However, Dragon Mountain No.1 now has a practical solution, and the concept of a ubiquitous Iron Fortress is no longer mere talk.
She turned her head to look at Lin Xian, thinking.
Including what he once said about soaring to the skies, perhaps... it’s not far off anymore.
Most of the survivors gathered in Xilan City are concentrated around Central Avenue, because the former Xilan military courtyard has become the Phoenix Society’s base, and these survivors have set up camps around Phoenix Society’s temporary command post. The closer to Central Avenue, the more convoys and camps line the roadsides; some large squares and parks are filled with vehicles.
Lin Xian gazed at the scene and remarked with a slight frown, "Even though they say it’s about sticking together for warmth, it’s too dense; if the outer city falls, they wouldn’t be able to escape."
"But judging by these people’s expressions, they don’t seem worried about this issue. It seems that with people from Phoenix Society in Xilan City, the situation inside the city is indeed stable," Chen Sixuan commented.
The light was bright, the snow had paused, and the convoy heading to Mitchell Church for superpower observation with the Nightwalker Organization increased in numbers. Aside from the few convoys that entered the city with Infinity yesterday, there were many unfamiliar convoys; it’s unclear whether they were collaborating with Phoenix Society for inspections or just watching the spectacle.
The convoy passed through a large central square, where hundreds of vehicles were parked neatly; at the outermost were rows of uniform caterpillar-tracked trucks, numbering over 30 at first glance, followed by armored vehicles, wheeled infantry fighting vehicles, heavy tanks, and even anti-aircraft combat vehicles, land-shield close-in weapon system vehicles, and then rows of nine-wheel resource heavy trucks, several small nuclear-powered energy cars.
And in the center of the square was an ultra-large caterpillar-tracked Polar Car, even larger than a train, resembling a land cruiser!
Additionally, entire streets were lined with various modified combat vehicles, off-road vehicles, and pickups.
In the square, camps were arranged neatly, gathering a large number of survivors, bustling with activity, vehicle repairs, material assembly, resembling a small city.
The grand scale of this impressed those on the Polar Car, shocked by the size; if not for the unified tornado paint on the vehicles, one might think it was the Interstellar Army Investigation Corps’ base.
"This is the Arctic Wind Alliance?!"
"What kind of vehicle is that, so awesome!" Lv Chang exclaimed.
KIKI, knowledgeable, replied, "That’s a Terrex 300, a nuclear-powered all-terrain vehicle, haven’t seen it before, right? This thing can even go underwater."
"I’ve heard their broadcasts on survivor frequencies several times, they have more than one convoy, but they all cooperate with Phoenix Society in different regions, picking up various convoys along the way, with the destination to converge at Dawn Center and then head to the Polar Region," Chen Sixuan said.
"More than one route?" Shu Qin scanned around, "Just the scale here is estimated to be over ten thousand people, that’s equivalent to a division."
"Mostly survivors, can’t compare to a military," Lin Xian said coolly, "But after gathering resources, their firepower is certainly much stronger than typical medium to large convoys."
"I bet a lot of convoys here will join them as well."
"It’s natural; people seek shelter under big trees, reluctant to risk for Phoenix Society, joining a large convoy is also a good choice, the more they experience darkness, the more they want to band together."
Brother Huo, Lu Xingchen, lounged on top of a vehicle soaking up the sun, listening to everyone and scanned around with a grin.
"Sheltering over ten thousand people, seems like the leader of the Arctic Wind Alliance must be quite a remarkable figure."
The cold wind, carrying ice crystals, whistled through Central Avenue. As the convoy moved, a grand cathedral gradually appeared in the distance; the rear, highest statue of the Holy Maiden was renovated into a watchtower, with a Phoenix Society radar system quickly rotating, the statue’s damaged marble skirt adorned with ice spikes. Michel Cathedral’s stained glass emitted a spectral blue under helium lamps; around the square, numerous devices and base vehicles were visible; a large foldable transparent screen raised on the square seemed to isolate or shield some form of energy.
The number of survivors on the road increased, many not lingering near their own camps, but flocking to the cathedral square for the spectacle. Alongside the road, survivors huddled around empty oil barrels for warmth, curiously watched the convoy pass.
Some convoys drove between camps, using trucks and pickups to transport various exchanged goods.
Lin Xian observed the variety of survivor camps, perhaps due to protection from Phoenix Society and the Investigation Corps, he could feel that these people weren’t as tense as those encountered at Hengshan Pass, and relationships between convoys were relatively friendly.
The vehicle speed slowed down, the street ahead grew crowded, around the cathedral at least several thousand people gathered.
The vehicles from Infinity and Dragon Mountain No.1 reluctantly stopped, and the group continued on foot.
"Hey, really packed tightly!"
Shi Deyuan, impressive in stature, donned a furry coat and brimmed with an aura of an apocalyptic power figure, looked at the vast crowd ahead and couldn’t help commenting, "Lao Qian and Lao Zhou are in advantageous positions here, judging by the setup, we might be waiting until the afternoon?"