Chapter 12 — I Built an Empire in the Wasteland

Nhiêu Bích Vân was so familiar with the work of reconnaissance around Camp Dawn that she could recognize every blackened tree stump and every piece of ruined wall within two kilometers around the camp like the back of her hand. That morning, while patrolling along a rarely traveled trail, she discovered a strange object stuck in the middle of a pile of rubble — a small metal device, different in appearance from the old electronic devices one often saw in Phế Thổ.

She picked it up, turned it around and observed. The device has a small screen with one corner broken, a few buttons intact, and a short, broken antenna at the top. It looked like it had been dropped or thrown away hastily, perhaps while someone was moving hastily through the area.

"This is definitely not the stuff of a normal scrap dealer," Bích Vân muttered to herself, carefully wrapped the device in a piece of cloth in her bag and continued to complete the patrol before hastily returning to report Tô Bạt Phong.

"I found this near the southern area, about a kilometer from the camp boundary." She handed the device to him, her voice filled with excitement and curiosity. "It doesn't look like anything I've ever seen people here use," Bạt Phong picked up the device, turned it around, observed it, then called Diệp Thanh Sơn over. Thanh Sơn, with his mechanical repair skills learned from years of working with Bạt Phong picking up scrap, quickly realized that this was a military communication device, although the design was somewhat different from what they found in the bunker.

"This runs on a small battery, which still has some power left," Thanh Sơn said after removing the outer cover to check. "If I can connect the broken antenna and repair the power circuit, maybe I can still catch the old signal stored in memory."

He spent the whole afternoon diligently repairing it, using a few components he picked up from the scrap pile in the camp's warehouse to replace the broken antenna. Yên Nhi also contributed, showing him how to reconnect a few small wires, which her hidden knowledge immediately recognized even though it took Thanh Sơn a while to understand.

Late in the evening, the device finally made a small buzzing sound, the cracked screen flashing a faint light. Thanh Sơn operated a few buttons, and an old recording began to play from the small speaker. The voice was heavily distorted but each important sentence could still be heard clearly.

"...confirm target location... barrier area east of Tàn Đô... coordinate with local forces... Colonel requests absolutely no damage to Test Sample 07..."

The whole group stood silently listening to the recording, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy. Bạt Phong signaled Thanh Sơn to rewind the recording and listen more closely to each word.

"...Gray Wolf will lead the way and provide on-site manpower... in return for full possession of weapons at the shelter... the time of action will be announced after the technical support team arrives..."

"This is clear evidence," Bạt Phong said, his voice was low, he clenched his fists. "Lôi Quang Việt has allied with the organization that imprisoned Yên Nhi. They are planning a coordinated attack."

Yên Nhi stood still, her face turned pale when she heard the phrase "Test Model 07" again, the cold title that had haunted her since the day she was rescued. "So they haven't given up looking for you yet," she said, her voice shaking but trying to stay calm. "And now they have a gang of robbers supporting them."

"We need to know more about this organization," Diễm Thư, who was also present at that emergency meeting, spoke up. "If they have technology powerful enough to make even Lôi Quang Việt fear the alliance, we can't just rely on the weapons in the bunker to deal with it." Bạt Phong nodded, his eyes looked around at the worried faces surrounding him - Thanh Sơn, Yên Nhi, Diễm Thư, Bích Vân, all waiting for him to make a decision. He felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders, completely different from the days when he was a scrap picker who only worried about himself surviving each day.

"First of all, we need to strengthen our defense system further," he said, his voice gradually regaining certainty. "Thanh Sơn, you and Tư Rỗ recheck all the sensors, expanding the early warning range further. Bích Vân, increase patrols, paying special attention to the southern area where you found this device — maybe that's the direction they will approach."

"What about me?" Yên Nhi asked, her eyes full of determination even though her voice was still shaking.

"I need you to help me better understand this organization's technology." Bạt Phong looked at her. "Anything you remember, no matter how small, could be the key to helping us be better prepared." Yên Nhi nodded, clenched her hands into small fists, trying to suppress the fear rising in her heart. She knows that facing her past is no longer an option, but a necessity if she wants to protect the people who have become her new family.

That night, the whole Camp Dawn was immersed in a tense atmosphere different from any other day. Everyone sensed that this threat was not like the previous Gray Wolf attack — it was bigger, more dangerous, and came from a force that none of them truly understand. Bạt Phong stood guard alone outside until late at night, the communication device he had collected was placed in his pocket, his mind constantly thinking about the next steps to take to protect what he had worked so hard to build.

Far away on the horizon, the glimmering lights of the Black Market were still awake, and somewhere out of his sight, a Black Eagle technical team was on its way towards Tàn Đô, carrying technology that even the weapons in the shelter were unlikely to be able to withstand.

Near midnight, Yên Nhi found the place where Bạt Phong stood guard and brought two cups of warm water mixed with dried leaves from the Sáu Mộc forest that he often used to calm the mind. She sat down next to him on the cold concrete block, silent for a moment before speaking.

"I keep thinking about that recording," she said, clutching the cup of water tightly. "The voice claiming to be Colonel, ordering me not to harm you... I don't know whether to feel relieved because they don't want to kill me, or more terrified because it means I'm merely a commodity to them that needs to be kept intact."

Bạt Phong turned to look at her, his eyes softened. "To me, you are not a commodity. You are Yên Nhi — the person who helped this camp design the defense system, the person who always reminded me to help the weaker people even when it was dangerous. Whatever title they gave you in the past, it does not define who you are now."

Yên Nhi looked at him, her eyes shining in the darkness, then she leaned her head lightly on his shoulder, an intimate gesture that neither of them had ever had before. "With you here, I feel much less scared," she whispered.

The two of them sat quietly together for a long time, no one said another word, only the sound of the night wind whistling through the crumbling walls around Camp Dawn, and the sound of cups of warm water gently hitting each other every time one of them took a small sip. Despite the looming threat ahead, that rare moment of peace still made them both feel, even if just for a moment, that they were not alone in the upcoming war.

"I have a thought," Yên Nhi spoke up after a moment of silence, sitting up straight, her eyes gradually becoming sharper. "If that organization truly values you enough to order absolutely no harm, perhaps that is a weakness we can exploit. They will not dare to use weapons of mass destruction or reckless tactics if there is a risk of affecting you. That means, if we force them to fight near you, they will be bound by their own orders."

Bạt Phong looked at her, a light flashed in his eyes. "That's a sharp thought. But it's also very dangerous for you, if that tactic goes one step wrong."

"I know." Yên Nhi nodded, her voice still determined. "But I don't want to just sit back and let everyone risk their lives protecting me like some fragile object. I want to be a part of the plan, not just the reason it exists." Bạt Phong was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly, his eyes filled with respect for her. "Okay. We'll take that into account when planning our defense in more detail. But for now, you need to rest. There will be more work to do tomorrow."

Yên Nhi stood up, reached out her hand to pull him up together, the two of them walked back to the room in the middle of Camp Hung Dawn, leaving behind the dark space of Phế Thổ, where an underground storm was silently accumulating, just waiting for the day to strike.