Chapter 328

Bang bang bang! Tap tap tap!

9: 5 a. ., the sky's black curtain brightened, and the western desert plateau welcomed dawn once more—the sun rose high, and the vast desert echoed with roaring engines and crisp gunshots.

Above the horizon, over a hundred wildly modified sand bandit vehicles chased two survivor convoys, racing from Sand Snake Mouth toward Akesai, bouncing violently over gravel plains, tires crushing weathered camel thorns with sharp crackles like the screams of shattered bones.

These sand bandit vehicles surged like a steel flood, kicking up rolling clouds of yellow sand across the desert.

Leading the bandit convoy was a vehicle forged from a half-cleaver front end welded onto tank treads, its roof mounted with a flame projector made from oil pipelines; the leader of the Crimson Vulture Gang, Red Hawk, wore a welded gas mask, his voice distorted by a vocoder: "Men in cages, women alive!"

"Woo hoo hoo!!"

His words sent adrenaline surging through the desert marauders; vehicles began howling in unison, some firing rifles into the air, one modified off-road vehicle surged ahead of the pack, a thug with a mohawk standing atop it, shouldering a rocket launcher, grinning with blackened teeth before pulling the trigger.

Shhh—BOOM!

The rocket exploded against the rear of a modified off-road vehicle, flames erupting instantly, hurling the entire vehicle forward, its side rear wheel engulfed in roaring fire as it rolled over.

Vehicles behind surged forward, laughing as they hurled incendiary bottles through the shattered windows of the burning vehicle—BOOM! Flames exploded, engulfing several survivors still trapped inside, who screamed in agony as they burned.

The survivor convoy returned fire relentlessly; one brazen thug was instantly shredded by a metal stream, half his jaw hanging in midair, the scent of blood spreading instantly.

But seeing this, the bandits didn't fear—they grew even more excited!

In the ranks, a heavy-duty big-foot vehicle with a golden shell had two exaggerated exhaust stacks towering behind it, belching black smoke; a muscular man, bare-chested, wearing a razor mask, stood in the pickup bed, wielding a modified Gatling gun, raking the rear windows of the survivor convoy, blood and glass shards exploding inside the cabins, screams drowned by engine roars.

Beside him, in the passenger seat, sat a middle-aged man with a face as grim as a blade and a massive build—the leader of the Sand Scorpion Gang, Old Scorpion.

He called himself the Desert Emperor, 1. meters tall, with a waist twice the normal size; his exposed right arm bulged with muscles like steel cables, tattooed from back of hand to forearm with a diagram of a "Cannibal Chainsaw," his belly spilling out from his open riveted leather armor, deliberately left exposed, two greasy strands of hair dangling from either side of his bald scalp.

Behind him, two beautiful women, their necks chained, one massaged his shoulders while the other occasionally placed ice cubes into his mouth; he sucked her fingers too, then crushed the ice with a sharp crunch.

At that moment, a signal flare trailing red smoke slowly rose from afar in Akesai City.

Old Scorpion picked up his radio and rasped: "Red Hawk, Bone Dragon, Wu Er has signaled—the west gate is sealed."

"Seen it." Red Hawk's triangular eyes glowed red beneath his mask: "The convoy from yesterday didn't enter the city—my men already hit their camp."

"Old Bald Eagle, those women in that convoy were gorgeous—you better save me one that's still unspoiled!"

Bone Dragon, leader of the Earth Dragon Clan, wore camouflage powered armor, his sharp face sharp with cunning, yet his eyes bore dark bags as if drained by wine and lust.

"Relax." Red Hawk's voice, distorted and cold: "Old J's crew is still active near Luo Bu—they haven't returned. I sent Mazi's team."

"Fuck!"

Bone Dragon cursed: "That old Mazi's even crazier than Old J—what the hell am I supposed to do? And why the hell are all your men either beasts or lunatics? Even the whores at Camel Bell Station are scared of them!"

"Hahaha!" Old Scorpion's laughter crackled through the comms.

"Women, no matter how pretty—they're just women. Keep your men's eyes sharp—no one leaves Akesai today!"

"They won't escape." Bone Dragon clicked his tongue: "In this wasteland, even if they flew to the sky, I'd shoot them down!"

Vvvvvv!

The convoy roared, sand spraying everywhere; soon, the bandit fleet neared Akesai City, abandoned buildings growing denser along the way.

By the time they reached Akesai, the bandits hadn't wiped out both survivor convoys, but they'd shattered nearly all armed resistance during the chase, then forced the terrified, broken remnants into Akesai—now the Sand Scorpion Gang vehicles slowed.

Meanwhile, bandit groups approaching from the southern suburb of Lame Hill and the northern city gate began converging, circling Akesai City until it was fully encircled.

"Woo hoo!!"

Countless incendiary rounds, rockets, and remote-controlled suicide drones rained down on the city—a scene of apocalyptic plundering.

Explosions and gunfire filled the air above Akesai; countless abandoned apartment blocks and shop-lined streets burst into flames, thick black smoke rising into the desert plain.

"Fuck their grandfathers!"

In a high-rise room, Lu Zhao peered through his electronic scope at the flood of bandit vehicles outside, his face grim, barking into his radio: "Fall back, Old Zhao—take your men and block the front street—don't let that bastard Wu Dapeng hit us from behind!"

"Got it!"

Below, in the square, two unlucky survivor convoys, battered and barely recovered from their escape, now faced multiple bandit squads storming into the city, advancing down alleyways.

Tap tap tap! Bang bang bang!

The Dawn Convoy and Akesai Brotherhood, already in defensive positions, opened fire immediately—hundreds of them unleashed fierce firepower, crushing the bandits' momentum; the two survivor convoys finally caught their breath, rolling their vehicles into the square, organizing medical aid, and rushing fighters to the front lines.

Yet the main bandit force outside showed no urgency to attack, instead harassing the perimeter, laughing freely as streets burned.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Several massive explosions shook the ground—buildings outside the square erupted in dust; a sand bandit adept, encased in earth and stone like a tank, smashed through walls and burst into view before the Dawn Convoy. As survivors turned their guns toward him, a flying adept with eagle wings and a helmet streaked down from above, spraying bullets to kill several innocent survivors fleeing burning vehicles, then contemptuously tossed several specially made dirty gas bombs into the defensive line!

"Woo-hoo!"

*Shhh!

The defenders didn't back down—a mimic adept unleashed five or six tentacles from his hands, soaring into the air, snatching the bombs mid-flight, and hurling them back at the earth adept.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Brownish explosions erupted; one bomb was thrown too slowly, severing one of the mimic's tentacles into bloody pulp.

"Rockets!"

Shhh! Shhh! Shhh!

From a distant street, three rockets arrived in an instant, detonating before the heavy trucks of the defensive line—windows and hulls shattered, men flung into the air by fire and blast.

In the tiny city of Akesai, smoke filled the air, gunfire never ceased.

"Wu Dapeng! You son of a bitch!"

On the high-rise, Lu Zhao saw the advancing convoy and flew into a rage.

A fierce assault piled pressure on the survivors, casualties mounting.

Yet the survivors held their ground with alley defenses—temporarily repelling the attack. Suddenly, as if receiving orders, the bandits paused their probing assault, halting fire without warning.

"What's going on? They stopped?"

"They ran?!"

"Fall back! Pull them in!" Xie Guan, commanding below, roared with bloodshot eyes—ten minutes of probing attacks had cost him several men; the oppressive firepower left him desperate and furious.

As the bandits withdrew, the defenders sensed something wrong—the bandits had vanished, the furious gunfire silenced, leaving only the crackling of burning buildings.

Vvvvv… Squeee!

A shrill, crackling voice blared through Akesai City via loudspeakers.

On the main eastern exit road, the golden big-foot vehicle stood among its escort vehicles; Old Scorpion raised his megaphone, his voice transmitted through speakers his men had installed across the city, broadcasting without blind spots.

"Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunate timing—we've interrupted a beautiful morning."

As he spoke, he stroked the woman beneath him like a cat, his voice rasping.

"I'm Old Scorpion. You may not know my name—doesn't matter. All you need to know is: this man is sending you to hell. Our purpose today is simple—you've all seen it: either you kill me, or I kill you all. Simple enough?"

"Hahahaha…"

At his words, hundreds of bandits surrounding Akesai erupted into grotesque laughter.

The rasping voice echoed through every street of Akesai, weighing heavily on every survivor's heart—they felt like facing a monstrous threat!

Next to the large-footed vehicle, Red Hawk of the Crimson Vulture Gang and Bone Dragon of the Earth Dragon Clan glanced at Old Scorpion, their eyes blazing with fury.

"Oh~"

Feeling the woman beneath him squirm, Old Scorpion sighed contentedly and continued.

"But we bandits are reasonable people too—we all just want to survive. There's no need for endless killing. Like before, we agreed to cooperate with Boss Hu, collecting tolls, guarding Akesai's safety, clearing paths for your convoys—we did our duty, wholeheartedly. Isn't it true? For the past half-month, hasn't Akesai been safe during the day?"

Old Scorpion sneered: "So why are we here today? Simple—my men have no food. You say, we protect you—shouldn't we get paid for our trouble? Doesn't that make sense?"

"Make sense your ass!!"

Across the square, the Dawn Convoy raised their own loudspeaker and shouted back.

At the Black Rose Bar, Lu Zhao, Xie Guan, and the two convoy leaders huddled to strategize. Lu Zhao, quick-tempered, exploded at Old Scorpion's words: "Robbery is robbery—don't spout your bullshit philosophy. You think you're fooling me? Fine—fight! Even if every last man here dies today, I'll make sure not half of you bastards walk away!"

"Oh? Tough guy." Bone Dragon scoffed.

Old Scorpion snorted, unfazed: "That voice isn't Boss Hu's. Where's Boss Hu? Tell him—we're here for him. The other convoys are innocent. Your tolls? Boss Hu already paid them. You're free to leave now."

At these words, many defenders in Akesai shifted expression—their once-solid defense lines wavered.

"Is he telling the truth?"

"Fuck—that's a bandit! You believe him?"

"What if it's true? If someone else paid the toll… maybe they're safe?"

"They're at our gates—still dreaming?"

At the Black Rose Bar, Hu Lushou's face darkened; he glanced at the convoy leaders, swallowing hard. Beside him, Sun Chang realized the bandits were sowing discord—though blunt, such tactics could still break someone's resolve; she stepped forward slightly, wary.

But Lu Zhao, hearing this, suddenly glared, then laughed coldly, picking up the megaphone.

"Hahahaha! No wonder you're a bandit boss—your brain's messed up, but you've got a bit of military sense."

"First, bang the drum to scare the tiger, then use the 'surround but leave an opening' tactic, right? Now you try to sow division—you think I'm stupid? Do I believe you, bandit, or believe that tonight's Weird Body is a white-skinned old lady?"

Hu Lushou, stunned by Lu Zhao's words, couldn't help but give him a thumbs-up.

"Lu Captain, you're a genius—you saw through their trick at once!"

Lu Zhao tossed the megaphone onto the table, his expression still grim. Though he looked rough and hot-headed, he wasn't dumb—he'd once been a top graduate student, and he instantly saw through Old Scorpion's scheming. Still, their situation remained dire.

Lu Zhao's words silenced the murmurs among the convoys, forcing survivors to face reality.

Wu Dapeng, encircling the west gate, narrowed his eyes and called over a subordinate.

"Those guys from the Lu family are at the Black Rose Bar—send men to tail them. Wait for the boss's order…"

He made a throat-slitting gesture. For these convoys, the leader was the core—if eliminated, the defense would collapse.

"Got it!" The subordinate left.

Old Scorpion, hearing Lu Zhao's words, let a flash of cold light pass through his eyes, then spoke with icy calm.

"Oh? So this convoy leader prefers the whip to the wine. Since none of you want to leave… fine. From now on, every one of your men: eyes gouged, noses cut off. Every woman: gang-raped on the spot. Not one spared. How's that for matching your toughness?"

His words directly framed Lu Zhao and his men as enemies, deliberately provoking division—utterly ruthless.

"Fuck."

Lu Zhao heard this and silently cursed. Though he knew exactly what the other side was up to—these desert bandits would have to pay a heavy price to annihilate them entirely—they were just playing mind games, hoping to fracture the survivors' unity before striking easily.

But for now, he had no solution. The initiative lay entirely with the enemy; they had no choice but to hold their ground.

"What do we do now?" Xie Guan's face was grim. "We can't fight them—do we just wait it out?"

"No way. With these desert bandits' tactics, they might cause trouble at night—get us tangled up with weird entities, and then we're truly done for," said another caravan leader, looking utterly disheveled.

"What if they keep burning down the city like this??"

"No, no, no—everyone, calm down," Hu Lushou stepped forward, reaching for the loudspeaker on the table, his gold teeth glinting as he cautiously eyed the caravan leaders. "Since they called my name, let me negotiate with that old scorpion first."

Then, under everyone's gaze, Hu Lushou picked up the loudspeaker and cleared his throat.

"Hello… hello…"

The high-power external speaker's voice thundered, echoing through the streets. Hu Lushou smiled awkwardly, then his expression turned serious.

"Is this… Boss Old Scorpion, Captain Red Eagle, and Boss Hua Gu Long? It's me, Hu Lushou. What's going on today? Why so many men? Why such fury?"

Hu Lushou's voice echoed through Aksesai. On the desert bandits' side, Old Scorpion and the other two smiled faintly at the sound.

Old Scorpion picked up the loudspeaker: "Hu Boss, what's this? Didn't you beg on your knees for us to help you collect tolls? Now we're out here risking our lives, and you're trying to abandon your brothers and run?"

"No way! How could that be? Who told you that?!"

Hu Lushou immediately denied it three times: "I was planning to hand over the hard-earned fees from these past three days to you today—you must've misunderstood!"

"Hmph!"

Old Scorpion snorted, his fat face quivering. He spoke with amusement: "Forget it. Don't play games with me. I've seen through your little tricks long ago. I know you're not one of us. Here's the deal: leave me your two-tenths cut of the profits. In return, I'll let you and your caravan leave safely. How's that? I know you never wanted to stay here—you'd run anyway when the Eternal Night comes—so I'll handle the toll collection myself from now on."

Hu Lushou froze, then cautiously asked: "Really? You'll let me go?"

"Of course not! Hahaha!!!"

Old Scorpion laughed arrogantly, his eyes sharp: "To be honest, you're weak, but clever—a real talent. I can't bear to let you go. So if you join me, today's business is settled. You keep collecting tolls for me. What do you say? I know you don't want to stay here."

Hu Lushou looked baffled: "Join you? Do you think I'd still be alive?"

The moment he spoke, the outside voice fell silent.

The Black Rose Bar crew exchanged glances. After a moment, Old Scorpion's booming laughter returned.

"Still lying to you! Why would I ever trust a merchant like you? Today, I'm taking every man and woman in your group to sell off—that's the real profit!"

"Fuck!"

Hu Lushou stared dumbfounded at the loudspeaker in his hand. In all his years, he'd never been so thoroughly fooled.

No—this was the second time.

Last time, someone sold him over a thousand Starfire-26 fully automatic tactical rifles…

Lu Zhao watched Hu Lushou's expression, and his face darkened. The desert bandits had plainly written arrogance and hubris across their faces.

"Giggle-giggle-giggle…"

As Hu Lushou seethed and the others fell silent, a clear, bright laugh suddenly rang out from the basement passage behind the bar.

"Who?!"

Lu Zhao and the others were startled—but Hu Lushou quickly stepped in front of them.

The voice ceased, and a girl with purple hair stepped out, her steps light, her face straining to hold back laughter: "I'm dying! Lied to him three times in one sentence."

"Hu Boss, you call yourself a post-apocalypse merchant? Their gun barrels are already at your throat, and you still think you can negotiate?"

Another calm voice echoed from behind her.

Lin Xian stepped forward in his Black Eagle Silent Hunter armor, his helmet retracted, a smile on his face as he looked at Hu Lushou: "What? You don't have faith in our plan?"

Behind Lin Xian, besides Kiki, stood Da Lou and Liang Lei—two towering giants, each two meters tall, each carrying two heavy, roaring Gatling guns, their presence terrifying!

Behind them came Chen Sixuan, Li Guangwen, Luo Luo, A Min, and over twenty other experts clad in powered armor—all of whom had quietly entered the city before dawn, escorted by Kiki's telekinetic shield, and hidden in the Black Rose Bar's basement.

Seeing Lin Xian emerge, Hu Lushou's eyes lit up, and he immediately beamed: "How could I not? A merchant—that's someone who can negotiate anything! I was just trying to deceive the desert bandits, to buy us some initiative!"

As this group of intimidating figures stepped out, Lu Zhao, Xie Guan, and the others stepped back in stunned disbelief.

"Hu Boss, who are they?"

"They're here to support us," Hu Lushou quickly explained.

"Support?" Lu Zhao's face brightened at the sight: "Do you have a secret passage?"

"No. We've been here since the beginning," Lin Xian said bluntly.

"Tch." Lu Zhao gasped, slapping his thigh: "That's not support—that's walking straight into their encirclement!"

"Not necessarily. Defending a city is easier than attacking it. Besides—"

Lin Xian smiled, his gaze sharpening as he looked at the caravan leader Lu Zhao.

"Who's really surrounding whom?"

With that, he took the loudspeaker from Hu Lushou's hand and spoke calmly:

"All survivors defending Aksesai, listen: if those desert bandits outside had real strength, they'd have stormed in long ago. Why bother with loudspeakers and psychological warfare? The truth is, they're afraid they can't swallow our few hundred people without crippling themselves. Oh, and Old Scorpion, Red Eagle, Hua Gu Long—nice names, huh? Have you decided yet who's sending their men as cannon fodder? The one who gets heavily wounded might just get swallowed by his own 'brothers'~"

His words struck straight to the heart!

Old Scorpion, seated on his big rig, turned pale with rage. Just then, the woman beneath him made a slight "mistake"—he yanked the chain violently, nearly snapping her neck.

Red Eagle and Hua Gu Long also shifted their gazes, revealing no expression.

They knew exactly what he was trying to do—but knowing didn't stop them from thinking it. Now that he'd exposed it, a subtle tension had formed between the three desert bandit factions.

"Who the hell are you? Do you even have the right to speak here?"

Red Eagle, seeing Old Scorpion's dark face, grabbed the loudspeaker and shouted at Lin Xian.

"Didn't you investigate my caravan last night? Forgotten already?"

At those words, Old Scorpion and the other two exchanged glances and began communicating via internal radios.

"It's that caravan with the gorgeous woman!" Hua Gu Long said immediately.

"How? Wu Er didn't mention any other caravans entering the city!"

Red Eagle's eyes narrowed: "Then Ma Zi's team must've hit nothing."

Old Scorpion frowned: "I hate surprises. Let's move now."

For Old Scorpion and his group, a few more people in the city didn't matter—but the sudden appearance of a caravan they'd been tracking in a place it shouldn't be meant their intelligence had failed, and that the enemy was prepared. Old Scorpion, ruthless by nature, immediately grabbed his radio.

"Viper, Scorpion, Granite—move out!"

Instantly, every desert bandit surrounding Aksesai received the order and opened fire.

The bandits' elite psychics surged forward.

(End of Chapter)