Chapter Three: The Council of Wolves and Jackals

Hurricane Town was situated near the former border between Huaxia and Country E, small in size, with a permanent population of less than twenty thousand. After the Third World War, the few surviving nations began to withdraw and fortify their defenses; the old military lines were no longer as significant, and so, in this new world, Hurricane Town became one of the many free trade hubs scattered across the East Asian continent.

It was now August, just before the arrival of the polar night, yet the temperature still hovered around minus ten degrees.

“Captain, do you think the world really used to be as beautiful as it is in the movies?” Wu Jing asked, as they walked back to their inn after securing supplies at the trade point manned by their soon-to-depart allies from Country E.

“Perhaps it was,” Hua Feng replied, sighing. “I’ve never seen it myself, but the older generation often lamented how a world nuclear war, ignited by the scramble for resources, transformed the earth into this wasteland in just fifty years.”

If possible, who wouldn’t wish for peace? Hua Feng patted Wu Jing’s shoulder, comforting him, “Everything will get better! Hurry back and restore communications—reach out to the brothers we agreed to meet.”

Wu Jing shook off his melancholy, tightening his backpack. “Yes, Captain.” Standing tall at over six feet, Wu Jing’s demeanor shifted to that of a resolute soldier.

Sunlight filtered faintly through the thick clouds, offering barely any warmth but still nurturing every living thing on this blue planet, giving hope and beauty to those weary travelers.

Hearing familiar footsteps outside, Yun Meng, attuned after years of camaraderie, knew Hua Feng and the others had returned.

Yun Meng called up to Shuang Ning, who was on guard in the attic. “Shuang Ning, they’re back!”

“Alright… I’m coming down now.”

Hua Feng and Wu Jing entered, closing the door behind them.

“Pack up, we’re heading back to the tank,” Hua Feng said, impatient yet eager.

“You were gone all morning; I was on edge the whole time. The inn folk say there are lots of new gangs in town lately, all heavily armed,” Yun Meng remarked as she tidied up.

“No worries. As long as we’re careful, we shouldn’t run into them,” Hua Feng replied.

“Don’t worry, Meng, we’ll be fine. Once we regroup with our lost brothers, those petty gangs won’t be any threat,” Wu Jing said confidently.

The conversation ended there. When Shuang Ning came downstairs, Hua Feng called everyone to check out and depart. It was already one in the afternoon; the first day of their armored squad’s arrival in Hurricane Town was half over.

Shuang Ning, after descending from the attic, asked no questions and simply followed them toward the abandoned warehouse where their tank was parked.

After an hour’s effort, Wang Yue finally fixed the radio.

“Communications are up again! Brother Yue is worth two men. Heh… Instructor, you worked hard!” Yun Meng gave Wang Yue a thumbs-up in admiration.

“Enough teasing, Yun Meng. Contact the other comrades quickly!” With the radio restored, Hua Feng felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He remembered the brother who vanished after the fierce battle that fateful night, and his heart was conflicted.

“Alright, let’s get to work!” Yun Meng put on her headset. With practiced hands, she operated the radio: “This is Eagle’s Nest, Eagle’s Nest calling! Eagle’s Nest calling! Eagle Flock, respond if you receive, Eagle Flock, respond if you receive!” Yun Meng followed the emergency protocol, reaching out to their scattered comrades through the encrypted channel.

She desperately hoped to hear familiar voices, but ten minutes later, the radio was still silent.

Half an hour later, at last, there was a reply: “Eagle’s Nest, Eagle’s Nest, this is Falcon.”

“Wonderful!” Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“Falcon, where are you? Can you move toward us?” Hua Feng took the transmitter.

“Eagle’s Nest, we’ve pinpointed your coordinates and are heading to your location now. We’ll arrive in about twenty minutes. Here’s our casualty report: aside from our two vehicles, everything else is lost.

We found out the surviving fledglings were all tortured to death by a gang called the Wolfpack.

We only managed to recover the bodies of our brothers! These are photos we bought just now from an informant—I’ve already sent them over… If not for hearing your voices, we were about to avenge our fallen comrades!”

“…Understood. Get back to base and we’ll discuss it then!” After a brief silence, Hua Feng suppressed his grief and replied. He set down the transmitter and slammed his fist against the tank’s internal armor. Even the pain in his hand could not quell the turmoil in his heart.

Hearing the exchange and seeing the photos of their dead comrades on the screen, Wang Yue cursed angrily, “Bastards! I’ll kill them!”

Shuang Ning and Yun Meng turned away, unable to bear the sight. Wu Jing’s eyes welled with tears, silent, his fists clenched tight.

Suddenly, the alarm blared: “Warning… warning, enemy attack! Automatic evasion, prepare for impact!”

With the thunderous explosions, Hua Feng felt the immense force from outside the tank; they had taken at least five high-explosive shells. The tank systems briefly failed, and the automatic evasion ceased.

“Everyone to your positions, prepare to return fire!” Hua Feng ordered.

Commander Wang Yue, loader Wu Jing, the versatile Shuang Ning, Hua Feng, and Yun Meng—each took their role, methodically preparing to fight back.

“Haha… brothers, go! Capture them alive, twenty thousand rubles for each!” The Wolfpack leader shouted excitedly, seeing the seemingly crippled tank.

He watched as over a hundred men, armed with RPGs, rifles, and light machine guns, charged forward.

He couldn’t help but think that from now on, hundreds of kilometers around Hurricane Town would be under the Wolfpack’s control, no longer subject to the whims of Battleaxe, the largest gang in Country E. He threw his cigar to the ground, crushing it underfoot, then strode forward with a modified s686 shotgun.

After the snow, Hurricane Town was especially beautiful, its architecture in the classic European style. A small river ran through the center—though it was summer, it was already frozen. Outside the town was a lake, surrounded by mountains and coniferous forests, with wooden cabins by the dock where locals stayed during winter hunts. Everything seemed peaceful and orderly; in years past, it might truly have been so, but after the war, everything had changed.