Zhao Zhiyuan understood that even without compromise, he probably wouldn't be able to stop the marriage.
Within a very short time, he decided to directly align himself with Qin Shilei.
After all, he had just finalized an alliance through marriage with Lin Hetai, and then allowing the bride-to-be to marry someone from the City Lord's Mansion would be impossible to explain.
It was better to take this opportunity to establish a connection with Qin Shilei, which might even elevate the Zhao family's power.
Qin Shilei immediately responded to Zhao Zhiyuan's display of goodwill, saying, "As I am new to this city, I will need to rely on Patriarch Zhao for much of Junhai City's affairs from now on."
"To better build Junhai City, the Zhao family will fully support you, my City Lord."
Having made his decision, Zhao Zhiyuan quickly embraced his new role.
With the wedding of Jie Mingchen and Zhao Yueling concluded, the alliance of the three great families was officially dissolved.
After assuming the position of City Lord, Qin Shilei and An Qian stayed in Junhai City for another five days.
During these five days, they not only led members of the City Guard and the Rock Battalion on several monster-hunting expeditions, significantly enhancing their subordinates' strength, but also temporarily selected the middle and high-level cadres for the City Lord's Mansion.
Jie Mingchen was appointed as the Chief Steward of the City Lord's Mansion, leading the City Guard. After Qin Shilei's departure, he would be in command of the entire City Lord's Mansion.
Wu Xia was appointed as the commander of the Rock Battalion, responsible for leading an elite team for Qin Shilei.
The two would also supervise and assist each other.
Qin Shilei instructed his two subordinates, "Apart from the City Lord's Mansion, the City Guard and Rock Battalion camps, and Junhao Empire, you do not need to forcefully claim more territory."
"Only by improving your own strength can you gain more influence in Junhai City."
"This is a Thousand-Mile Sound Transmission Talisman. If you have any urgent matters, you can notify me through this talisman."
He then handed Jie Mingchen a talisman with intricate, mystical patterns.
Thousand-Mile Sound Transmission Talisman (Purple): Two interconnected talismans that can facilitate voice communication within a range of nine thousand nine hundred kilometers.
Additional Attribute, Visual Display (Purple): Enables video calls during voice communication.
The Thousand-Mile Sound Transmission Talisman was obtained from a silver treasure chest dropped by the Golden Tiger Zhang. There were three talismans in total.
All three had already been linked. Qin Shilei kept one, and the other was sent back to Hope City with An Qian.
In addition to the Thousand-Mile Sound Transmission Talisman, the silver treasure chest also yielded a substitute doll capable of withstanding a powerful blow from the Golden realm, and a set of purple female battle armor.
Neither item had yet been refreshed with good attributes. An Qian wore the female battle armor, while Qin Shilei kept the substitute doll.
It was precisely because of the Thousand-Mile Sound Transmission Talisman that Qin Shilei ultimately decided to use the City Protection Monument in Junhai City.
Even after leaving Junhai City, he could still conduct basic management through the talisman.
If a powerful mutant beast or zombie horde attacked the city, Qin Shilei could also rush back quickly with the help of Xiao Qiang.
Jie Mingchen and Wu Xia stood at attention and pledged, "We will not fail the City Lord's expectations. We will lead the City Guard and the Rock Battalion well, and defend Junhai City for the City Lord."
Qin Shilei gave a few more instructions, then left Junhai City hand-in-hand with An Qian.
The two walked north along the coastline, preparing to visit the capital.
They stopped and started, occasionally entering cities they passed to look around, intervening in injustices they encountered.
They would also rescue survivors in danger, then quietly depart.
"Ahead is Donggang County. It seems a survivor base has been established there. Why don't we rest there today?" Qin Shilei suggested.
"Alright, I'll do whatever you say," An Qian replied.
Just then, a group of people ran towards them from ahead.
Leading the group were a dirty-looking man and woman, with several strong young men wielding swords and sabers chasing them.
"Run!" The man being chased kindly warned them as he passed by Qin Shilei and An Qian.
Ordinarily, Qin Shilei would have been reluctant to interfere in such human conflicts.
However, because of the man's brief act of kindness, he immediately decided to save the couple.
Qin Shilei flashed forward and blocked the path of the pursuing group.
"Kid, get out of the way quickly, or we'll deal with you too."
The burly man leading the group shouted loudly and waved his hand, sending a fiery fireball towards Qin Shilei.
Qin Shilei swung his sword, cleaving the fireball in two, causing it to vanish into the air.
The burly man's eyes narrowed, and his rapid pursuit halted. "Who are you, and why are you blocking us?"
Qin Shilei said indifferently, "I block because I want to."
The burly man said coldly, "Those two are people that Leader Chunshu specifically wants to capture. If they escape, you won't be able to bear the leader's wrath."
"Chunshu?" Qin Shilei asked in a low voice, "Are they from the Amaterasu country?"
Before the burly man could answer, a thin young man behind him reminded him, "Boss, those two have almost disappeared."
"Let's go, we'll go around and catch them."
Seeing how easily Qin Shilei had split his fireball, he was unwilling to provoke him.
"I'm asking you a question."
Qin Shilei waved his hand, and a tall mammoth suddenly appeared before the group.
"Moo!" The mammoth roared and spewed a high-pressure water jet, knocking them all to the ground.
Perhaps seeing that their pursuers had been dealt with by Qin Shilei, the couple who had run away earlier returned.
"Thank you for your help, sir. But you should hurry and leave. If their reinforcements arrive soon, you might not be able to escape."
Feng Shichen looked towards the county town, appearing worried that the enemies would soon reappear.
"It's fine," Qin Shilei said calmly. "Are these people chasing you from the Amaterasu country?"
"No," Feng Shichen replied. "Their leader is from the Amaterasu country."
"Why are they chasing you?" Qin Shilei asked again.
"Their leader, Chunshu Taro, has taken a liking to my sister. We slipped away while they weren't paying attention," Feng Shichen explained briefly.
Qin Shilei looked at the woman hiding behind Feng Shichen.
Although she had deliberately made herself look dirty, it was still possible to discern that she was quite pretty.
This made Feng Shichen's words highly credible.
"Do you want revenge? Take me into the city to find that Chunshu, and I'll hand him over to you for disposal," Qin Shilei said plainly.
"I appreciate your kindness. Let's just escape. They have thousands of people; you can't fight them."
Feng Shichen kept glancing towards the county town, fearing that the enemy would suddenly appear.
"Can you really hand Chunshu over to me for disposal?" Feng Siruo's eyes showed a hint of deep-seated hatred.
"Of course, I, Qin Shilei, keep my word," Qin Shilei said confidently.
"Sister," Feng Shichen turned to persuade her, but after opening his mouth, he couldn't say anything more.
"If there's even a sliver of a chance to kill Chunshu, I'm willing to try, even if it means death."
Feng Siruo recalled the humiliation she had suffered at Chunshu's hands, and the hatred in her heart could not be suppressed.