However, Bloodfall Base had first brought back the Zombie Antidote, and then Academician Warren himself had intervened. For the sake of the antidote, the formula simply had to be provided.
On the other hand, Central City’s medicinal reserves were not that plentiful. Since Bloodfall dared to demand the formula, they must have come prepared. Forget Crystal Cores; Central City required that a portion of the finished medicine be returned to them.
With Academician Warren’s involvement, The Central Government didn’t make an outrageous demand. The negotiator who returned from Bloodfall Base was Ian Hughes. Seeing that the terms were still within the bottom line Paige Summers had set, he readily agreed after some consideration and signed the contract.
As for the matter of base mergers and self-governance.
For his own sake, and for Nora Lowell’s, Shawn Monroe was remarkably effective. He quickly convinced Kiera Walsh and several other key figures.
Of course, a fair number of Crystal Cores were spent in the process.
Finally, the policy was officially announced.
There was no mandatory requirement, but any base wishing to become self-governing had to apply to Central City. Once a base met specific criteria—a certain number of Superpower Users, a minimum population of ordinary people, a designated land area—and paid the requisite fee, The Central Government would grant its approval.
Registered autonomous bases were considered legal and could therefore enjoy certain benefits.
For example, Central City planned to clear and secure the roads to the south within three years. This project would undoubtedly be contracted out to a legal base, and the contractor would receive a project fund from Central City.
Furthermore, if a legal base encountered significant difficulties, it could also apply to Central City for aid, be it financial or in terms of manpower.
In short, the various detailed policy clauses were all designed to bind these independent bases more closely to Central City.
Of course, from the perspective of the independent bases, there were tangible benefits to be gained.
All legal bases would receive procurement priority in Central City. Previously, large-scale purchases could only be made through the Black Market at prices that were prohibitive for many. Now, however, these matters could be handled directly through official government channels.
This point alone was enough to sway countless people.
Besides, everyone had to think long-term.
If they were to be attacked by something like a Beast Tide, having powerful backing versus having none were two entirely different scenarios!
With the matter settled, Shawn Monroe breathed a huge sigh of relief.
He was actually well aware that the credit for this success wasn’t his.
The Central City Government had already been prepared and had made its decision. Any opposition would only cause delays; it was bound to happen sooner or later.
He had just gotten lucky with his timing.
But regardless, he had done his utmost, and he figured Paige Summers and the others would appreciate his efforts.
Sweetie was the one who first brought the news to Bloodfall Base.
As soon as the news spread, just as expected, numerous bases requested to align themselves with Bloodfall.
The first to arrive at Bloodfall was Franklin Forrest of Stoneridge.
Following his lead, many other Base Chiefs arrived in succession.
Of course, they had demands of their own. Aligning with Bloodfall was one thing; complete integration was another. They had taken the initiative precisely because they hoped to retain a degree of autonomy.
Marcus Monroe had already considered this. He was playing a much bigger game.
Namely, the establishment of the "Bloodfall United City"!
The so-called ’united city’ was his plan to enclose all the bases aligned with Bloodfall, forming a massive safe territory.
In other words, this united city would be at least the size of a province in pre-apocalypse Astoria. Bloodfall would be the provincial capital, with the other bases acting as second and third-tier cities.
Externally, they would present a united front. Internally, however, each Base Chief would retain a considerable degree of autonomy—as long as they could ensure their base’s continued growth and prosperity!
Of course, certain policies would need to be created and standardized collectively. All sorts of details, such as the movement of personnel between bases, would have to be planned out in advance.
It had to be said, Marcus Monroe’s idea won the enthusiastic approval of the various Base Chiefs.
Although the City Lord of the united city would surely come from Bloodfall, and their authority would certainly surpass that of the other Base Chiefs, it would be far from an autocracy. They would still have a voice!
After all, Southreach was more powerful, so why not seek refuge with them? The fear, of course, was being completely absorbed! Now, Marcus Monroe’s ’united city’ concept was the best outcome they could possibly hope for.
Thus, after a period of meetings, Bloodfall and over a dozen other bases reached a consensus and defined the boundaries of the new united city.
By the time Ian Hughes returned with the formula for the land reclamation agent and Shawn Monroe arrived with the detailed policy documents and application forms, everything was already set in stone.
The reclamation agent was, of course, handed over to Levi Young and Sean Raines.
As for the documents Shawn Monroe brought back, they were quickly completed and dispatched by Marcus Monroe back to the Central City Government.
Meanwhile, the operation to establish the united city had also begun.
Since it was to be a united city, the first order of business was to clear the roads, eliminate the surrounding Mutant Beasts, and erect defensive fortifications. This task was quickly distributed among the various bases.
News of such a large-scale operation naturally reached Southreach.
At the same time, the policy issued by Central City also made its way to them.
It was then that Maisie Joyce, Colin Koenig, and the others realized they had, in effect, been isolated.
To say they were worried would be an understatement.
But they had no one to blame but themselves.
They had been focused on clearing out Zombies lately, and the areas outside the city had largely returned to a state of peace.
The Second Division had played a major role in this.
At times like these, Maisie Joyce couldn’t help but regret her rash actions against Claire Chapman. Yet, as time passed, a touch of resentment had also begun to fester.
’If he really valued me, why didn’t he offer a single word of explanation? Why did he just leave so abruptly?’
And the gentleness Claire Chapman showed when he mentioned Paige Summers had become a thorn in her heart.
She stubbornly refused to send anyone to contact him.
But Colin Koenig and Keith Preston could take it no longer. They went to her together, demanding to open talks with Bloodfall.
From a certain point of view, Bloodfall was, without a doubt, declaring war on Southreach.
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