"I ran down the mountain and wandered around... I didn't go far, I wasn't in any danger... No, Dad, you don't have to come over, I'm fine." Lin Man laughed dryly. "Well, Dad, there's something I need to tell you. Nine second-generation rich kids from the Reunion Base came to my place... They didn't cause any trouble, I just made them dig a cellar. Do you think I should send someone to send them back?"

Huh—did I get away with it? Lin Man let out a long breath, then sat there lost in thought.

Chen Yu looked at her for a long time: "What's going on? Are those nine people unable to move?"

"No, my dad said I can do whatever I want to them."

Lin Zhongrong's original words were that the little bastards were so bold that they dared to set their sights on his daughter, and they should be skinned alive.

He is particularly domineering, but behind this domineering attitude is his concern and protection for her.

Lin Man held her face and said, "I was just thinking that I should think more before doing anything in the future. I can't just do whatever I want and make you worry for nothing." Just like this time, she had a good idea in mind, but information exchange was not so convenient at this time. If the distance was too far and there was no signal tower, even the most powerful communication machine would be useless. A small mishap would make those who cared about her worry and anxious.

Chen Yu smiled with relief.

Reunion base.

Upon learning that his daughter was safe, Lin Zhongrong felt relieved. He calmly asked the silent young man in front of him, "Comrade Lin Cheng, is there anything you want to say?"

Lin Cheng said, "Rather than asking these questions, I think it's more important to care about how the zombies appeared."

Lin Zhongrong's face straightened when he heard this, and he said, "Okay, I'll let you go this time. Speaking of this zombie, now everyone is pointing to the Dongyang base... You don't seem surprised?"

Lin Cheng said, "Back when Zombie Pit No. 1 was discovered, Dongyang Base was the first to be attacked by zombies. And this time, when the scattered zombies attacked human bases, Dongyang Base was still the most favored by the zombies. This speaks volumes."

"Oh, maybe the people at Dongyang Base are just particularly delicious?"

Lin Cheng ignored his joke. "The zombies in Zombie Pit No. 1 gnawed at the door of Zombie Pit No. 2, releasing the zombies inside. We believe that the zombies in these different areas have some special way of communicating with each other, and they have the intention of rescuing their own kind."

"Among the five bases, Tuanyuan, Dongyang, and Xihe are relatively close to each other. Xihe is relatively weak. The zombies there are quite intelligent, so they should attack Xihe more. However, they are most persistent in attacking Dongyang. I can't think of any other reason, except that there is something in Dongyang that particularly attracts them."

As for what attracts them, it's hard not to think of zombies.

"I think it is necessary to conduct a thorough search of the Dongyang base," said Lin Cheng.

There was clear admiration in Lin Zhongrong's eyes. Lin Cheng had not participated in the investigation of the humans behind the zombies from beginning to end, but as soon as he came back, he made suggestions and pointed out the key points.

He sighed: "It would be great if everyone was as decisive and clear-headed as you."

Lin Cheng: "Someone proposed this, but it was not passed?"

Lin Zhongrong nodded. "Dongyang Base is a large base after all. To put it bluntly, our bases are now like small, independent countries. They value their territorial rights very much. How can they let you go in and search them so easily?"

"They're currently discussing the possibility of the four major bases joining forces to put pressure on the Dongyang base. They won't come to a conclusion that quickly, so there's no point in us getting anxious. You should go back and get some rest."

Lin Cheng thought for a moment and said, "Yes."

Someone shouted a report at the door, then said cautiously, "Commander Lin, Mr. Zhang wants you over. He wants to question you about the unauthorized transfer of base supplies to the south. There are quite a few people involved."

Lin Zhongrong's eyes darkened suddenly, and he sneered, "I haven't even gone to settle accounts with them yet, and they've already come looking for me." He grabbed a list on the table, which Lin Mannian had written down for him. It contained the names of those nine bastards. If they dared to lay their claws on his daughter, he would chop them off, or at least make them feel the pain.

"Lin Cheng, come here too. We haven't settled accounts with them for the sweet potatoes you sent back last time. This time, with your contribution in eliminating the zombies, we'll settle it all at once."

Lin Cheng thought that all these achievements actually mainly belonged to Lin Man, so it was reasonable to use them to gain some benefits for her now.

This was a long tug-of-war. In the end, Lin Zhongrong's side left in high spirits, while the people on the other side were pale. Not only did they not gain any advantage, but they also asked Lin Zhongrong to recalculate the accounts and lost a lot of benefits. In the end, they learned that the younger generations in the family who had no news so far were in Lin Zhongrong's hands.

It simply couldn't be more frustrating.

Zhang Lao, the leader whose white hair was almost falling out, sighed and said, "Don't mess with him again. The base can't do without him now."

He is now just moving his things to the north. If he gets angry, he will wave his hand and pull all his people over. The Reunion Base will become a toothless tiger, and the only outcome will be that it will be swallowed up by other bases.

Old Zhang frowned slightly when he thought of the name of his nephew that Lin Zhongrong had just read out. He didn't expect that the child was also involved. However, he was not too worried. At most, Lin Zhongrong would make those children suffer a little, and nothing would really happen. What really concerned him was that Lin Zhongrong was different from before.

In the past, Lin Zhongrong was like a stagnant pool of water, guarding this base. Although he didn't show much enthusiasm, at least there was no need to worry about him having other plans that would harm the base. He only cared about his own work, had little desire for material things or power, and rarely paid attention to provocations from others.

But Lin Zhongrong has been different recently. He has his own thoughts and is actively fighting for his own interests. If you tickle him a little, he will slap you in the face and even want to start a new business.

What exactly does he want to do?

Lin Zhongrong: Now that I have a daughter, of course I have to get more benefits to raise my precious daughter!

…

Two days later, a joint meeting of the five major bases was held at the Tuanyuan Base to discuss whether to search the Dongyang Base.

The other four major bases all sent influential people in charge, and among those who came from Dongyang base was Lu Youzhuo.

He still looked gentle and intellectual, and didn't say a word the entire time. Even when others criticized their Dongyang base and insisted that they open the gate to let them in, he didn't seem angry at all.

When they were having lunch after the meeting, Lin Cheng ran into him. Lu Youzhuo smiled and said, "Captain Lin, how are you?"

Lin Cheng's eyes darkened slightly: "Is your brother okay?"

Lu Youzhuo said that Lu Youjie was fine, but he still needed to rest and recuperate for a while.

Lin Cheng withdrew his gaze only after he walked away. Lu Youzhuo smelled like a rotting corpse, or to be more precise, the smell of a zombie.

This doesn't mean that he has become a zombie, but rather that he has recently come into contact with zombies.

A core member of a base has no combat ability and it is impossible for him to go to the front line to kill zombies. How can he possibly come into contact with zombies?

After the meeting, everyone at the Reunion Base looked unhappy, and they gathered together to hold another internal high-level meeting.

"It can now be basically confirmed that there are indeed zombies in the Dongyang base, but the number, location, and other information are still unknown."

"The Dongyang base is telling us that if we continue to push them, there's no telling what they'll do. Imagine if they're determined to perish together and let the zombies run out to eat us. As the closest ones, we'll be in great danger."

“This is a warning!”

"Dongyang Base is too arrogant."

"What exactly do they want to do by raising zombies in the base?"

The senior bosses were talking about it and were very angry.

Zhang Lao started talking, and everyone else paused. "So we must first find out how many zombies they have and where they are. Lao Lin, what do you think?"

Lin Zhongrong knew that this kind of thing would eventually fall on his head. Before, he was very happy to lend his help, because as long as there was a zombie in this world, it could cause various developments through various channels, and ultimately threaten the safety of his daughter.

But these people had recently sent their younger generations to secretly investigate their background and went all the way to Dayan Mountain. Now they wanted him to work for them, while they all sat in the back safely and comfortably.

Lin Zhongrong smiled indifferently: "Didn't you say they are threatening us? Then let them do as they wish. Don't do anything. Let them continue to raise zombies. As long as they don't release them, the world will still be beautiful."

Everyone else present frowned. This Lin Zhongrong was fine at the last meeting, actively sending people out to eliminate the zombies. Why did he seem to want to let it go now?

"If we let this go, who knows what their ultimate goal will be? The situation will only get increasingly out of control."

"What can we do? Send people to investigate secretly? What if they're discovered and they release zombies to bite people? What if they capture their boss and threaten them and get angry and release zombies to bite people? Once they release the zombies..." Lin Zhongrong sneered, "Can you control the situation?"

Everyone was stunned. Why does this sound like a rogue's tone?

And isn’t it his responsibility whether he can control it or not?

"Commander Lin, protecting the base and the safety of humanity is your duty as a soldier. Are you trying to shirk your responsibility now?"

"Oh, then have all the soldiers step forward. Let me be clear, I'm a military man, but nine out of ten of these kids under me aren't. I can only command a dozen or so to risk their lives for the safety of others. I definitely don't have enough manpower, so you guys can gather the rest on yourselves."

A man in his fifties slammed the table and stood up: "Lin Zhongrong, what on earth do you want to do!"

Lin Zhongrong said, "Academician Song used to be a lieutenant colonel, didn't he? Now, it seems he's been promoted to major general. Although the country no longer exists, this promotion is a bit strange. But since you are also a soldier and call yourself an officer, then let's go to the front line together and use your flesh and blood to protect the safety of mankind."

Academician Song was furious: "I am a scientific researcher, my value lies in the rear!"

"Your so-called value is those extremely low-sensitivity zombie detectors and locators? Thanks to that rubbish device of yours that only works when you're within three meters, my men in the north wasted two months and suffered the loss of hundreds of lives."