Chapter 123 Women's Voice

On the fourth day after leaving the capital, Su Qing received news that the military had officially issued combat orders for the G City base.

The military dispatched troops to launch a surprise and precise attack on City G.

The military, with upgraded and repaired weapons and equipment, took over City G in less than a day. The details were unknown until the war was over and the news leaked out. Only then did people know that City G had been razed to the ground and completely disappeared from the land of China.

The whereabouts of the Zombie King and Luo Xinxin are unknown, and the leader of City G, Meng Lingyu, was seriously injured and captured alive.

After on-site investigation, it was found that there were not many zombies hiding in City G. They gathered in an organized manner and began to attack human bases frantically. The military then sent troops to reinforce other bases. At the same time, the special forces searched all over China for the traces of the Zombie King and Luo Xinxin.

That day, while the sky was clear, Su Qing was squatting in the fields harvesting and planting.

"It's a mess outside, but you're still peaceful and comfortable here."

Hearing the voice, Su Qing raised her head and saw Lu Chen standing by the field, looking at a basket of strawberries she had just picked.

Su Qing scattered the seeds in her hands and covered them with a thin layer of moist soil. After she finished, she replied, "Food is the foundation of survival. Recovering lost territory is important, and so is securing the rear."

She stood up and looked at the black soil in front of her. Corn seeds had just been planted in this soil. It would soon grow into a cornfield. Then, after being harvested, dried, and ground, the corn would be made into corn tortillas, corn steamed bread, and corn buns, becoming one of people's main meals.

After brushing the dirt off his hands, Su Qing came to Lu Chen's side, looked at him and asked with a smile, "Why do you have time to come to my place?"

Lu Chen put down the strawberry basket, picked up the spoon from the bucket beside him, and motioned Su Qing to wash her hands. He watched the water slowly fall and wash away the dirt on her hands bit by bit.

"Of course I'm here to send money to Chief Su."

When Su Qing heard about money, his eyes lit up. "Oh? Then Minister Lu's arrival is really a coincidence. Our base has just harvested a batch of fruits and vegetables, which are ready for you to take away at any time."

Lu Chen's lips curled up slightly in a smile, his voice deep and magnetic, "Then please find a place for us to discuss in detail, Chief Su."

Inside the office building of Shuguang Base.

Su Qing held a thick stack of purchase contracts in his hand and slowly flipped through them.

Fang Qing brewed a cup of tea and brought it to Lu Chen's side, handing it to him, "Minister Lu, please have some tea."

Lu Chen thanked him and took it.

For a moment, the only sound in the room was the rustling of papers.

After reading the purchase contract, there was a red-headed document at the back. Su Qing looked at the text on it and frowned slightly.

She looked up at Lu Chen and shook the document in her hand, "What does this mean?"

Lu Chen replied, "The military has recently rescued a lot of people. The Xinjing base is already oversaturated. The government hopes that the Shuguang base can share some of the population pressure."

"I understand that the Dawn Base is obligated to bear the population pressure, but what do these additional government officials mean?"

"The evacuated personnel will be managed by the capital, so some additional personnel have been dispatched." Lu Chen put down the teacup in his hand, stood up and walked in front of Su Qing. He bent down slightly across the table and gestured with his hand.

Su Qing pushed the document in his hand over.

Lu Chen flipped the document to the last page, lightly tapped a line of bold text with his fingertips, and said in a steady tone, "Here are the benefits I fought for you."

Su Qing raised his eyebrows slightly and looked down at the paper with doubt.

"The government will invest 100 million New Bonds to requisition part of the Shuguang Base as temporary land to accommodate the Xinjing Base personnel."

Although there was no air conditioner or fan in the office, she felt a cold breeze brushing past her ears, causing tiny hairs on the back of her neck to stand up.

Su Qing remained silent, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the edge of the paper, and then he handed the document directly to Fang Qing who was standing beside him.

Fang Qing took the document and glanced at it. Her amber pupils shrank slightly. She threw the document on the table and sneered, "Minister Lu, is the capital taking us for fools?"

Isn't this just like paying a small amount of money to buy the land of Dawn Base? It seems that the higher-ups are still worried about them and want to infiltrate the base.

Now it’s land expropriation, but what about in the future?

Seize power?

It's ridiculous that the Ministry of Government doesn't even hide its thoughts.

Seeing the unhappy expressions on their faces, Lu Chen sighed softly, "Dawn Base is short of funds right now. This is a no-cost, high-profit business. People have to be sent here anyway, so wouldn't it be better to make money?" He paused, "Besides, we're only renting a small area. The ownership rights still belong to you, and the capital won't interfere in anything at Dawn Base."

"Minister Lu." Su Qing's voice was soft, and she looked directly into Lu Chen's eyes. "It's easy to rent out some things, but it's difficult to take them back later."

"You also...don't trust me?"

Although she would eventually hand over the base, it shouldn't be like this...

Lu Chen smiled bitterly, "This is the best result after I tried my best to deal with it... Su Qing, I'm sorry, there are many forces competing in the Ministry of Government right now, and there are some things I can't intervene in for the time being. Give me a little more time..."

Fang Qing found his words amusing. She sarcastically said, "The military is battling zombies out there, and the people in other bases are desperately trying to survive. But the political department is still fighting for power and profit."

"I accept the procurement contract and the personnel evacuation, but I don't agree with the latter." Su Qing picked up the document and shook it. "We at Dawn Base don't agree."

The sun set in the west, and dim light slanted in through the glass, casting three elongated shadows on the ground. From that moment on, something quietly changed in their hearts.

…

Su Qing moved a bamboo chair and sat in his yard, looking up at the starry sky.

I don’t know if it’s because of the lack of modern human pollution, but the night sky is now full of twinkling stars, and the sky is so low that it seems like you can pick the stars with your hands.

She was so engrossed in watching that she didn't come back to her senses until she heard a sound at the door.

Fang Qing, holding a bottle of the former national liquor, came to the empty bamboo chair next to her and sat down.

"Is everything settled?" Su Qing asked.

"Well, everything is loaded into the car, but Lu Chen said he wants to stay here for one night and leave tomorrow. I asked someone to arrange for him to go to the hotel."

"It's a rare opportunity for us to have some free time, shall we have a drink?" Fang Qing shook the wine in her hand.

Seeing this, Su Qing waved his hand heroically and said, "Cheers!"

The two of them clinked glasses and drank happily, and soon the whole bottle of wine was finished. Su Qing took out a few more bottles of wine from his backpack and placed them on the ground.

There are all kinds of liquor, beer, red wine, and foreign liquor.

Feeling drunk, Su Qing huddled in a bamboo chair, holding the bottle of wine.

She murmured, "Sister Fang Qing, please promote more female managers. They will be useful in the future."

Fang Qing smiled and said, "I've heard you mention this since I took over the base's affairs. I know what you mean. Rules are made by those in power. If you don't want to be dominated by others, you must seize power. From ancient times to the present, women have mostly been at a disadvantage. Even in modern times, when everyone is being equal, it's still difficult for us women to have a say."

“There will be opportunities for reshuffling the cards in the future.”

Su Qing nodded heavily, her gaze calm and profound. "The population is sparse now. I'm worried that after we eliminate the zombies and restore human civilization, it will be very difficult for us women to have a say."

After the zombie crisis, if women, as the main body of reproduction, do not have sufficient power, their needs, rights and wishes may be ignored, or even completely reduced to reproductive tools.

"As long as more people participate in decision-making and have equal say, women can decide their own destiny. Otherwise, even if we defeat the zombies, what we will rebuild is just a new, unfair cage."

"It's just..." Fang Qing frowned and said, "Our base is easy to deal with, but once the capital regains control, our people may not be in their favor."

"Lu Chen will be a good leader." Su Qing's tone was full of confidence. "I also believe that Sister Fang Qing, you can lead us to go higher and further."

Fang Qing turned sideways and stared at the person in front of her. The girl had her hands on both sides of her body and leaned back slightly. Her face looked particularly soft under the starlight.

The stars twinkled silently before her eyes, and the girl's gaze seemed to penetrate the night sky and look into the distance.

Fang Qing could feel that there was no confusion or fear in that look, only an almost stubborn brightness and a firm belief in the future.

"What about you?" Fang Qing asked softly.

"Do you believe it?" The girl's voice was soft, as if she was afraid to disturb the tranquility of the night. "I come from another identical blue planet. One day, I will return to the world that belongs to me."

Fang Qing was stunned. Before she could respond, the girl turned around with a faint smile on her lips. There was a bit of stubbornness in that smile, but it also contained infinite hope.

The night wind blew by, gently lifting her hair, and seemed to blow her words into Fang Qing's heart.

At this moment, Fang Qing suddenly understood that everything had a traceable path. Some beliefs, like the brightest stars in the night sky, would never go out even if the journey was long.

She raised the glass in her hand, "I believe it."

The smile on Su Qing's lips grew wider. She filled the wine glass in her hand, the two glasses touched lightly, and then both were drunk.

"No wonder you ignored Minister Lu. I always thought you were so afraid of affecting your career that you cut off all ties with him."

Su Qing hadn't swallowed the wine in his mouth when he was so shocked by Fang Qing's words that he almost spit it out.

"Ahem...what...what are you talking about?"

Fang Qing looked at her teasingly, "Minister Lu's eyes are full of love when he looks at you. Don't tell me you didn't notice it?"

"When you left early in the office earlier, Minister Lu looked so disappointed. He was worried you'd be angry, so he asked me to keep an eye on you, and even asked me to stay an extra day. I'm sure he's thinking about how to cheer you up."

"Stop it, I don't have any feelings for him." Su Qing waved his hands in fear.

Fang Qing patted Su Qing's shoulder and soothed her, "I know you don't have any ideas. You're so righteous and awe-inspiring, as if you're about to become a Buddha." She raised her hand and stroked her chin, "Although Minister Lu has good qualities in all aspects, I think Captain Qin is more suitable for you."

“Bang!”

Su Qing's grip loosened and the wine glass fell to the ground.