Chapter 8 — I Built an Empire in the Wasteland

Gray Wolf's two juniors followed Bạt Phong's trail long enough to determine the approximate location of the area he frequently visited, although they did not dare to get close to the fenced area with the radiation warning sign. They reported back to Hạ Tử Kỳ, and Hạ Tử Kỳ immediately presented it to Lôi Quang Việt with a detail that caught the entire gang's attention: Bạt Phong no longer walked empty-handed like before, but occasionally carried metal objects covered with cloth, different in shape from ordinary scrap.

"It's building something." Hạ Tử Kỳ reported at the meeting at Gray Wolf headquarters. "And it looks like we're not alone. We've seen a few other people hanging out in that area in recent days, an old man, a fat woman, and some girl."

Lôi Quang Việt squinted his eyes, his fingers tapping the old gun butt on his side. "So he's gathering people and building something impressive. From being a scrap collector who was bullied by us every day, now he dares to secretly do big business without asking my permission." He stood up, his voice sharp and filled with murderous intent. "Prepare people. Tonight we'll attack and see what it's hiding."

Quắc Bá Long, who was always the most enthusiastic whenever he had the opportunity to use force, stood up from the corner of the room, slapping his thigh. "Finally, there's something to do. I'll prepare people now."

That night, under the faint moonlight through the thick dust clouds, more than fifteen members of the Gray Wolf gang quietly advanced towards Camp Dawn, armed with sticks, machetes, and a few old guns using rare real bullets that this gang had accumulated over many years of plundering. They had no idea they were entering a completely unequal battle as they imagined.

Fortunately, the motion sensor system Yên Nhi helped Bạt Phong install worked immediately. A soft alarm sounded in Camp Dawn when the Gray Wolves were about two hundred meters away from the area, enough time for the group to prepare.

"There are people coming, a large number," Yên Nhi spoke quickly, her eyes glued to the small screen displaying signals from sensors scattered around the area. "From the southeast, approaching."

Bạt Phong did not hesitate at all. He had prepared for this situation many days ago, as soon as he felt the eyes watching him in the Black Market. He quickly put on the powered armor, feeling the familiar smooth thrust enveloping his body as the joints automatically closed tightly. Diệp Thanh Sơn - his only living close friend from before the war whom he had found and persuaded to join Camp Dawn just a few days ago - stood next to him, holding an energy gun that was still a bit clumsy because he was not used to using it.

"Are you sure you can use this?" Thanh Sơn asked, his voice was a bit shaky but his eyes were still steady.

"Yên Nhi showed it to both of us," Bạt Phong replied, his voice was so calm that he even surprised himself. "Just aim and pull the trigger, let the technology take care of the rest."

Tư Rỗ and Sáu Mộc were taken into the strongest shelter inside, along with some of their most valuable items. Yên Nhi intended to stay with them, but Bạt Phong shook his head.

"I need you near the sensor console, monitoring enemy positions to alert me," he said. "You're safest here, under control." Yên Nhi nodded, although her eyes were filled with worry as she watched Bạt Phong step out into the darkness, the powered armor made his figure look taller and stronger than usual.

The Gray Wolves approached Camp Dawn in silence, until Lôi Quang Việt gave the signal to attack. They rushed in from many directions, shouting to threaten the enemy's spirit according to their usual robbery habits - a tactic that is always effective on weak victims who are unable to fight back.

But this time, it's completely different.

Bạt Phong stepped out from the darkness, his powered armor reflecting the faint moonlight into a strange silver-gray halo, causing the leaders to pause. He raised the energy gun, not shooting directly at himself but aiming at a wheelbarrow filled with scrap nearby - the weapon he chose to show off his power without shedding blood in the first place. There was a flash of blue energy, and the wheelbarrow exploded into pieces of metal flying in all directions.

The entire group of Gray Wolves stopped, their shouting stopped, replaced by panic-filled silence.

"This is the final warning," Bạt Phong said, his voice echoed through the sound amplifier mounted on the armor, sounding deeper and more majestic than his real voice. "Come back now, and no one's blood will be shed tonight."

Lôi Quang Việt, although shaken by the recent display of strength, still refused to back down — his inherent arrogance did not allow him to retreat from someone he had despised for seven years. "Shoot it!" He shouted, giving orders to the gunmen in the group.

A few shots were fired, but the bullets only touched Bạt Phong's armor and then bounced back harmlessly, leaving no significant scratches. Diệp Thanh Sơn, standing behind a nearby wall, tremblingly aimed the energy gun and fired a shot at the attacking group. The energy stream passed by the side of Quắc Bá Long's leg, causing him to jump in fright.

"Withdraw! Withdraw now!" Hạ Tử Kỳ shouted, realizing that the situation was completely reversed from what they imagined. The group began to flee in chaos, leaving behind a few people who were slightly injured by debris from the exploding wheelbarrow.

Lôi Quang Việt was the last person to retreat. His eyes looked at Bạt Phong filled with hatred and surprise, unable to understand how a weak scrap picker could have such terrible power in less than a month.

"This isn't over yet, Bạt Phong!" He shouted before disappearing into the darkness with his accomplices. "You will pay the price for daring to cross me!"

Bạt Phong stood still, watching the Gray Wolves' fleeing silhouette, not feeling any joy of victory, only a vague heaviness welling up in his heart. He knew this was just the beginning, that Lôi Quang Việt would never let this go, and that the power he had just displayed, even though it helped protect Camp Dawn tonight, also made him an even bigger target in the eyes of all the greedy people in this Waste Earth region.

Yên Nhi ran out of the shelter as soon as the noise stopped. Her worried eyes scanned Bạt Phong's body to make sure he was not injured. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he replied, taking off his helmet, revealing a face that still retained some of the tension from the recent battle. "But this won't stop here." Yên Nhi nodded, looked toward the darkness where the Gray Wolves had disappeared, then looked even further toward the horizon, as if she could sense another, even greater threat quietly approaching from another direction that neither of them knew about.

Diệp Thanh Sơn put down the energy gun, his hands still shaking slightly from the afterglow of the first battle he ever participated in. "I never thought I would one day hold a gun and shoot at someone else," he spoke Tô Bạt Phong, his voice still filled with shock. "But if we don't, they'll kill us all, right?"

"I don't want this to happen either," Bạt Phong replied, placing his hand on the shoulder of his only close friend who had survived the days before the Great War. "But you remember in middle school, when they stopped me to get money for breakfast, you were the only one who stood up for me even though I was beaten to a pulp. I won't forget. Now it's my turn to protect you, to protect everyone here."

Thanh Sơn smiled wryly, rubbing the back of his neck. "So what are you going to do now? Lôi Quang Việt definitely won't leave it alone, you heard him scream just now."

"We need to strengthen our defenses further," Bạt Phong said, looking around Camp Dawn, reassessing every weakness that had just been revealed during the battle. "And perhaps we need to find out more about what's left in the bunker. If the Gray Wolves still recklessly attack despite seeing our strength, then perhaps they are desperate or have other plans that we have not yet anticipated."

Tư Rỗ walked out of the shelter, his expression still tense but his eyes softened when he saw that everyone was safe. "Mr. Phong, let me help reinforce the cracked walls due to the vibrations from the recent explosion. The more secure we are, the safer we will be."

"Thank you." Bạt Phong nodded, then turned to look at the small group standing around in the dark - Thanh Sơn, Tư Rỗ, Sáu Mộc had just peeked out from the shelter with faces still scared, and Yên Nhi stood quietly next to him. This was what I had, little but truly belonged to me, and I will do everything I can to preserve it.