Chapter 17 — I Built an Empire in the Wasteland

Bạt Phong and Yên Nhi left Camp Hung Dawn the next morning, carrying Diệp Thanh Sơn and two strong young men as escorts, towards Ash Valley - the second largest settlement in the region, where a large group of wandering people lived under the rule of Kình Bá Đông, a man in his forties known for being tough and suspicious of strangers.

Ash Valley is located about eight kilometers west of Tàn Đô, a low-lying area where ash from past bombardments still covers the ground, making it almost impossible for trees to grow back. People here live mainly by hunting small mutant animals and exploiting underground water from a rare water source that is not completely polluted.

When Bạt Phong's group approached the settlement, they were quickly stopped by a group of guards armed with homemade spears and a few old guns. Kình Bá Đông himself appeared, standing blocking the entrance, his eyes full of caution looking at the group of strangers.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" He asked, his voice filled with the authority of someone who had ruled this settlement for many years.

"I'm Tô Bạt Phong, from Camp Dawn," Bạt Phong replied, maintaining a respectful attitude. "We are not here to provoke, but to warn of a common danger that threatens this entire region."

Kình Bá Đông frowned, his eyes glanced at the powered armor Bạt Phong was carrying on his shoulder - not wearing it at this time to show his goodwill and non-confrontation. "I've heard rumors about you. The one who defeated the Gray Wolf with a strange weapon. What are you here for, recruiting more troops for your own ambitions?"

"Not my own ambition." Yên Nhi stepped forward, her voice determined. "It's about the survival of everyone here, including your settlement. A military organization left over from before the war, called the Black Eagle, is leading a heavily armed army towards the Lost Capital. Not only are they targeting Camp Dawn, but anyone who stands in their way will be targeted for destruction."

Kình Bá Đông was silent for a moment, his eyes examining the two people in front of him. "Why should I believe your words? Maybe this is just an excuse to drag my settlement into an unrelated war."

Bạt Phong took out the captured communication device from his pocket and played back the recording that Thanh Sơn had previously restored, letting Kình Bá Đông hear for himself the cold orders about "leveling all resistance" and "dealing with anyone who gets in the way". After listening, Kình Bá Đông's expression became much more pensive.

“If what you say is true,” he said slowly, “then this is no longer just about Camp Dawn. An army of that strength, once it has destroyed its initial target, would have no reason to stop without also sweeping through other settlements within its control.”

"That's exactly what we're concerned about," Bạt Phong said. "We are not strong enough to fight them alone. But if the settlements in the region join hands, taking advantage of familiar terrain and numbers, we have a chance to slow their advance, wear down their forces, or even repel them completely."

Kình Bá Đông stood thinking for a long time, his eyes looking towards the people who were curiously watching from afar - the thin faces, the children playing, unaware of the looming danger. The responsibility of protecting all those people fell heavily on his shoulders in this decisive moment.

"Okay," He finally spoke, his voice decisive. "I will contribute. But I want to know the specific plan before sending my people to death." Bạt Phong nodded in relief, and began to briefly present the idea of defense based on the ruined terrain around Camp Dawn, about using small groups to ambush from many directions instead of directly confronting the overwhelming force of the Black Eagle. Yên Nhi added technical details on how to arrange early warning sensors and take advantage of old tunnels under Tàn Đô that Tư Rỗ discovered during the defense reinforcement process.

Over the next two days, Bạt Phong and Yên Nhi continued their journey to other smaller settlements in the area — Xóm Vá Sắt, Black Market, and even a few sporadic groups of wandering people scattered around Region Seven. Not everyone agreed immediately; There are groups that are suspicious, there are groups that are afraid to get involved, but most, when hearing about the common danger approaching, realize that solidarity is the only choice for survival.

The last night before returning to Camp Dawn, Bạt Phong and Yên Nhi sat and rested next to a small fire in the middle of the road, tired but full of new hope. "We have nearly a hundred more men ready to fight with us," Yên Nhi said, her voice still a bit surprised at the results achieved. "I didn't think people would be so willing to trust us."

"They don't trust us completely," Bạt Phong replied, his eyes looking at the flickering fire. "They believe in protecting their own families, their own lives. We're just showing them that fighting together has a better chance of success than waiting to die alone." Yên Nhi nodded, resting her head on his shoulder in a rare moment of silence amid the impending storm. "No matter what happens later, I want you to know that the journey of these past few days with you, even though full of dangers, was also the most meaningful time I can remember in my entire life."

Bạt Phong squeezed her hand, didn't say anything more, just let that warm silence fill the space between the two of them, before they both continued on their return journey together, preparing for the battle that would determine the fate of everything they had built.

Upon returning to Camp Breaking Dawn, Bạt Phong convened the largest meeting ever, bringing together representatives of all the groups that had agreed to join the defense alliance—King Ba Dong and several minor leaders from the Valley of Ashes, prominent men from Xóm Vá Sắt and Black Market, and all the residents of Camp Breaking Dawn. The flickering light of a large campfire illuminated dozens of solemn faces listening Tô Bạt Phong present a detailed defense plan.

"We will not attempt to confront their entire force head-on at a single point," he said, using a wooden stick to draw a topographic map on the dusty ground in front of everyone. "Tư Rỗ helped us map the old tunnel system under Tàn Đô, connecting many ruined areas around Camp Dawn. We will divide into many small groups, hide and attack suddenly from many directions, forcing the enemy to disperse their forces instead of concentrating overwhelmingly on one point."

Tư Rỗ stepped up and pointed to specific locations on the diagram. "There are three main entrances to the camp area, but there are also at least five side tunnels that I know well from my time as a mechanic here before the war. If we use it properly, we can appear behind the enemy without them having time to react." Kình Bá Đông nodded, his eyes full of appreciation. "This plan requires precise timing. One small mistake could cause the entire group to be surrounded."

"That's right," Bạt Phong replied. "Therefore, we need to practice signal coordination in the remaining two days before they arrive. Diệp Thanh Sơn will be in charge of dividing small groups into each area, and I will be in charge of directly confronting their main force at the main defense point, where the powered armor and energy weapons support."

Yên Nhi stood up, her eyes scanning everyone present. "There's one more thing. We're not just fighting to survive. My father once left behind a formula that would make everyone here, and many other places, completely immune to the radiation that is killing this land every day. If we win this battle, it will not just be a defensive victory, but the first step in building a different future for all of us."

Her words made the atmosphere around the fire become more solemn, many eyes showed emotion and hope. The meeting lasted until late at night, every small detail of the defense plan was discussed carefully, each group was assigned specific tasks, until everyone dispersed to rest, preparing for the two rushing days of practice ahead.

Before leaving the fire, Kình Bá Đông lingered, reaching out to shake hands with Bạt Phong. "I once suspected you were just a young man lucky enough to have a good weapon. But the way you organized everyone, the way you listened to the opinions of all sides instead of imposing, made me believe that you are worthy of trust," he spoke with a rare sincerity in his voice. "My settlement will stand with you to the end."

Bạt Phong squeezed his hand, grateful for those words. "Thank you. This is not just my battle anymore, it's all of ours."

That night, when the campfire finally died down and everyone had dispersed to their resting places, Bạt Phong stood looking around at the new makeshift tents set up around Camp Dawn to accommodate the groups of people from other settlements that had just arrived, his heart both heavy with responsibility and strangely warm at the unexpected spirit of solidarity that he himself had not dared to dream of just a few weeks before.