Chapter 15 Base 091, the Mysterious Wasteland
I don't know how long we flew.
When Zhao Di woke up again, the rumbling sound had subsided.
The helicopter is slowly descending.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes and peered out the window.
I was stunned.
The snow is gone.
Back in my hometown, the mountains and fields were all white.
But here, everything is yellow.
Yellow sand, Gobi Desert, and those big rocks that have been shaped strangely by the wind.
There are no trees, no grass, and not even a single bird in sight.
There was only boundless desolation.
"Dad, where is this?"
Zhao Di was a little scared.
This place looks fierce, like a place where a big tiger lives.
"This is our new home."
Lin Jianguo looked out the window at the desolate wilderness, but his eyes shone with a fiery passion.
He had heard about it from his comrades before.
The country has a major project in the northwest.
That's a place to help Chinese people stand tall.
I never imagined that I would be able to come here with photos of my wife and children in my lifetime.
"Boom—"
The helicopter crashed heavily to the ground.
The wheels kicked up clouds of yellow sand, which pelted the machine with a crackling sound.
The hatch opened.
A blast of dry, cold air, carrying the smell of sand, rushed in instantly.
The wind here is even stronger than back home; it feels like being cut by a knife when it blows on your face.
"Quick! Protect the child!"
Commander Wang was the first to jump down, shouting loudly.
A group of people had been waiting below.
Several military green jeeps and a row of soldiers armed with guns.
The leader was an old man wearing a faded old military uniform and an overcoat.
He was not tall and had a slight hunchback.
But when he stands there, he's like a pillar of strength that can stabilize the sea.
His face was etched with deep lines from the hardships of life, but his eyes were frighteningly bright, exuding a menacing aura that commanded respect without a hint of anger.
This is Commander Zhang, the head of Base 091.
He was a founding general who crawled out of a pile of corpses.
"Old Chen!"
Commander Zhang strode over; his large hands, though withered, were extremely powerful.
He grabbed Chen Zhiyuan's hand and shook it hard.
"You've worked hard! It's good that you're back alive!"
Chen Zhiyuan's eyes reddened.
This journey has been incredibly difficult.
"Commander, I'm not tired."
Chen Zhiyuan stepped aside, making way for Lin Jianguo's family behind him.
"This is what I told you in my letter... Comrade Lin Jianguo, and his daughter, Lin Zhaodi."
Commander Zhang's gaze swept over like a searchlight.
First, he looked at Lin Jianguo.
Upon seeing the strange-looking iron frame on his leg, Commander Zhang's pupils contracted slightly.
nice one.
It's immediately obvious that it's a mechanical structure born for killing and survival.
Then, his gaze fell on Lin Jianguo's arms.
On the little girl who was sniffling.
Zhao Di's eyes were blurred by the swirling yellow sand. She was rubbing her eyes with her little hands, her mouth pouting, looking like she was about to cry.
That tattered cotton-padded coat was patched upon patched, with a patch of dark cotton showing through the cuffs.
Her hair was a mess, like a bird's nest, and her face still had drool stains from when she was sleeping.
Commander Zhang was stunned.
He had imagined countless versions of what a "peerless genius" would look like.
Perhaps he's a precocious child prodigy?
Perhaps he's a young PhD student wearing glasses?
But this one in front of me...
Isn't this just a tiny glutinous rice ball that's barely weaned and not even as tall as the stove?
"Old Chen."
Commander Zhang turned to look at Chen Zhiyuan, his tone tinged with suspicion.
"You're not kidding me, are you?"
"This is the doll?"
You're saying her brain is worth more than an atomic bomb?
Chen Zhiyuan became anxious.
"Commander! Don't judge a book by its cover!"
"You didn't see that blueprint! You didn't see how she found the fault on the plane!"
"This guy is a prodigy! He's a gift from God!"
Commander Zhang frowned and glanced at Zhao Di again.
Throughout his life, he was ruthless and decisive, and he carried a terrifying aura about him.
Normally, the children at the base would avoid him, and some would even be frightened to tears.
He instinctively took a step forward, wanting to get a better look.
That serious expression, paired with that old scar that stretched from his brow bone to his chin (it's faded, but it's still there).
He really looks like the living Yama from a New Year's painting.
Lin Jianguo instinctively tightened his arms, trying to protect his daughter behind him.
But just then...
Zhao Di rubbed her eyes.
She looked at the fierce-looking old man in front of her.
Children have the most sensitive intuition.
She didn't sense any malice.
All she could sense was that the grandfather seemed very tired and hungry.
Just like when Father fainted.
Zhao Di remembered that she still had half a compressed biscuit left in her pocket that she hadn't finished eating.
It was given to her by Commander Wang; she couldn't bear to finish it, so she secretly hid it away.
"grandfather……"
Zhao Di suddenly stretched out her little hand.
In that dirty little hand, she was holding half a cookie that was covered in lint.
"eat."
"Grandpa is eating, but he's not hungry."
The little girl's voice was crisp and clear, standing out exceptionally well amidst the howling sandstorm.
Commander Zhang froze.
He stared at the half-eaten cookie being handed to him.
Looking into those large, clear eyes, as bright and clear as spring water.
That instant.
The old general, who remained calm even when Mount Tai collapsed before him, suddenly had a block of ice in his heart shatter.
How long has it been since he was cared for like this?
In this vast desert, he worked himself to the bone, his hair turned white, and his blood dried up, all in the effort to create that enormous thing.
Everyone feared him and respected him.
Only this little baby I just met, I'm worried he might be hungry.
"well……"
Commander Zhang's voice suddenly choked up.
He stretched out his large hands, which were used to holding guns and commanding thousands of troops, and carefully took the half-biscuit.
It was as if they were receiving some rare treasure.
He didn't mind the dirt.
I stuffed it directly into my mouth and chewed it vigorously.
The dry, compressed biscuits tasted sweet to him.
"It smells so good."
Commander Zhang smiled.
The menacing look on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a smile like that of an old neighbor.
"I want this doll!"
Commander Zhang waved his hand, exuding heroic spirit.
"Relay my orders!"
"Make room in the best family compound in the base! Let the Lin family live there!"
"Also, notify the cooks to slaughter a pig tonight!"
"Let's have a welcoming feast for our little darling!"
The guards and staff around were dumbfounded.
Slaughtering a pig?
The base only raised three pigs in total, which were kept to provide a feast for the thousands of people at the base during the Chinese New Year.
Normally, the commander wouldn't even eat a piece of meat skin.
Today, they're actually going to slaughter a pig just for a little baby?
"What are you looking at! Execute orders!"
Commander Zhang's eyes widened.
"This is our lucky charm!"
"If you get thin from starvation, I'll hold you accountable!"
Lin Jianguo, carrying Zhaodi, followed Commander Zhang into the jeep.
The car bumped along the Gobi Desert, heading towards the gray cluster of buildings in the distance.
That's Base 091.
A place that cannot be found on a map, yet it carries the hopes of an entire nation.
Zhao Di leaned against the car window, looking at the desolate scenery outside.
The system sighed in her mind.
Ugh, this lousy place.
Radiation levels are high, air quality is extremely poor, and water resources are scarce.
[Host, it seems we need to switch to farming mode.]
Otherwise, with these conditions, how can one develop physically? How can one develop mentally?
Zhao Di doesn't understand what the "farming model" is.
She only heard what the fierce old man had said.
"Slaughtering a pig...eating meat..."
The little girl slurped her saliva, and her eyes curved into crescent moons.
This new home seems pretty good.
...
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