Rumor had it that one day, when Ye Zhongming took a break and called Little Tiger to the crystal weapon testing grounds, he engaged in a “friendly sparring match” with him. The outcome was unclear, but Ye Zhongming returned to continue crafting while Little Tiger sported bruises for several days.
As time passed, ten days had gone by since the plan for the upcoming period was finalized. Reports began to trickle in, and surprisingly, the territorial expansion plan wasn’t going as smoothly as expected.
These regions were on the fringes of Cloud Peak’s influence and were somewhat affected by it. During the meeting, Ye Zhongming stated that the original forces in these territories would either be absorbed or eliminated. This had given the Ying City teams a lot of confidence, even making them somewhat arrogant.
They had reason to be arrogant. As affiliated teams of Cloud Peak, they enjoyed the most benefits. They didn’t need to rely on luck to obtain evolution potions—they could purchase them at low prices. They could also acquire equipment from Cloud Peak at similarly low prices. Additionally, they could hire warriors from the Posthumous people to venture into the secret realm, earning substantial profits each time. Many people didn’t even engage in combat in the secret realm; instead, they relied on information from the Posthumous People people to guess where battles had taken place and specialized in digging for demon crystals. This even gave rise to a short-lived role—crystal diggers.
This didn’t even account for the fact that they could sell the corpses of mutant lifeforms to Cloud Peak, a nearly cost-free business.
With so many advantages, the Ying City teams were naturally much stronger than the surrounding factions.
In the past, they had relied on Cloud Peak to live comfortably in the relatively safe Ying City, which had made them somewhat complacent. Now, with the opportunity to expand, they had taken the initiative, expecting easy victories. Instead, they encountered fierce resistance.
Whether it was Bai Feng’s team, Star Beauty Corporation, or factions controlling territories in smaller towns, almost every organization faced strong opposition from local forces. The original inhabitants of these areas showed a fierce determination to resist those trying to take over their “homes.”
Few were willing to accept the “amnesty” the Ying City forces offered, and conflicts became inevitable.
This situation not only caught the Ying City teams off guard but also surprised Cloud Peak’s members.
“It’s not hard to understand, is it? If you try to take over someone else’s home, they’ll naturally fight back,” said Tong Hu, who had just returned from a mission and still reeked of blood. He shared his perspective on the current situation with a few core members at home.
“It’s probably not that simple,” Liang Chuyin, who had recently been assigned to oversee matters related to the secret realm, chimed in. Once a lively internet celebrity, she had matured over the four years of the apocalypse into a capable team leader and mid-level manager. She could handle responsibilities independently, but she still reverted to her playful self around Ye Zhongming.
“Essentially, they’re being absorbed. These factions should see that clearly. I can understand why larger factions wouldn’t want to submit to others, but what about the smaller ones? They’re struggling to survive—one failed hunt could wipe them out. How do they have such a strong will to resist?”
The internet celebrity wasn’t the same person who used to rely on brute force without thinking. Now, she pondered the question while idly playing with her whip.
“Of course, they’ve been infiltrated,” a voice came from behind. Everyone turned to see Ye Zhongming approaching.
They all stood up to greet their leader. Over the past few days, they had been direct beneficiaries of Ye Zhongming’s efforts. Every day, he would produce a few blue-grade pieces of equipment, which were distributed among the core members. Now, they had nearly all achieved full blue-grade gear. The next step was to aim for gold-grade equipment, which would be far more difficult and likely unattainable for years.
Liang Chuyin hugged Ye Zhongming’s arm and led him to a chair, massaging his shoulders from behind. The thought of her man working tirelessly every day, only taking breaks to eat and recover his mental energy, made her heartache.
This wasn’t how a leader should live. While leaders of other factions in the apocalypse enjoyed their power, her man was toiling like a laborer. It wasn’t fair.
“Boss, what do you mean by ‘infiltrated’?” Ah Yang asked.
Ye Zhongming closed his eyes, enjoying Liang Chuyin’s massage, and replied, “Cloud Peak is right here, a clear target. Whether they’re our enemies or our friends, everyone is watching us. The only difference is whether their attention is friendly or hostile.”
At this point, everyone understood.
“You mean these teams are spies from other factions?”
Ye Zhongming shook his head slightly. “It’s unlikely that they’re all spies, but various factions have sent people to our surroundings over the past two years. Some pretended to be survivors migrating here, while others infiltrated and took control of existing factions. Over time, they’ve grown in number. Once the territorial plan was announced, as soon as the Ying City teams knew about it, these ‘spies’ would also have known. Naturally, they wouldn’t willingly give up their territories or lose the opportunity to monitor Cloud Peak up close. Once the territories are established, they’ll be pushed out of Cloud Peak’s sphere of influence. Gathering firsthand information will become much harder.”
Everyone nodded in understanding. It seemed that, besides the obvious reasons, Boss’s territorial plan also aimed to expel these spies.
In truth, Cloud Peak also sent people to monitor the surroundings of other factions, not necessarily with malicious intent, but at least to stay informed.
The work of the Chameleon included this as a crucial task. Other factions would ruthlessly eliminate Cloud Peak’s spies given the chance. It was an unspoken understanding and success depended on skill.
“It seems it’s time for Cloud Peak’s forces to step in,” Ye Zhongming said, looking at the group. They all understood—Boss was going to have the teams assist the Ying City forces.
At that moment, Xia Lei entered and was surprised to see Ye Zhongming there.
“Are you hungry?” she asked, sitting beside him with concern. Usually, Ye Zhongming wouldn’t be out at this time.
“No, it’s because someone wants to see me,” Ye Zhongming smiled. “Well, not someone—it’s not human.”
