Chapter 71 Chapter 71 The base in the nuclear silo...
Footsteps were heard in the dimly lit underground passage. A large group of soldiers in camouflage training uniforms came quickly, each holding two dark green iron boxes in their hands.
After walking through the winding passage, the space in front of me suddenly opened up. Dense crowds of people lined up in rows. They had come here early to queue up and wait.
The soldiers placed the boxes in their hands on several long tables with swift movements, and then opened the iron boxes one by one.
The crowd slowly began to move, and the soldiers standing in front of the long table began to distribute a pack of compressed biscuits and a small can of instant food to each person in order. These were three days' worth of food for each person here.
In an office not far away, there were two people in military uniforms, one sitting and one standing.
"Chief, food has started to be distributed today. Our remaining supplies are only enough to last another month. Should we reduce them further?" Ji Cheng'an stood tall in front of the table and reported to the old man sitting in front of him.
The old man sitting there was none other than Liang Zheng, the commander of the T City Military District. His hair was gray, and his uniform, worn though it was washed, was still straight. His eyes were piercing, and he looked at the man before him with a dignified expression. "We're already distributing food every three days. We can't do any less."
"Can……"
"Has the people we sent out sent back any news?" Liang Zheng interrupted Ji Cheng'an.
"Not yet, Commander. Even if the helicopters we sent out could get supplies, they'd have limited capacity. With the heavy snow blocking the roads, it's impossible to bring in large quantities of supplies, let alone migrate to the capital. It's practically impossible. The closest city to us right now is N City, and perhaps that's our only way out."
"It's been four days since the people went to City N, right?"
"Yes, they should have come back a long time ago..." Ji Chengan thought that City N and City T were only a few hundred kilometers apart. With the round trip of the helicopter plus other delays, they should be back in two days at most.
Liang Zheng's eyes darkened, and he snorted coldly, "Don't count on that bastard from City N to help us. I'm afraid he's already detained our people and the plane."
Ji Chengan was surprised when he heard the chief's words: "How dare he?"
"Why wouldn't he dare? If I hadn't been desperate and offered him a glimmer of hope, I wouldn't have sent anyone to him. I have to find a way to get him back." Liang Zheng frowned and slammed his hand on the table. "He's been through so much these past two years, I don't believe he can just starve to death!"
"Chief... maybe we have another place to choose..." Ji Cheng'an suddenly thought of a base where many transactions had taken place.
Liang Zheng was startled for a moment, then said, "Are you talking about the S City base that once traded a large amount of fruits and vegetables with us?"
…
Su Qing and his crew's helicopter had already arrived over City T. Looking at the deserted city below, everyone on the plane felt a little strange.
"This...it doesn't look like there is anyone living here..." Su Qing looked down through the window, feeling a little confused.
The city was covered with ice and snow, without any signs of activity. Qin Yu flew the helicopter at a low altitude through the city, quickly passing by houses on both sides, with no one in the buildings.
Lu Chen looked at the empty houses, thought for a moment, and then said, "We made our last deal with City T a few months ago, and they're still in the city. Could it be that because of the extreme weather, they've moved people into the military compound?"
Qingshan nodded and looked at Qin Yu. "What Lu Chen said is very likely. After all, the military has more abundant supplies and is easier to manage. Perhaps Commander Liang has taken everyone to the military region."
Qin Yu navigated to the location of the troops in City T, maneuvered the helicopter to rise and leave along the route, and the helicopter soon arrived at the troops' garrison. However, the situation here was the same as in City T, with no signs of human activity.
"That's strange. Could it be that all the people in City T have moved to other bases?" Qingshan leaned forward and looked through the window carefully at the houses in the military compound.
Lu Chen thought for a moment, "The nearest base in City N is several hundred kilometers away. The last time we left, a blizzard hit within two days. It's unlikely they'll go there."
Qingshan scratched his head, "Where did all these people go? They couldn't just disappear out of thin air, could they?"
"Let's look for it again." Qin Yu said as he controlled the helicopter to fly low in circles around the camp.
At this moment, there was an urgent knock on the door of Liang Zheng's office in the basement. Ji Cheng'an opened the door and a soldier walked in quickly. He saluted Liang Zheng and said, "Reporting to the commander, a helicopter was spotted flying nearby. It looks like an armed helicopter, but it is not a known military aircraft of our army."
"Armed helicopter? Let's go and take a look." Liang Zheng stood up, picked up the military coat hanging on the side and walked out quickly.
Liang Zheng followed the crowd to the entrance of a passage where several soldiers were standing and observing with binoculars. He walked over, took the binoculars and looked outside.
"This kind of armed helicopter is the first time I've seen one. It's somewhat similar to our army's latest model, but it also has a lot of influence from Country M..."
Ji Chengan also took a telescope and looked for a while and found that the helicopter seemed to be going away. "Chief, they seem to be leaving."
Liang Zheng put down the telescope and ordered the soldiers beside him, "Send out our army's special signal."
"Yes, Chief!"
After circling the camp for the fifth time and finding nothing, they were about to leave when Su Qing suddenly saw a light flickering on the ground below. She quickly called out to Qin Yu, "Captain Qin, look in the southeast corner, is there a light flickering?"
Qin Yu adjusted the direction of the helicopter and saw a light flashing in the direction Su Qing mentioned according to the army's unique signal. He was delighted and quickly flew the helicopter over.
The helicopter slowly landed on an open space, and several people on the plane got off one after another.
There was a hidden hatch where the light came from. Several people wearing military coats and green cotton hats walked over. A red star on the hat made Su Qing and the others feel excited.
Qin Yu and Qingshan looked at the leader, immediately stood up, raised their hands and saluted, "Hello, Chief!"
Liang Zheng looked at the two of them, his originally stern face softening. "It's you! Good boy, you've improved a lot in the past few years."
Lu Chen also stepped forward, "Chief Liang."
"Chief Lu!" Liang Zheng looked at these young people who should have no interaction with each other. Although he had doubts in his heart, he did not show them. "Let's go in first and talk."
A group of people followed Chief Liang into the hatch. Behind them were several soldiers with guns at hand, staring at them seriously.
Behind the door is a long passage extending downwards. There is a dim light on the walls on both sides at intervals. After walking for a while, there are some forks in the road. Some of the forks are still very long and it is unknown where they lead to, while some of the forks look like open-air wellheads that look like pipes.
Su Qing blinked her eyes. There was electricity here... Could it be the same as that Daniel?
She tugged at the corner of Lu Chen's clothes and asked quietly, "What's that place that looks like a wellhead?"
Lu Chen turned his head and asked, "What do you look like?"
Su Qing curled her lips, "If I knew, I wouldn't ask you."
Lu Chen had some guesses in his mind, but he couldn't say them out loud in a place like this. "You'll probably know in a moment."
Qin Yu and Qingshan, who were walking in front, already knew where they were when they saw the surrounding environment.
This is actually a nuclear missile launch base, and those wellheads are nuclear missile launch silos.
Along the way, they didn't see any ordinary people except the patrolling soldiers. Liang Zheng led them for a long time and came to a room. Two soldiers standing at the door saluted Liang Zheng and opened the door.
After entering, Su Qing was hit by a wave of warmth, which surprised him again. Not only was there electricity here, but there was also air conditioning!!!
Liang Zheng took off his military coat and cotton hat, walked to a water dispenser, poured a cup of hot water, turned around and walked towards Su Qing. He said kindly: "Little girl, drink some hot water."
Su Qing's body stiffened instantly. He was a little flattered and reached out to take it. "You...you...thank you."
Su Qing was a little confused by the fact that the high-ranking Chinese general was so approachable. This was the first important person she had ever met in her life, and he actually poured water for her... This was something she had never dared to imagine before.
Liang Zheng smiled at her and then turned to Lu Chen and the others, and said, "You guys, do as you please."
"Tell me what you are doing here?"
Su Qing and the other three looked at each other. Qin Yuxian stepped forward and explained the purpose of his visit to Liang Zheng. "Commander, we are here to ask you to consider whether you would like to join the Dawn Base. There..."
"The Dawn Base is fully capable of handling all kinds of apocalyptic situations. Ordinary people can easily survive there... Chief Lu's S City base was merged into the Dawn Base two days ago..."
As he listened to Qin Yu's words, Ji Cheng'an's expression became more and more exciting, but Liang Zheng, who was sitting there, had a dull expression from beginning to end. Even though some things in Qin Yu's words were quite unbelievable, he remained expressionless.
"So, this Dawn Base was created by you, little girl?" Liang Zheng looked at Su Qing with a sharp gaze, and exuded a bit of the pressure of a superior.
Su Qing's heart had calmed down at this point, and he smiled faintly at this, "Liang... Chief, can I call you that?"
Liang Zheng nodded.
"Commander Liang, many things at the Dawn Base may sound a little bizarre, but the process isn't important. The only thing that matters is the result, isn't it?"
"I unconditionally provide a place like before the apocalypse to help humanity survive. That's enough..."
Liang Zheng narrowed his eyes, said nothing, and just looked at Su Qing.
Qin Yu, who was standing by, moved and wanted to say something, but Lu Chen reached out and patted him gently. He said softly, "Don't be impatient."
"Hahahaha! Great, great!" Liang Zheng was silent for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter. "This little girl is amazing! She's so courageous at such a young age!"
"I haven't asked you what your name is yet, little girl?"
Su Qing put down the cup in his hand and extended his hand, "Hello, I'm Su Qing."
"Hello, I'm Liang Zheng." Liang Zheng reached out and held Su Qing's hand for a moment before letting go.
Su Qing felt the warmth and strength of that rough hand. Commander Liang held it tightly, as if a person in despair had suddenly grasped the hope of life, wanting to hold on to it tightly, fearing that it would disappear if he let go...
"Your arrival is truly timely. I bet you noticed the uniqueness of this place when you arrived. This is our army's nuclear missile launch base. Suddenly, a blizzard hit, and the temperature plummeted. The people in the city didn't have much warm clothing or supplies, and the army's reserves were limited, so we couldn't even take care of half the people. So, I ordered everyone to be brought here."
"This base is deep underground, where the temperature is higher than on the ground. We have a large amount of war supplies and can generate electricity for heating. At least we don't have to worry about freezing to death here. However... the food consumption for tens of thousands of people is enormous, and food is non-renewable these days. Any more we eat, the less we have."
"We are now distributing food once every three days. Each person has only relied on a pack of compressed biscuits and a small can of canned food to fill their stomachs for three days. Even so, the remaining food is only enough for another month. When all the food is eaten up, the roads outside will be blocked by ice and snow and there will be nowhere to find supplies. I dare not imagine what the situation will be like afterwards..." When Liang Zheng said this, his body, which had been straight all the time, bent a little.
His lips trembled slightly. "So, I dispatched all the helicopters, divided them into several teams, to fly to the surrounding major bases to seek help... But many days have passed, and not a single message has come back. Not even a single helicopter has returned..."
Having said that... Liang Zheng sat on the chair and stopped talking for a while.
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