68: Rick's Concerns

"Lord Pan, Reich requests your presence on the mountain," Gabriel said to Pan Han after receiving the order.

"Alright! Please lead the way!"

Thus, Pan Han, Qin Zhong, and Wei Monk followed Gabriel into the mountain.

The mountain was so steep, and the path up was winding, with many places having no road at all, only a faint trail made by human footsteps.

"Everyone, please follow me closely. Some areas have traps set, and it wouldn't be good if you accidentally fell into one!" Gabriel reminded everyone.

"Is there only one way up the mountain?" Qin Zhong suddenly asked, observing the surroundings.

Upon hearing this, Gabriel hesitated, as this information concerned the security of Mountaintop Stronghold.

Wei Monk noticed his thoughts, so he tugged at his sleeve and made an OK gesture.

Gabriel pondered for a moment and decided to trust Wei Monk.

"As you can see, this mountain is exceptionally steep, with only this one side being slightly easier to traverse. The other three sides are all sheer cliffs," Gabriel didn't state it directly, but everyone understood his meaning.

"Your place is truly easy to defend and difficult to attack. With a few hundred people defending here, an outside force of less than ten thousand would never be able to break in," Pan Han said with a smile.

"Sir, you jest! We don't seek to expand outwards; we just want to live our own small lives," Gabriel swung his blade, cutting down a few branches.

"Don't be nervous; we're not here to cause trouble, just to discuss cooperation," Pan Han explained, seeing Gabriel's excessive vigilance.

"Sir, leading Dawn Squad, has developed so quickly and even eliminated the Iron Gang. We believe in your strength and sincerity. That day, Heshang praised you quite a bit."

"Haha, that Heshang! He's made everyone laugh."

After walking about 2 kilometers uphill, they gradually saw the main gate of Mountaintop Stronghold.

Mountaintop Stronghold was located on the only flat ground in the mountains, a place that looked as if it had been neatly leveled by some giant with a large shovel.

The stronghold covered an area of about ten thousand square meters, with walls and houses built upon it.

From a distance, figures could be seen moving in the guard post above the main gate. Gabriel took out his walkie-talkie and spoke to the guard post.

Upon hearing this, the other party quickly reported to Reich and Ma Ji.

"Sir, please wait a moment; Reich will come out to greet you personally," Gabriel said to Pan Han after receiving the notification.

"That's too kind!" Pan Han exchanged pleasantries and then offered Gabriel a cigarette.

When Gabriel saw it was a cigarette, his eyes widened directly; he hadn't seen such a thing in many years!

Seeing his expression, Pan Han knew he was tempted. So, without another word, he stuffed the entire pack into Gabriel's hand.

The other party quickly tried to decline, but Pan Han never took back something he had given. The two went back and forth a few times.

Seeing this, Wei Monk directly took it and stuffed it into Gabriel's pocket.

"Old Jia, just take it. At our base, Qin Laoda often offers everyone cigarettes for no reason."

Oh my goodness!

I knew you, Lord Pan, were lavish, but I didn't expect you to be this lavish!

Gabriel no longer declined and accepted Pan Han's kindness.

At this moment, the gate of Mountaintop Stronghold opened, and a man and a woman walked out.

The man was about 1.8 meters tall, slender, with a stern face and resolute eyes. He wore a beret and had a revolver holstered at his waist. The woman beside him was slightly shorter, with a larger build, dressed in denim, and had a dagger tucked into her waistband.

Needless to say, these were Reich and Ma Ji.

"Unfortunately, they don't look like their TV show counterparts," Pan Han thought to himself.

"Lord Pan! I've long admired your reputation. Your visit today truly honors us!" Reich enthusiastically came forward to greet him.

Pan Han nodded and smiled, going up to shake Reich's hand.

After everyone introduced themselves, they headed straight for the Mountaintop Stronghold's council hall.

Calling it a hall, it was actually just a small wooden cabin, specifically built for meetings.

The interior was sparsely furnished, with only the most ordinary sofas and tables made of raw logs.

After everyone was seated, Reich got straight to the point: "Lord Pan, Wei Monk has already made your intentions clear. First, we are very grateful for the supplies you've given us. However, for us to move from Mountaintop Stronghold to Dawn Base, it may not be possible for now."

"Oh? Lord Reich, could you explain your reasons?"

Upon hearing his reply, Pan Han was not surprised.

"Our group has been here for several years now, and we're quite accustomed to living here. Furthermore, there are many children under 10 and elderly people, and we cannot guarantee their safety during a large-scale migration," Reich slowly explained.

"Hmm, Lord Reich speaks very reasonably, which shows you are a competent leader," Pan Han largely agreed with Reich's perspective.

After all, if it were him, he wouldn't just move his entire family to Dawn Base right away.

"However, since Lord Pan has sent canned goods and personally visited us, we are not people who are ignorant of social etiquette. If Dawn Base needs help in the future, we can lend a hand once," Reich said this in a very calm tone.

Clearly, they had discussed and calculated internally. They couldn't afford to offend Dawn Base or disrespect Wei Monk, nor could they owe too many favors.

Pan Han did not immediately respond after hearing this. Instead, he looked at Heshang, Qin Zhong, and then at Ma Ji.

Qin Zhong understood Pan Han's meaning, to test the waters first, so he asked, "Lord Reich, you said you could lend a hand once. How much force can you dispatch then?"

"Our firearms and ammunition here are relatively limited, and our population is still around 500. So, we can dispatch about 80 people at once," Reich replied.

"What is your current combat capability?" Qin Zhong continued to ask.

"Killing zombies is no problem at all. 80 people carrying cold and hot weapons can probably deal with 2000 zombies. If it's against a human team with evolvers, providing major support or cover should also be possible."

"Lord Reich, you truly are good at calculations!" Qin Zhong sneered. He could sense that Mountaintop Stronghold didn't want to take any risks.

"Qin Laoda, please mind your words!" Ma Ji retorted, displeased upon hearing this.

Seeing that tempers were flaring, Pan Han gestured for everyone to calm down and casually offered everyone cigarettes!

The people from Mountaintop Stronghold gasped when they saw the cigarettes!

"No surprise there! They're still going to fall under the sway of my tobacco offensive," Pan Han thought, feeling smug.

Seeing everyone's surprise, Pan Han then took out two boxes of cigarettes and pushed them in front of Reich and Ma Ji.

The two exchanged glances, both understanding each other's meaning.

This Pan Han is richer than they imagined!!!

"Heshang, give the supplies we brought this time to Lord Reich first. Let's make friends before we talk about cooperation," Pan Han seized the opportunity to press on.

Heshang immediately handed his backpack to Reich. The other party took it and opened it, revealing another batch of canned goods!

"Lord Reich, as you just said, there are old people and children here. Given your current food and weapon situation, I'm afraid you can't guarantee their safety, can you?" Pan Han said coldly.

At this moment, Wei Monk was a bit anxious; he certainly didn't want the two sides to fall out.

"Reich, when I left, there were 700 people here. Now the numbers have gradually decreased to 500. Last week, you even encountered a mutated beast tide attack. Who knows, it might happen again in a few days! You can't hold this place!" Wei Monk sincerely explained the pros and cons.