It wasn't surprising, but it was instructive: four major factions ruled this place, each of them acting as a pillar propping up the fortress walls. And the city's survival depended on the uneasy balance between them.
The first faction and the most show-off faction among all was the Armed Forces, led directly by Xu Mochen. Their uniforms, polished discipline, and visible disdain for newcomers were a daily reminder of their authority. They held the fortifications, controlled the gates, and decided who entered and who was cast back into the wilderness. To them, every civilian was either a resource or a liability.
The second faction consisted of the Resource Syndicate, a conglomerate of traders, craftsmen, and scavengers who had quickly monopolized food, water, and supplies. They were parasites disguised as saviors, clothed in the robes of merchants and dealmakers, smiling as they weighed the worth of lives against bags of grain.
