23: Chapter 23: Consolidating the spoils of war, a "love letter" to the Dragon Kingdom.

As the smoke from the great victory at Gunlong Gorge cleared, Dawn Base entered a brief but precious period of peace.

But Zhang Cheng knew very well that this peace was won through fighting and was fragile. To make it last, he had to squeeze every bit of profit from this battle and transform it into real strength.

Inside the base, the atmosphere was bustling.

Old K was leading the Death Soldiers in classifying and storing the captured supplies.

Those pickup trucks hauled back from the battlefield, though some were riddled with holes, most of their engines still worked. The mechanics among the Death Soldiers got to work immediately, cannibalizing parts to patch others up, and managed to assemble over twenty battle-ready vehicles that could both run and fight.

As for guns and ammunition, they were piled up like mountains.

"Sovereign, how should we handle these miscellaneous weapons?" Old K asked, pointing at the mishmash of AKs, M16s, and even antique rifles from World War II. "Our Death Soldiers aren't used to these; the precision is too poor, and they jam easily."

"The Death Soldiers will naturally use the high-quality products from the system." Zhang Cheng waved his hand dismissively. "But this junk shouldn't be thrown away either. Didn't Li Lanzhi recruit a Security Team of over a hundred people? And those convicts who have performed well—distribute these to them!"

"Tell them, holding a gun is for defending the base, not for bullying people. If anyone dares to use my gun to run amok, I'll use this very gun to blow his head off!"

"Yes, sir!"

On the other side, Li Lanzhi was incredibly busy.

Not only did she have to manage the money, but now she also had to manage the people, their food, drink, and daily lives.

The logistics and Security Teams of over a hundred people were handpicked by her from thousands of rescued individuals. Although these people weren't as physically fit as the Death Soldiers, they had the advantage of having skills, brains, and—they were living human beings with feelings and gratitude.

"Director Li, what's the food standard for today?" the head chef of the cafeteria came to ask for instructions.

"Add meat!" Li Lanzhi gritted her teeth as she looked at the "convicts" (prisoners) sweating profusely while repairing the perimeter walls on the construction site. "Even though they are prisoners, they have to be fed before they can work. Tell them that as long as they undergo reform honestly and don't cause trouble, not only will they have food, but if they perform well in the future, their sentences can be reduced, and they might even join us!"

This "carrot and stick" tactic was learned from Zhang Cheng.

Sure enough, when the buckets of broth with oil floating on top were brought to the prisoner camp, the prisoners—who originally had fierce looks in their eyes and were thinking about how to riot—instantly became well-behaved. In these troubled times, dignity was not as good as a steamed bun, and hope was more precious than gold.

Zhang Cheng stood on high ground, watching all this and nodding in satisfaction.

Internal integration was almost complete; it was time to deal with external troubles.

He knew that the commotion this time was too big, and the Dragon Kingdom must have already set its sights on him. Rather than waiting for the other party to be suspicious, it was better to take the initiative.

He called out the system again and connected to that special "Wang Wu Hotline."

Dragon Kingdom, a secret intelligence station on the border.

Zhao Gang was staring at the screen in worry when suddenly, that special frequency band, which had been silent, began to pulse.

"It's coming!" Zhao Gang's spirits lifted. "Quick! Record it!"

On the screen, a passage of text appeared word by word, each character looking as if it were carved with a knife, carrying an unquestionable aura of dominance:

"To the relevant parties:"

"1. Regarding the Kokang XX Park: The tumor has been excised, and the pus and blood have been drained. The chief culprit has been executed, and the remnants are on the run. This place has now been renamed 'Dawn Base'."

"2. Regarding the Gunlong Gorge conflict: Yang Maoliang's forces declared war without warning and provoked us by crossing the border. My unit was forced to counter-attack in self-defense and has now completely annihilated the invading enemy. This battle was not my intention, but a necessary measure."

"3. Regarding the future: The ambition of my unit lies in ending the chaos in Northern Myanmar and rebuilding order. Anyone involved in drugs, fraud, or human trafficking is my mortal enemy. Any law-abiding, well-behaved citizens seeking a livelihood will be under my protection."

"4. As a show of sincerity, in three days, my unit will once again hand over the second batch of rescued compatriots to your side, numbering about five hundred. Also attached are several account books proving the collusion between Yang Maoliang's forces and the telecom fraud groups."

"5. If your side is interested in establishing deeper connections in 'specific fields' (such as border security, intelligence sharing, etc.), please confirm by flashing a red light three times via the specific frequency when receiving the personnel."

—— "The Sovereign"

After Zhao Gang finished reading the letter, he took a deep breath, his palms drenched in sweat.

How was this a notification? This was clearly a "Letter to Compatriots," and even more so, a subtle "Letter of Intent for Cooperation"!

It displayed thunderous methods (wiping out one of Yang Maoliang's regiments), occupied the moral high ground (cracking down on telecom fraud and protecting civilians), and finally threw out that irresistible bait—cooperation!

"A master..." Zhao Gang muttered to himself. "This Sovereign is definitely a master. He knows exactly what we want and what we are worried about."

He immediately picked up the red phone: "Connect me to the General Staff! I have top-level intelligence to report!"

...

Two days later.

As the second batch of five hundred rescued compatriots, on those ships laden with hope, tearfully waved to the opposite shore, Zhang Cheng stood on a distant high slope, holding binoculars.

He saw that at the reception point on the Dragon Kingdom's side, on top of an inconspicuous communication vehicle, a red signal light flashed rhythmically three times in the night.

Once. Twice. Three times.

Zhang Cheng lowered his binoculars, a bright smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

"The fish has taken the bait."

Meanwhile, Old K walked over quickly and handed over an emergency intelligence report: "Sovereign, Yang Maoliang is getting anxious. Scouts report that he is secretly contacting the Bai Family and the Liu Family, and representatives from the Wei Family are also rushing to his side. These families... seem to want to join forces."

"Join forces?" Zhang Cheng took the intelligence, didn't even glance at it, and directly lit it with a lighter, watching it turn to ashes.

"Just as well."

The flames reflected on Zhang Cheng's young and cold face.

"It saves me the trouble of looking for them one by one. Since they want to huddle together and die, I'll grant them their wish!"