home. ”

"How you celebrate the reunion is your own business. But before that, you have to prepare a shelter for yourself and your family. ”