There were Stronghold 178 in the wastelands. Stronghold 178 was located at the Northwest border and was the westernmost part of the stronghold's territory. The summer heat there was unbearable, and the winter was covered in ice and snow.
Some people once stood on the walls of Stronghold 178 and looked out. All they could see was the desolate yellow soil, and even the rivers were a murky yellow as they flowed eastward.
Meanwhile, the Kyung Clan, the Yang Clan, and the Li Consortium were located in the southwest of the stronghold's territory. Due to their geographical location, these three consortiums had always been the closest in the southwest. As for the other consortiums' territories, it was difficult for them to expand into the southwest due to inconvenient transportation.
Among them, the Li Consortium was located in the southernmost area. It was said that further south was the rainforest that was difficult to get out of. It was filled with poisonous insects, and it was said that no one had ever been able to pass through the rainforest and continue south.
However, due to tectonic movements, the climate in the three consortiums' territories was also changing and getting colder. In recent years, the ecology of the rainforest had also undergone earth-shattering changes. The Li Consortium even had plans to incorporate the rainforest into their territory and build a new stronghold there.
The Kyung Clan was located northeast of the Li Consortium. The terrain was strategic and easy to defend. Stronghold 111 was even known as the Mountain City because it was built on a mountain and was an extremely important water and land hub in the southwest.
The Yang Clan was located in a huge basin with the Longnan Soong Clan and Stronghold 178 to the north. However, in recent years, the Soong Clan had been plotting to take over the Northwest region controlled by Stronghold 178, so they did not have much interaction with the Yang Clan.
With such geography, it was destined that the three consortiums would be competing for supremacy in the southwest. The resources of the three consortiums were not shared. What the Li Consortium had, the Yang Clan did not. What the Yang Clan had, the Kyung Clan did not.
Wars were never fought without a reason. Resources were the true purpose of wars.
But someone once said that he had been to the Central Plains in the east a few years ago. It was more prosperous there, and there were even large human settlements outside the strongholds.
But the world after The Cataclysm was no longer the world they knew.
At midnight on New Year's Eve, Nonsense had probably returned to Stronghold 108. The three war machines had gathered their forces at the intersection of the three strongholds and were waiting for the real battle to begin from dozens of kilometers away.
At first, Yan Liuyuan and the others were very excited. However, as it was getting late, they all went to bed. Ren Xiaosu sat alone by the campfire, thinking about the future plans. He was thinking about how they could survive this war.
According to Nonsense, he could send Yan Liuyuan and the others to live in Stronghold 108. Even if the Experimentals came to attack, they wouldn't be able to topple a heavily fortified stronghold. Moreover, the war between the three consortiums wouldn't spread so quickly either.
War was a game, and smart people would not bet the entire table at the beginning.
It started snowing again. The door of a house suddenly opened. Yan Liuyuan draped his clothes over himself and walked out. He sat next to Ren Xiaosu. "Brother, are you worried about the war?"
"Mhm," Ren Xiaosu answered.
"Why don't we leave this place?" Yan Liuyuan said in a low voice, "Even if we live in the deep mountains and forests, we'll still be able to live a good life."
Ren Xiaosu looked at him and said, "Are we not going to have any contact with the outside world from now on?"
"Brother, I know you want to go to Stronghold 88 to look for Big Sister Xiaojin, but why didn't she come to look for you instead?" Yan Liuyuan said, "Actually, I've found out where Stronghold 88 is, but I don't want to tell you. That's because I don't think it'll be any different if we go to Stronghold 88. She's an important figure in the Yang Clan, while we're just refugees."
Ren Xiaosu looked at Yan Liuyuan. In fact, they often had disagreements in the past. For example, when Yan Liuyuan did not want to go to school and wanted to help him hunt, Ren Xiaosu rejected him. The two of them even got into arguments before.
But this time, Ren Xiaosu realized Yan Liuyuan really hated the word "stronghold" from the bottom of his heart. He even hated the people in the stronghold.
Yan Liuyuan said, "Brother, we're not welcome in the stronghold."
Ren Xiaosu sighed and said, "When you were attending school in Stronghold 109, you always said you got along well with your classmates when you came home every day. But it looks like you were lying."
"Mhm." Yan Liuyuan nodded. "No one was willing to talk to me and Dalong. In fact, they even tried to stay far away from us. Their parents kept reminding them that they were afraid they'd become friends with me. When the teacher asked me to answer questions in class, I couldn't keep up with the class because I had never learned it before. The teacher would say it was normal for refugees to not be able to learn and that refugees are generally stupid. There was one time when a classmate lost something, and everyone suspected that Wang Dalong and I had stolen it. "
Ren Xiaosu fell silent. That was the stereotypical impression the people in the stronghold had of refugees. It was something they had known for decades.
Yan Liuyuan continued, "When they searched my and Wang Dalong's seats, they didn't find anything. But at that time, Sister Xiaoyu would often give me a lot of pocket money, more than the other students. When the teacher saw the money, she said I must have stolen it because it was impossible for refugees to have that much money. "
"I tried to explain it to them, but it was useless. Wang Dalong was so scared that he started crying. But don't worry, Brother, I didn't cry. That's because you've said before that this world doesn't believe in tears." Yan Liuyuan said, "Brother, I don't like the stronghold, nor do I like the people in the stronghold. Maybe Big Sister Yang Xiaojin is different, but what about her family and friends?"
Ren Xiaosu sighed and said, "I don't know."
"So, Brother." Yan Liuyuan's tone became firm. "Wait for her to come looking for you. If she doesn't, it'll be meaningless for you to go all the way north to Stronghold 88. You once told me not to let the sorrow of this era become my sorrow as well. But the sorrow of this era has already become a cancer in the bones of the stronghold residents. "
"You should have told me that back then," Ren Xiaosu said.
"What would you have done?" Yan Liuyuan looked at Ren Xiaosu.
"I would have killed everyone who had wronged you." Ren Xiaosu said with a smile, "We can't go north right now anyway, so we'll send y 'all to Stronghold 108 first thing tomorrow morning. You don't have to go to school anymore. Let Ms. Jiang teach y' all. Although she's only a language teacher, she has received a comprehensive education. She's more than capable of teaching y 'all math, physics, and chemistry."
Yan Liuyuan's eyes lit up when he heard this. "I like Ms. Jiang. I think she's quite suitable for you."
"You're so mischievous." Ren Xiaosu glanced at him.
But at this moment, Yan Liuyuan suddenly looked up at a hillside. Ren Xiaosu followed his gaze and saw the Wolf King standing there alone, looking at Yan Liuyuan from afar.
Ren Xiaosu was very sure that the Wolf King was not looking at him. This scene had also happened when they were fleeing for their lives. At this moment, Ren Xiaosu was a little puzzled. The Wolf King had already led its pack of wolves deep into the mountains. But on the night Yan Liuyuan arrived at the outpost, it actually risked its life to come over and have a look.
Ren Xiaosu asked, "Have you had any dealings with the Wolf King?"
"No." Yan Liuyuan shook his head.
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