Chapter 544: China Declines
Lu Xiao's gaze wandered between Zheng Yi and Zheng Tongzhi several times, then turned to Zhao Qiang.
Compared to the two men's obvious anxiety, Zhao Qiang clasped his hands, lowered his eyes, and didn't know what he was thinking. He noticed Lu Xiao's gaze and looked up.
Zheng Tongzhi was still chattering away. When Zheng Yi saw their eyes meet, his heart tightened. He stood up suddenly and shouted at Zheng Tongzhi, who was chattering away, "Shut up!"
After returning from Yueban Bay, Zheng Yi began to deal with questions and claims from various bases in a hurry. Even though he noticed the change in attitude of some psychics in the team, he turned a blind eye to Zheng Tongzhi's anger because of the approaching zombie tide.
Zheng Tongzhi never expected that he would attack him at this time. He didn't dare to confront Lu Xiao, who was crazy and wanted to take everyone with him, but Zheng Yi...
Zheng Tongzhi sneered and stood up. Invisible energy spread out from his body and he clenched his fist with great force and struck towards Zheng Yi. As he took action, several psychics standing behind him also became alert and headed towards Zheng Yi.
Zheng Yi's anger, which had been suppressed by various oppressions and plots for the past few months, was clearly revealed at this moment. He grabbed Zheng Tongzhi's hand, seemingly without any strength, but in fact, supernatural power was flowing through his arms.
The energy emanating from their bodies caused the corners of their clothes to move, giving a feeling that a great battle was about to begin.
The tense atmosphere in the conference room caused by the zombies was suddenly broken.
Zhao Qiang crossed his arms and watched the scene, looking like he was enjoying a good show, assessing Zheng Yi's strength.
Lu Xiao glanced at the two of them, thinking about the possibility of defending the Kyoto base and the route and timing of retreating to the Yuebanwan base.
With such a partner, he no longer has any hope for the future of the Kyoto base.
Just as Lu Xiao was thinking about whether to leave now, the door of the conference room was pushed open.
A figure with gray hair and a cane walked in slowly and firmly.
He was wearing a pre-apocalyptic military uniform with medals hanging all over his chest. The old man's face was covered with wrinkles left by the years, but his eyes were still firm. Even though he needed the help of a cane to walk, his back did not bend at all.
"grandfather?"
"Second uncle?"
When Zheng Yi and Zheng Tongzhi spoke, they simultaneously withdrew their supernatural powers.
"Grandpa, why are you here?" Zheng Yi walked towards Mr. Zheng, frowning and looking at the guard who followed him, "What's going on?"
"The old man heard about it..." The guard raised his chin towards the outside of the city and whispered, "The situation outside."
Zheng Yi pursed his lips and opened his mouth to explain, but when the words came to his lips he only said, "Grandpa, you are still sick, go back and rest, I can handle it."
Old Master Zheng glanced at him, and the look that used to be kind and approving now showed deep disappointment. He said nothing, walked past him to Zheng Tongzhi and asked, "From now on, the Zheng family army will be deployed by me. Do you have any objection, Tongzhi?"
Zheng Tongzhi felt more fear than respect for this previous generation leader who had been at the helm of the Zheng family through all the ups and downs for decades.
But this was the closest he had ever been to the position of the head of the family, and he still wanted to struggle.
Zheng Tongzhi licked his lips, glanced at the several psychics following behind him, and said with a difficult smile, "Second uncle, if you are ill, go back and take care of yourself. Let us youngsters handle these troublesome matters..."
The slap on the head not only made Zheng Tongzhi a little confused, but also made several psychics around him not know what to do.
Mr. Zheng is an ordinary person, and if they use their super powers even a little, the consequences will be disastrous.
But they are facing a figure who is like the ancestor of the Zheng family. No matter who will eventually take charge of the Zheng family army, it is their family's business and it is not their turn to take action.
After several psychics figured it out, they looked at each other and silently took two steps back.
"You have brought shame to the Zheng family." Old Master Zheng looked sharply from Zheng Tongzhi to Zheng Yi, and then swept across the psychics who were traveling with the Zheng family.
"If I had stayed at home, I would have no idea that the younger generations of my Zheng family could be so short-sighted... cough cough..." Old Master Zheng became emotional and started coughing violently. Zheng Yi hurried forward and wanted to pat him on the back, but was slapped away by Old Master Zheng with such force that he tilted and almost couldn't stand.
The guard who followed him quickly helped the man and helped him calm down.
"Second Uncle" was hit on the head with his cheek tilted to one side. Zheng Tongzhi seemed to have just reacted. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his hand and asked calmly, "Do you remember how many people in the Zheng family have the same generation as you?"
Mr. Zheng looked up at him.
Zheng Tongzhi's eyes were calm, without any trace of his previous selfishness and timidity. It was as if a layer of skin had been peeled off, revealing the calm yet turbulent inner self underneath.
“Eighteen,” Zheng Tongzhi answered himself, “My four older uncles all joined the army and died on the battlefield. The two children left behind also joined the army. One disappeared when the end of the world came, and the other was attacked by zombies while protecting civilians while building a base.”
"In your family, second uncle, your three elder brothers died while carrying out missions in peacetime, and your two elder sisters became scientists in the military and were assassinated by other countries, leaving only three children in the next generation."
"My family... heh..." Zheng Tongzhi chuckled, "My two brothers also died in the army. As for my brother and sister-in-law, if I hadn't stopped them from joining the army, I'm afraid they wouldn't be alive today."
"In Fourth Uncle's family..." Zheng Tongzhi looked at Old Master Zheng, "They must be all dead."
Old Master Zheng's lips trembled violently, and he heard Zheng Tongzhi questioning in a calm voice, "Every younger generation was sent to the army by you. You said that the Zheng family is a big tree that needs to grow and cannot wither... So, they lost their lives for the continuation of the Zheng family."
"They... sacrificed their lives for the country," said Mr. Zheng with a hint of hidden pain in his voice, "the country and the people will always remember them."
“Hahaha…” Zheng Tongzhi laughed out loud, as if he heard a joke. Tears welled up in his eyes. He wiped them away, turned to look at the person closest to him in the meeting room and asked.
"Do you know the name of the man who stayed behind to cover the retreat of the main force on the ** battlefield?"
The person he was questioning said nothing, pursed his lips and avoided his gaze.
Zheng Tongzhi looked at the other one and said, "Do you know the name of the captain who died while trying to protect national information when the ** Arsenal was attacked by spies?"
“…”
"Did you know?"
"Did you know?"
Zheng Tongzhi had a crazy look on his face. He walked past several people in the conference room and asked them one by one. Finally, he looked at Mr. Zheng and asked, "Who remembers them?"
"These are the people they are protecting," the voice full of hatred said, "I just want everyone to continue to live. How can I bring shame to the Zheng family?"
"Is it the fate of the Zheng family to die protecting these mediocre people?"
"Are we born to die in obscurity?"
"What" the country and the people remember"... hehe..."
"No one remembers them, this is just an excuse to persuade them to die willingly"
Zheng Tongzhi patted his chest and argued.
Perhaps it was because the lives lost by the Zheng family were too tragic, or perhaps it was because everyone was speechless and ashamed, the meeting room was silent.
"During the ** War, the team that stayed behind to cover the main force was the 306th Company. Their company commander was Captain Zheng Tongan, who led his 97 men to divert the attacking troops and gave the main force a chance to win the battle. In that battle, our death toll was 13,221."
"**Arsenal was attacked by spies. The special operations Golden Eagle Squadron was the one that died with the spies while protecting the data. The team leader, Major Zheng Tongtai, saved the precious data at the last moment. No one in the entire team survived. In the North Sea freighter provocation incident, the pilot, Lieutenant Zheng Tonghe, fell into the sea and died while trying to protect national interests..."
Lu Xiao's voice was neither hurried nor slow, and it sounded in the conference room with a heavy sense of solemnity, attracting everyone's attention.
He answered Zheng Tongzhi's questions in the astonished eyes of the man, saying that not only the Zheng family, but also many other people sacrificed for this country.
Some names are remembered, some are just numbers.
But history remembers the marks they left behind. They used their lives to create the bricks and tiles, and piece by piece they built the future of this country and its people.
Lu Xiao took a deep breath and smiled at Zheng Tongzhi, "Thank you for reminding me."
Lu Xiao stood up and resumed his ruffian appearance. For a man in his forties, time had only engraved calmness and reliability in his bones and blood, but had not made him mediocre and mediocre.
He moved the joints of his body with a crackling sound and looked at the people in the conference room who were transformed from pre-apocalyptic soldiers and policemen. "After struggling for so long, I almost forgot that I am a soldier."
"The moment I decided to join the army, I was ready to sacrifice for this country and to protect the people of this country at any time."
Zheng Tongzhi sneered, as if he was laughing at someone who had been brainwashed again.
"Maybe no one knows my name, but... I hope my achievements will last forever," Lu Xiao emphasized each word, "The future our ancestors created for us with their lives must not be because they wanted us to escape."
The smile on his face suddenly disappeared, and he looked at his teammates who had been following him, "As a soldier, I will never be a deserter!"
Cong Qing immediately understood what he meant.
He gave up and left.
Cong Qing glanced at the golden eagle sitting in the corner not far away, walked forward with a smile, clenched his fist and hit Lu Xiao's fist, and said the words they had not mentioned for a long time, "live and die together."
"Live and die together!"
**
Kyoto, as the capital of the country before the end of the world, represents a completely different meaning in the eyes of everyone.
This is a beacon in the hearts of the people across the country at the beginning of the end of the world, and it is the hope for the existence and survival of this country.
The loss of Kyoto seemed to mean the decline and fall of a country, and also represented the complete end of that peaceful and stable era.
No one wanted to leave this safe fortress that they had built with great difficulty.
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