Harem Legion: Queens of the Apocalypse-Chapter 136 The One Gamble That Changes All

At the Lightwater Residences command center in Springvale City, Cliff called a high-level meeting of the Seventh Sovereign Vanguard to prepare for possible battle.

Oliver gave a rundown on the current situation at the underground granary. Wrapping up, he said, "From the intel we’ve gathered, it looks like they’re part of the Ridgebreak Battalion’s 13th Division. Based on captured prisoners, they’ve got at least 80,000 troops and over 10,000 firearms."

Cliff turned to Liam. "Major, the intel you brought back said they’ve got over 10,000 guns just at the underground silo. That true?"

"It’s true, sir. We saw it ourselves - over 10,000 guns, more than 7,000 personnel!" Liam’s forehead was already shining with sweat. His political officer quickly backed him up, sneaking a glance at Oliver.

Oliver shook his head. "That doesn’t add up. The 13th only had 10,000 men to begin with. Even if each carried a sidearm, that’s maybe 20,000 guns, tops. But they’ve had plenty desert. You telling me they haven’t lost a single weapon?"

The officer piped up, "You forgetting something? We’re missing plenty of weapons ourselves. Could be they’re not all 13th Division. Maybe they looted gear from our 5th or 7th Divisions and handed them out."

The debate about whether to attack the silo split the room again. This time, though, more were leaning towards holding back.

One officer voiced the concern, "I’m not saying we’d lose. But even if we win, they might destroy the whole damn place in desperation."

Another shot back, "So what, we just sit around and let them call the shots? Keep trading like sheep?"

"Northreach Province has more than one granary! Aren’t there two more near Salem City?"

"Yeah? You think the Salem Army’s going to give those up easy? They’ve locked down the area for months. They’re not pushovers."

The arguing got loud. Cliff rubbed his temples in frustration. The aide by his side quickly stepped in to help with a massage.

He thought bitterly, If the air fleet was still around... Dozens of fighters gone, blown to bits... no idea who did it. Damn pathetic.

Fight the Ridgebreak Battalion now? Suicide. He let out a cold chuckle inside. It’d be mutual destruction.

But... if the next battle went their way, the Seventh Vanguard might just flip the whole game and take Northreach.

*****

"They’re moving on the logistics base?"

Evan’s words caught Magnus off guard. By the timeline he remembered, Cliff’s forces weren’t supposed to hit the logistics base until the seventh month after everything went to hell. Back then, Southark’s 17th Division made the first move, not Cliff’s men. So why now?

The base sat south of Springvale, wedged between it and Southark. It housed all of the Seventh Vanguard’s gear and ammo. When the world crumbled, a full regiment stayed behind under Victor Dean, the base’s commander. Stocked to the brim, he declared independence and refused orders from any command.

He pulled in survivors from all around, swelling the force to nearly 20,000. With ammo and weapons for everyone, they could arm any recruit. That’s why both the 17th and Emberleaf Legion had been hesitating to act. That place was a powder keg.

As the apocalypse dragged on, ammo supplies for the Southark Army and the Emberleaf Legion started to run dry. The Southark Army snapped first, launched an assault on the logistics base, and got crushed. Emberleaf tried to hit Victor’s unit while they were off guard, only to lose thirty thousand men and end up in the same sorry state.

But that was seven months into the end times - everyone knew about those two bloodbaths.

"Yeah! Just heard it myself. Someone just defected from Cliff’s unit - same class as me back in the academy. Trust me, the info’s solid. You’ve got my head on it!"

Evan looked panicked. If Baxter’s forces took that logistical base, they’d suddenly be sitting on a fully-equipped army of over a hundred thousand. The underground grain warehouse wouldn’t stand a chance. And him? He’d be collateral.

"I think we’re fine. Victor’s not that easy to stomp," Magnus said coolly, trying to calm him down.

"How would you know? Baxter’s got at least a hundred thousand troops now! They - "

"I just know," Magnus cut him off with certainty, then changed the subject, "This defector - your classmate - why’d he jump ship? You dig into that?"

"Baxter’s lost it."

Evan gritted his teeth. "The Seventh Sovereign Vanguard’s holed up in Springvale City. They... they don’t treat women like people, Magnus. They made military brothels. My friend was just a junior officer, but he was sent up front to handle that mess. He couldn’t do it. So, he grabbed a bunch of women and ran. He - "

The "Female Slave Camp" Magnus had warned about since the world went to hell... had come true.

Sophia, Emily, and the rest of the women went pale. They always trusted Magnus, but hearing it confirmed still hit hard.

Magnus just nodded. "Has Baxter started putting bounties out yet?"

"Bounties?" Evan looked confused.

"You know, bounty payments for women. Trade a girl, get resources, stuff like that," Magnus said dryly.

"Not that I’ve heard. Baxter’s got over ten thousand women in camp already. Doesn’t sound like they’re short. Why would they need more? Women are..."

"Then it’s not time yet."

Magnus frowned. The timeline this round didn’t make much sense anymore. He wasn’t sure what they’d do or when. Would Baxter even go after Victor’s troops like last time?

Look at the Ridgebreak Battalion - by now, they should’ve taken Hanford City. Some guy called Vulture escaped from there and should’ve seized the grain warehouse, not Evan.

Now it was Evan’s team who held the warehouse, and that didn’t add up.

*****

Late September brought the chill of autumn. In the North, the weather was turning cold. Underground, it was even colder than outside.

But for the women on Magnus’ team, the cool ten-ish degrees felt great. Long sleeves and pants were enough - they could still sleep under their quilts comfortably.

Survivor teams still came, trading goods for supplies. Not as crazily as before, but still steady. The Ice Regiment had collected plenty of Water Crystals. Evan’s flyering crew had sent out more people. Now the Ice Regiment had a new service - trading for water.

Only problem? Water was damn expensive. The terms were strict - only exchangeable for weapons, ammo, or rare resources.

After days of trades, several thousand-square-meter spaces in the underground warehouse were already half filled. Liana handed Magnus the latest inventory list.

He’d thought he had a good idea of what they had, but one look at the numbers still left him stunned.