Lan Yu shook his head. The concerns in his heart were known only to him. Strictly speaking, they were a group of deserters, soldiers who had abandoned their duties and wandered aimlessly. They had already lost their official military status within the Federation.
While their numbers appeared impressive, if they were to continue forward and clash head-on with a super-large city like Chuzhou, the consequences would be unpredictable. In comparison, targeting a remote city like Jianghe City made things much easier.
Furthermore, Jianghe City was not as desolate as it seemed. Beneath the flood-ravaged surface, there were at least a few million survivors, making it an ideal place to rest and recuperate.
Turning to his side, Lan Yu gestured to a lieutenant. "Lieutenant Tong Ming, you explain the situation in Jianghe City."
"Yes, sir."
Lieutenant Tong Ming saluted Lan Yu, activated a projector, and projected the map onto the metal table in the captain's cabin.
"Currently, Jianghe City has a public network covering tens of kilometers. Approximately 4 million people are using this network. According to the intelligence department's reconnaissance, these 4 million people are primarily concentrated within the city's urban area. They are managed by the official shelters, Arshi Shelter, and other smaller civilian factions. The overall supply of resources is relatively abundant, and there has been no widespread famine or turmoil."
"Here, we have some internal footage from the shelters, taken directly from Jianghe City's public network."
"The intelligence department suggests that we could attempt to seize this city for long-term recovery."
---
On the metal table, the projection displayed streets that looked extraordinarily prosperous, vast planting fields, and numerous game strategies and related discussions posted in real time on the network.
These images startled everyone in the room.
How long had it been since they had seen such peaceful scenes?
Where they came from, the lack of prior preparation had left them without most of their resources, and life had been miserable. Every day, conflicts and bloodshed erupted among the civilians over a single meal.
But in Jianghe City, what did they see?
They saw abundant resources, where a large portion of ordinary people still had the leisure to play games and post game guides. There were even professional teams managing and continually updating the games.
It was absurd.
"What about the Arshi Shelter? How is their population nearly matching that of the official shelter?"
A major noticed the unusually large population figures for Arshi Shelter presented by Lieutenant Tong Ming. According to common sense, a civilian faction not directly controlled by the Federation shouldn't be able to gather such a large population.
"Not long ago, a plague broke out here. Only Arshi Shelter was willing to accept a large number of infected. Later, they developed a cure and vaccine, which led to this population shift," Lieutenant Tong Ming flipped through some documents and provided the explanation.
In summary, it was a mix of luck and the goodwill of Arshi Shelter's leader that led to this phenomenon.
"However, based on the information we've gathered," Lieutenant Tong Ming added, "the official shelters in Jianghe City are considering taking back some of the population from Arshi Shelter. This abnormal population ratio is likely to normalize soon."
His final addition caused the major's wariness towards Arshi Shelter to dissipate. Since it was a matter of coincidence, there was no reason to pay special attention to this civilian shelter.
"Arshi Shelter should have a decent medical team. Once we settle down, we can try to recruit them," Lan Yu nodded, not concerned about Arshi Shelter. At most, he felt their research capabilities might be useful.
---
Just then, the communications officer in the captain's cabin reported to Lan Yu.
The earlier artillery demonstration had worked.
The official shelter in Jianghe City had sent a communication request.
Lan Yu walked over and connected. After a brief conversation, he suddenly slammed the communication device down with a harsh expression.
Turning to Lieutenant Tong Ming, who was responsible for intelligence, he asked, "Do we have a map of the official shelter in Jianghe City?"
"Currently, we only have the location information. The internal structure and details about the stationed troops will take more time to gather," Lieutenant Tong Ming carefully answered.
"Bring it up for me to see."
Lan Yu walked slowly to the metal table. When Lieutenant Tong Ming projected the map of Jianghe City with the marked shelter locations, Lan Yu reached out and pointed to a location closest to their fleet, labeled as Shelter 4.
"The official shelter in Jianghe City has rejected our request for asylum."
"Now, I command the assault battalion to prepare."
"In 30 minutes, we will move out and occupy Shelter 4."
"Give them a proper greeting, let them calm down."
"Then, they can reconsider our request."
---
With Lan Yu's cold, hard voice, urgent bells began ringing through the cruise ship's dormitory area.
Soldiers who were resting hurriedly put on their black exoskeleton armor, equipped with various combat weapons and ammunition, and filed out of their dormitories. They assembled in neat, orderly rows on the deck of the ship, resembling a steel forest.
Unlike the armed gangs that had once wandered into Jianghe City, appearing as if they were regular soldiers but were actually just convicts and thugs, these soldiers under Lan Yu's command had undergone harsh, formal military training and were recognized as a legitimate combat force by the Federation government.
Their combat capability, not to mention the armed gangs, was even superior to the local garrison forces in Jianghe City. The gap between them was like that between regular military and militia.
A flash of lightning streaked across the sky.
The bright white light illuminated the dazzling cruise ship and the countless ships around it.
War, unexpectedly and violently, erupted in Jianghe City, catching everyone off guard.
---
At the Farm Shelter, in the first-level control center
Upon receiving the warning, Su Wu rushed from the underground level 3 fountain garden to the control center.
As soon as he entered, he saw the scene of intense fighting displayed on the control panel's screen.
A group of armed personnel in black exoskeleton suits, moving with the swiftness of tigers, were ruthlessly sweeping with assault rifles.
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