Chapter 499 24: Strength Skyrockets

Time passed swiftly, in the blink of an eye.

A month didn't seem long, but Fortress Mountain City had undergone significant changes. Transport trucks from the Alliance Country drove along the key roads at the base of the fortress mountain peak. The figures patrolling the city walls had changed their attire. Elite soldiers from the Alliance Country's city circle armies gradually integrated into the area, taking over the defense lines.

Within Mountain City itself, the stone-paved streets had undergone multiple cleanings. Shattered concrete walls had been rebuilt, and the ruins of collapsed stone buildings had been bulldozed flat, zoned into new open spaces. Construction teams even arrived from Ring City. Under instructions from the Political Affairs Department, they were drafting new blueprints for the area, preparing to lay down water pipes and electrical grids.

"Time really flies."

"Doesn't it? It's only been a month, but it feels like a whole new world."

"Tsk, tsk. Honestly, I feel like this place has great potential now. Others might even come to compete for business."

A few merchants from the Alliance Country stood beneath the awnings of their shops, chatting with hopeful smiles. They had felt the recent changes deeply, having witnessed with their own eyes how the flames of war that night had reshaped their world.

The little boy who used to clamor about learning martial arts stood behind his merchant father. His face was full of curiosity as he watched the Alliance Country soldiers patrolling and changing shifts in the distance, his eyes gleaming with growing anticipation and wonder.

"Dad, why are they different from the warlord's soldiers?"

"Because they are from the Alliance Country," the merchant father smiled, ruffling his son's hair.

The father and son stood under the shop's eaves, their gazes naturally turning toward the end of the street. What was once a stone bunker belonging to the Red River Army had now been bulldozed and redeveloped into a flat, open plaza.

"Line up, line up! Everyone get in line.

"One at a time!"

The personnel from the Political Affairs Department had arrived swiftly, deployed from the nearest Rhombus Ring City Circle. Rows of metal tables were lined up, with numerous figures in Political Affairs Department uniforms seated behind them. Heavily armed soldiers and Superpower teammates stood guard on the sidelines to maintain order.

Opposite them, though the late autumn wind was biting, it no longer carried the stench of gunpowder. The residents of Mountain City gradually emerged from their buildings. Some looked around cautiously, while others emboldened themselves to line up behind the metal tables. Having observed the continuous changes over the past month, their impression of the Alliance Country had deepened significantly.

"What's your name?"

"M-Mu."

"How old are you?"

"I don't know. Around nineteen, I guess."

"Alright. Come here, press your fingerprint."

The residents of Mountain City formed a long, winding queue, shuffling forward with a mix of curiosity and nervousness. Amidst the questioning, camera flashes went off. Before long, a brisk young clerk from the Political Affairs Department printed out a hard paper card and handed it to the dark-skinned man in front of him. "This is your citizenship certificate. Keep it safe.

"From today on, you are a citizen of the Alliance Country."

The man accepted the thin piece of paper with both hands, turning it over and over to examine it. The card bore his name and identification number. A portrait taking up half the space showed a dark-skinned face that looked exactly like him.

"A citizenship certificate..." He felt curious yet cautious.

The faint scent of fresh paper wafted to his nose, and the red seal of the Alliance Country caught the sunlight, exceptionally striking.

In the corner of a concrete shack, a second-floor window was half-open.

Penelope stood by the window, watching the residents lining up outside. Her gaze was somewhat complex. Just a month ago, this place had been ruled by warlords, and everyone was treated as a slave. Now, everything was quietly changing.

As the thought crossed her mind, a rustling sound came from behind. She turned and saw that the person on the bed had opened his eyes.

"Raccoon Cat?" Penelope hurried to the bedside, a flash of pleasant surprise in her eyes.

Half-lying on the bed, Raccoon Cat's gaze was somewhat unfocused. It took him a few seconds to regain clarity. He stared at the ceiling for a long while before turning his head toward the window, finally resting his eyes on Penelope.

"Where... is this?" His voice was hoarse, sounding as though he hadn't spoken in a long time.

"We're still in Mountain City." Penelope helped him sit up and handed him a glass of water. "You were unconscious for over a month."

Raccoon Cat took the glass and drank a few sips, his energy recovering slightly. Then, with her support, he stood up and walked to the window. Gusts of autumn wind blew in as he looked outside. He saw soldiers in Alliance Country uniforms, Mountain City residents lining up to register, and wanted criminals being escorted away by patrols.

"The changes... are really drastic." Raccoon Cat felt a bit dazed. His memories were still stuck on the day he had been heavily injured by the men in black.

"Indeed." Penelope also felt somewhat wistful. She took the opportunity to explain some of the recent events to him. She recounted the matters regarding the Alliance Country commissioner, Lu Weilong's death, and how he had fortunately survived because the Rebels intended to use him as a biological test subject and bring him back to their base.

Raccoon Cat fell silent for a moment, digesting the information.

"This Special Commissioner Chen... what's his relationship with Celestial Hunter?" Keeping in mind the debt of gratitude for being saved, he asked the question.

"I don't know either." Penelope shook her head. "However, the last time Celestial Hunter appeared in Red Maple, he helped the people from the Superpower Bureau.

"Now he has some connection to this man... perhaps he has joined the Alliance Country faction."

Raccoon Cat's expression shifted slightly at her words. Celestial Hunter was a legend on the Dark Web. If he was helping the Alliance Country, didn't that mean the higher-ups of the Dark Web shared the same inclination?

The room fell into a brief silence as numerous speculations surfaced in both their minds.

The faint sounds of commotion drifted in from outside the window. It was the personnel from the Political Affairs Department announcing new policies, stirring up waves of excitement among the Mountain City residents.