This continuous mountain range is called Yun Mountain. To bypass it, you either head northwest and pass through the territory of the "White Knights," or you go southeast until you reach the broad plains where the "First City" and the "Salvation Army" confront each other, the defensive zone of the former's Eastern Legion.

In the Old World, Yun Mountain wasn't an insurmountable natural barrier. Numerous bridges and tunnels connected the two sides. But today, many bridges have collapsed, and many tunnels are blocked, leaving only a few routes to cross the mountains, all guarded by people from the "First City" and the "Salvation Army."

In the driving area, Bai Chen released one hand and pointed to a road leading into the mountains ahead:

"You can cross Yun Mountain from here without encountering particularly strict inspections.

"It was a lower-level highway in the Old World, winding around the mountains and not heavily reliant on tunnels and bridges. Although many sections have collapsed, it's still barely passable for a large vehicle."

Jiang Baimian first nodded, then asked curiously:

"Xiao Bai, haven't you been here before? How are you so familiar..."

"Because I know how to read maps," Shang Jianyao helped answer.

While driving the jeep onto the mountain road, Bai Chen explained:

"Although I haven't been here, I've had some understanding of it for a long time.

"Back then, the 'Salvation Army' sent people everywhere to gather stray wanderers, organizing them to go east of Yun Mountain, saying that although there was still a food shortage, they could live off the mountains and rivers, strictly follow the rationing system, and definitely still be able to let everyone barely survive. Then they could work together, fight against danger, and cultivate farmlands in areas with less pollution, establishing factories, so that everyone would no longer be troubled by famine and cold..."

The slower Bai Chen spoke, the slower his speech became, as if he was recalling the feeling when he first heard these things.

Shang Jianyao straightened his back and pressed his left chest with his right hand:

"For all of humanity!"

"For all of humanity" is the "Salvation Army's" slogan and ideal, "For saving all of humanity" is Shang Jianyao's own. He distinguishes them very clearly.

Bai Chen ignored him and continued:

"At that time, people from the 'Salvation Army' came to our settlement. They described such a future to us, and also gave us a way to bypass the 'First City's' army and pass through Yun Mountain.

"It's this road.

"Before, when we were collecting maps and intelligence in the First City, I noticed it at a glance."

Long Yuehong, who was listening attentively, quickly testified:

"Yes, I remember Xiao Bai specifically asked about the situation of this road at that time."

"Yes." Genaverra indicated that this was indeed the case.

Jiang Baimian wasn't so concerned about the "small road" problem for the time being. She was more curious about another point:

"Xiao Bai, did anyone in your settlement follow the 'Salvation Army' at that time?"

"There were quite a few. My parents originally wanted to, but because I was relatively young and not suitable for long journeys, they decided to wait a few years," Bai Chen pursed his lips. "Later, they passed away, and in the last ten years, I haven't heard of the 'Salvation Army' still doing similar things."

"I see..." Jiang Baimian smoothly skipped over this topic.

While the members of the "Old Task Force" were communicating, the jeep drove into the mountains.

The further they went, the more lush and verdant the trees on both sides became, and the sound of birds chirping occasionally came from afar.

Less than seventy years have passed since the destruction of the Old World, and the impact of human civilization on this area has only subsided for such a short period of time. Nature seems to have eliminated all traces, except for that dilapidated, overgrown, and neglected road.

Shang Jianyao listened intently to the birdsong, as if thinking about what different cooking methods could be used in the wilderness.

He only thought of "roasting" and couldn't help but raise his hand to wipe the corner of his mouth.

The jeep stopped and started. Every once in a while, the members of the "Old Task Force" would get off to clear the obstructing stones that were impossible to cross, or fetch a few trees and place them in certain inconvenient depressions, which made it impossible to increase the vehicle's speed.

From just after nine in the morning to more than four in the afternoon, Shang Jianyao and the others were still struggling to move forward in Yun Mountain, but it seemed that they had already left the actual control area of the "First City."

While passing through an area with a high cliff on the left and a steep cliff on the right, Jiang Baimian's movement of watching the scenery suddenly paused.

She turned her head to look out of the window, not too fast, not too slow, quite naturally.

At the same time, she said, as if inadvertently:

"There are very human-like bio-electrical signals, two of them."

Relying purely on bio-electrical signals, she couldn't make a very accurate judgment. After all, many medium-sized animals are close to humans in size.

Shang Jianyao immediately responded:

"I didn't sense human consciousness."

Long Yuehong and Bai Chen immediately tensed up.

Jiang Baimian nodded:

"Either two big 'monkeys,' or two Awakened.

"'Salvation Army' patrol personnel?"

Since this was a hidden route given by the "Salvation Army," it must be under their supervision.

"What do we do next?" Long Yuehong didn't follow Jiang Baimian to look at the cliff on the right covered with a lot of vegetation.

Jiang Baimian smiled:

"Let's ignore it for now. We're going to have to deal with the 'Salvation Army' sooner or later. Playing dumb might not be a bad thing."

"Yes, we also know Xu Datong from the 'Public Security Management Committee'," Long Yuehong quite agreed with the team leader's statement.

The core organization of the "Salvation Army" is called the "Materials Coordination Committee." The "Public Security Management Committee" is directly under it, equivalent to a combination of Pangu Biology's Order Supervision Department and the Security Department, which has been stripped of its external combat functions. It has a lot of real power.

In the Old World's terms, the "Salvation Army" is a force with a high degree of unity between the military and the government. In terms of internal affairs management, many places have a strong military color.

On the Ashlands, this is not an exception, but the norm. Only a few places separate the military and administrators very clearly, such as Pangu Biology.

Hearing Long Yuehong's words, Shang Jianyao clicked his tongue:

"How do you know that there are no political struggles or factional infighting within the 'Salvation Army'?

"What if we encounter a political enemy of Committee Member Xu?"

Long Yuehong was temporarily speechless.

As far as the Old World entertainment materials he had seen and the few forces he had experienced were concerned, there was strife wherever there were people.

Jiang Baimian sneered at Shang Jianyao:

"Haven't you always been disbelieving that the 'Salvation Army' has fallen, believing that they are still that organization full of idealistic brilliance?"

Shang Jianyao's expression gradually darkened, and he said with unconcealed sadness:

"That's why I'm telling you the worst-case scenario in advance."

Uh, is it the sentimental Shang Jianyao now, or the Shang Jianyao who hates evil and is determined to save all of humanity? Jiang Baimian said to Genaverra, who was taking over the driving:

"Maintain the speed from before."

Not long after, at a bend in the dangerous road, a female voice suddenly rang out:

"Stop!

"Do not continue forward, or you will be subjected to remote bombing!"

This was spoken in Ashlands language, but with a slight accent.

Jiang Baimian looked up and found a slightly rusty loudspeaker tied to a tree on the edge of the road.

It was connected to a line, and the line was hidden in the vegetation.

"Stop," Jiang Baimian said to Genaverra as if she was prepared.

The jeep stopped in the middle of the road, and the members of the "Old Task Force" got out of the car one after another.

In such an environment, sitting in the car was not safe. It was too easy to become a target, and it was inconvenient to dodge.

"Who are you, and why are you here?" The female voice rang out again through the radio.

Perhaps because the equipment was old, the sound was slightly distorted.

Jiang Baimian replied:

"We are relic hunters, and we want to make a living east of Yun Mountain."

"Why not stay in the 'First City'?" The female voice asked from a distance.

She was out of Shang Jianyao's sensing range.

Jiang Baimian looked "helpless":

"We were unlucky and were wanted by the 'First City'.

"I think you should also have a hunter's guild here. You can check through them to see if we are really wanted by the 'First City'."

"Name, hunter number." The female voice was still quite polite and didn't ask the "Old Task Force" to hand over their hunter badges directly.

After Jiang Baimian reported a fake name and a real number, the female voice asked:

"Why are you wanted?"

Uh... Jiang Baimian couldn't remember what they were originally wanted for.

They had been wanted by the "First City" too many times!

"We robbed three sets of military exoskeletons and two sets of bionic intelligent armor!" Bai Chen, Long Yuehong, and Genaverra joined forces but couldn't stop Shang Jianyao from revealing their hand.

The other side immediately fell silent.

Shang Jianyao then laughed:

"Just kidding."

The other side remained silent.

After a while, the female voice came through the radio again:

"After confirmation, you are indeed wanted by the 'First City,' and the bounty is very high.

"And you haven't been captured until today, which means you are very strong."

"Yes, yes." Shang Jianyao was not humble at all.

Jiang Baimian then smiled:

"But we came with friendliness, and our ultimate destination is the Icefield.

"Your side shouldn't be opposed to foreign hunters, right?"

At least no one mentioned that the "Salvation Army" prohibits relic hunters from other forces from entering.

"Icefield?" The female voice suddenly took on a bit of strangeness.

She paused for a few seconds before saying:

"We only don't welcome relic hunters who act as spies.

"You can continue forward. You can't enter any settlements. You can only camp outside unless you accept further inspections."

Seeing that the communication was still normal and smooth, Jiang Baimian secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said:

"Okay."