"Two reasons." Alamos raised fingers. "First, the upper winds here are viciousânon-level-nine fliers canât stabilize. The central zone is a death trap."
Ye Zhongming gazed at the white-streaked sky, seeing nothing unusual. But Alamos wouldnât lieâothers could verify.
"Second, low-altitude flight is no safer. Marine life can leap or attack through ice."
Ye Zhongming fell silent. If true, this was problematic. Neither sky nor ice offered safe passage.
Then his eyes drifted back to Cannibal Chainâs camp.
Do they have a solution? Is that why they proposed terms so confidently?
"Our past conflicts donât matter. The apocalypse has no permanent enemies. Consider it. The Crusaders agreed. The Saint will likely comply. Your participation ensures success."
With that, Alamos departed.
"Iâll scout."
Xia Bai moved to take flight, but Ye Zhongming stopped her.
"Unnecessary. Alamos told the truth."
As if on cue, two dark specks streaked across the skyâYangos and the Undead Dragonfish. (Icebird remained hidden in the hive, preserving surprises.)
Even this limited display awed the other factions.
"F*cking winds! I hate wind dragonsâthis feels like their turf!"
Yangosâs curses preceded its landing. It immediately demanded food from the Youth Armyâdays of scouting had left it hungry. As a fire dragon, the icy environment accelerated its energy drain.
Ye Zhongming inspected the dragon, noting shallow marks on its scales. The Undead Dragonfishâs bones bore similar scratches.
Now he understood Alamosâs warning.
Winds capable of harassing Yangos and the Undead Dragonfish? Unprecedented. Ye Zhongming estimated their force equaled intermediate-grade wind-based skills.
Visually, the straitâs gales were akin to Mo Yeâs blade windsâendless, lethal. Even Yangos couldnât emerge unscathed.
This was bad.
After that, Gyanendra arrived, halting 200 meters away. Ye Zhongming met him halfway.
"Alamos spoke to you. Your thoughts?"
The Saint cut to the chase.
"Seems weâve no better options."
After seeing his battle beastsâ condition, Ye Zhongming leaned toward cooperation.
Even he dared not underestimate the oceanâs horrors.
Chinaâs mutated lifeform rankings only covered land creatures. Including marine species would overwrite the top ten entirely.
"Going alone isnât impossible, but why shoulder all the risk? More allies benefit us."
Ye Zhongming instantly grasped his meaning.
The Motley Crusadersâlargest in number but weakest in average strengthâwould be the primary target during any attack. Their sacrifice could buy othersâ safe passage.
You donât need to outrun the dangerâjust outrun the others.
Ye Zhongming wasnât saintly. He agreed immediately.
Satisfied, Gyanendra turned to leaveâthen paused.
"Remember my words in the desert?"
"Which ones?"
"I said we might fight side by side someday. Didnât expect it so soon."
With that cryptic remark, the Saint departed.
Ye Zhongming watched his retreating figure, unsettled.
He had theories, but confirmation would wait.
It would be after this North American venture.
The factions finalized preparations, eager to depart the treacherous strait.
But cooperation wasnât so simple. Sequence became the next dispute.
Nobody wanted to go firstâthe vanguard bore the brunt of danger. Arguments raged for half an hour.
Finally, they settled on⊠advancing simultaneously.
Whoever got attacked? Tough luck.
The leaders knew this "collaboration" was superficial at best. True cooperation wouldâve assigned roles based on strengths.
But among rivals, this was already remarkable tolerance.
Cloud Peak was positioned second from the south. Cannibal Chain led, the Motley Crusaders occupied the center, Alamosâs group followed, and Gyanendraâs forces anchored the north.
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The march began.
Yet barely ten kilometers into the crossing, disaster struck.