Steel torrents pioneering a different world

Chapter 128 This world is not united; the savages' struggle! (10,000 words, please subscribe)

"Team Leader Wu, these findings are astonishing. But how can you prove that the elves don't seem to be the knights controlling the griffins, and why humans are the knights of these griffins?"

Su Mingjin's words are very important.

Because modern humans learned from the nearby savage glacier tribe that the southern humans of this other world were very far away.

The savages said they were lackeys of the evil god, committing indiscriminate killings!
Unfortunately, the Golden River Chief of the Ice River Tribe has always lived in the far north, roughly within the Arctic Circle. The Inuit people, who have never ventured out and had no contact with urban civilization, are generally unreliable when discussing the political systems of Southeast Asia with only a few traveling merchants.

"President Su, handicrafts are the best proof of distinguishing between elf and human artifacts. Human handicrafts are completely different from those of elves."

Wu Shengli did not answer directly, but instead brought up two sets of clear comparison images.

All eyes in the conference room were focused on the large screen.

On the left are the clothes and accessories worn by the elven captives.

The silk-like cloaks are embroidered with intricate and ornate patterns in gold and silver threads, resembling flowing moonlight. Each item seems to flaunt the maker's unparalleled skill and boundless artistic talent.

On the right is the saddle that was removed from the griffin's carcass.

The art style is completely different.

Thick leather, coarse stitching, cold steel buckles, and decorative patterns of unknown purpose.

While each design is beautiful, compared to the elves' clothing, which is practically an art form, it exudes a simple and crude pragmatism.

"The griffin's saddle is primarily made of unicorn hide, a material that is both tough and lightweight. The auxiliary materials are a mixture of at least seven kinds of plant fibers and some kind of bone glue, and the rivets and load-bearing structures are made of high-strength steel."

Wu Shengli pointed to an inconspicuous wear mark on the saddle.

"Most importantly, here we found human sweat residue that had seeped into the leather after long-term wear and tear, and DNA analysis pointed to it clearly. The physiological characteristics of elves determine that they could not have left such traces."

He paused, then added, "This thing is so sturdy it could be a family heirloom. Compared to the frivolous things the elves have, it's like they're from two completely different civilizations."

One of the researchers couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Indeed, an elf would be heartbroken if his robe got caught on a tree branch, how could he possibly wear it to ride a griffin into battle?"

A casual remark instantly eased the tense atmosphere in the meeting room.

Su Mingjin's gaze shifted back and forth between the two pictures, the sharpness in her eyes gradually replaced by a hint of amusement.

"You mean these elves are bandits who stole the human's griffin mount?"

Although the metaphor is not entirely appropriate, it is exceptionally vivid.

“That’s one way to understand it,” Wu Shengli nodded. “We speculate that the elves used mind-control magic to forcibly control these griffins. Perhaps their human knights were uncontrollable or already dead. They turned them on us, and in the end, we were all destroyed in the sacrifice.”

“We can all get along with the savages, which is very clever from a tactical point of view. We can use the enemy’s strength to attack us and also frame the local humans, killing two birds with one stone.”

Su Mingjin tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, making a rhythmic, soft sound.

The meeting room fell silent as everyone processed the conclusion.

If this is the case, it would mean that the various forces in this world are not a monolithic entity!
A new door suddenly opened in Su Mingjin's mind.

The information previously obtained from the Ice River Tribe was like a fog, making everyone pessimistic about the future.

Now, Wu Shengli's discovery is like a beam of light, piercing through the fog!
The gods of this world do not seem to be omnipotent. Their followers are also rife with strife and betrayal.

This is fantastic news for modern humans who have traveled through time!

"what……"

Su Mingjin suddenly chuckled, her tense lips completely relaxing, and her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Team Leader Wu, your discovery is absolutely priceless."

She stood up, her gaze sweeping over all the researchers present, her voice carrying an undeniable certainty.

"The troops will remember your contributions. The command will never forget the contributions of your research team!"

She walked up to the big screen and pointed to the rugged griffin saddle.

"If this hypothesis is true, it will give us another path, a path that will allow us to gain a foothold here."

Humans have never been afraid of superhumans and spellcasters from other worlds; what they fear is the entire world and these visitors from other worlds becoming their enemies.

If the world were to turn against them, that would be truly hellish.

Look at Avatar and Pandora. Although there are many artistic embellishments in them, in the eyes of the Eevee Tree, which owns the world, humans are pests that destroy the entire world and must be dealt with as soon as possible.

In this other world, there are savages, but also humans. If they can unite, or fight first and then win over this vital human group, then their future is definitely bright!
Su Mingjin's eyes deepened, as if she had already glimpsed some possibility of the future.

“By the way, if the griffin knights are being manipulated by the elves, or if the griffins are being controlled…” She slowly turned around and looked at everyone, “then we need to be careful of some schemes by the elves from this other world.”

Deng Dakang told them that the spellcasters from the other world might possess some kind of magic that allows them to see only a partial view of the future. They might have seen the alliance between modern humans and humans from the other world, and thus conceived the idea of ​​disrupting the human alliance.

In conclusion, this discovery is good news!

"Team Leader Wu, is there any other important news?"

Wu Shengli smiled and nodded, then said, "Haha, I don't have any more, but I just heard that the materials researchers seem to have made some new discoveries."

As soon as Wu Shengli finished speaking, several young heads peeked into the conference room. The one leading them was Zhong Shichang, the temporary leader of the materials analysis group, who was holding a tactical tablet in his hand.

"report!"

Su Mingjin looked up and asked, "Is there a result regarding the elf's weapon?"

Zhong Shichang was taken aback when she hit the nail on the head, then nodded, his face beaming with barely suppressed excitement.

"We conducted a full analysis of the captured Elven weapons, using microscopic observation, spectral scanning, and atomic detection. The conclusion was very...unexpected."

As he spoke, he connected his tablet to the conference system, and several structural analysis diagrams and data lists were immediately projected onto the large screen.

Brigade Commander Man, who was in charge of the troops' equipment, immediately came over, his eyes fixed on the screen like a wolf's.

He had long coveted the elven dagger and short sword he had previously captured, which were incredibly sharp.

"These long-eared things look flashy and cute, but are they stronger or weaker than the Ice Spear?" Commander Man muttered, stroking his chin.

"Commander, you know what, that's what we thought at first too. But I discovered that many of the elves' weapons are specially made!"

Zhong Shichang smiled and pointed to the data on the screen.

"You see, the bowstring of the Elf Bow is made from the sinew of a snake-like creature, and the bow arm is made from the trunk of the Human Face Tree. But they use a special process to infuse metal elements such as iron, nickel, and refined gold into the wood fibers."

"The explosive power of this wooden bow is stronger than the best competitive recurve bow on our planet. We suspect that these ornate inscriptions may be the power supply device for elven weapons, or perhaps some magic can enhance the attack power of arrows. Unfortunately, the elven bows and arrows have all been used up, and we have not found any arrowheads."

"It's flashy, but it's useful," Commander Man commented, which was a preliminary assessment.

“This is just the appetizer.” Zhong Shichang scrolled through the image and pulled up the analysis report on the dagger. “The main event is this.”

On the screen, a beautifully crafted elven dagger is magnified infinitely, its internal structure clearly visible.

"The main material of the dagger is not steel, but a red-leafed, white-barked tree with a human face as its main body. This is outrageous, but it is real."

"We also discovered this when we examined it under a microscope."

He pointed to a spot, and the image zoomed in again, revealing a regular yet complex microstructure.

"The silicon crystal structure is nanoscale, similar to glass sponges in the deep sea, but much more precise. The elves mixed in adamantite, cinnabar, iron, and... obsidian powder."

"The most crucial step was their use of a high-temperature, high-pressure technology that we still don't understand to forge the dagger, creating an amorphous metal-ceramic composite layer on its surface. This gives it a Rockwell hardness of 37, and the thinnest part of the blade is only 10 nanometers."

"A Rockwell hardness of 37? A cutting edge of 10 nanometers?" A researcher gasped. "Isn't that sharper than a scalpel?"

"More than that!" Zhong Shichang's tone carried a hint of pride. "It also has another characteristic: it has a weak electromagnetic interference, which allows it to absorb free magical particles in the environment like a sponge. Elves can also actively conduct energy into it, giving it an extremely strong... magic-breaking effect."

"Breaking the demon?" Su Mingjin raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Yes, it breaks the curse!" Zhong Shichang excitedly pulled up a video, which was filmed in the laboratory.

In the scene, a severed hand of an undead is fixed to a platform, still twitching nervously. A researcher uses a robotic arm to hold an elven dagger and gently slices across the undead's withered skin.

There was no cutting sensation as I had imagined. Where the dagger touched, the flesh felt like snow that had been doused with strong acid. A plume of black smoke instantly rose, and the flesh hissed and melted, disintegrating into a pool of ashes.

There was silence in the conference room.

Commander Man stared intently at the screen, his eyes wide like copper bells. He slapped his thigh hard, the sound so loud it made the ceiling vibrate.

"A weapon made from tree trunks, obsidian, adamantite, and a mixture of human-faced trees! It even has anti-magic properties! Is this thing specifically designed to chop up the undead?"

His shout woke everyone up!

The undead Scourge are loyal servants of the Frost God, but the weapons of the elves contain weapons that can counter the undead!

“That’s right!” Zhong Shichang nodded vigorously. “Professor Deng said before that the body structure of the undead may be maintained by a kind of negative energy magical particles.”

"The special structure and material of this dagger can instantly disintegrate, or trigger a chain reaction that causes the energy to collapse. We use it to attack the remains of the undead, and it's even more effective than a flamethrower!"

"Little Zhong!" Brigade Commander Man excitedly grabbed Zhong Shichang's shoulder and shook him hard. "This dagger! Can you replicate it? Even a simplified version will do! Can you equip all my soldiers with one?"

Su Mingjin, who was standing next to her, also laughed, her eyes shining even brighter.

If humanity can crack this technology, their efficiency in fighting the undead will leap forward!

"Brigade Commander, don't worry." Zhong Shichang was a little dizzy from being shaken, and said with a wry smile, "It's theoretically feasible, but there are two difficulties. One is the nanoscale forging process, and the other is the special wood of the human face tree. We are trying to reverse engineer it, but... we lack the most crucial active sample for comparative analysis."

"We must crack this technology. Only then will we have a more efficient way to deal with the undead!" Su Mingjin said with a smile.

Everyone nodded.

Everything must follow objective laws.

War is too expensive!

War is a money-devouring beast, and modern information warfare places a huge burden on logistics.

Behind their troops stood Tokyo University, which was hailed by outsiders as the Industrial Cthulhu.

Although they possess 35% of the world's industrial output and have a complete industrial chain, Tokyo University can be considered to be very wealthy.

But they can't endlessly consume resources to explore new lands!

Since its inception, the military units of Dongda University have always regarded thrift and avoiding waste of military resources as the core honor of their military construction.

The tricolor camouflage cloth used for drying grain is also used to cover the world's most advanced fighter jets, warships, giant cannons, tanks...

The powerful pilot with the golden helmet wore work gloves that cost 10 yuan for 30 pairs.

The military used trash can plastic bags as temporary waterproof bags, and tanks that made meritorious contributions after the founding of the People's Republic of China were maintained in better condition than when they left the factory...

The military has too many famous scenes and examples of people being frugal and thrifty.

After entering the other world, the military did indeed discover countless rare resources.

However, Li Weiguo repeatedly instructed the troops to "leverage their thrift and diligence, avoid wasting taxpayers' money, and actively use resources from the other world to solve various problems."

Needless to say, the beast tide is made up of carbon-based life forms, which cannot withstand the onslaught of the steel torrent.

The key is the undead.

These guys can use animal carcasses, birds, human remains, and even ice and snow to form offensive units.

A single ordinary bullet costs a little over one dollar, while a modified shotgun bullet costs more than three dollars.

The cost of armor-piercing incendiary bombs has increased many times over.

The shells for infantry fighting vehicles are relatively cheap, but even if the shells for the Type 1130 close-in weapon system are replaced with cheaper bullets, they still cost hundreds of thousands per minute.

Incendiary bombs can indeed completely incinerate the undead, but a single incendiary bomb is not cheap.

The soldiers had a blast fighting the undead, but afterwards, the logistical statistics on the consumption of bullets and shells were really painful!

To solve this problem, the logistics department even said they would continue to uphold their fine traditions, such as recycling bullets.

The military isn't short of bullets, but it's important to let them know how hard it is to obtain them.

They intend to occupy this place indefinitely, so naturally they want to solve the security problem at the lowest possible cost.

Even the wealthy and powerful eagle couldn't withstand a long-term security war in the end; how could the shrewd and calculating rabbit not pay attention to these things?
If these obsidian weapons, mixed with various otherworldly materials, can be used to specifically target the undead, then the troops would absolutely not mind taking the initiative and having the soldiers work together to produce all kinds of bullets and weapons.

The discovery of the special attack of the elf weapon, and the fact that humans and elves might not even belong to the same system, or even be enemies, improved everyone's mood considerably.

Once the mining of magic essence ore in the extinct volcano area continues, humanity will have a stable ability to produce industrial explosives, which will greatly enhance the endurance of the pioneering forces.

Once the crafting of the Elven Dagger is mastered, humanity will be able to obtain even cheaper weapons to wipe out the undead on a large scale.

The challenge facing humanity now is how to resolve the hostility of the alien races, especially the elves of the green forests and the green gods behind them.

Another aspect is ensuring the safety of the boundary.

Humans destroyed a large number of the enemy's red-leafed, white-barked, human-faced trees during the war. Although this solved the enemy's magical attack, after the war, the ice and snow on the border between the two places seeped southward.

After several days of investigation, it was found that the cold ice and snow have caused significant damage to the ecological cycle of green forest areas.

Massive numbers of plants died, green plants could no longer continue to grow, and countless animals either migrated or froze to death.

Humans have considered that ice and snow and green forests are hostile to each other, and have even tried to destroy any necromancers that might exist in the ice and snow world.

Despite deploying a significant number of weapons and achieving considerable success, the border remained unchanged.

Humanity is now caught in a dilemma and an awkward situation at IFS.

The boundary will change due to the destruction of the face tree.

If they were to sweep away all the trees with human faces, the warm forests of the south would probably turn into the Siberian Great World.

At that time, besides mineral resources, perhaps all that can be grown here will be potatoes!
-
Meanwhile, more than 200 kilometers away in the far north.

Lin Li felt that his physical strength had reached its limit.

The physical overload from projecting clones brought indescribable fatigue.

In his field of vision, Lin Ligang used his weapon to clear away the charge of dozens of undead, when he suddenly sensed something on his side.

Lin Li instinctively dodged, but his exhausted clone arm was ultimately pierced through by the ice spear that attacked from the side, pinning it firmly to a black rock.

Countless undead roared and charged toward the forest.

They feel no pain, no fear, and swarm towards it like flies drawn to blood.

"Damn it!"

He wielded his sword with his still-good hand, hacking away at the undead. His gaze fell upon seven or eight figures standing on a distant mountain ridge—the necromancers.

The other side was far away, and only after seeing Lin Li's arm being hit did they begin to approach him. At this moment, they were like a group of cats playing with a mouse.

When Lin Li is in combat, his projected clones cannot be retrieved in a conventional manner.

If this drags on any longer, the clone will inevitably be captured alive, and then it will probably be sacrificed again by disembowelment.

A resolute glint flashed in Lin Li's eyes, and he no longer hesitated.

He turned to the side, letting the spirits surround him, and with his other intact hand, he quickly took out seven or eight explosive charges that had been pre-adjusted and had a countdown timer set from his personal space and threw them forcefully in all directions.

The countdown on the screen jumped rapidly.

three.

two.

One.

boom--!
The violent explosion seemed to tear the entire sky apart, and the flames instantly engulfed the ice and snow, blasting the numerous projection clones into countless fragments.

Centered on the explosion point, the undead within a radius of fifty meters were instantly wiped out, and the shockwave blew the skeletons further away to pieces, scattering their bones all over the ground.

Having lost their target, the remaining undead stood there blankly, the blue soul fire in their empty eye sockets flickering around, looking somewhat comical.

Before long, the raging blizzard subsided considerably.

The necromancer leader, carrying a massive ice-forged broadsword, led seven or eight of his comrades, each wielding an ice spear, as they slowly descended the mountain ridge.

The leading necromancer walked to the epicenter of the explosion, kicked aside a charred bone with his toe, looked at the pile of indistinguishable mixture of flesh and blood or rotten mud on the ground, and let out a series of hoarse syllables from his withered mouth, full of annoyance.

"Gurgle... Ra... Hiss..."

All the work was in vain.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, he caught a glimpse of something not far away.

It was a small six-wheeled exploration vehicle that had been stopped by rocks and escaped disaster. It was the precious vehicle that the guys in the logistics department jokingly called the "cat car".

The necromancer kicked aside the bits of flesh at his feet and walked slowly away.

His withered, pale fingers traced the cold car door, his eyes gleaming with blue light and a hint of curiosity.

He opened the car door, awkwardly squeezed himself into the driver's seat, and, mimicking the way he had seen humans in his memory, reached out to turn the key.

The intruder's vehicle is now his.

Unbeknownst to him, the pressure sensor beneath his seat had been quietly activated as he sat down.

The moment he successfully started the vehicle and the engine emitted a soft sound, the countdown to death came to an end.

In the cargo bed of the cat-shaped van, two tons of composite explosives, disguised as goods, were instantly detonated. BOOM—!
A blinding fireball suddenly expanded, turning the cold white world into a vibrant orange-red.

Immediately afterwards, the thermobaric bombs, incendiary bombs, and high-explosive munitions that Lin Li had carefully prepared detonated one after another, forming a small mushroom cloud that shot into the sky.

The devastating shockwave, carrying fuel at temperatures of over a thousand degrees Celsius, spread wildly in all directions.

The necromancer, who was the first to be hit, along with the cat-shaped cart he was riding, was blown to smithereens in an instant.

The seven or eight powerful necromancers behind him were swallowed up by the scorching waves before they could even raise an ice shield.

The shockwave even affected ordinary undead within hundreds of meters.

The powerful shockwave tore them apart.

The persistent blizzard seemed to be choked by this force, and suddenly stopped.

The magical interference that had been enveloping the area dissipated.

Hundreds of kilometers away, on a drone hovering under the clouds, the signal bars representing signal interference on its screen began to fill up.

The previous snowflake-like spots and stripes have also disappeared.

At the same time, in the wreckage of the cat car, which had been blown to pieces and was now just a twisted frame, an inconspicuous black box flickered with an unpredictable red light, stubbornly sending a location signal into the sky.

A few minutes later, outside the epicenter of the explosion, a faint blue flame suddenly appeared in the eye socket of an undead skeleton.

The flames, as if alive, rapidly spread across the skeleton.

Ice crystals and snow appeared out of nowhere, enveloping the skeleton. The withered, snow-like flesh and blood tissue regrowed at a visible speed, and a suit of frost-condensed armor covered it, with a crystal-clear ice sword slowly forming on its back.

This was the necromancer leader who had just been blown to pieces.

He was resurrected using the remains of an ordinary dead person.

However, at this moment, the light in his azure eyes was much dimmer than before, as if covered by a layer of gray.

Clearly, this death came at a great cost to him.

With his rebirth, the wind and snow that had just subsided roared up again and spread into the distance at an even faster speed.

His cold gaze swept across the chaotic battlefield, finally settling on the flashing red dot on the wreckage of the vehicle.

He raised his hand and pointed to the locator.

A blue light flashed in the eye sockets of a nearby undead skeleton, which, having received a command, took stiff steps and walked to the locator.

Lift your foot.

Stomp down hard.

"Crack!"

The red light went out, and the signal abruptly stopped.

Having done all this, the reborn necromancer leader took a deep look at the south, as if trying to memorize this direction.

Then, he turned around and, with the remaining spirits, walked towards the far north, into the frigid lands, without looking back.
-
Two hundred kilometers away, inside a mobile drone control vehicle heavily guarded by troops.

Qin Longlong tore open a packet of konjac snacks, and the aroma of chili oil instantly filled the small space.

He had just put one in his mouth when he heard his senior brother Zhang next to him let out a soft "Eh."

"Hey Zhang, what's up? Got a pretty undead girl?"

"Stop joking around." Senior Brother Zhang frowned, staring intently at the screen. "Signal! Look at the signal!"

Qin Longlong peeked over and saw that the signal bars on the screen, which were usually full when they arrived in the other world, were now completely slow.

Furthermore, the camera, which is covered in static, significantly improves image clarity.

"Damn, how did it suddenly become high-definition and uncensored?" Qin Longlong forgot to chew the konjac snack in his mouth.

"Something's not right, something's very wrong." Senior Brother Zhang ignored his joke and quickly manipulated the controls on the console, making the drone circle once. "The electromagnetic interference in this area was as strong as a wall just now, how could it suddenly disappear?"

He tried flying the drone further north into the restricted area to test the limits of the newly modified drone's performance.

At the same time, almost all the drone teams distributed along the long battlefront discovered this strange scene.

In the command center, Mu Hanfei, who was in charge of communications dispatch in the theater, stared at the rows of flashing screens in front of him, while the noisy reports from various units came through his headset.

Suddenly, a faint green dot appeared on a map representing the far north in the northeast corner of the main monitoring screen.

The AI ​​quickly analyzed it.

It's a snow cat-themed car!

"Strange! How come there are signals from our armored vehicles in the far north?"

His comrade next to him heard the noise and came over: "What the hell? You must be seeing things. There are only undead and ice blocks over there."

“It really exists! Coordinates…” Mu Hanfei’s finger moved rapidly across the screen, trying to pinpoint the signal source. “It’s the identification code for the Cat Bike… Oh! That’s it!”

The light flickered for less than three seconds before disappearing completely, as if it had never existed.

Immediately afterwards, the communication signal in that area, which had just improved, was also instantly brought back to its original state, becoming intermittent again.

"The signal has gotten worse again!"

"Has one of the teams over there made a new discovery?"

"I don't know, let me ask."

Mu Hanfei immediately dialed the communication of the air reconnaissance and strike force closest to the far north, but the reply he received was negative.

Aside from the signal strangely improving for a brief moment, we didn't detect anything unusual over there, nor did we eliminate any valuable targets.

"Nothing happened except for the signal glitches?"

Mu Hanfei scratched his head, unable to figure it out, and first recorded this strange event in the "Special Anomaly" memo, waiting for his superiors to review it.

After all, there are countless inexplicable strange occurrences in the struggle against other worlds. During the previous great battle, they launched thousands of communication balloons, some of which could still occasionally transmit signals even when they reached more than 500 kilometers away in the far north.

Two hours later.

The observer responsible for monitoring the ecological boundary scratched his head at the changing scenery along the boundary and continued watching.

He soon discovered the troops.

He stared intently at the images captured by the drone, his pupils dilated. His voice even trembled slightly.

"Report! The boundary! The green boundary is moving northward!"

"What's moving north?"

"The boundary line, the boundary line between North and South. This was two hours ago, and this is now."

The moment those words were spoken, the entire observation room fell silent.

Everyone quickly accessed the video feed, and Brigade Commander Man went over to watch it.

After comparing the archived footage from two hours earlier, everyone confirmed the change in scenery.

Upon seeing this, Brigade Commander Man frowned, then relaxed.

An observer's eyes widened: "Has the snow and ice retreated? The green forest... the green forest has advanced at least fifty meters to the north!"

"Fly the drone towards the place where we blew up the 'face tree'!"

"it is good!"

Soon, the drone transmitted new signals back.

"The greenery in the areas where we destroyed the face trees has started to spread, but it's spreading the slowest! Only a few meters!"

"But it is indeed spreading."

This news was like a bombshell, instantly detonating the entire command center.

When the report was handed to Su Mingjin, the person in charge at the front line was also stunned.

She immediately summoned the heads of various departments and inquired whether there had been any recent battles or similar incidents.

But the feedback she received left her very confused.

In the past few hours, no troops have launched any attacks, the engineering team has not tested any new weapons, and the mining team has not unearthed anything unusual.

Everything is as usual.

But ironically, that boundary that had troubled humanity for so long, and was believed to have been drawn by magical power, quietly retreated on its own.

This unexpected good thing excited those with a simple mind, but Su Mingjin felt a strange chill.

Su Mingjin stared at the green curve on the map that had been remarked and dipped slightly to the north, and fell into a long silence.

who is it?

In a place unknown to them, and in a way they couldn't fathom, they dealt a heavy blow to the undead race?
On the remote western coastline, in Camp 173, which Zhao Chong was in charge of, the sounds of clanging and banging mingled together with the rough shouts of work.

The warriors were mingling with a group of tall, glacial tribe natives, teaching them how to build walls and lay foundations.

"Hey! I told you to watch the line! Watch the line! You've built this wall into the neighbor's yard!" An old squad leader was so angry that he jumped up and down, gesturing at a tall and burly native warrior.

The native scratched his head, revealing a mouthful of rotten yellow teeth, and chuckled foolishly, clearly not understanding the purpose of that thin hemp thread.

Yu Qiwen exhaled a puff of white breath and rubbed his fingers, which were so frozen they were almost numb.

This awful weather is so cold it hurts to the bone. As a southerner, if he doesn't find something to do, he feels like all the blood in his body will freeze.

He saw the native who had built the wall crookedly, walked over, took a level from his toolbox, and placed it on the newly laid bricks.

He spoke succinctly in the indigenous language, accompanied by gestures: “Look, the bubble is crooked.”

Then he pried open the stone brick, letting the bubble return to the center, and spoke again: "In the middle, right now."

The native warrior stared blankly at the tiny bubble, then at Yu Qiwen, a look of "I see" appearing in his eyes for the first time. He nodded heavily and said in a muffled voice, "I understand, thank you."

The class monitor next to him clicked his tongue in amazement: "Professor Yu, your bird language is getting better and better."

Yu Qiwen smiled but didn't reply.

After helping the soldier, Yu Qiwen left.

Through these few days of contact, he has figured out the details of the Ice River tribe.

This is a tribe that has "survival of the fittest" ingrained in their very being.

They worship the strong and fear the cold god and necromancers who rule the north.

In order to survive, they would not hesitate to abandon their elderly tribesmen in the snow and turn their leaders into ghosts in the bloodiest way.

These customs are considered barbaric and outrageous in civilized society.

But Yu Qiwen could understand the helplessness behind their cruel logic. On this desolate icy plain, if you weren't ruthless to yourself, you would only be swallowed by the dead and the bitter cold.

Therefore, simply providing food and shelter is not enough to win them over.

We also need to show them a new and more powerful "way of life".

A gust of wind blew in, carrying with it the aroma of food from the canteen. Many of the local workers swallowed hard and quickened their pace.

Food and a warm stone house are the best bait.

But Yu Qiwen knew that what could truly make them completely side with humanity was humanity's ability to fight against the undead they feared.

By combining kindness and severity, maintaining basic respect, imposing strict laws, and making an example of someone a few times, you can definitely tame them.

The wind is still blowing.

and many more……

Yu Qiwen suddenly stopped what he was doing.

The biting, chilling cold that seemed to penetrate to the depths of the soul seemed to have... faded a little?
…………

Zhao Chong drove the truck, which the natives called "God's Steel Earth Dragon," back to the camp, kicking up a cloud of dry snow dust.

As soon as the car door opened, the tribal chief Jinhe scrambled out, grabbed the wheel, and began to retch violently. His weathered old face was deathly pale.

Zhao Chong jumped out of the car and patted Jin He on the back, almost making him vomit up his leftovers.

"Are you okay?"

The translator translated Zhao Chong's words into Ali's language.

"it's okay no problem!"

Jinhe waved his hand, and it took him a long time to straighten up, his eyes still filled with the fear and wonder of steel creations.

Early this morning, he volunteered to lead an exploration team to search for mineral veins. As a hunter who grew up in this land, he knew where the "red stones" and "lakes that could produce food" were hidden.

With his guidance, the exploration team indeed made great progress, marking several high-value areas on the map.

“God… Divine Envoy,” Jinhe recovered, rubbing his hands together, his yellow teeth flashing a bright smile, “The wind today doesn’t seem so bone-chilling.”

Zhao Chong looked up at the gray sky and casually replied, "Yes, that's good news. Chief Jinhe, your reward has arrived!"

As the soldiers handed him the supplies, a smile immediately appeared on Jinhe's face.

Jinhe received the supplies as payment for his guidance—a large bag of refined salt and two rolls of thick canvas—and happily prepared to leave.

"Chief Jinhe, you still have meal tickets this time! Don't forget to order lunch!"

"Haha, okay, I won't forget!"

At noon, thick smoke billowed from the canteen's chimney right on time.

As soon as the mealtime bell rang, the entire camp came alive.

The rules remain the same.

The warriors had one window, and the natives of the Ice River tribe had another.

In the soldiers' windows, braised pork glistened with oil, big plate chicken smelled delicious, and white steamed buns were piled up like small mountains.

The indigenous people had a big pot of meat broth stew with potatoes, hardy cabbage, and a little bit of mixed rice. It didn't taste good, but it was enough to fill you up.

Even so, this was a feast they would rarely have the chance to enjoy in their entire lives.

Jinhe didn't queue at the natives' window; instead, he took a slip of paper and went straight to the soldiers' window.

"This is a reward from the divine messenger!" He handed over the note with writing on it, pointed to the dishes in the window, and almost drooled. "I want this, and that..."

The soldier serving the food was a young man. He glanced at the note and chuckled, "Haha, don't worry, here, I'll fill your plate!"

A large plate of braised pork and a whole roasted chicken were placed in a wooden basin.

Jinhe held the wooden basin, feeling even closer to it than when she was holding her newborn son.

He returned to his own table, where his wives and children had been waiting anxiously for quite some time.

Under the envious and jealous gazes of countless clansmen, Jinhe tore off a shiny, oily chicken leg and stuffed it into his mouth.

The moment the spices and oils exploded in his mouth, Jinhe's eyes widened in surprise.

He had only ever known the taste of salt in his life; he had never tasted anything so delicious that it made his tongue tremble.

"Dad, it's delicious! I want to eat it!" His youngest son pointed at the roast chicken, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth.

"Haha, it's delicious! Here, everyone have some, eat more!"

Jinhe waved his hand and gave the other chicken leg to his youngest son, and then distributed several of the largest pieces of braised pork to his wives.

He then proceeded to enjoy the rest of the meal on his own.

As he tore into the chicken, he looked at the tribesmen in the distance who could only drink meat soup.

The little bit of sympathy Jinhe felt for the clan leader was instantly swept away by the unparalleled deliciousness and superior status.

What is Han Shen?
Besides bringing wind, snow, and fear, it also forces them to send the elderly to freeze to death.

These divine messengers, as long as they help them with some chores or find things, can obtain delicacies they have never tasted in their lives.

In the future, with their help, Jinhe may even receive a warm stone house and the right to live here permanently.

Even a fool knows which god to worship!

Jinhe made up his mind that he would work even harder for the divine messengers from now on. He wanted his family to be able to eat such delicious food every day.

As for those disobedient clansmen who want to shirk their duties...

Jinhe glanced at a burly man not far away who had once challenged his position; the man was staring intently at the roast chicken in his hand.

Jinhe sneered and deliberately smacked the chicken bone loudly...

(End of this chapter)