Chapter 95: The talk between grandfather and grandson
With the Private leading the way, they quickly arrive at X City"s military district"s command centre. Between the twenty-six cities" military district, there is a secret exclusive communication system linking them all together, ensuring when emergencies arise, vital information can be shared immediately amongst every base.
Back in Z City"s military base, Long Zhanye had already searched the entire place for this communication line and tried to connect to A City in order to contact his grandfather and the troops under his command. However, for some reason, the line was disconnected. During that time, he thought the entire system was severed due to the apocalypse being an unforeseen event. Unexpectedly, X City is still maintaining the link with A City, laying his initial a.s.sumption to rest.
Slender fingers flying across the keyboard, he promptly enters the private military communication system. Entering his own identification number, the screen displaying the military logo changes into a progress bar.
Very swiftly, the bar reaches completion and the screen flashes again, this time showing someone on the opposite end with a dazzling smile, greeting Long Zhanye cheerfully. "Haha…Boss! You are still alive ah!"
A smirk surfaces as soon as Long Zhanye hears the astonished exclamation. It disappears as soon as it appeared, leaving behind narrowed eyes and a snarling grin. "Why? Zuo Hanyang, do you really wish me dead?"
This b.a.s.t.a.r.d, really disciplined him too few times. He actually has the guts to disrespect his superior this way.
"Eh! No, no!" On the other end of the line, Zuo Hanyang"s face pales drastically as he realises a tad too late that he spoke wrongly. A hand clamping over his own mouth, he vigorously shakes his head in denial.
"Don"t make the same mistake again. Where"s my grandfather?" Regarding this Zuo Hanyang whom Long Zhanye has always feel isn"t a too reliable left-hand man, the senior officer is long used to his subordinate"s tactless ways.
"Oh…once the right-hand saw your identification number appear on the screen, he immediately went to inform your Commander-in-chief grandfather." Seeing his Boss is not angered by his slip of the tongue, Zuo Hanyang heaves a sigh of relief in his heart as he obediently answers Long Zhanye.
While this soldier might be a little scatter-brained and occasionally crosses the line due to his thoughtlessness, when he becomes serious, even an entire troop cannot compare to his dedication.
"Hn, the right-hand is still more reliable. There"ll be rewards when I get back." Long Zhanye nods before inquiring. "What"s the situation like in A City?"
Listening to Long Zhanye praising the right-hand man - right adjutant, You Nuandong - Zuo Hanyang"s lips thin before he replies. "On the night of the sudden change, it was Commander-in-chief"s good friend, that Elder Taoist priest grandfather, who read the stars and foretold ill fortune. Commander-in-chief made the prompt decision to take immediate action and proposed a plan, co-operating with B City"s military base to establish a safe zone. At the same time, he pa.s.sed down orders to the other twenty-four cities to do the same…however, many of the other bases didn"t believe him, ultimately leading to their destruction overnight."
"So that"s what happened. Currently, how many military bases have already been attacked? What sort of plans are the President and his Cabinet proposing?" Hearing Zuo Hanyang"s concise report, Long Zhanye understands that the current situation is not too favourable.
"Boss, the…President suddenly turned into a monster that night within his private manor. In that entire building, there is not one living human left. As for the Vice-President, three days before that night, they left for YG[1] as an amba.s.sador. Currently, we still do not know if they are dead or alive. This special line linking the military bases only work within this country. It cannot be used to contact our bases in foreign nations. It is as though there"s a jammer blocking off all foreign signals. As a result, we don"t know if only our country has fallen to this state or if other countries are experiencing similar circ.u.mstances. For now, the Commander-in-chief is shouldering full responsibility for the entire military from A City"s base…so far, eight cities have been breached by those monsters: F, G, H, L, N, Q, T, Z. We have also lost contact with another five: J, K, P, S, W."
"Un, understood."
At this moment, hurried footsteps can be heard off-screen, followed by panting before an elderly with a head full of white hair, clad in black military attire appears on display.
"Child, you finally contacted me! Are you trying to scare your grandfather to death!!"
A quick scan tells Long Zhanye the old man is still as spirited as ever, allowing him to lay his worries to rest and a genuinely fond smile to appear.
"Grandfather"s const.i.tution is still strong. How is it possible for your heart to give out simply by being startled? Furthermore, you must believe in your grandson"s abilities ah. The "Tyrannosaurus of the Army"s" most precious grandson will definitely not be done in by something as insignificant as the apocalypse."
"Hmph, you brat. That…did you manage to find that child?" Grandfather Long harrumphed coldly as he regards his delinquent grandson, concealing the fact that the sight of the youngster"s face eases his heart.
"Haven"t yet. Before zombies roamed the streets, I followed a lead to Z City. But it fell into disarray so I couldn"t continue my search." Long Zhanye shrugs his shoulders, outwardly showing he didn"t give a d.a.m.n, but inwardly pondering over this matter.
It is very likely that little devil who is so good at evading has long been transformed into a zombie and is currently wandering around Z City. (Author"s note: The very same little devil who is so good at evading, little Yuan shou: ……what?)
"Such a thing happened ah…aiya…your life ah…"
"Grandfather, it"s my own life, I will definitely grasp it with my own hands. Before the apocalypse, I couldn"t find them no matter how hard I searched. Now with the world in chaos, how would it be possible to continue?"
"True, these kinds of meetings need to be brought around by fate. If it is destined to happen, it will happen." Grandfather Long is eventually convinced, heaving a sigh before eyeing his precious grandson. "You. Return at once. I"ll let your left and right adjutants bring a squad of soldiers to retrieve you."
"No need." Long Zhanye shakes his head, refusing immediately. "Although A City was the fastest in establishing a safe zone and a workable plan, there is still the matter of insignificant personnel. If my adjutants are sent with a squad to retrieve me, there will be a shortage of manpower over there. On top of that, coming from A City all the way out here would place more lives under my care. There are zombies everywhere, so coming out is not safe. I will be able to reach A City by myself."
"But you are all alone…"
"Don"t worry, grandfather. I have a few comrades with me." A soft smile pulls at the corners of his mouth as he thinks about Huo Zaiyuan.
"Comrades. What sort of people are they that you willingly travel with them?" Seeing the gentle smile playing on his grandson"s lips, Grandfather Long"s quirks a bushy white eyebrow. "The Elder Taoist priest told me those undead are being controlled by an evil source. Aren"t you afraid those companions of yours will enc.u.mber you along the way?"
"They are pretty able." Without the slightest hesitation, Long Zhanye presents his evaluation of Huo Zaiyuan and his friends before answering his grandfather"s question with one of his own. "Grandfather, that Elder Taoist priest mentioned the zombies are controlled by an evil source?"
Demonic aura, evil source…it corresponds with what Huo Zaiyuan said last time. Could it be this apocalypse is really brought about by those ants and swamps?
"That"s right. This old man"s white-coats (researchers) previously captured an undead and dissected it. They discovered a strange gas emitting from the undead"s brains, which nearly caused a big disaster in the research inst.i.tution. Fortunately, the Taoist gave me a protective amulet beforehand." Wading through battlefields for a decade in his youth, Grandfather Long has weathered large gales and experienced impressive storms. Rare indeed are moments when fear flash in his eyes.
"Grandfather, where is the Elder Taoist priest now?" Long Zhanye asks, brow wrinkling.
It seems they need to return to A City as soon as possible…although he did manage to contact his grandfather, there are still quite a few concerns.
"Before that day, he came over to visit me, so until now he is still residing in the military district. In addition, he set down a few arrays in A City"s base, so it is extremely safe."
"Arrays…un, got it." Long Zhanye nods, then continues. "Grandfather, what sort of requests are made when A City"s safe zone offer shelter to survivors?"
"Handing over food supplies will permit them entry into the outer districts of the safe zone. After observing them for three days and confirming there are no problems, they will finally be allowed to enter the inner district."
Hearing this, Long Zhanye smiles and dips his head. "Indeed worthy to be my grandfather ah. And here I was worrying you allowed all survivors direct entry. After being scratched, bitten or poisoned, it will take around five to eight hours for the victim"s symptoms to surface. Attacking the head or spine are the only ways to ensure a zombie truly dies. Another way is using charms and talismans, the kind that Elder Taoist uses!"
"Un, grandfather understands." Grandfather Long nods. "According to investigation reports, it is extremely likely that the cause of this calamity is connected to G City"s dead volcano"s sudden eruption. Because even before the first day of the apocalypse, there was already no signs of living human beings within G City. B City"s military district dispatched a squad of soldiers are well as researchers to investigate, but none returned alive…as Judgement Day approached, there were indications of a second eruption from that volcano. This time, however, it spewed forth some kind of blood red mist that hung over the skies of G City…according to the Elder Taoist, that mist is no ordinary fog, but a cloud of demonic energy. If uncontained, it will continue spreading and the end results will be too horrible to contemplate. Which is why you need to return as quickly as you can."
"Okay." Long Zhanye agrees, lips prusing slightly as he thinks about something else, then slowly speaks. "Grandfather, I think you should issue another order to the remaining military bases and propose a "mercenary squad" plan. These squads will be responsible for scavenging food and supplies, looking for survivors. Going into more details, it will be…"
Long Zhanye ends up talking with his grandfather for a few hours before heading back down to the military district"s office to look for Huo Zaiyuan.
Due to Huo Zaiyuan being someone Long Zhanye personally brought along, and the fact that he patiently explained the safe zone"s security risks not too long ago, this military base"s astute leader is naturally aware of the youth"s special status. Afraid that Huo Zaiyuan will be bored waiting for Long Zhanye to conclude his business, the man had someone bring a few snacks over to please Huo Zaiyuan.
Looking at the snacks place on the table before him, Huo Zaiyuan is not moved in the slightest. Leisurely sipping a few mouths of rich scented tea, his ears finally picks out the familiar gait of Long Zhanye.
"Little Yuan, let"s go."
Placing the teacup in his hands down, Huo Zaiyuan gets up from the chair and walks towards Long Zhanye. Shown out the entrance by the base"s leader, they finally leave this military base.
As soon as he returns to the off-road vehicle, Long Zhanye updates the other three on everything he talked about with his grandfather, consequently bringing up the fact that he has to return to A City as soon as possible. There were no protests, meaning he has unanimous approval.
Early morning the next day, the party of four eats a simple breakfast before bidding the village chief and villagers farewell. Departing from the safe zone, the off-road vehicle treads on the path towards A City once more.
Footnotes:
[1] Name of another country