225: Chapter 225 They

"Bourne, have you checked it out? What's the situation outside?"

"I've got a good idea, Green."

The brown-haired young man came down from above, carrying a Thompson submachine gun that was worn down beyond recognition, and looked at everyone in the room.

Bourne took out a phone with only a dozen bars of battery left. "It's just like we said yesterday; the phone signal returned for a while yesterday afternoon. Although it was very weak, some people still managed to receive a signal."

Seeing everyone's gaze, Bourne turned off the phone. "According to the description from the Iron Fist Gang next door, they discovered through their phones that someone had posted the actions of those guys outside to major video platforms. Although it was quickly taken down, it seems to have already sparked heated discussions."

The bearded middle-aged man, Green, looked at the companions around him; they were gaunt, malnourished, and dispirited.

"So, will anyone come to help us?"

"The hope is slim," Bourne replied. "Besides, we've been an unrecognized armed force since '23, so it'll never be our turn to be saved."

"I really didn't expect it..." Green lamented. "At the peak of our Civilian Army, we were over ten thousand strong, and now only we are left."

"Tch! Those damn Blue Helmets!" A thin young man nearby kicked a crate next to him. "And those little... girls driving the tanks..."

"Alright, Paul." Green shook his head. "No matter what, we have to survive, rather than being trapped to death in this city that could be destroyed at any moment."

"Yeah, survive. But how can it be that easy?" Bourne gave a bitter smile, jumped down from the stairs, and sat on a crate below. "We're the only ones left who are still holding on."

"Everyone is doing it to survive." Green stood up. "Why did we stand up in the first place? Wasn't it because we couldn't survive anymore? And then what did we do?"

"We were blinded by victory, thinking the Mediation Force was as weak as the feeble government troops. They wanted to restore the old order and push us back into the factories to work day and night."

"But what was the result? What did our brothers do? I know the brothers here are still relatively sane, but back then, when things were a chaotic mess, what did those hot-headed brothers do?"

"Car bombs? Attacking the Red Cross? Tying Mediation Force prisoners to streetlights and burning them? God, it's a miracle they haven't wiped us out yet."

Bourne sighed. "Who's to say otherwise?"

"So, my brother." Green went to the window, which was blocked by wooden boards with only a few gaps to look outside. "Now, we can only count on ourselves and build good relationships with the other people in the city."

"Naturally... I came back from the black market today with some news," Bourne said. "Does everyone want to hear it?"

This was a rare form of entertainment. Everyone's eyes turned toward him, and Green narrowed his eyes. "Let's hear it."

"Those guys from the Donkey Party have indeed suffered at the hands of the Mediation Force recently. It's said their special forces were completely wiped out after infiltrating, and they've lost several vehicles in the last two days."

"Wow..." Paul clicked his tongue. "Do those three girls have fuel now? They're that capable?"

"Supposedly not. It seems a capable person has arrived in the city who is full of hostility toward the Donkey Party. Weren't there explosions yesterday? I heard the Donkey Party was hunting him." Bourne grabbed a nearby water bottle and took two large gulps. "Supposedly, he was also the one who managed to send information outside, but his life or death is currently unknown."

"That's really too bad," Green said. "If he's still alive, I simply must meet him."

"I want to as well." Bourne smiled. "But the Donkey Party's retaliation will likely be quite violent, and we might be caught in the crossfire."

"At worst, we'll fight them to the end. Our lives are worthless anyway," Paul said, taking out his M60 from the side—it was truly an old piece of equipment.

"Compared to the Blue Helmets, these self-proclaimed legitimate federal troops are even more annoying." Green counted his bullets; there weren't many left.

"Bourne! Green!"

A Black man carrying an AR15 ran down the stairs. "A strange guy has arrived outside!"

"Calm down, Odd." Green looked over. "What kind of guy?"

"Wearing Mediation Force clothes, but not wearing a helmet like them..." Odd rubbed his bald head. "He doesn't look like someone from the Mediation Force; he looks more like a scavenger... and he looks Asian!"

"Asian?"

Green thought for a moment. "Did he say anything?"

"He said he's a newcomer and wants to learn about the gangs here... he just stumbled upon us. Mark and I had a fight with him, and we lost..."

"Huh?" Bourne stood up. "Two against one and you lost?"

Odd nodded in frustration. "But he didn't come in either. He spared us and let me come in to notify you."

"Then let him in... no, I'll go greet him personally."

Green stood up and followed Odd out with Bourne.

Bourne looked at a swollen lump on Odd's head. "Odd, why is your head a bit bigger in one spot?"

Odd dithered for a moment, then touched the tender spot on his head, immediately shrinking his neck in pain.

Bourne laughed heartlessly.

Green shook his head. Having not seen light for a long time, he couldn't quite open his eyes when hit by the sunlight. He tried to adjust for a while before he could see outside clearly.

Mark, wearing a farmer's hat, was pointing a shotgun at the guest, but the guest didn't seem nervous at all. Instead, he was leisurely sizing them up.

"Mark, put the gun down."

Only then did Mark lower the shotgun and rub his bruised arm—this guy really hits hard!

"Hello, sir. May I ask which faction you belong to?" Green stepped forward and shook his hand.

"A Huaxia person, no organization... well, because my nest was blown up, I'm temporarily hanging around with the Mediation Force."

Blown up... Green was a bit suspicious but didn't show it. "Odd said you wanted to learn about the surrounding situation?"

"Yes, and also to learn about the gangs and factions in this city."

"I understand... are you new to this city?"

"Pretty much. I hid in this city for certain reasons. To survive, one always has to understand the... locals, right?"

"That's true." Green nodded. "Hello, sir. I am Green White, the leader of the Texas Civilian Army. Beside me is Bourne Amos, the current second-in-command."

"The Civilian Army?" Li Ming's pupils constricted slightly.

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