Chapter 163 Approaching Military Forces

The atmosphere in the base became more depressing. Xiao Ran repeatedly adjusted the equipment in the monitoring room. He held a spare battery pack in his hand and moved a low-frequency thermal imager in front of the screen.

"Look at this." He pointed to the continuously changing heat map on the screen. "At two o'clock, on the edge of the main road in the northwest corner, a new heat signal appeared. The search is organized and the operation has the flavor of a military force."

Su Wanqing came over to take a look, her brows furrowed. A group of red dots advanced towards the outskirts of the city, divided into two teams, with reconnaissance troops in the front and heavy equipment troops following behind, and their speed was controlled in a very rhythmic manner.

In the lower right corner of the screen, a coordinate point moves half a grid every few seconds.

"The equipment is not that of a vagrant armed force, and the footsteps are arranged more regularly than those of the militia," Xiao Ran pointed to several intersections, "The communication rhythm is consistent, and the wireless channel will be switched when advancing. Generally, only troops will do this. It can be seen that they are carrying two standard weapons, and the shape of the backpack is like a portable host with a field radio."

Lu Zhao was silent for a while at the table, then took out a blank note. "It's not new for the military to track us, but this team is serious. You see, this kind of coordinated attack in the urban area is a typical search mode, and the purpose is clear."

"A regular brigade has at least two squads," Xiao Ran lowered his voice, "If they come looking for the pendant or the girl, we won't be able to hold out head-on with the equipment we have."

Lin Che leaned against the door. He didn't say a word, but just crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the screen.

The red dots became brighter and brighter, some at the street corners, some near the old garage.

The entire surveillance system was muted, and the oppressive feeling of the meeting gradually built up.

At this moment, Lin Che pursed his lips even tighter, and his gloomy aura became more obvious than before.

His voice was slightly lowered, and his tone was somewhat different. "I don't agree to have any negotiations with them. As long as they get to the bottom of it, all of us and her will become research materials. Su Wanqing, you should know this judgment better than me."

Su Wanqing took out a short pen and tapped the notebook several times.

She did not give a direct answer, but simply called up the last data file.

"Not everyone takes what you said so seriously," Lu Zhao tapped the table twice, "don't forget, the military has reserve medical facilities, a baseline database, and the most comprehensive communication resources in the city.

If we can negotiate on an equal footing and use their resources to improve our own analysis speed, at least the girl's physical condition will be better protected. You all know the consequences of not cooperating - a dead end."

Lin Che stood up straight, holding her arms up straight, and her tone became sharp. "It's true that they have resources, but do you think the military will be willing to just be a backstage and not take action against our people and data? If the time comes to exchange, can you guarantee that you can keep her? It's not like no one in our team has experienced being detained by the military."

Xiao Ran didn't look back. He just switched the surveillance video in his hand four times and moved a map to the corner.

"Lin Che's worries are not without reason. But with a full team of people and full armor, we can't handle it. In a head-on confrontation - the girl with the child's voice and the pendant, they all have to be 'protected' by them."

"In other words, non-cooperation is a dead end, and cooperation is just a slow death."

Su Wanqing sorted out the information on hand and said, "But delaying at least gives us more breathing space. Rather than making a hasty decision, the most important thing now is to find out their true intentions."

Lu Zhao frowned and rubbed the tissue in his hands twice without letting it fall apart. He added, "I suggest finding an opportunity to communicate with the military. Exchange information in a limited way and strive for medical resources and data. We lack the equipment on hand, and we can't dig up all the clues by our own efforts."

Lin Che shook her head, her voice catching for a moment, "You are too naive. No matter how good the conditions offered by the military are, they are never taken for free."

Su Wanqing glanced at a few people, "There is no point in arguing until now. Only by making prompt decisions can we reduce losses. Now it's like this: those who advocate defense will patrol all night; those who advocate negotiation will immediately organize the negotiable materials. All the remaining members, carry your equipment with you, and you can evacuate in five minutes."

Xiao Ran pointed at the monitoring terminal and said, "I can track down their route for nearly two hours. Also, the logistics vehicles and heavy equipment are not too far forward - if the military wants to take action, they will leave a way out. We can use this time to prepare for negotiations."

"How do we choose the communication channel?" Lu Zhao looked up. "They will definitely monitor the regular channels. The special signals we send out will also be located. Unless we use out-of-block forwarding and delay it for more than fifteen minutes, it will just be a verbal message."

Su Wanqing nodded. "Use a cold standby machine and send it manually with evacuation instructions. You can give them a vague statement of joint intention and then agree on a specific meeting point."

Lin Che frowned and said nothing more.

As soon as she finished speaking, footsteps were heard in the main hall. Lu Zhao put down the terminal, stood up and walked to the side.

In the inner room, a girl with a childish voice curled up on the bed, with a look of fatigue between her brows.

A trace of sweat appeared on her forehead. She leaned sideways, holding the empty notebook.

Su Wanqing walked over and gently stroked the girl's forehead, which showed signs of rising temperature.

Lu Zhao took out the detector, wiped the probe with a disinfectant wipe, and then measured the girl's wrist.

He winked at Su Wanqing, "38.1 degrees, a little feverish. Heart rate and blood pressure are a little fast." He asked in a low voice, "Does it hurt?"

The girl shook her head, her lips a little dry. She tried to raise her hand, but then gently put it back into the sheets.

Lu Zhao pushed open the terminal in his hand, operated it steadily, called up several sets of previous data, and tested the body temperature with the back of his hand. "It wasn't like this yesterday. I checked it with Lin Che before, and the active element content is 2.5% higher than this morning. It should be related to the internal cycle."

Su Wanqing tapped the girl's pulse on her arm and didn't let go. Lin Che walked in at this time. He didn't ask anything, but just moved over and sat down beside the bed.

"The temperature increase is not large, so there is no need to give medicine yet." Lu Zhao reminded in a low voice.

Lin Che lay beside the bed for a few seconds, looking at the notebook. "Give her a cold towel and let her rest for a while."

After saying that, he pressed the girl's wrist with his palm for a moment and exerted a little force. The air humidity increased, and his ability slightly affected the surrounding environment.

There was a chill coming from the edge of the quilt, and the area nearby became much colder.

After a while, the girl's complexion gradually relaxed and her breathing became more even, but the heat on her forehead had not completely subsided.

“Lowering the temperature is effective, but not completely.” Lin Che exhaled and put his hands back on his knees. “My ability can only adjust the surface temperature. The underlying heat is still there.”

Lu Zhao stared at the data changes on the probe screen and said, "It can be stabilized."

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He created a new file with a set of trend lines. "Slowly monitor and see how the cycle fluctuates in the next step. But her condition is probably directly related to the activity of the active elements in her body."

Xiao Ran pushed the door open and entered the room, his voice a little anxious: "The team on the main street sneaked into the west side of the base for two more streets, and left fluorescent marks like markings."

Su Wanqing stood up, wrote a few simple lines, then lowered her head and quickly wrote down the two plans on a sticky note and handed them to Lu Zhao and Lin Che.

"We must finalize the communication plan with the military before tonight. Lin Che, you will focus on adjusting the temperature for the girl for the time being and monitor her at all times.

Xiao Ran, monitor the formation, communication frequency, and team dynamics; sound an alert if anything unusual is found. Lu Zhao, sort out the current data on the girl, virus control, and pendant principles. Find an opportunity to contact the military, but only release the information we choose. "

Lin Che was stunned for a moment, "Are you really ready to talk?"

Su Wanqing nodded, "It's better to take the initiative to fight for space than to hold on anxiously. Whether it's to delay or to exchange for useful information, it's better than passively waiting to die."

Lu Zhao nodded in agreement and returned to the data desk with the testing equipment.

The atmosphere in the room was tense. Xiao Ran put on his headphones and returned to the monitoring room, tapping the communication port with his fingers.

He gritted his teeth and said, "We are short of manpower. Adjust the patrol schedule to one shift per hour. Enter the perimeter blockade and check all weapons."

Lin Che pursed his lips and sat down beside the girl's bed. He pulled out a new cold towel and put it on her forehead, and the coolness continued to gather in his palm.

He lowered his voice, "Don't be afraid, a fever won't be a problem. When we're done, we'll take you to the rest area to see the cats. Now just go to sleep."

The girl closed her eyes and made a slight nasal sound. Her body gradually relaxed and her body temperature curve slowly dropped.

Lu Zhao sat in front of the terminal, filing the files into different categories and checking the encrypted lines.

He wrote down a calm, almost boring summary of the information, marking it as "for necessary communication only."

Su Wanqing tightened her seat belt again, typed a few lines of secret commands, and kept two portable keys close to her body.

She gave another order in very short words: "Take the initiative to send out communication invitations, but prepare three escape routes. Conduct evacuation mobilization every two hours, and pack and sort all emergency supplies. No one is allowed to contact the military without my order."

The instructions were in order and all members returned to their positions.

No one in the conference room spoke anymore. Only Lu Zhao stared at his data screen from afar. Lin Che looked after the girl beside the bed. Xiao Ran lowered his head and repeatedly scanned the security screen.

Su Wanqing finally reorganized the division of labor among her subordinates, stood silently in the middle of the room, tapping the shell with her fingers.

The sound of wind outside was almost inaudible, with only the brief hum of instruments operating.