The brief negotiation came to an abrupt halt. The survivors in Akesai City, seeing that the Sand Raiders had gone silent, gained a bit more confidence. The Sand Raiders might be fierce, but wiping them all out wouldn't be easy either.

Just then, the distant sound of shells cutting through the air echoed down the street. The defenders instantly shouted:

“Mortars incoming! Air mines!”

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Explosions erupted across the blocks surrounding the plaza. Smoke billowed and dust flew. Missiles came raining down from the skies in every direction.

At the same time, the vehicles charging in from the Sand Raiders were letting loose with all firepower—heavy machine guns, arc pulse cannons, rocket launchers—all aimed directly at the plaza!

A full-blown siege battle had begun!

RATATATATA!

“Hold the line!!”

“Fight them head-on!”

“Blow them to h*ll!”

Members of the Dawn Convoy, Akesai Brotherhood, and Fu Lu Shou Convoy all returned fire like madmen, bringing out every kind of heavy weapon. The surrounding buildings and windows were blasted to pieces.

Some suicide-like Sand Raiders shrieked as they burst out from the smoky explosions, tossing custom high-explosive bombs and incendiaries toward the defensive lines.

The moment they appeared, they were shredded by the survivors’ overwhelming firepower. Still, the explosives they hurled exploded violently, destroying and igniting the defensive vehicles, killing and injuring many defenders.

These Sand Raiders, driving high-speed off-road vehicles, charged like lunatics, one after another. Behind them, heavy armored vehicles steadily advanced toward the plaza.

“Watch out for an Ability User!”

SWOOSH!

The flying Ability User known as Viper glided down from a rooftop, guns in both hands, sweeping fire across the crowd. But just then, a beast-form Ability User from the Dawn Convoy leapt from another rooftop, his body transformed into a panther’s. He tackled Viper midair, and the two of them crashed down beside a low building, rolling into a narrow alley and immediately launching into a bloody close-quarters fight.

Elsewhere, even more Ability Users entered the fray in the alleyways. From the Bone Dragon Convoy, a squad of Power Armor-wearing troops moved out in unison.

In the blink of an eye, the battle turned brutal. The plaza was engulfed in chaos, filled with sounds of buildings collapsing and walls shattering.

On the Sand Raiders’ side, Old Scorpion, Red Eagle, and eight armored vehicles from Akesai were rapidly closing in.

“Wu Lao Qi found their position. They’re all holed up outside the Black Rose Bar. Let’s waste them now—we don’t need to drag this out,” Old Scorpion said with a hoarse voice.

THUD THUD THUD!

Meanwhile, underground below the plaza, a petrification-type Ability User named Granite charged forward, holding a discarded tank armor plate as a shield, smashing through burning cars and barricades. He stormed straight toward the car formation under a hail of bullets.

The survivors at the front lines saw this and their expressions changed. Someone shouted:

“Don’t let him break through!!!”

“Concentrate fire!”

“Hit him with the pulse cannon!”

Two survivors lifted an arc pulse cannon and charged it up, then fired straight at Granite.

BZZZZT!

The electric arcs surged out and blasted onto the tank plate, exploding in a burst of magnetic lightning. It managed to hold Granite back for a moment—but before they could react, the pulse cannon in their hands exploded, and flying shrapnel tore one survivor’s arm to shreds!

“Sniper! Watch out!”

A voice from below shouted.

At the top of Akesai City’s watchtower, Scorpion held a high-precision anti-materiel sniper rifle, chewing gum, grinning wickedly as he peered through the scope from behind a hole in the wall, casually harvesting lives.

BANG!

"Five."

BANG!

"Six."

"Yeah, that’s it. I love it when one bullet takes out a bunch. Y’all better stand in a line for me.”

In a corner of the plaza, no one noticed a nearly invisible figure whose body blended perfectly with the ground and walls—an invisible man with a sharp dagger in hand, slipping past the defensive lines like he owned the place, heading straight for the Black Rose Bar.

It was the Ability User who had tailed Lin Xian yesterday—Chameleon.

“Once you're in, time it right—either kill Lu Zhao or Hu Lushou. Their two convoys have the most people. Take one of them out, and this whole thing ends,” Wu Dapeng said through a comms device, watching the bar through binoculars from a ruined window.

“Piece of cake.”

Chameleon strolled casually up to the entrance of the Black Rose Bar. Just as he raised his hand to push the door open, he suddenly froze.

Something felt off.

As a seasoned scout trained to lurk in shadows, Chameleon had a sharp sense for danger, and he always trusted his sixth sense.

He lowered his hand and took a step back, planning to observe from the side.

His movement couldn’t be too sudden—any abrupt change could expose him to nearby onlookers.

But at that moment, an eerie voice suddenly whispered behind him, sending a chill down his spine.

“Looking for someone?”

SHING!

Chameleon instinctively spun around and stabbed.

CLANG!

His blade struck something hard. He focused—behind him hovered a spherical drone with a massive red eye locked onto him.

“A drone?”

Realizing something was wrong, Chameleon turned to run—but dozens more spherical drones slowly descended, surrounding him completely.

In the thermal imaging scope of the Lei Nian 2000, Chameleon's body temperature and heart rate were spiking rapidly.

BEEP BEEP.

The red eye of the drone in front of him zoomed in, suddenly flashing bright red.

A chill ran through his body. His camouflage flickered erratically.

“AHHH—!!”

ZAP!

Before he could finish screaming, a red arc pulse beam blasted him straight in the face.

Outside the Black Rose Bar, a dull thud sounded as his body hit the ground. The stealth effect vanished. A bald man covered in tattoos lay face-up, a thumb-sized dark red hole in his forehead, his terrified eyes still open.

Inside the bar, Lin Xian watched the footage from the drone. He spoke into his communicator calmly.

“Brother Shi, we’re fully engaged. Let’s move.”

“Got it.”

WHOOOOSH!

A fully armed heavy train thundered across the desert at breakneck speed. Above it, five Nightstar hypersonic aircraft screamed through the sky, plasma engines roaring as they broke the sound barrier like black blades slicing the heavens.

BOOM!

At the defensive line on Akesai Plaza, Granite raised his tank plate again and charged. He was nearly at the front line, and the defenders were about to collapse.

“Fall back!” someone shouted.

Just then, a nimble figure jumped onto a car roof, cracking his knuckles as he smiled at the charging Granite.

“Shockwave Fist!”

Li Guangwen shouted. He thrust his fist forward into the air.

CRACK...

A rippling wave of air shot forth, slamming into the armor plate. The heavy alloy twisted and caved in, then exploded, tearing the steel into deadly shards that pierced into Granite’s rocky skin.

At that moment, two towering figures strode forward past the retreating defenders.

Daluo and Liang Lei.

Their faces were grim. Each held twin Gatling guns. Like war gods, their rotating barrels spun up instantly and unleashed full firepower at Granite and the convoy behind him.

VRRRRRRMMMM!

A furious storm of metal tore through the enemy. Granite exploded into blood and dust within seconds, his skull shattered by the barrage.

The vehicles behind him were shredded by the gunfire, some turned to swiss cheese on the spot.

Elsewhere, several Power Armor elites suddenly emerged, dashing through the streets at high speed, shifting the tide of battle.

On the watchtower, Scorpion's expression twisted as the defenders unleashed unexpected power. He even forgot to chew his gum. Cursing under his breath, he swung his rifle toward Li Guangwen.

A muffled shot echoed through Akesai’s skies. Scorpion’s head burst like a melon, splattering against his cover before he even squeezed the trigger.

“Five.”

Hundreds of meters away, a sleek figure in Black Hawk Armor leapt across rooftops, holding a Meteor-3 sniper rifle. Her propulsion system blurred into a mechanical afterimage—Chen Sixuan.

Landing on a low rooftop, she slid to a stop, sparks flying. She aimed mid-motion and fired.

BANG!

Her shot pierced through a Sand Raider on a rocket launcher, along with the two behind him. Brains and bones splattered across the vehicle. The terrified driver, the last one left alive, was frozen in place, unsure whether to hit the gas or the brakes.

Half a second later, his head disappeared too.

“Eight.”

…

Old Scorpion now realized something was very wrong. The survivors in this city were way tougher than they expected.

“Sh*t, it’s gotta be that group from yesterday!” Red Eagle cursed. He turned to Old Scorpion. “There are some real threats here—we need to take them out now!”

Old Scorpion kicked open the door of his monster truck and climbed onto the wheel, eyes sweeping the streets with a vicious glare.

“Red Eagle, you and Wu Lao Er flank the central street. Bone Dragon—there’s a sniper that took out Scorpion. Find them. Everyone else—come with me to the Black Rose Bar. I’ll scatter those convoy leaders' ashes myself!”

Red Eagle and Bone Dragon’s eyes glinted coldly. They barked orders, and the Sand Raiders surrounding Akesai swarmed inward. Half the city was now in flames. Gunfire echoed through every street, as gruesome modified weapons were unleashed on the survivor convoys.

The Sand Raider leaders struck at once!

But just as they prepared to push deeper into the inner city, a sharp whistling sound tore through the air.

WHEEEEE!!

From the skies, several black aircraft streaked overhead at lightning speed. At the same time, multiple ground-to-air missiles launched, arcing straight toward Old Scorpion’s convoy!

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Explosions plowed the street like fire plows, vaporizing the Sand Raiders’ vehicles and obliterating the golden truck Old Scorpion rode in.

The hulking gunner on the truck bed didn’t even get to raise his weapon before being vaporized. His half-mask flew over a hundred meters and landed in a trash heap.

Far away, Old Scorpion—who had narrowly avoided the blast—stared in horror at his destroyed ride.

“Aerospace fighters?!”

“D*mn it! Are they with the Federation or the Phoenix Society?!”

“B-Boss! We’ve got a problem!” Suddenly, a loud voice came from the walkie-talkie — it was the lookout. “A train’s coming in from the west, they… they…”

On the rooftop of a low-rise building near the city’s edge, a yellow-haired Sand Raider gripped his electronic binoculars with trembling hands, staring out over the Gobi. In his field of view, a massive steel behemoth burst from the dunes and hills, grinding along the tracks below the Gobi terrain, charging straight toward the Fu Lu Shou Convoy.

“A train?! How many people?!” Old Scorpion shouted.

“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6…” The lackey tried adjusting the focus, only to realize the armored train was so long he couldn’t see the end — the lead engine hadn’t even fully come out, while the cars still stretched endlessly from the hills!

“Can’t count 'em! Hundreds of train cars, all fully armored! Heavy machine guns, anti-air cannons, grenade launchers, low-angle cannons, CIWS turrets — they’re everywhere… I… we…”

The lackey stood dumbfounded as he watched one car slowly rotate its glowing blue electromagnetic main cannon. His jaw nearly dropped to the ground.

“They’ve got an electromagnetic railgun!!”

Woooom! Zzzzz!

Before he could finish, the railgun opened fire from beyond visual range. A burst of azure plasma blasted straight toward the Safe Haven convoy blocking the west side of the city. The sound of electromagnetic shockwaves rang out. Several armored vehicles from Wu Dapeng’s convoy, headed into the city for backup, exploded instantly — buildings behind them were pierced clean through. In an instant: explosions, screams, chaos.

“F**ing hell! What the hll is that?!”

“Aaahhh!”

“Railgun?!”

The Sand Raiders attacking from the west were completely stunned. They had just received orders to converge on the city, only for a steel monster to thunder in from the wasteland. The Gobi shook slightly from its charge. And when they saw this behemoth of a war train, bristling with heavy artillery — weapons meant to take down monsters — all aimed directly at them…

They froze.

As the United Train closed in, its roof-mounted weapons — automated and manned alike — turned to face the Sand Raider convoys besieging the city.

And in the next instant: all guns blazed!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Where the h*ll did this train come from?

Aerospace fighters, an armored train… Is this the Starfleet?

No, wait… isn’t using a railgun on humans kind of overkill?

That train’s so long…

Before the firepower swallowed them whole, these were the last thoughts that flickered through the Sand Raiders’ minds.

----------------------------------------

On the Infinite Train, Xiao Yuan operated the fire-control radar, locking onto the enemy vehicles and coordinates. She activated every weapon system — the 1130, the G3 Electromagnetic Railgun — and let loose.

In seconds, the Sand Raider war vehicles — all reinforced with spikes and steel plates — and those hiding in buildings were obliterated. The thin Gobi buildings were no match for heavy ordnance — like paper under fire.

A single volley leveled streets and buildings outside the city. Everything was reduced to ash.

In the city, Old Scorpion heard the report and immediately leapt across rooftops to get a better view. One glance at the United Train, and a twitch ran down the corner of his eye. His pupils blazed with fury.

Now he knew — this wasn’t a coincidence. The enemy came prepared. His thoughts raced, and he instantly grabbed his walkie-talkie and barked:

“Red Eagle, Bone Dragon, we’re in deep sh*t! Pull back!!”

Hearing Old Scorpion’s voice, Red Eagle and Bone Dragon — who had halted earlier due to the air strike — both turned pale. They scrambled onto the nearest vehicle and shouted orders:

“Fall back!”

Immediately, the tide of battle shifted. The Sand Raiders, who had been attacking with full force, began retreating in panic. Vehicles redirected, three Raider factions withdrew from the southeast, north, and south.

Those who couldn’t retreat were swiftly eliminated by the Survivor Convoy. The pressure vanished in an instant. Confused voices rang out:

“They’re running!”

“Did our reinforcements arrive?!”

“Is it the Crimson Strike Team?”

“Thank god, we’re saved!”

“The plane earlier must’ve been Starfleet!”

“Hey, look! A giant train’s barreling in from the west!”

Many climbed rooftops to see — and sure enough, the United Train was charging across the plains.

But then — more roaring came from behind the United Train. Plumes of smoke billowed. Everyone turned to see two all-terrain trains detach and storm across the Gobi — one black-and-green, one black-and-red — splitting north and south like a trident to flank the enemy.

It was Dragon Mountain No. 1 and Monica Queen, both all-terrain trains!

From the looks of it, they were planning to intercept the Raiders fleeing north and south!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Both trains maneuvered into flanking positions, blocking the southern and northern city exits. Their electromagnetic and heavy weapons began firing into the fleeing Sand Raider convoys.

“F***!!”

Red Eagle, wearing a gas mask, saw the black-and-red war train charging in. His pupils trembled beneath the mask. He yanked the steering wheel away from the driver and roared, “Turn around! Head east!”

Bone Dragon, seeing their route blocked, knew it was suicide to rush into the Gobi with that kind of firepower. They’d be target practice. He understood all too well — they had once hunted Survivors the same way.

Now, the roles were reversed.

----------------------------------------

(Translation continued in next message due to length)

(Continuation of translation...)

Inside the city, multiple convoys began a coordinated counterattack under Lin Xian’s command. Street by street, they pushed back and cleaned out the remaining Sand Raiders. In a short time, the Sand Scorpion Gang, Red Vulture Gang, and Earth Dragon Society suffered massive casualties — the survivors were cut down like wheat under a scythe.

From the rooftop of the Black Rose Bar, Lin Xian watched as clouds of yellow sand rose from the eastern district, and the fleeing convoys sped toward Shashekou. He turned to KIKI and Chen Sixuan and said:

“Ms. Chen, you join the cleanup teams with the train crews. KIKI, let’s move!”

RATATATATAT! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Amid a barrage of bullets and explosions, Old Scorpion and the remaining Raiders fled eastward, chased by the storm of fire. The Fu Lu Shou Convoy, joined by the Akesai Brotherhood, surged forward under Xie Guan’s lead — eyes bloodshot with vengeance.

These people had lost everything to the Raiders — their homes, their teams. Now that the tables had turned, they floored their throttles with one goal: wipe them out.

Meanwhile, the Dawn Convoy remained inside the city, sweeping up the last of the stragglers.

On a Sand Raider war vehicle, Old Scorpion glanced back at the pursuing vehicles. His face twitched with fury — he gripped the truck’s door handle so hard he crushed it.

Only a dozen vehicles remained in his convoy. Barely a hundred people.

“F***!”

Then suddenly — his gaze snapped upward. In the sky, several figures were flying toward them.

Leading the charge was a man in battle armor, followed by two brawny men and over a dozen figures in exosuits.

“They’ve got gear like that — it’s gotta be them!”

“So many flying ability users?!” Bone Dragon’s face twisted in panic. His sharp eyes quickly saw that Lin Xian’s group wasn’t using flight-enabled suits.

“It’s gotta be an ability user carrying them!” Red Eagle said coldly. His eyes flashed red as he stared into the rearview mirror. “No escape. Might as well take some down with us!”

With that, he kicked open the door and hauled himself onto the roof.

Amid the bullet storm, he raised his hands toward the convoy and the airborne pursuers. On his palms were two charred flesh-like holes. In the next moment, his veins turned black — POOF — two streams of black smoke erupted!

In one Raider vehicle, the driver swerved hard to avoid it, but the smoke still touched the rear of the truck. Sizzle! Corrosive gas hissed. Thick, toxic fumes began pouring out.

From above, Lin Xian saw the move through his armor’s targeting system — and immediately shouted:

“Toxic mist!”

“KIKI.”

“Got it!” KIKI raised a hand, pushing the group back. She surged ahead of the convoy. Her eyes flashed with psychic light, and in the next instant, a massive telekinetic barrier erupted like a tidal wave, encasing the black smoke and forcing it out into the plains.

Red Eagle’s face twisted in shock. His mist could bypass even S-Class defenses. A surprise attack like that could kill even top-tier elites.

But KIKI had just… completely neutralized it?

“Wha—F***!!!”

Bone Dragon gaped. “What the h*ll? Red Eagle, your poison didn’t work?!”

Red Eagle’s signature move had always been a guaranteed trump card. But now?

His eyes trembled. He stared at the flying girl, his voice full of disbelief:

“She activated…”

“Activated what?”

THUNK!

Before he could finish, a tiny blackened hole appeared on the center of his gas mask. His eyes glazed over, and he fell from the car.

High above, a faint whir of a power core rang out. Lin Xian’s finger held a virtual metallic interface.

Kinetic Cannon!

“Holy sh*t!” Bone Dragon gasped, spinning and firing an Arc Pulse Rifle at KIKI.

ZAP! The arc energy vanished before it could even hit her — like it had evaporated.

Behind KIKI, Lin Xian appeared, an AT Field Shield flaring into view in front of them.

“Old Scorpion, these people are freaky! What now?!” Bone Dragon was soaked in cold sweat. Red Eagle had just died without even putting up a fight — their enemy’s sheer pressure was crushing.

Old Scorpion sat in the lead vehicle, his eyes darting as he thought. Suddenly, they narrowed. He raised the walkie-talkie.

“Stop the vehicles.”

SKRRRTTT—

The fleeing Raider convoy suddenly slowed and stopped in an open area, kicking up sand. They quickly formed a defensive line.

The Fu Lu Shou Convoy, Akesai Brotherhood, and Dawn Convoy also stopped, keeping their distance.

RATATATATAT! BOOM!

Though the convoys stopped, gunfire didn’t. The Raiders retreated behind their vehicles, laying down suppressive fire.

Bullets slammed against armored hulls, sparks flying.

“F*** it, let’s go down fighting!”

“Don’t panic! Reinforcements are on the way — Shashekou’s crawling with our people!”

“Once we’re out of the city, it’s our turf! These guys are celebrating too early!”

Dozens of remaining Raiders still had some fight in them. Cursing and firing, they held their ground.

Old Scorpion and Bone Dragon huddled together. A lackey set up a loudspeaker on a car roof. Old Scorpion grabbed it and shouted:

“Who the h*ll are you?! If you dare mess with the Iron Alliance, you must really think you can survive the Wasteland!”

On the other side, KIKI and the others landed behind the Fu Lu Shou armored trucks for cover.

“Oh, here we go again. Another classic villain monologue. Guess they know their time’s up.” KIKI rolled her eyes.

“He’s stalling for reinforcements,” Lin Xian said coldly. “Old Scorpion and Bone Dragon must still have a few tricks up their sleeves. Stay alert.”

“Got it!” KIKI nodded.

“Captain Lin!”

Just then, a Fu Lu Shou crew member in a black suit jogged over, grinning as he handed over a loudspeaker.

Then he pointed to the truck roof and smiled.

"It's a German brand. The sound quality is amazing—definitely better than that knockoff speaker they’ve got."

From being trapped in despair to turning the tables on the Sand Raiders, the gang was now buzzing with excitement, practically worshipping Lin Xian as their boss.

Lin Xian let out a surprised laugh. Why did all of Hu Lushou’s guys sound exactly like him? That same sly merchant tone. Still, from an insider's perspective, the guy wasn’t wrong—he had a good eye.

Lin Xian picked up the loudspeaker, glanced at it, and then pressed the button.

“Scorpion Boss, right? Heard you were planning to cage all the men and capture the women alive. What, not so tough now?”

On the Sand Raider’s side, Old Scorpion’s eyes twitched. He spoke in a low voice:

“Brother, you’re outsiders—dragons crossing the river. We can’t afford to provoke you. But you should know, the entire Western Gobi and Takan Desert are Iron League territory. We’ve got Iron League Links connecting the zones. Mess with us, and you’re not afraid of what might find you in the dead of night out here in the no-man’s land?”

To Old Scorpion, Lin Xian’s firepower wasn’t something any raider group could go up against—not to mention they had an all-terrain train. The only real edge Iron League had over them... was the dark.

For all humans, darkness was the greatest threat.

So Old Scorpion knew clearly—only invoking that would make the other side hesitate.

“Not afraid.”

Before his voice even faded, Lin Xian immediately responded.

“The Iron League Link is just a localized signal bundle tech—it can’t transmit long-distance. It only picks up changes through regional overlap. Meaning, if something happens to you guys, only the nearest faction might get word, and even then only in a specific area. I’m guessing you so-called 'united forces' don’t wander freely across each other’s turf, do you? Even if one faction finds out, getting the whole Iron League to respond? That’ll take at least two or three days—and that’s if someone helps you spread the word over the radio. By then, think you’ll still find us?”

“Besides, once they find out I wiped out all three of your forces, do you really think the rest of your ‘alliance’ will have the guts to come after me?”

Lin Xian had seen through the so-called Iron League long ago. He had a Phoenix Order. Even the Phoenix Society—an official group with insane execution power—couldn’t dispatch across a blacked-out zone without using the blood crystal-consuming Global Radio.

And the Sand Raiders? Just a bunch of post-apocalypse thugs and drifters. There’s no way they could pull off that level of response.

Sure, they had Iron League Links—but that was more for show. The mid- and small-sized convoys couldn’t deal with it, so they stayed clear. Naturally, it made the Sand Raiders seem powerful.

Back with the raiders, Old Scorpion and Bone Dragon both turned cold at Lin Xian’s words. The two exchanged a look—clearly, they’d already guessed he wouldn’t be intimidated by the Iron League. And he’d hit the nail on the head about the illusion of unity. Especially now—none of the other convoys had the guts to raid this joint train.

Even if the League somehow rallied—by then, Lin Xian’s team could be anywhere. The whole “touch one, stir the whole” thing? Just a fancy scare tactic.

Old Scorpion cracked his knuckles, let out a hum, and picked up the comm again.

“So... Brother, do we have a personal grudge or something? I don’t recall ever meeting you. You’ve got a ton of people, probably just trying to survive like the rest of us. Why pick a fight with us? Don’t tell me you’re trying to play superhero in this messed-up world. Just say what you want. We’ve got plenty of resources here—at least 500 eerie blood crystals. Let us go, and we can negotiate all of it!”

The survivors in Lin Xian’s convoy heard this and all looked stunned. It was obvious now—Old Scorpion was begging.

Lin Xian couldn’t help but laugh. He looked at KIKI, then at Daluo, Liang Lei, and the others, and muttered:

“I seriously don’t get it...”

Then he grabbed the comm again.

“Oh, right—I almost forgot. I already know where your base is. So...”

He cleared his throat and said sharply:

“You idiot. Killing you still gets me what I want.”

Pfft—

KIKI burst out laughing. The other survivors all had weird looks on their faces. Lin Xian’s comebacks always came out of left field.

Old Scorpion’s face instantly darkened. He nearly crushed the loudspeaker in his hand.

Just as he was caught between fury and confusion, Bone Dragon suddenly looked around—and spotted something.

From the south, north, and Shashekou direction, a flood of vehicles kicked up clouds of yellow sand on the horizon.

Bone Dragon’s eyes lit up. He leapt up and shouted:

“Haha! Reinforcements are here!”

The rest of the raiders exploded with excitement.

“They’re here!”

“Our people are coming!”

“We’re turning the tide!”

“This is our turf!”

“Mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!”

Old Scorpion’s eyes twitched. Then his face relaxed, the anger melting away into satisfaction. A few cold sweat drops trickled down his cheeks. He picked up the loudspeaker again, this time with a smug tone, his confidence restored.

“Sorry, Brother. Look around you. You think we’ve been chatting with you just for fun? Hahaha! You’re in my territory. You’re still too green to mess with me!”

He took a deep breath and continued:

“Last time, yeah, I lost. But since we’ve got beef now, I’ll say this—if they’re smart, they’ll get the hell out of the Western Gobi. Otherwise, their precious train’s gonna be my new penthouse suite.”

“Hahahahaha!”

The Sand Raiders burst into wild, maniacal laughter.

Akesai’s Wolf spat on the ground and mumbled, With reinforcements, at least we’re not gonna die. Fighting back against that joint convoy? Yeah, no f**ing way.* Still, surviving to enjoy freedom again—that’s what mattered. Everything else could wait.

Meanwhile, seeing dust clouds from all directions, the Fu Lu Shou Convoy, Akesai Brotherhood, and Dawn Convoy members all started to panic.

But Lin Xian stayed calm. He picked up the loudspeaker:

“They say Sand Raiders have no brains. Didn’t think they had bad eyesight too. Maybe take a better look—who do those vehicles belong to?”

Suddenly, the raiders' laughter stopped dead. A few quickly pulled out binoculars—and saw the fast-approaching vehicles weren’t theirs at all.

Each direction had a lead heavy mobile command truck, followed by several off-roaders. The same base vehicle in all directions—obviously from the same faction.

Old Scorpion and Bone Dragon’s expressions instantly turned grim.

Lin Xian stepped out from the convoy, raised the loudspeaker, and sighed deeply:

“Back when you attacked Akesai City, your little grunts? I already dealt with them.”

Before sunrise, Lin Xian had sent out assault squads to sweep key zones identified via Iron League signal wave overlaps, cutting off all escape routes for the raiders.

Shashekou was covered by Fire Bro.

Salt Claw Zone had Shu Qin and Lü Chang join up with Fire Bro.

Black Oil Ravine in the north was handled by Qian Dele and Xiaomeng.

Wind-Eroded Gate in the south saw Ning Jing lead Xiao Qing and others from Dragon Mountain No. 1 in silently.

Rust Hill—personally led by Monica, with A Bai in tow.

Finally, the fake camp they stayed at yesterday? Lin Xian left a team there just in case.

That team? The Hellbringers, led by Big Dong.

----------------------------------------

20 minutes earlier.

Red Vulture Gang's Squad Two Captain, Scarface, took orders from Red Eagle and led twenty-something vehicles packed with heavy weapons straight for yesterday’s fake camp.

Ironically, Scarface had no actual scars. His name came from zombie blood splashing his face during a fight, leaving red dots from a toxic infection.

He brought over sixty men, aiming straight for the convoy’s camp. In his hand was an old mobile terminal showing photos of Lin Xian, KIKI, Ning Jing, Xiao Qing, A Bai, Qian Dele, Monica—all secretly snapped at the Black Rose Bar the day before.

Blurry, but good enough.

Scarface’s eyes gleamed.

“D*mn, this is a jackpot.”

“Scarface, you mean the guys or the girls?”

“You f*ing moron.”**

“Heh, now I get why my right eyelid’s been twitching all morning. Boss really gave us a hell of a fun gig!”

“Good thing Brother J isn’t here. If he knew we were getting the pick of the crop, he’d blow a fuse, hahaha!”

Scarface sneered: “That dumb*ss is always on my case. This time, I’ll leave a couple of them alive, just to show him how I play with women.”

“Scarface, can I have the purple-haired one?”

“You like that type?”

“I want the one with the biggest chest! The proud ones are the best!”

“I’ll take this one—”

“I’m second!”

“Then I’m third—”

As the convoy sped through the Gobi, they were already getting riled up. But when they turned into Wind-Eroded Valley, they found... nothing.

Not a single vehicle in sight.

Scarface ordered a stop, now full of confusion.

“That’s weird. The coordinates from Chameleon said it’d be here...”

BANG BANG BANG!

Before he could finish, gunfire erupted from the surrounding hills.

In under five minutes, the raiders were overwhelmed by a deadly crossfire.

Out of the original sixty, fewer than ten were left, all disarmed and kneeling.

In their terrified and desperate gazes, nearly eighty hulking, shirtless, barrel-chested men with thick beards stormed in, shaking the ground with their steps.

Scarface looked up—and felt like he was surrounded by mountains.

He screamed:

“Do you have any idea who we are?! Mess with the Iron League and—”

SMACK!

Before he could finish his threat, a massive guy slapped him so hard he nearly passed out.

At the front, Big Dong scanned the captives, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

“Heh... now I get why my right eyelid’s been twitching. Lin Bro gave us a damn satisfying job today!”

Hearing that, Scarface and the others shivered uncontrollably. They looked up at these sweaty giants, eyes wide—

And realized something.

That gaze…

Was the exact same one they used when looking at women.