57: Chapter 57 Second Squad Leader

Ma Shangwu looked at Captain Liu Ruyan, the only newcomer beside him, and took the lead in introducing himself. His voice was loud and clear, echoing throughout the area.

"Everyone, I am Ma Shangwu, Captain of the Human Alliance's Second Squad."

This introduction was primarily intended for the newly arrived Captain Liu Ruyan.

After a brief opening, Ma Shangwu piqued everyone's interest before slowly continuing.

"Our squad has spent the past few days scouting deep within the main city. We didn't come back empty-handed; we've uncovered several key clues that I'm sure you'll all find interesting."

He paused intentionally for two seconds, his gaze sweeping across the crowd.

Those present were all old foxes who had struggled in the apocalypse for years; each one was deep-thinking and incredibly shrewd.

No one spoke up, and no one asked questions. They all remained expressionless, sitting quietly and observing.

Everyone knew that top-tier factions wouldn't give away information for nothing. Since he was deliberately teasing them, there were bound to be conditions.

Looking at this group of old hands, Ma Shangwu shook his head helplessly. He stopped beating around the bush and stated the rules directly.

"If you want the information I have regarding the main city, you can have it."

"The uniform rule is an exchange for supplies. The price is fifty pounds of grain."

"I guarantee, in the name of the Human Alliance, that the value of this information is absolutely worth fifty pounds of grain."

"If any of you feel it isn't worth it, I'll provide a full refund, not a penny less."

After his words fell, the scene remained silent.

The veteran captains all kept their composure; no one wanted to be the first to act.

Nobody wanted to be the first bird to stick its head out. They all wanted to see others' reactions before deciding whether or not to make the exchange.

Captain Liu Ruyan sat in the secondary seat, her expression indifferent and unreadable.

Having just arrived, she didn't understand the depth of the various factions or the true value of the information, but she had already made up her mind.

She would remain calm, watch the situation unfold, and see what the other convoys chose to do before making her own move.

In the open meeting area of the Human Alliance, the deathly stalemate didn't last long before someone finally cracked.

Those present were the Transcendent leaders of their respective convoys. Fifty pounds of high-quality grain was neither a huge nor a small amount.

To an ordinary survivor, it was half a month's worth of rations.

But for these captains, who held Transcendent power and had scavenged countless supplies...

...it was practically harmless. At most, it meant having a bit less in their stockpiles in exchange for information on the main city—a guaranteed win.

The first to speak was the captain of the Trainee Convoy. He grinned and was the first to yield.

"It's just fifty pounds of grain. Our Idol Interns can afford that. I'll pay! I'm trading for this info!"

With the first person breaking the ice, the remaining old foxes also set aside their internal conflicts.

Everyone understood that they were all in the same boat now. The sooner they grasped the inside story of the main city, the higher their chances of survival.

If they were stingy with these supplies and missed out on key information, they might lose their lives later.

In an instant, the captains of the Campus Convoy and the Independent Integration Convoy followed suit, all agreeing to the rule of trading supplies for information.

Captain Liu Ruyan watched the others' actions with a cold eye. After a moment's thought, she also nodded in agreement.

The Dawn Convoy didn't lack this bit of grain, and being able to get core information on the main city immediately was vital.

Understanding the current situation was far more valuable than hoarding these supplies.

Besides, there were so many supplies inside the main city; they could just scavenge some when the time came.

Seeing that no one opposed, the expression on Ma Shangwu's face instantly turned somber.

Casting aside his casual demeanor, he spoke with a heavy sense of pressure, revealing two shocking pieces of news.

"After several days of continuous, wide-range scouting by our Human Alliance squad, I'll give you the bottom line."

"The territory of Mountain City has now been completely sealed off. Entry is permitted, but exit is forbidden."

"Any force that has stepped into this convoy circle will find it basically impossible to withdraw completely."

The moment those words fell, the entire meeting area erupted into chaos.

An uproar broke out as everyone's faces changed drastically, filled with panic.

The original intention of all The Convoys present was to fish in troubled waters.

Everyone had the same plan:

When the strange object appeared, they would rush in to grab the opportunity. If they got something, they'd flee immediately. If they didn't, they'd just watch from the sidelines—a win-win situation.

No one intended to stay in this dangerous Mountain City for long, let alone lose their lives here.

But Ma Shangwu's single sentence had directly cut off everyone's path of retreat!

The way in had been unobstructed, but now the way back was completely blocked!

They had come in just fine, but now they couldn't go back!

The captains' faces turned pale, their brows furrowed tightly, their hearts filled with both panic and regret.

This was great. They had originally wanted to be spectators and pick up some scraps.

Instead, they had delivered themselves into a cage, becoming meat on a chopping block to be slaughtered at will!

Ma Shangwu ignored the crowd's panic and continued to twist the knife with a cold voice, every word piercing their hearts.

"You can all sense that the density of anomalies in this area is dozens of times higher than outside."

"If anyone doesn't believe in fate and wants to lead their team to force a breakout, I won't stop you."

"Whether you can make it out or not, weigh the consequences for yourselves."

As soon as he said this, most of the area fell silent instantly.

No one dared to talk back.

With anomalies lying in wait throughout the city, densely packed in all directions, attempting a private breakout was no different from seeking death.

When Captain Liu Ruyan heard this news, her heart also shook violently, and her face was full of astonishment.

The first thing she thought of was the recently destroyed Circus Convoy.

Boss Ma and his gang had clearly escaped from the heart of Mountain City and successfully left the main city's danger zone.

But just after they left, Mountain City was completely sealed, turning into a dead end where one could only enter but never leave.

Coincidentally, just yesterday, Zhou Che was still worrying about the danger of this place.

He had considered the idea of leading the team to run away immediately, only staying temporarily to gather information.

Now, the single night of hesitation had left them completely trapped here, with no way out at all.

Without even thinking, she knew that once Zhou Che learned the news, he would be filled with regret.

Immediately following that, Ma Shangwu threw out the second piece of news, which instantly left everyone with mixed emotions.

"Second, the anomalies in the central district of Mountain City are currently all being forcibly suppressed by an unknown power."

"The risks have been significantly reduced. All convoys are free to enter the main city for exploration and scavenging."

This news was a mixed bag.

The bad part was that the unknown existence capable of suppressing the anomalies of the entire city had a strength that was unimaginably terrifying.

Lurking in the shadows, its true form and purpose unknown, it was a sword of Damocles hanging over everyone's heads.

The good part was that the main city, which was originally a death trap, was now temporarily safe.

Everyone had a chance to go deep into the heart of the city to search for strange objects and resources, gambling for a stroke of heaven-defying luck.

In a desperate situation, it offered everyone a brief path to survival.

The crowd continued to whisper and digest this explosive double-revelation.

Some were panicked and hopeless, while others had a fiery look in their eyes, calculating how to reap benefits in the main city.

Ma Shangwu spoke again, suppressing the noisy voices in the area.

"In the coming days, if any of you find useful clues or special movements during your exploration..."

"...you can share them. We can exchange information and band together to survive."

As soon as he said this, the scene fell into a deathly silence again. Everyone instantly shut their mouths, their eyes flickering, and not a single person responded.

Those present were all old hands who had survived the apocalypse; they were as shrewd as thousand-year-old monkeys. No one was a fool.

Exchanging information? Sharing for free? Pure nonsense!