Chapter 603: Unifying Tianhai

Chapter 603: Unifying Tianhai

Chen Liangyu and Gu Hongdie both knew exactly what Sun Jianming was thinking the moment they got his message.

After Chen Jingguan exposed Tianhai City's current strength, it wasn’t just Daze City—many superhuman organizations from other cities were already eyeing Tianhai like hungry wolves.

Everyone was just waiting for an opportunity to devour this juicy prize.

And among them, Daze City, sitting northwest of Tianhai, was practically within arm’s reach. They had the best shot at getting in first!

But even a broken ship still has three pounds of nails.

Even if Tianhai City had been wrecked, the foundations left by its various forces couldn’t be underestimated.

To play it safe, it was smarter for everyone to team up and carve up the spoils together.

Chen Liangyu and Gu Hongdie arrived at Sun Jianming’s room.

Since they were all old acquaintances, Sun Jianming didn’t bother with pleasantries.

“Both of you, the grunts from Tianhai City slipped away under the cover of night. So, what do you think about this juicy piece of meat?”

Gu Hongdie chuckled sweetly, though a sly glint flickered through her eyes.

“Let’s not beat around the bush. We all want a bite of this fat prize, right? Sun Jianming, why don’t you just spit it out and tell us what you’re thinking.”

She glanced at Chen Liangyu. “I’m guessing all three of us are on the same page here.”

Chen Liangyu smiled and nodded.

Sun Jianming laughed heartily. “Alright, I’ll be straight with you! Tianhai City is sitting there like a fat lamb, and we need to move fast or someone else will snatch it away!”

“No single group can take it all on their own. It’s better for the three of us to join forces.”

Sun Jianming sat down heavily on the couch, one hand pressing against his knee.

“But even though their forces are weak, they still have a few decent superhumans. Like Xiao Honglian from Yangsheng Base, Xing Tian from Qingfu Base, and that Zhang Yi guy—they’re not exactly pushovers.”

“If we fight them head-on, it’ll just cost us a lot and give some third party the chance to swoop in.”

“So here’s my suggestion: the three of us should team up and pressure them into surrendering most of Tianhai City’s resources!”

“We’ll leave them a small lifeline.”

“After all, Tianhai City is huge. Leaving them a few scraps is more than enough for them to survive.”

“That way, we can grab the lion’s share of the land and supplies without even lifting a finger. Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Gu Hongdie’s eyes flashed with approval after hearing him out.

She nodded. “That’s a good plan. If we can avoid starting a war, we’d prefer not to.”

“If they know what’s good for them, fine. If not, we’ll just crush them!”

The three of them already treated Tianhai City like it was firmly in their pockets.

And who could blame them?

Judging by the number of people Tianhai sent to Blizzard City, Tianhai’s forces really were pathetically weak.

Other powers would at least send superhumans to Blizzard City.

But Tianhai City?

Most of their superhumans had already died fighting Yuan Kongye.

They even had to bring in regular folks just to fill the ranks.

Honestly, if you added up all the superhumans left in Tianhai City now, they probably didn’t even outnumber Sun Jianming’s personal forces by much.

Chen Liangyu said, “Then let’s move quickly before someone else tries to snatch this prize.”

After hashing it out, the three factions pulled out a map of Tianhai City and began divvying up the territory.

Once they finalized the split, they drafted letters to send to the heads of Tianhai’s remaining factions.

Zhang Yi and the others hurried back from Blizzard City, taking the Jiangnan Express straight to Tianhai City.

After stepping out of the Xiaomiaoshan Subway Station, Zhang Yi immediately told everyone to head back to their respective territories and start preparing for defense.

Xiao Honglian seemed uneasy.

She looked over at Zhang Yi. Chen Jingguan was right behind him, staying one step back like a loyal subordinate.

She frowned slightly, feeling a little bitter inside.

It was obvious that the lines of closeness and distance had already been drawn.

Knowing Zhang Yi’s personality, if a war broke out, they were likely to be the ones sacrificed first.

She walked up to Zhang Yi and asked pointedly, “If the superhumans from Daze City attack, you’ll come save us, right?”

“Of course.”

Zhang Yi answered with a bright, carefree smile.

Xiao Honglian: “…”

She didn’t say anything else.

Zhang Yi’s answer had come too quickly—it just didn’t feel real.

Having dealt with Zhang Yi for so long, she knew what kind of person he was.

He always put himself and his closest circle first.

Thinking of this, Xiao Honglian made a decision deep in her heart.

She clenched her fists quietly, took a deep breath, and then looked Zhang Yi straight in the eye in front of everyone.

“Zhang Yi, please take Yangsheng Base under your wing too!”

The place fell silent.

Everyone turned to look at Xiao Honglian, then at Zhang Yi.

It was surprising—but at the same time, it made sense.

Yangsheng Base couldn’t handle another major armed conflict.

Without Zhang Yi’s protection, unless they hid in the Underground Shelter forever, they wouldn’t survive another crisis.

But if they did that, they’d lose everything they owned on the surface.

Chen Jingguan curled his lips into a grin.

“Smart move!” he said proudly.

He was feeling pretty pleased with himself.

Sure, they were all throwing in with Zhang Yi, but even that had an order to it.

Since he had pledged loyalty first, his status was bound to be higher.

Though… admittedly, he wasn’t as strong as Xiao Honglian.

Not far away, Xing Tian—who was about to leave—was dumbfounded.

Holy sh*t, there were only a few factions left in Tianhai City, and now they were all lining up to follow Zhang Yi. What was he supposed to do?

After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and rushed over to Zhang Yi.

“Old Zhang, from now on, Qingfu Base is with you too!”

Zhang Yi’s expression stayed calm and indifferent.

He wasn’t particularly excited about all these forces throwing themselves at him.

He didn’t really lack resources.

What he wanted was a stable environment for himself and his team.

And these factions were crucial for maintaining peace in Tianhai City.

Zhang Yi looked calmly at Xiao Honglian and Xing Tian.

“Do you understand what this means?” he asked quietly. “Once you’re under me, you’ll have to follow my orders no matter what.”

A wicked grin spread across his lips.

“Even if I tell you to die!”

Xiao Honglian and Xing Tian both flinched.

Of course, they weren’t about to agree to that literally.

But they quickly realized Zhang Yi was just making it clear: absolute loyalty was non-negotiable.

Truth be told, nobody liked that idea.

But the situation left them no choice.

Tianhai City’s resources were way too tempting.

They were bound to attract the attention of other cities and factions.

Even though Xing Tian and Xiao Honglian were Delta-level superhumans, without a faction to back them up, they couldn’t accomplish anything.

Lone wolves didn’t survive long in the apocalypse.

Not everyone could be like Zhang Yi.

Since they had to pledge allegiance anyway, it made sense to choose someone they knew well.

At least with Zhang Yi, they could stay in Tianhai City and still hold onto some power.

Author's Note