Chapter 188 Fusion Complete
```
Su Han's eyes lit up with joy, and indeed, it was the abilities of the likes of the Black Rock Tree Monster that were amplified by the Rock and Soil Fusion.
As the fusion completed, the Ancient Tree slowly grew taller, its massive body stopping at about one hundred and ten meters, and its vines lengthened, gaining a few more meters, extending the control radius to 5 kilometers.
The branches became thicker, and from these branches hung more darkened pouches, signifying the number of Black Rock Tree Monsters.
"30 LV2 Black Rock Tree Monsters, able to move up to 3000 meters."
Su Han pondered, muttering to himself, "The number is still a bit low, but I can continue fusing them. However, it's time to start planning."
The Black Rock Tree Monsters could continue to fuse; this was the right direction. As long as he allowed time for it, he could gradually enhance them in this manner.
.....
For the second batch of Black Rock Tree Monsters, Su Han did not use extra Spiritual Energy to hasten their incubation but allowed the Mother Nest Ancient Tree to nurture them on its own.
The first batch of Black Rock Tree Monsters were immediately deployed in the belt area's construction, lead entirely by Zhang Dahai, entering the subway station.
With a height of around three meters, they felt somewhat cramped in the subway station but could still manage to get in.
"Zhang Xinxin, you take a small team to keep watch, Old Nong, you and your team follow up on yesterday's discovered flaws and damages to start repairs and reinforce them, ensuring future unobstructed access."
At the Summer Garden Avenue Subway Station, Zhang Dahai was assigning tasks, surrounded by not only his two Angel Envoys but also the Crocodile Claw Giant Demon and the Chang Resentment Tiger, who were there to protect him.
Besides the Angel Envoys, there were ten Black Rock Tree Monsters standing in a row, their enormous bodies forming a wall of black that sectioned off the space near the subway station's security checkpoint, an intimidating sight.
"Captain Zhang, no problem here,"
Zhang Xinxin nodded immediately, his muscular body making his denim jacket bulge, but upon closer inspection, there were bandages on his shoulder, indicating he was injured.
"Old Zhang, don't be too nervous. Although there are many monsters in the subway, our main goal is to strengthen the tunnels and station structure and clear the space. We won't be facing too many monsters directly, so we can hold off. Don't be reckless, take care of your wounds."
Zhang Dahai smiled kindly, though his smile wasn't as warm as when dealing with Nong Yun.
Zhang Xinxin was a leader among the survivors from Lisu County, and though there were many casualties along the way, he managed to bring more than two hundred people to South City, which spoke of his capabilities.
What mattered more was his willingness to exert effort to save his companions; otherwise, fleeing alone might have been safer.
Now part of the Tree Domain Camp, his strength obviously wouldn't be wasted, hence he was placed in the construction team.
This decision was made by Yan Meiyu after consulting with Su Han. It wasn't appropriate for a newcomer to join the Tree Domain armed forces since they have to lead people in combat.
So for the time being, he was put in the construction team, with plans to gradually make adjustments later on.
Even though the construction team was responsible for the base building, in nature, it belonged to the semi-defense force, akin to wielding a hammer in one hand and a knife in the other.
If anything happened, they would be the first to defend the camp, as the members of the construction team were all quite strong.
Zhang Xinxin smiled and said, "Captain Zhang, I want to earn some Contribution Values too, to become stronger. This fucked-up world is too dangerous."
"Don't worry, you get Contribution Values for your efforts; our camp is absolutely fair on this point."
Wanting to progress was a good thing; the Tree Domain Camp always appreciated people who sought to advance.
"Brother Zhang, now that we have the Black Rock Tree Monsters, shouldn't we repair the wall first? We are dealing with the subway instead, and the threat from the subway is not that severe,"
Nong Yun looked at his boss, puzzled. He used to be a technician on a construction site and was Zhang Dahai's right-hand man. Although his strength wasn't Second Order just yet, he was quite close to the peak of First Order Upper Grade, just short of rotation training or a Crystal Mine Fruit.
"Isn't it more troublesome to fix it and then tear it down later?"
Zhang Dahai pursed his lips, then spoke seriously, "Brothers, this time it's not just about repairing the line to the Third Hospital. We're going to extend it to both sides, towards the areas near South City No.2 Middle School and the zoo, preparing for the future. If you want to fix the walls, you'll get more than enough chances later."
A flash of excitement passed through Nong Yun's eyes: "The leader is making his move."
"What do you think?"
Zhang Dahai replied with a question, while not denying it.
Everyone felt that Su Han, as the leader, would definitely reclaim the whole of North City, and even some who revered and were loyal to Su Han thought he would be the one to recover the entire South City.
The preparations had been ongoing, focused on the belt area and the Shanhu Villa District.
As the number of survivors in the camp grew larger, and especially after the Harvest Day, such speculations spread even more, almost becoming an acknowledged fact among them.
If it weren't for the absence of a ritualistic "imperial coronation" in this post-apocalyptic world, someone would have probably proposed it already.
Zhang Dahai waved his hand and said, "Get to work. Open up the sealed places, and have the Black Rock Tree Monsters widen the narrow spots a bit. The standard is that monsters and Angel Envoys under five meters should be able to pass through quickly."
Nong Yun grinned, "Don't worry, boss. We won't skimp on the work."
He turned to the people of the second team and said, "Let the Angel Envoys carry the hammers, and the Tree-born Worms follow closely. Let's start."
"Understood."
Nong Yun and his team, carrying weapons and tools and using light fixtures made from Ancient Tree Crystals, headed towards the subway tunnel.
Zhang Xinxin remained vigilant, quickly following up with his team, on guard against any possible monsters, even though the area was part of the belt region, he still dared not relax.
....
On South City No.2 Middle School Boulevard, Zhu Xiong led a search team of a hundred, standing tall on the street.
The entire team was neatly arranged, each searcher clad in metal armor, wielding long swords, equipped with hand crossbows at their waists, and their Vine Giant Rats also fully armored, the very picture of an iron fortress.
The whole team stood solemnly, the clinking of their armor echoing in chilling cracks along the quiet street.
Zhu Xiong sat at the very front, atop a Bone Armor Giant Pig, wearing tough bone armor with exposed fangs, looking particularly fierce.
```
"Tap, tap, tap"
Footsteps soon came from the other end of the fog. Leading the way were Guo Du, Zhao Jijun, and Chen Hushan from South City No.2 Middle School, accompanied by a combat team of 20 people, with Angel Envoys following closely, particularly cautious.
As soon as they entered the boulevard, they were startled by the solemnity of the military attire.
"Brother Zhu, Brother Zhu, such a grand display, are you summoning us to battle some monster?"
Guo Du asked carefully, and Zhu Xiong flashed a grin, saying, "Don't rush, let's wait until everyone's here."
Guo Du was filled with confusion, but since Zhu Xiong had said so, he dared not continue to ask.
The three of them exchanged glances, all bewildered, merely shaking their heads slightly and suppressing the questions in their hearts.
The day before, the sky riders from Tree Domain had visited unexpectedly, notifying them to gather here today.
They had no time to ask questions before the messenger was already gone.
A call to arms from Tree Domain was no trivial matter. Even though the three of them were now Second Order Low Grade, they knew all too well how they had achieved this rank—it was all thanks to the injections provided by Tree Domain.
So, they could only wait patiently and see what was on the agenda for today.
As time gradually passed, the sound of vehicles emerged from within the fog one after another: Zheng Xiong from Changlin Road, Qin Zhao from Patriotic Grain and Oil Market... Leaders from various camps had actually all rushed over.
Guo Du watched with alarm. This wasn't just a few nearby camps; usually, everyone kept to themselves, and those with more dealings only exchanged goods with Tree Domain; some had even less contact with it.
But now that all had come, what was Zhu Xiong up to?
Like Guo Du, the successive arriving leaders of the survivors' camps had doubts in their hearts, varying in degree. Some asked questions and were dismissed with the same words from Zhu Xiong.
"Sixteen survivor camps, looks like the ones not here won't be coming."
Zhu Xiong scanned the crowd and finally spoke.
"Captain Zhu, what play are you putting on here, summoning so many people?"
Qin Zhao looked at Zhu Xiong skeptically; Patriotic Grain and Oil Market was relatively well-supplied, and they had a considerable number of people. As there weren't many dealings on regular days, their relationship was naturally not as close as with South City No.2 Middle School.
"Just a notification, to avoid accidental harm later on."
Zhu Xiong narrowed his eyes, showing an insincerely pleasant expression.
But this statement made many change their expressions—what did he mean by 'accidental harm'?
"In the coming days, we from Tree Domain will be clearing out the monsters and reclaiming lost territory, so please prepare yourselves. We don't want to cause any unintended harm."
"What do you mean by that, Zhu Xiong?"
Qin Zhao stared at him furiously. Zhu Xiong snorted and said, "Reclaiming lost territory, saving humanity, do you have a problem with that?"
Zhu Xiong was an old fox. He capped the argument right off the bat.
Qin Zhao was left choking with rage: "But we're just supposed to hand over our turf to you guys, territory that we've fought for? Don't think just because you're powerful, you can do whatever you want."
"Heh, don't say it. When you're powerful, you really can do whatever you want."
Zhu Xiong looked at Qin Zhao with a cold sneer, his intimidation tactic in place as the Glutton behind him let out its full ferocity, roaring immediately.
Everyone's face changed color. Although it wasn't as terrifying as the ancient trees in Tree Domain, this show of strength was still significantly greater than theirs.
Qin Zhao's face turned an unhealthy shade of green, but Guo Du and others had complex expressions: "Brother Zhu, if... if you do this, what about us? You have to give us some option."
"Three options. One is to join us. Disperse the survivors, those who want a peaceful life can live in peace, and those who want to become stronger can find a way to earn merits. After joining, the contribution value system will treat everyone equally."
Upon hearing this, the eyes of some began to flicker, notably Zheng Xiong's, who had been injured exploring a rift into an otherworldly space. He was already Second Order at the time, and had long understood that one could not survive alone in this apocalypse.
"Second option, move out. Those who still want to play solo, it's a clean breakup. Take your people out of the north side of the city. I don't care how you move, but if you want to trade after, you can still do so, same rules as always."
"But there are some things at the camp..."
Someone subconsciously started to object, but was immediately pulled back by the sleeve by someone nearby. This was no place to haggle.
"Right, if anyone in the camp wishes to join Tree Domain, they can't be forced to stay."
"Zhu Xiong, you're being too overbearing. You even want to control that, you..."
"Shut up!"
Zhu Xiong's gaze swept over, immediately startling Qin Zhao.
He then heard Zhu Xiong say in an icy tone, "I'm saving humanity here. Unless you're not human, why the hell wouldn't I be in charge? Are you an alien or something?"
Zhu Xiong delivered his threats unabashedly, leaving Qin Zhao looking pale. The next moment, Zhu Xiong continued, "The third option is to be a holdout. You'll just have to face the music and see how that goes."
"Zhu Xiong, you're going too far. We have more than a dozen Second-order Contractors here, and you're just one person."
Qin Zhao's eyes glinted fiercely. Patriotic Grain and Oil Market had the most supplies. Moving out? How could that be possible?
Moreover, given Tree Domain's treatment, except for his direct followers, not many would choose to move out with him.
He believed that Tree Domain wouldn't risk significant losses among their ranks to forcibly swallow them up.
"Su Han is formidable, but you don't have that many Second Order—you ready to go for broke?"
"Heh, forming alliances, is that it?"
Zhu Xiong chuckled, then his gaze swept over the crowd: "Those with him, stand to one side. Choose your side now."