86: Remnants of evil lurk beneath Changbai Mountain, their reckless pursuit of victory ignites war.

Chapter 89: Remnants Hidden Beneath Changbai Mountain, Fanning the Flames to Steal the Spoils

The warmth of the Spring Plowing Ceremony at the Central Hub Base had not yet faded. In the fields, high-yield rice seedlings were heading and jointing, and peaceful smiles, long absent, finally rippled across the faces of the survivors in the streets and alleys.

Amidst this scene full of vitality, an encrypted telegram from Changbai Mountain, like a poisoned ice pick, stabbed ruthlessly into the peace of the command center.

"Unidentified armed forces have been discovered in the heart of Changbai Mountain, flying the banner of the 'China Provisional Government.' Holding so-called supreme authority directives from before the apocalypse, they demand that the Five Great Bases immediately surrender control and accept their jurisdiction over the entire territory."

The messenger's voice trembled, and the air in the command room froze instantly; even the lights on the sand table seemed to grow a few degrees colder.

Lin Zhou's knuckles turned white as he gripped the telegram, a cold chill churning in his eyes. The Changbai Mountain Permanent Underground Fortifications—how could he forget? That fortress, built at the cost of hundreds of billions, was originally intended to shelter top scientific researchers and store strategic materials. On the night the apocalypse broke out, it became an escape pod for the old high-level officials who abandoned hundreds of millions of people.

For three years, while the world outside was overwhelmed by tides of zombies and their compatriots struggled for survival in blood and fire, this group of people hid underground, living a life of debauchery. Now that the order of Huaxia was beginning to stabilize, they actually had the gall to come out and try to claim the fruits of others' labor!

"A bunch of heartless parasites!" Wang Hu slammed his fist onto the edge of the sand table, making the model soldiers and generals shake. "When the apocalypse hit, they ran faster than rabbits. Now that we've fought with our lives to build a home, they want to step in as ready-made masters? Not a chance!"

Chen Hao's face was as dark as ink: "The Changbai Mountain fortifications hide a pre-apocalyptic heavy weapons depot and a sufficient supply of strategic grain reserves. This group dares to show their heads probably because they're relying on their deep pockets, thinking we won't dare to move against them."

"Move against them?" Lin Zhou sneered, his fingertip poking heavily at the Changbai Mountain marker on the sand table. "Pass down my order! The Northern Army Group is to deploy a heavy Armored Brigade to immediately move into the outskirts of Changbai Mountain and blockade all entrances and exits! The entire intelligence department is to be mobilized—dig up everything these people have done underground over the past three years!"

Three days later, the armored convoy of the Northern Army Group rolled over the frozen earth of Changbai Mountain. Dark masses of war vehicles lined up at the foot of the mountain, their muzzles pointed directly at the alloy gate hidden behind the mountain wall.

As the gate slowly opened, a decadent aroma of wine and meat actually wafted out with the wind.

A squad of soldiers in crisp uniforms emerged, surrounding a pampered-looking middle-aged man. The man had a ruddy complexion and a protruding belly, forming a jarring contrast with the weather-beaten soldiers of the Dawn Army—he was the representative of the old high-level officials, the self-proclaimed 'Secretary-General of the Provisional Government,' Wei Mingyuan.

From a hundred meters away, Wei Mingyuan shouted in a haughty tone, his voice full of patronizing arrogance: "I am the representative of the China Provisional Government, acting on supreme pre-apocalyptic directives to take over the Five Great Bases! Clear the way immediately and tell Lin Zhou to crawl here for an audience!"

The Armored Brigade commander laughed in anger and raised a megaphone to retort: "The Dawn Army only recognizes commander Lin and the heroes who protect our compatriots! What right do you cowards, who fled in the face of battle, have to talk about taking over?"

"Cowards?" Wei Mingyuan acted as if he had heard the world's biggest joke, his voice suddenly rising as the greed in his eyes went unconcealed. "I hold the supreme authority documents from before the apocalypse and control the strategic nuclear weapons depot of Changbai Mountain! If you know what's good for you, obey me, or I will turn the fruits of your three years of labor into nothing!"

Instead of intimidating the Dawn Army soldiers, these words only drew a burst of sneers.

Just as the two sides were at each other's throats, Lin Zhou's private plane happened to land at a nearby temporary airfield. He walked down the ramp, followed by Chen Hao and several staff officers, his gaze sweeping over Wei Mingyuan's group, cold as ice.

"Secretary-General Wei," Lin Zhou's voice wasn't loud, but every word struck deep. "During the three years of the apocalypse, while you hid in underground fortifications drinking fine wine and eating delicacies, did you ever hear the cries of your compatriots outside? Did you ever see the horrific sight of Mutants gnawing on children?"

Wei Mingyuan's face stiffened, and he then shouted with false bravado: "Lin Zhou! Don't talk nonsense! We were preserving the sparks of Huaxia! Now that the sparks are to take back control, you dare to disobey?"

"Preserving the sparks?" Lin Zhou sneered and raised his hand to signal the staff officer behind him.

The staff officer immediately held up a display screen, and the images on it caused Wei Mingyuan's face to turn deathly pale.

On the screen was evidence obtained by intelligence personnel from soldiers who had defected from within the fortifications—

Inside the underground fortifications, Wei Mingyuan and his cohorts monopolized ninety percent of the food reserves, eating delicacies daily, even washing their hands with Moutai and smoking high-end cigars to flavor their meat. Meanwhile, the ordinary citizens who had followed them into the fortifications were treated as slaves, receiving only half a bowl of sour porridge a day and being beaten or kicked for the slightest disobedience.

Even more appalling was that within the fortifications, a group of idealistic officers had repeatedly requested Wei Mingyuan to open the gates to rescue survivors outside, even offering to lead teams to clear out Mutants. However, these requests were met with cruel persecution.

In the footage, an old officer with medals pinned to his chest was tied to a pillar and whipped simply because he had denounced Wei Mingyuan for 'forgetting his roots.' Several young soldiers were thrown into cages holding Mutant test subjects, their screams echoing throughout the fortifications. There was also a female medic who was beaten to death just for secretly giving a civilian half a steamed bun, her body discarded carelessly in the fortifications' trash heap.

This bloody evidence was broadcast simultaneously through loudspeakers.

The soldiers Wei Mingyuan brought with him turned pale instantly. Many of them had also been coerced into joining, and now, seeing the horrors on the screen, the hands holding their guns began to tremble.

"You... you're slandering me! This is fabricated!" Wei Mingyuan panicked, screaming hysterically and trying to rush forward to grab the screen, only to be pinned down firmly by two Dawn Army soldiers.

Lin Zhou stepped forward slowly, his gaze sweeping over the wavering soldiers, his voice powerful and resonant: "You are all soldiers; you should know that protecting the country is your sacred duty! Ask yourselves, hiding underground while watching your compatriots suffer, and siding with these parasites who harm our people—do you sleep soundly?"

"Now, two paths lie before you," Lin Zhou's gaze was as sharp as a blade. "Either lay down your weapons, join the Dawn Army, and use your blood to wash away your shame and help rebuild our home; or follow these cowards and be nailed to the pillar of historical shame forever!"

As he spoke, a soldier was the first to drop his gun, sobbing as he shouted: "I surrender! I don't want to work for these animals anymore!"

With the first, came the second, the third... In just a few minutes, more than half of the hundreds of soldiers Wei Mingyuan had brought laid down their weapons and walked over to the Dawn Army's side.

Seeing everyone deserting him, Wei Mingyuan collapsed to the ground, his face ashen, still muttering to himself: "Impossible... my nuclear weapons... my power..."

The farce of the Changbai Mountain underground fortifications ended in an utter defeat.

The stockpiled strategic materials were all confiscated and transported to the Five Great Bases to support construction. The oppressed civilians regained their freedom and followed the Dawn Army's convoy toward a hopeful new world. Meanwhile, core leaders like Wei Mingyuan were locked in prison carts, awaiting the most just trial from the Survivor Court.

As the sun set, Lin Zhou stood atop the peak of Changbai Mountain, looking out at the continuous mountain ranges in the distance.

The mountain wind howled, whipping the hem of his clothes with a snapping sound.

He knew that although this storm had subsided, the underlying currents had never stopped. The remnants of the old high-level officials, the lurking Skeleton Serpent, and the changing winds in Europe and America were all reminders that peace was never something easily obtained.

"Pass down the order," Lin Zhou turned around, his voice as firm as iron. "The Five Great Bases are to fully strengthen their defenses, the Research Team is to accelerate the development of the next generation of weapons, and the National Military Training Program is to be accelerated!"

His gaze swept toward the direction of the Central Hub Base, his eyes full of determination.

"The future of Huaxia can only be in the hands of those willing to bleed and sacrifice for her!"