Extreme germ phobia

Chapter 366 Reversal
Under the reward, there must be a brave man.

The Cannon Islands are not a resource-rich area to begin with, and both agriculture and fishing are limited in scale. They can support the local residents without any problem, but the situation changes completely after a large influx of outsiders.

Whether it's grain, vegetables, or meat, all kinds of food quickly became scarce resources, and prices skyrocketed. The lower class almost resorted to cannibalism, the middle class quickly became destitute, and the wealth of the rich shrank dramatically. Only a small group at the very top could guarantee enough to eat and wear.

In this situation, the reward offered by the new city is no less than a bombshell!
The underground forces established around the kidnapping incident immediately collapsed, with some of them turning against the mastermind.

Outsiders may not know the inside story of the kidnapping, but the underground forces involved are not. Even if they don't know the whole picture, they at least know some information and know who to hold accountable, so they can accurately strike those responsible.

Neutral forces that had been observing the situation immediately also took action and joined the carnival.

That's right, it was a grand feast.

Don't assume that underground forces are much better than ordinary civilians. In reality, most members of underground organizations are no different from cannon fodder. At best, they can only barely make ends meet, slightly better than homeless people struggling on the brink of death due to lack of food and water.

For any underground organization, the bounty offered by New City has an irresistible allure.

Assuming a daily food consumption of one kilogram, obtaining one person's head would provide enough food to last for three years. If one were to eat sparingly, it wouldn't be impossible to survive for another year or two.

Tell me, who wouldn't go crazy?
Even if the leader of the underground organization refuses, how could ordinary members not miss this opportunity?

At worst, I'll just switch jobs and quit!
Moreover, most people join underground organizations for shelter and more food. Once they have food, who's going to serve them? Wouldn't it be better to find a secluded place to hide and wait for the pandemic to end?

Due to a combination of factors, the situation on the battlefield quickly reversed.

However, the changes happened so quickly that not only was Ou Yang confused about what had happened, but Lu Wei and the rescue team were also completely bewildered.

How come the enemy suddenly started fighting amongst themselves while the battle was going on?

This is just the beginning. The culprits are only a small group and will soon be divided up. However, only a very small number of people will get their heads, and these are all the results of the defection.

There's no way around it. They were all in the same group to begin with. They knew each other inside and out, so betraying each other was a breeze, switching sides was quick and easy, and stabbing each other in the back was particularly convenient. How could the results be anything but impressive?
But seeing this result, the neutral forces were not happy. How could they let such a great advantage be taken by these fence-sitters?

So the neutral side did not hesitate to turn their guns on the defectors. The gunfire that had just become sparse became intense again, especially as many people rushed to attack the target building... Everyone knows that if an Easterner is trapped in a building, finding one is equivalent to losing ten lives. Who wouldn't be tempted?
However, the neutral forces are not monolithic; there are several factions that not only do not cooperate with each other, but also cause a lot of trouble over the results of battles, secretly fighting to the death to steal lives, and even killing innocent people to claim credit is not uncommon.

Whoever rushes in first has the greatest chance of rescuing the Easterners. Who wouldn't want to be the first to do so?

After several neutral factions joined forces to eliminate the mastermind and his accomplices, they coincidentally gathered near the target building and held friendly consultations on the order of events.

Rushing in en masse is impossible. If a firefight breaks out after discovering the Easterners, it's not a big deal; at most, a few more cannon fodder will die. But if the higher-ups accidentally injure the Easterners, that would be a real problem.

Nobody wants to work hard for nothing in the end, right?
There were many talented individuals within the underground forces, and one, believing himself to be the strongest, proposed that whoever had the most men and guns should go first. This immediately provoked the anger of the others and was opposed by the other factions. Someone suggested that a distribution plan be agreed upon beforehand, and that the rewards be distributed according to the pre-agreed proportions after they were received, but this was also rejected by everyone.

Some suggested drawing lots or using a lottery system to determine the order based entirely on luck, but opinions were divided, and no consensus could be reached.

The dozen or so leaders couldn't convince each other, and the situation remained deadlocked.

Just then, the gunfire that had stopped resumed, initially sporadic but quickly becoming more frequent.

Fearing a conflict between their side and the rescue team, all the leaders immediately inquired about what had happened, and the rescue operation had reached a point where it had to be launched immediately.

If this drags on any longer, the Easterners will just emerge on their own!

However, the leaders soon received news that shocked everyone: all the underground forces had been attacked by homeless people and local residents!
Yes, that's right, it's those homeless people who lack food and clothing and live like dogs, with no tomorrow in sight, as well as some locals and outsiders living in abject poverty.

They also heard the news, and spurred by the bounty, a few people ambushed lone gang members, hoping to make a fortune by getting just one kill.

Many of them had no food or water, but they still had guns. Even if they didn't have many bullets, it wouldn't be difficult for them to take down one or two gang members.

Some people failed, some people succeeded, and people have a herd mentality; sporadic attacks quickly escalated into large-scale purges.

This put all the leaders in a panic.

They didn't understand what the vast ocean of people's war meant, but they were very clear about what the various underground forces had been doing on the island.

In terms of numbers, the vast majority of the population consists of oppressed homeless people and locals, while ruthless gang members are a minority. From the moment various forces arrived on the island, these people have been a disorganized bunch, and it is only through the joint efforts of underground forces that the situation can be controlled.

The rise of the island's impoverished class has immediately put the underground forces in an extremely passive and unfavorable situation.

The leaders immediately rallied their forces and hid in nearby buildings to put up a last-ditch resistance.

The sudden change left everyone bewildered. The rescue team received a report from the ship's command and knew what had happened. Just as they were about to continue their advance, gunfire suddenly started again from behind, and the area of ​​fire grew larger and larger until it became a firefight from all directions. This left them completely confused and forced them to take cover in nearby buildings.

The naval commander was also confused. Hadn't the battle already been decided? How come the entire East Town was suddenly engulfed in fighting?
As the old saying goes, two fists can't beat four hands. No matter Ouyang or the rescue team, it's impossible for them to escape East Town in such a chaotic situation.

The ship's command immediately reported the situation and ordered Ouyang and the rescue team to hold their ground and not leave the bunker until the situation calmed down.

(End of this chapter)