At the very moment when the men, women, and children of Sweetwater Gulch were roaring with fury, vowing to "reclaim the coal mine and make Soru Town pay," a scene of stark contrast unfolded at the small outpost by the open-pit mine. There, Chakra was delightedly consuming a can of yellow peaches, his face radiating profound pleasure with each juicy mouthful of the syrupy fruit.
Chakra Bibo, a demi-dwarf whose height and waistline both measured one hundred and forty centimeters, bore a series of illustrious titles much like Michael. As the chieftain of Soru Town, he reigned as the sovereign over another hundred-mile stretch of the Great Barrens. A formidable warrior possessing fourth-level combat aura, his greatest delight lay in wielding a massive iron hammer to shatter the skulls of any challengers, reveling in the terrified screams of onlookers as unidentifiable fluids sprayed through the air.
Consequently, the settlement under his rule, Soru Town, far surpassed the former Cinder Town in prosperity. It boasted a larger population, superior equipment, a more powerful guard force, and even essential supplies like food and clean water, all of which exceeded what the ill-fated Andrew had ever commanded. In Chakra's eyes, the former leader of Cinder Town was nothing but a minor underling.
However, the emergence of the individual known as Harry Potter Michael had irrevocably altered the landscape. Astonishing rumors, passed incessantly from the lips of scavengers, had reached Chakra's ears with such frequency that he felt he could discern the truth woven within them. Initially, it was whispered that this Harry Potter had successfully dug four deep-water wells in one stroke, and his followers could even indulge in the luxury of daily baths. Soon after, new reports surfaced: a united bandit gang numbering in the thousands had suffered a crushing defeat at Harry Potter's hands.
Consequently, from the perspective of the scavengers, this strangely renamed place, 'Sweetwater Gulch,' now appeared even more powerful than Soru Town. As time flowed on, Chakra began to perceive an ominous shift. The lowly wretches under his own command were secretly harboring desires to migrate to Harry Potter's domain, eager to serve the newcomer. This posed a monumental crisis for Chakra and his rule over Soru Town. If these poor fools fled, whom would the elite exploit? Who would risk venturing into the wilds to hunt, trading their catches for precious water?
It was from that moment that the idea of teaching Sweetwater Gulch a lesson took root in Chakra's mind. Of course, this "lesson" was not intended to escalate into a war of annihilation. The distance between the two settlements, seemingly a mere hundred kilometers as the crow flies, represented a significant journey in an era where travel relied primarily on foot. Launching an expedition would consume vast quantities of supplies, potentially yielding minimal gain. Moreover, conflicts between settlements in the Great Barrens rarely culminated in total destruction. Most chieftains prioritized amassing greater resources and exploiting more scavengers to secure a comfortable existence—was that not the very purpose of struggling to become a settlement leader?
Thus, the conventional method of warfare involved one party, after suffering significant losses, ceding a portion of its interests—be it material goods or crucial machinery like water purifiers. Annihilating the opponent entirely was exceedingly rare, primarily due to the fear that a desperate counterattack could cripple one's own strength, leaving one's original settlement vulnerable to takeover by bandit gangs. Such was the customary protocol of war among the chieftains of the Great Barrens.
The problem was that Chakra had never found a suitable opportunity to deliver this lesson to Harry Potter. This changed just two days prior when he inadvertently learned from a scavenger that Harry Potter had established a small outpost roughly sixty kilometers from Soru Town, its purpose being to excavate a substance called 'coal,' though its intended use remained a mystery to Chakra. It was this intelligence that finally solidified his resolve to act.
His motivation was not rooted in any perceived border dispute—such concepts held little meaning in the desolate expanse of the Barrens. Chakra's true reason for striking was simply to deliver a harsh lesson to Harry Potter, a demonstration to the surrounding scavengers of which settlement truly held supremacy, ensuring that Soru Town remained their primary choice for trade. Furthermore, he neither knew nor cared what Harry Potter intended to do with the coal; his objective was to seize control of the coal-rich territory. If Harry Potter wished to continue mining, he would have to offer substantial concessions.
Embracing this ambition, Chakra mobilized over a hundred of his guards, supplementing them with a roughly equal number of expendable conscripts. Thus, the operation was set in motion.
The can of yellow peaches adorned with strange block characters meant nothing to Chakra, but this did nothing to diminish his profound fondness for the cloyingly sweet fruit. With each swallow of the syrup, he felt a wave of soul-deep satisfaction. This particular can was part of the spoils from the previous evening's engagement. Beyond a case of sixteen such cans, his haul included five rolls of toilet paper, four rifles, an intact solar panel, several batteries, and a quantity of other high-value goods. The wealth of this Harry Potter was staggering; even a small, detached unit was equipped with such enviable treasures. Who knew where he had acquired such bounty?
Furthermore, from the captives, he had learned that a complexly flavored dish called 'Eight-Treasure Rice' was regularly delivered by the coal transport convoy. This intelligence only reinforced Chakra's determination to make Harry Potter pay a heavy price. The only complication was the unexpectedly strong combat prowess displayed by this small unit, suggesting that Sweetwater Gulch's current capabilities were indeed formidable. Despite facing overwhelming odds the previous day, the unit had refused to retreat. The four assault rifles, in particular, had posed a significant threat, resulting in eleven immediate fatalities and six severe injuries among Soru Town's forces before close combat could even be joined. It was only Chakra's personal intervention—his fourth-level prowess allowing him to withstand small-arms fire—that finally breached their modest defenses. Even then, the young leader of the unit had managed to escape, albeit with an arrow wound.
Fortunately, nightfall had arrived, bringing with it the most perilous hours in the Barrens. Given the considerable distance to Sweetwater Gulch, the wounded youth was surely dead. Chakra's plan, then, was straightforward: hold the position, ambush and capture Harry Potter's precious transport convoy, and then wait for the hapless Harry Potter to realize what had transpired when his vehicles failed to return. The final step would be dictating the exorbitant cost Sweetwater Gulch would have to pay for the privilege of future mining operations under Chakra's "magnanimity." Of course, the valuable convoy itself would never be returned.
It must be said that Chakra Bibo's envisioned scenario was not entirely far-fetched. However, he had completely overlooked the resilience of the human spirit and the potent force of a certain former salesman's vengeful resolve.
As evening descended, after enjoying a portion of instant Eight-Treasure Rice that became palatable once mixed with water, Chakra was preparing to retreat into the largest tent within the outpost for some amusement with a female slave. Suddenly, one of his subordinates burst frantically into the tent, shouting, "Chakra, sir! The people from Sweetwater Gulch are attacking!"
Truth be told, Harry Potter's swift reaction was genuinely unexpected; Chakra had estimated that a response within three days would have been remarkably prompt. Striving to maintain an aura of authority before his subordinate, Chakra continued dressing at a leisurely pace, cursing, "What's the panic? So they've come. There's nothing to fear."
However, upon stepping out of the tent and witnessing the distant massive convoy kicking up a vast cloud of dust as it sped toward them, Chakra himself felt a tremor of apprehension. The situation seemed to be deviating from his expectations. The uniformity of their camouflage uniforms, in particular, lent the mass of men and women approaching an aura of disconcerting professionalism.