70: The five armies established order and shaped the world, dividing territories, expanding land, and securing the rivers and mountains.

Chapter Seventy-Two: Establishing the Five Armies to Settle the World, Expanding the Territory to Secure the Land

The smoke of gunpowder along the coast of Qiming City had not yet dissipated, and in the conference room of the Dawn City command center, the atmosphere was already heavy to the extreme.

Lin Zhou stood before a massive strategic map, his fingertips tracing the dense markings upon it—the gaps in the coastal defense line had been filled, and the marine Mutants that had landed were completely annihilated, but that dark green seawater and those thorny scales were like a thorn stuck in everyone's heart.

"The Skeleton Serpent's probing will not stop; the mobile platforms in the open sea are a sword hanging over our heads." Lin Zhou's voice was steady and powerful, his gaze sweeping over the generals below the stage. "Passive defense cannot protect Dawn City, nor can it protect these thousands of miles of rivers and mountains. From today onwards, the armed forces of Dawn City are officially expanded into the Five Great Army Groups!"

As his voice fell, the breathing of Wang Hu, Chen Hao, and the others instantly quickened, and a fervent light burst from their eyes.

Lin Zhou raised his hand, pointing to five directions on the map, speaking word by word with a voice that resonated like a bell:

"The Eastern Army Group, with Chen Hao as Commander-in-Chief, is assigned two special operations regiments and one Falcon Attack Aircraft formation, stationed at Shuguang New City. There is only one mission—to push eastward, clear out the remaining coastal Mutants, investigate the movements of the Skeleton Serpent's offshore bases, and pave the way for future cross-sea operations!"

Chen Hao stood tall and saluted, his voice booming like a great bell: "The Eastern Army Group guarantees the completion of the mission!"

"The Western Army Group, led by Wang Hu, consists of three armored regiments and one heavy artillery battalion. Based in Qiming City, it will expand westward. The goal is to open up communication with the survivor settlements in Western Sichuan and recover the granaries of the Subei Plain to provide us with a continuous supply of food!"

Wang Hu slammed a fist against his chest: "The Western Army Group will fight for every inch of land!"

"The Southern Army Group, commanded by the veteran general Zhao Shanhe stationed in Jincheng, is assigned five long-acting Energy Suppressors and twenty Heavy Sonic Cannons to guard the southern border defense line. This area is adjacent to tropical jungles where Mutant species are complex, and it is likely to be a springboard for the Skeleton Serpent to infiltrate the inland. It must be built into a wall of bronze and iron!"

"The Northern Army Group is handed over to Li Mo, who has a background in reconnaissance. He will lead two light regiments and one reconnaissance brigade north across the Qinling Mountains. The focus is to gather survivors scattered in the mountains, establish outposts, monitor Mutant activity in the northern permafrost, and prevent the Skeleton Serpent from establishing new experimental bases there!"

Two military orders were issued in succession, and the two newly promoted generals accepted them in unison, their eyes filled with determination.

Lin Zhou's gaze finally landed on the center of the map, on the location of Dawn City: "Finally, there is the Central Army Group. I will personally serve as the Commander-in-Chief, overseeing four main regiments, one scientific research support battalion, and one logistics support brigade, stationed in the core area of Dawn City."

He paused, adding emphasis: "The responsibilities of the Central Army Group are: first, to coordinate the combat operations of the four major army groups and provide firepower and material support; second, to protect the safety of the three main cities and guard our rear home; third, to receive survivors from various recovered areas and build defensive fortifications, so that every piece of recovered land becomes our solid fortress!"

"The five-army structure—East, West, South, North, and Center—will support each other like horns, forming an integrated offense and defense!" Lin Zhou swung his arm down fiercely. "From today on, we will no longer shrink in a corner. We will use Dawn City as the center to push across the country and completely wipe the Skeleton Serpent's influence from this land!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Inside the conference room, the generals' roars were deafening, and hot blood boiled in their chests.

The military orders were like mountains, executed with lightning speed.

The expansion orders for the Five Great Army Groups spread to every corner of the three main cities within three days. Survivors were excited; young and able-bodied men signed up for the army one after another. Production lines in factories were running at full capacity to rush out Second Generation Scale Armor Power Armor and Heavy Sonic Cannons for the new army. The lights in the Scientific Research Zone never went out; the development of the carrier-based version of the Falcon Attack Aircraft accelerated again, and specialized weapons against marine Mutants entered the final testing stage.

A week later, the departure ceremony for the Five Great Army Groups was grandly held in the Dawn City square.

One hundred thousand soldiers stood in formation clad in battle armor, an endless torrent of steel. Formations of Falcon Attack Aircraft swept across the sky, leaving behind trails of pale blue exhaust; the barrels of heavy artillery pointed straight at the firmament, exuding a cold deterrence.

Lin Zhou stood on the reviewing stand, looking at the young and resolute faces below. His voice, transmitted through loudspeakers, reached every corner of the square:

"Brothers, the apocalypse has descended, our mountains and rivers are broken, and countless compatriots have died miserably under the claws of Mutants. But we have not yielded! We built Dawn City, we recovered Yunan and Linshui, and we have formed the Five Great Army Groups!"

He raised his hand, pointing toward the distant horizon: "There, our compatriots are suffering, and the Skeleton Serpent's lackeys are running rampant! Today, we set out, not for plunder, but for survival, and to reclaim the home we lost!"

"Those who infringe upon our Dawn, though they be far away, shall be punished!"

"Those who infringe upon our Dawn, though they be far away, shall be punished!"

The deafening slogans soared into the clouds, echoing for a long time.

The bugle for departure sounded. The Eastern Army Group's warplanes took to the sky first, speeding toward the coast; the Western Army Group's armored convoys kicked up rolling dust as they marched toward the Western Sichuan plains; the soldiers of the Southern Army Group boarded transport vehicles, heading for the jungle defense lines of the southern border; the light troops of the Northern Army Group, carrying their packs, embarked on the journey to cross the Qinling Mountains.

Lin Zhou stood on the reviewing stand, watching the various units depart, his fingers tightly clutching an encrypted document. On the document was intelligence just cracked by the Research Team—the coordinates of twenty Skeleton Serpent bases across the country had surfaced.

Meanwhile, on the offshore platform thousands of miles away, the Man in the Suit watched the footage of the five army groups setting out on his screen. Instead of panicking, he revealed a strange smile.

He raised his hand and pressed a red button.

On the screen, the coordinates of the twenty bases lit up with red light simultaneously, and the incubation chambers deep within the bases emitted bursts of humming.

"Good timing," the man whispered. "The more prey there is, the more the strongest harvesters can be tempered."

His gaze fell upon the red alert system logo in the center of the screen, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes.

A great war sweeping across the entire country had already begun.

The iron hooves of the Five Great Army Groups were trampling through the darkness of the apocalypse, charging bravely toward the dawn.