Chapter 357: Firepower Defense Line
Zhang Yi and Lu Keran set out on their way back to Cloud Manor.
At this point, Zhang Yi had already realized that several other factions had begun invading the original territory of the West Hill Base.
It was no surprise for him to see Gao Yuan at the material factory.
If all went as expected, he would also discover that other key supply points in the Xishan District and Lu River District were occupied by several major factions.
Zhang Yi's consecutive kills of the people from Chaoyu and Yangsheng Base indicated that war was about to begin!
The only question was when they would realize that the one taking action was Zhang Yi and come to attack.
“In a limited timeframe, we must be fully prepared.”
On the way back, Zhang Yi said to Lu Keran, “Let’s keep today’s encounter with the people from Yangsheng Base a secret for now.”
“This is something I only need to keep in mind.”
Zhang Yi said sternly, “I will urge everyone to speed up the construction of the defenses and prevent them from leaving the vicinity of the shelter.”
“But this matter cannot be disclosed for now. I don’t want to cause panic among them, do you understand, Keran?”
“I will tell them when I think it’s appropriate.”
Zhang Yi fixed his gaze on Lu Keran’s eyes, his tone calm but his eyes held an undeniable power.
Lu Keran was silent for less than a second before nodding vigorously.
Although she didn’t know Zhang Yi’s purpose, her heart was with him, and she fully supported whatever he decided to do.
“I understand. After all, you’re doing this for everyone’s sake, right?”
Lu Keran said with a sweet smile.
Zhang Yi smiled back and ruffled her short hair. “It’s good that you understand. Big brother is doing this for you and everyone!”
This statement made Lu Keran’s heart race a little faster.
Indeed, Zhang Yi had never harmed her.
As long as she followed Zhang Yi’s orders, everything would be fine.
Meanwhile, a strange glint flashed in Zhang Yi’s eyes as he drove.
The reason for not telling everyone about this news was to keep it from Liang Yue.
Zhang Yi planned to use the hands of the two major factions to deal with those students from Xu Family Town.
Therefore, he needed Liang Yue to believe that danger would not come in the short term.
For safety's sake, the best method was to keep everyone in the dark about the conflict that had already occurred.
When Zhang Yi and Lu Keran returned to the shelter, they saw that the towering ice and snow fortress had already been built up to more than half.
The 10-meter thickness was constructed from two layers of giant ice blocks,
and with the steel frame inside, it was hard to imagine anything could quickly destroy it.
This was merely a defensive measure.
During the construction of the ice and snow walls, Liang Yue and Uncle You had also opened holes in the ice blocks to create shooting ports with steel plates.
Afterward, they could place the large number of captured artillery, heavy machine guns, armored vehicles, cannons, and tanks on top, forming a dense firepower network.
Zhang Yi and Lu Keran got out of the car, and Zhang Yi’s face returned to his usual warm smile as he walked over.
Seeing this, Uncle You and Liang Yue inquired, “How was it? Did the material collection go smoothly? Did you encounter any suspicious individuals?”
Zhang Yi replied with a faint smile, “It went very smoothly; there were no obstacles along the way.”
“I told you, other factions need time to stabilize their territories. Who has the time to come and seize resources here!”
Lu Keran remained silent, obediently following behind Zhang Yi like a good child.
Zhang Yi noticed Liang Yue’s face visibly relaxed.
“That’s great! Otherwise, I wouldn’t know what to do.”
What she referred to was undoubtedly the placement issue of those students.
However, this time, Zhang Yi unusually stated, “Your concerns are not unfounded. Although I think there won't be any danger for now, it’s still wise to be prepared.”
As he spoke, he glanced at Lu Keran beside him, suddenly leaning in close to Liang Yue, and whispered, “However, Liang Yue, I wouldn’t mind letting your students move in here if they encounter danger, but for Xinxin and Keran… I really have no way.”
“After all, the conflicts that occurred between them in the past can’t be resolved in just a day or two.”
“Letting them live under the same roof would be unfair to Xinxin and Keran.”
Zhang Yi had to change his tone.
Because he knew in his heart that the crisis in Xu Family Town was approaching fast.
If he continued to promote safety theories, claiming there would be no danger, then in the future, Liang Yue might blame him for it.
So, it was better to shift the focus of the conflict onto the students from Xu Family Town versus Yang Xinxin and Lu Keran.
After all, they were all Liang Yue’s students; a hand is no more than a palm. How could she favor one side over the other?
Sure enough, when Liang Yue heard Zhang Yi’s analysis, she couldn’t help but hesitate.
Deep down, she was definitely closer to Yang Xinxin and Lu Keran.
After all, they were good students, and the three had been getting along very harmoniously these days.
Unlike those guys from Xu Family Town, who only brought her trouble.
“While that’s true, your reasoning makes sense, it’s just…”
Liang Yue had a conflicted look on her face.
At that moment, standing behind Zhang Yi, Lu Keran saw the discreet hand gesture Zhang Yi gave her.
This sweet and simple engineering girl suddenly recalled the plan Zhang Yi had mentioned to her.
Now it was her turn to step up!
Lu Keran stepped forward, looking at Liang Yue with big eyes full of grievance.
“Teacher Liang, why must they move nearby? Whenever Xinxin and I see them, it reminds us of our time at Tianqing Academy.”
“Do you know how cruel they were to us back then?”
Seeing Lu Keran’s aggrieved expression, Liang Yue felt a twinge of guilt.
She had actually been aware of the grouping and exclusion issues among the students back then.
But at that time, she was limited in energy, worn out by the threats from Hua Hua, and really couldn’t focus on those matters.
Looking back now, she hadn’t cared for Yang Xinxin and Lu Keran enough.
Now that she could enter the shelter, it was also thanks to Yang Xinxin and Lu Keran advocating for her.
Given their daily interactions, their bond was certainly much stronger than with other students.
So when she heard Lu Keran’s plaintive plea, Liang Yue felt herself getting torn.
“I don’t want to do this either. If they could be self-reliant and survive in this apocalypse, that would be best.”
“But there are obviously external factors influencing this! If they were harmed right under my nose, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.”