Inside the Dawn Theater, members of the Daqing Mountain Song and Dance Ensemble were preparing.

The performance was set to start at eight in the evening and end at eleven.

They were here to get familiar with the venue and the environment.

The troupe's leader was a short, chubby man named Lin Dong.

Since the biggest star of this troupe was the former idol, Xu Weiwei, and Lin Dong was said to be her agent, he naturally became the troupe leader.

Besides Xu Weiwei, the performers included a group of amateur singers, some who used to perform on the streets and others who had regular gigs in bars.

There were also a few dancers, some of whom used to study dance, while others learned it as a survival skill in the apocalypse, performing for the bigwigs.

Reportedly, there would also be magic shows, offering a variety of acts.

Lin Dong was coordinating with everyone.

"Everyone, today we must bring out our best acts. Times have changed; it's different from the past. The Daqing Mountain Prison Base has unified Coal City, and the Dawn Army has unified Huacheng, yet these two had some conflicts before. If things develop further, it is the common people who will suffer."

"We have been sent here on a peace mission."

"Our performance is meant to bring joy to everyone, to make them happy, but most importantly, to please Leader Ye. Maybe then war can be avoided, and the two sides can reconcile."

As he spoke, Lin Dong turned on the indoor projection screen. Ye Fan's image appeared on it.

This was a temporary installation by the Dawn Army, and they immediately put it to use.

"This is Leader Ye Fan. He will arrive before the performance starts and sit in the central VIP section. Everyone must maintain a respectful attitude—no need for me to emphasize this, right?"

The performers nodded in agreement, showing that most of them were sincere.

These are different times; none of the big shots who occupy a base and become the strongest in a city are easy to deal with.

Calling them warlords isn't far off, but the difference is that there is no longer any global government.

This fact is known by almost every survivor.

All one can do is cling to the strong, and if not, absolutely not offend them.

Because in this world, human life has become truly worthless.

Including Xu Weiwei, the clown performing magic, and the male and female hosts, all nodded frequently.

Xu Weiwei said coyly, "I wonder if Leader Ye watched my movies? Is he my fan? If so, I'd be very willing to take a photo with him, give him an autograph, or even have dinner with him."

A few female actors nearby turned their heads slightly, unwilling to look at Xu Weiwei.

Xu Weiwei used to be a top star, but that was in the past.

Now, the entertainment industry no longer exists, and stars have no place to exhibit their talent; they can only rely on their past fame to scrape by.

Compared to someone like Ye Fan, a leader of a large base, Xu Weiwei is really nothing.

Does she still dream of climbing higher with this opportunity?

Some of the female actors who considered themselves attractive thought they were not inferior to Xu Weiwei. Perhaps they too might have a chance.

Many intended to deliver an outstanding performance tonight to catch Ye Fan's attention.

Lin Dong noticed some thoughts among the female actors and sneered, "I advise some of you to better drop any delusions. You think you can catch Leader Ye's eye? It's unrealistic."

"Given Leader Ye's current status and power, the number of women wanting to catch his attention could wrap around Dawn City. I suspect, regarding this aspect, Leader Ye might be sick of it by now, so you should give up on this idea."

Several female actors' faces turned awkward, embarrassed to lift their heads.

Lin Dong began negotiating with a few key performers, confirming details.

After a while, people from outside came to deliver food.

The logistics officer Zhang Kunlin entered with dozens of soldiers.

Some were carrying lunch boxes; inside were lunches prepared by the Dawn Army's logistics support team, bringing them a portion each.

"Everyone, you've traveled far and worked hard. On behalf of Leader Ye, I welcome you and have brought you lunch."

Lin Dong led a round of enthusiastic applause, and everyone else joined in with a burst of clapping.

Zhang Kunlin waved his hand, "Let's state the ugly fact upfront. Although we exchange with Daqing Mountain, necessary checks are indispensable. Everyone's belongings need to be examined to prevent anyone from sneaking in weapons."

Lin Dong hesitated: "Weren't the checks done at the gate?"

"That's different. You've entered the city and might have interacted with other survivors. During this process, some might have acquired weapons, so a thorough check is necessary."

"Alright, we are willing to cooperate."

Zhang Kunlin gestured for soldiers to start checking.

Not only soldiers arrived, but also several military dogs came along.

These Three-Star Military Dogs had the ability to detect spies, and they went around sniffing each person.

Lin Dong felt really scared, holding his breath and staying still.

The military dogs made a round without finding anything unusual.

The soldiers searched the belongings, likewise finding nothing.

"Alright, thank you all for your patience. You can start eating now; there's a restroom and a dressing room here. If you need anything, you can notify the guards at the door, but remember, you must not leave this theater or interact with the outside world. If anyone suddenly leaves, the guards will shoot."

Zhang Kunlin left with the troops, leaving the performers and some cleaning staff in the theater.

The cleaning staff were tidying up the venue, and an old man shakily walked by, drawing disdain from some handsome men and beautiful women.

********

Ye Fan was in the official residence, listening to Zhang Kunlin's report.

The Three-Star Military Dog didn't detect any enemies. Although this was somewhat unexpected, it further highlighted the seriousness of the situation.

Beside Ye Fan, Zhuge Yunxue said, "Sir, you are also a Level 2 Evolver. Level 2 Evolvers possess the combat power of a Heroic Unit, capable of concealing their entire aura, entering a state of false death, making it difficult even for military dogs to detect their hostility and killing intent."

Ye Fan nodded. This was the crux of the serious situation.

In this song and dance ensemble, there were either unsuspecting ordinary people or Level 2 Evolvers with extraordinary skills.

From the information gathered from various aspects, someone was brewing a plan.

At this moment, Zhang Kunlin added, "Sir, tonight there is a caravan from Ice City, claiming to have some gold and silver jewelry and a large amount of frozen river fish to sell to our Dawn City, expected to arrive between nine-thirty and ten o'clock."

Ye Fan was taken aback. Normally, Zhang Kunlin wouldn't report these matters, but the special mention indicated that he might have realized something.

Arriving here around nine-thirty, just during the peak of the performance, was there any connection between the two?

"What's the situation with the other survivor bases?"

"Our War Hawk has been to Crane City and Oil City. At the Crane City Base, their troops are also preparing to set off, with up to thirty thousand soldiers, evenly matched with both light and heavy firepower, about.....on par with our level from a week ago."

"Preparing to set off? Could it be that they are heading for us? It seems the people from Crane City have learned something."

Zhang Kunlin continued, "Nothing unusual on the Oil City side. After the fighter jet returned, there are still technical personnel inspecting and upgrading it, and they are arming the plane. When they fly over again, it will likely be armed with missiles."

Ye Fan didn't have a good impression of any of these places.

Crane City came to snatch women, Oil City openly sent planes to threaten.

And as for Ice City, needless to say, if Ice City wasn't the mastermind behind this, it would be a surprise.

Nowadays, no one wants others to surpass them. Everyone wants to dominate alone, and the rise of the Dawn Army seemed like a threat to them, making them want to strangle it in its cradle.

But Ye Fan could only tell them one thing, it's too late.

After today, Ye Fan and these three places would probably come to an open confrontation.

However, Ye Fan was still eagerly anticipating tonight's big show, which was sure to be a spectacular performance.

********

The night fell, and the city lights began to shine.

Street lamps lit up along the streets of the Inner City District.

Traditional Qin Han red lanterns hung in strings.

With the performance time at the Dawn Theater approaching, the area around the theater was extremely lively.

Although the performance hadn't started yet, people from the TV station were already filming with their cameras.

With a TV station, the radio station's tasks were reduced significantly, and Ye Luo was no longer doubling as a broadcaster, but had instead come to act as the host.

Facing the camera lens, her cheeks were red from the cold.

Wearing a fluffy wool hat and cotton gloves, dressed in a pink down jacket, she looked like an invincible and charming young girl.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Ye Luo, and this is the front of Dawn Theater!"

"As you can see behind me, people have already started lining up. Even though the performance doesn't start for another half hour, and the current temperature is below minus thirty degrees, it can't stop people's enthusiasm."

"Now, let's follow the camera to take a look."

The camera zoomed in, showing many people jumping around face-to-face, rhythmically kicking each other's feet to ensure blood circulation in their feet and prevent frostbite.

Although food vendors were banned from setting up stalls in front of the theater, some opportunists were pushing carts to sell goods.

"Beer, drinks, mineral water... cigarettes, sunflower seeds, roasted fish slices..."

Someone shouted, "Get me a bottle of mineral water."

"Do you want it at room temperature or chilled?"

"Who would want chilled in this cold weather? Give me room temperature."

The vendor handed over a completely frozen bottle.

"I wanted room temperature!"

"That's right, now chilled means cool, and room temperature means frozen."

....

Ye Luo walked up to a spectator: "Hey there, could you tell us why you came to watch this performance?"

"Because I'm a fan of Xu Weiwei."

"Then you're going to see Xu Weiwei today. If you had the chance to say something to her in person, what would you say?"

"Hehe, actually, I want to tell her that she doesn't need to perform anymore. I used to be just a poor delivery guy, couldn't afford to take care of her. But now, I'm an official resident of Dawn City and have taken a contract for the delivery area of the Outer City District. If she's willing, I can take care of her, haha!"

The words were big, but the expression was sincere, obviously coming from the heart.

Being a resident of Dawn City seemed to have become a status symbol of an upper-class person.

At this moment, a three-wheeled motorcycle puttered over.

A military officer, red-faced from the cold, rode up to the theater entrance.

"Step back a bit, Leader Ye is coming. Especially girls, don't try to get close. With me here, it won't succeed."

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