Chapter 492: Wings of Freedom

"Building a boat now? It's too late, right? The wood soaked in water will sink dead; if it can float at all, that's good enough—still expecting to use it as a ship? Better just take shelter in the Black Feather Safe Zone."

"Whoever wants to go, go! I'd rather die than go! I have Game Coins in my hand, hey, I just won't spend them. Want to earn my money? In the next life!"

"The upstairs is tough! But that said, Black Feather's place is now packed like a sardine can; going in is suffering. I heard everyone who enters has their weapons confiscated and can only stay in a designated area, like livestock penned in."

"Even livestock is better than drowning! Haven't you seen the current water level? I'm standing in the vehicle and it's already up to my knees; if it keeps rising, it's a dead end. At least there's still a chance to survive!"

"What's the point of arguing? If you have the ability, find a dry place yourself!"

"You'd better not go in, all of you stay out, so you don't compete with me for a spot!"

Aside from the nonsense, Cheng Shuili only saw one useful piece of information.

Outside, the water level has already risen to knee height, even while standing inside a vehicle. Moreover, it continues to rise.

For Cheng Shuili, that's actually good news.

After all, to loot a fire, the blaze must burn hotter; only then can she profit more.

Cheng Shuili thought for a moment, then ordered Xiong Ji to dispatch a squad of bear‑tribe beastmen together with Black Feather members to guard the entrance of the safe zone.

Before the zones merged, the fact that Black Feather's safe zone had no water might have been unknown to some major districts, but now the news has spread completely.

No one can predict how forces from other districts will react; it's always good to be prepared in advance.

Once these matters were arranged, Cheng Shuili finally breathed a sigh of relief; she returned to her vehicle, relaxed on the sofa, and began searching for the regional power ranking mentioned by the Weaver Girl.

After searching for a while, she finally found a temporary list in the power management panel.

A temporary one… indeed.

After all, the Weaver Girl said the official list won't be released until Wednesday.

Being able to see it early is already pretty good; Cheng Shuili opened the temporary list.

The list's design is very simple, just a basic table ranking forces by combined total combat power and resources, showing only the top ten.

Her eyes scanned from top to bottom.

First place: Black Feather (East District), leader: Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji.

Second place: Freedom Wing (West District), leader: Handsome White Eagle.

Third place: Iron Curtain (North District), leader: Steel Heart.

Fourth place: Holy Flame (South District), leader: Crimson Sand Holy Flame.

The top four each belong to a different district, clearly separated. Without seeing the exact numbers, Cheng Shuili can't tell the gap between Black Feather and Freedom Wing, but…

Seeing Black Feather firmly outclass the Handsome White Eagle, Cheng Shuili felt quite pleased.

After all, she and that person have a long‑standing feud.

Among the remaining six spots, Long Guo occupies three slots: Great Wall Watch and Yanhuang, which are fifth and tenth respectively.

In this temporary power ranking, the top and bottom are Long Guo forces, with another Long Guo force interspersed in the middle; three of the ten positions are occupied by Long Guo, making its strength obvious.

Sixth and seventh places are both forces from the West District.

One is called Wilderness Roar, leader ID: Eagle Eye Walker.

The other is called New Federation, whose leader's ID appears to be his real name, Adams.

The West District also occupies three seats.

Of the ten spots, East and West each hold three, and the remaining four are split evenly between South and North.

After reflecting on this, Cheng Shuili shifted her gaze back to the names of the three West District forces.

Freedom Wing… hmm, not it.

Wilderness Roar and New Federation… hmm, also not.

The West District forces that originally besieged Black Feather aren't even on the list.

So… that so‑called West District alliance was merely a band of roaming troops testing Black Feather's strength.

While Cheng Shuili stared at the list pondering, Zhan Lang Hun Bu Mie was also looking at this temporary ranking.

Black Feather is first, within his expectations.

Only… Great Wall Watch is actually fifth.

He's dissatisfied with this ranking.

If this rank truly reflects Great Wall Watch's strength, Zhan Lang would of course be thrilled.

But because they made many efforts to climb the rankings, seeing this result now makes him so disappointed.

They courted so many forces, borrowed people and resources in advance, just to secure a fifth place. Meanwhile, Wu Ya does nothing; Black Feather, relying on its own strength, can sit firmly at first.

Earlier, Zhan Lang Hun Bu Mie thought Great Wall Watch would become a symbol, a representation of Long Guo.

But now it's clear that the symbol is Black Feather.

Although he's long accepted Black Feather, Zhan Lang still feels some dissonance.

He sighed and remained silent for a while.

Until a few private messages suddenly popped up, he rallied himself, opened the chat, and again it was about Black Feather.

Black Feather's safe zone has no water; after Wu Ya dealt with Black Feather's members, he thought of the members of their alliance.

Zhan Lang Hun Bu Mie looked at the private chat window at a message from Black Feather member "Xinxue Chuji", feeling conflicted.

The message was brief but weighty:

【Xinxue Chuji】: Warwolf boss, our leader asks me to inform you that, given the severe flood situation, Black Feather's safe zone has opened a dedicated evacuation channel for alliance members. All your vehicles may, with an alliance agreement credential, enter designated berths in the safe zone for disaster avoidance, with only a basic maintenance fee. Please decide and coordinate entry promptly; berths are limited.

No pleasantries, no small talk, just the most valuable resource offered directly.

Safe dry ground, and… protection for vehicles.

Zhan Lang Hun Bu Mie read the passage, and his lingering resentment and bitterness were suppressed by the more practical offer.

Wu Ya, as a person, indeed does things… without any flaws.

An alliance is an alliance, competition is competition; it splits quickly, and I should part ways as well.

War Wolf Soul Immortal quickly replied: "Received, thank you very much. The Great Wall Watch Association will immediately tally the number of vehicles and personnel needing to enter, and submit the list as soon as possible. Additionally, our side will dispatch a combat team to assist Black Feather with vigilance—how about that?"

He didn't want to completely take advantage for free, especially at a time like this; attitude is important.

【Xinxue Chuji】: Lao Da said, mutual aid among allies is a matter of course. We naturally welcome the assistance of the combat team; please contact our defense team's Ailin for specific coordination. Please hurry.

Really straightforward and efficient.

War Wolf Soul Immortal gave a wry smile; Black Feather is indeed still the same in their manner of acting.

He no longer thought about those irrelevant things, immediately opened the page, and issued an order in the faction channel.