Chapter 100: The Lone Wolf's Allegiance

Beside Lone Wolf, a battalion of a thousand fighters was covering his retreat.
These were the elite members of the Lone Wolf Corps, all at least second-tier in strength, with nearly a hundred third-tier warriors and four fourth-tier fighters among them.
“Boss, where are we retreating to? There are just too many zombies out here.”
A fourth-tier fighter asked quietly.
“Head north of the city, find Fang Xia. Only he has the power to save us.”
In this crucial moment, Lone Wolf placed unwavering trust in Fang Xia, much more than he'd ever trusted the mighty Dawn City with its hundreds of thousands of inhabitants.
After all, Fang Xia had previously promised that not a single zombie would appear north of the city.
“Right, let's go to Captain Fang. He's your brother, isn't he? That's definitely the right move.”
The fourth-tier fighter responded swiftly. It suddenly made sense why, the last time Captain Fang came to stir trouble and killed several of their men, the Lone Wolf had chosen peace over revenge – he was waiting for this very moment.
Now, Fang Xia's territory boasted combat strength in the tens of thousands, and rumor had it that his harem squad contained hundreds of third-tier fighters.
Of course, that was just hearsay. In truth, the thousand young women of Fang Xia's harem squad had all reached third-tier today.
Since news of the zombie siege was released, cigarette sales had surged once again, causing even the low-grade cigarettes to sell out, and over three thousand cartons of premium cigarettes were gone too.
The first to arrive at Fang Xia's territory was not Lone Wolf, but Guo Yu.
As soon as the battle broke out, Guo Yu immediately led his people towards Fang Xia.
The chaos in the city delayed him somewhat, but not by much.
“Brother Fang, where should I go?”
Guo Yu eagerly volunteered, acting more like Fang Xia's subordinate than a member of Dawn City.
As for his five thousand followers, who would object to being led to safety? If Chen Gang asked later, they could simply say Guo Yu led them – they wouldn't know any better.
“Go ahead and guard the entrance. Don't let anyone in at random. Anyone who tries to force their way in, kill them.”
Before the zombies arrived, unity was paramount.
Once the zombies struck, anyone disrupting Fang Xia's plans would face only one consequence: death.
It didn't matter if they were fellow countrymen – better their demise than his own.
“And if they're from Dawn City…?”
“Don't worry, Liu Rui will go with you. She'll decide. If she can't, let me know.”
Guo Yu took his men to guard the only remaining passage, reserved for letting other humans in – but not everyone would be admitted. If someone came in only to hinder, that would be trouble.
The second wave to arrive was Lone Wolf.
He'd left his ten thousand men behind, as everything had been arranged beforehand and he needn't command personally.
His own survival mattered most.

“Stop. What's going on here?”
Seeing the group of nearly a thousand approach, Guo Yu quickly stepped forward.
“I am Lone Wolf. I’ve come to see my brother, Captain Fang.”
Lone Wolf shamelessly shouted out.
Guo Yu knew well the history between Lone Wolf and Fang Xia – since when had they become brothers?
Lone Wolf was a prominent figure in Dawn City, so Guo Yu hesitated.
Liu Rui also came forward to support Guo Yu, as the opposing group looked formidable.
She'd already sent word to Fang Xia, so a brief delay would suffice.
“Captain Lone Wolf, please wait a moment. Brother Fang will be here soon.”
Seeing Liu Rui, Lone Wolf calmed down. Everyone in Dawn City knew that Liu Rui was the chief steward of the harem squad, handling all affairs great and small. Fang Xia might be the nominal leader, but he was really just a figurehead.
Soon, Fang Xia arrived.
“Captain Fang, look at me – what do you think?”
As soon as he saw Fang Xia, Lone Wolf cheerfully sidled up, acting like a close brother.
“This is a thousand men?”
“Yes, yes.”
“All your Corps’ elite?”
“Uh, Captain Fang, you see right through things.”
“One third-tier advancement crystal per person.”
“……”
The conversation stalled.
He knew Fang Xia would take the opportunity to extort him, but this was excessive.
He’d still not settled accounts from last time, when Fang Xia took thirty advancement crystals from him. Now, a thousand?
“Captain Fang, if I had a thousand, I’d already be fifth-tier. Do you think that’s possible?”
“We’ve done business before. The zombies are right behind us; time waits for no one. Give me a fair number.”
Fang Xia glanced at the rear, the zombies still far off.
“How about this – I’ll quote you a conscientious price: one hundred. But your men have to stay on the front lines and follow my orders.”
“How about eighty?”
“Scram.”
Without another word, Lone Wolf pulled out one hundred third-tier advancement crystals from his spatial storage and handed them over.

Fang Xia looked at him in surprise – impressive. No wonder he could rise to power despite his cowardly appearance; his talent for making money was formidable.
Within moments, he produced a hundred third-tier crystals.
“Guo Yu, move aside and let my brother Lone Wolf’s men in.”
Throughout Dawn City, the sounds of battle rang out fiercely.
Mixed with the zombies’ guttural roars and the cries of humans.
“Prepare for combat.”
At the outermost edge of the territory, makeshift defenses had already been erected.
After an hour’s fighting, the flames of war finally spread to Fang Xia’s domain.
The first zombie to rush in was casually slain by Fang Xia.
Then came the second, third, fourth…
“Captain Lone Wolf.”
Fang Xia called out to Lone Wolf, who was about to fall back.
“Brothers, you all know my brother Captain Fang. Tonight, follow his orders. If we don’t kill all the zombies, none of us will survive.”
“Alright, we’ll follow Captain Fang.”
No one was foolish. Falling back and relying on Fang Xia’s people for protection was obviously impossible.
“Lone Wolf Corps, guard this passage. The rest, hold your positions.”
“Guo Yu, keep your men ready to reinforce. Don’t let zombies breach this line easily.”
Fang Xia quickly issued commands. The vanguard was already unable to respond, locked in battle with the zombies.
“Brother Fang, what about me?”
Lone Wolf looked at Fang Xia, embarrassed.
“Take Captain Lone Wolf to the rear to rest.”
Fang Xia had no time for him; Lone Wolf had paid dearly, and sparing him wouldn’t matter.
A young lady swiftly came over, leading the expectant Lone Wolf toward the rear.
“Rotate every twenty minutes. When switching, resilient ability users take the front.”
“Fire ability users, wait for my command – do not act on your own.”