Chapter 89: Grim

There was no doubt that Zhou Liming was one of those executing the mission.

“Stinking woman, she is definitely abusing her power for personal revenge. It’s just a couple of scratches, and no flesh was lost. Does she really need to retaliate until now?” The moment he heard his name, Zhou Liming’s first thought was that Lian Ruixue was definitely seeking personal revenge using official power. Radiation was not like Fierce Beasts; it was even more terrifying than them. If you were severely injured by a Fierce Beast, you could rest for a month or two and then be jumping around again, but if you were exposed to radiation, what awaited you would be endless tragedy.

In fact, Lian Ruixue did not give Zhou Liming any chance to back out. She hurriedly left the Training Base and headed to Yu A City. No one knew what she was actually going to do.

The order had already been issued. A total of seven people had been selected, including Zhou Liming’s familiar Chen Yejun and Huang Dazhuang. From this, it seemed that the stinking woman was actually taking care of him. She had even sent some of the stronger members of the X Squadron to join his team. Even Qiao Bingsen could not escape being selected.

Besides these three, the other four were new members who had just joined.

These four also came from different units and were all elites of their respective units. They were likely the last batch of true elites. For those selected later, ordinary soldiers with strong bodies could also be chosen. This was precisely why the status of the X Squadron was composed almost entirely of the strongest soldiers in the military.

The seven of them formed a small team. As expected, Qiao Bingsen took on the role of captain.

Qiao Bingsen only gave them five minutes to prepare. At a single command, everyone scattered like birds to go back and get ready.

When they assembled again, more detailed mission instructions arrived on Qiao Bingsen’s Communicator. He simply glanced at them briefly and then led the whole team to the surface. A transport helicopter was already waiting there. As soon as the team boarded, it took off immediately, flying towards Yu A.

Yu A City was not originally very far from here. With the speed of the helicopter, the sprawling heavy industrial city could be seen in the distance in just a moment.

Its prosperity was no less than that of Yue B City. Countless skyscrapers pierced the clouds, and the city’s scale seemed endless. Compared to Yue B City, Yu A City had more historical depth. It had always played a very important role in China’s history. The fact that it was chosen as the Temporary Capital among so many cities was enough to show Yu A City’s status within the country.

When Zhou Liming had been treating at the hospital in Yu A City back then, the population of Yu A City had already doubled. People had built shelters everywhere on the streets and alleys, barely enough to block the wind and rain. But when he flew over Yu A City again half a month later, the terrible scene surprised him as well.

From the helicopter, one could see the peripheral areas of Yu A City, where countless tents had completely surrounded the entire city.

These areas were packed with people. As far as the eye could see, there were millions of tents and crowds whose numbers had not yet been counted. It seemed that every gap was filled with people. Some were walking, some were sitting still, and most were huddled inside tents or their own homes. Although their actions were different, the expressions on their faces were the same.

Numbness. Yes, it was numbness, like walking dead.

Many of them had fled from the coastal areas again and again until they reached Yu A City. The distance they had traveled exceeded two thousand kilometers. The hardships they endured along the way were far beyond what others could imagine. Having arrived here, they had become numb, unsure whether this was a temporary stop or if they had to continue retreating backward.

Even many people often asked themselves: “We have already retreated half a continent. Where else is there to go?”

Compared to the outskirts, the streets inside Yu A City were slightly better, although tents were scattered everywhere. At least the streets were not completely choked with crowds. Cars were rarely seen driving on the streets anymore. The world had fallen into disaster. For China, which relied heavily on imported fuel, the fuel sources had effectively been cut off. The higher authorities could only cut off all civilian fuel supplies. Naturally, without fuel, cars were just piles of scrap metal that could be pushed.

The huge number of refugees and the unimaginable logistical pressure pushed food supply to the red alert level.

The country’s largest granaries had long fallen under the hooves of the Fierce Beasts. Much of the strategically stored grain was concentrated in these places. It could be said that the country had lost more than seventy percent of its grain reserves. The remaining grain could barely sustain the people for one year. After that, they would have to find ways to plant enough grain in several provinces with poor, backward conditions and harsh climates and geography to feed everyone.

This would be an unimaginably difficult task. Several provinces in the west and northwest directions would have to bear the survival issues of over eight hundred million people.

The current environment was indeed testing a person’s talent and also testing whether a country’s leadership could find a way out of this predicament.

They had to not only develop technology but also fight for survival against the Fierce Beasts. They also had to arrange for hundreds of millions of homeless people, solving their food and housing problems. The complexity of this situation was far beyond what Zhou Liming could imagine. It was like a systematic project that had to be distributed bit by bit among countless officials.

Yu A City hosted over a million soldiers to maintain order in this city, which now had a population of sixty million.

Teams of patrol soldiers could be seen walking on every street. Armed helicopters flew over various areas in the sky. In more places, large numbers of soldiers stood in strict readiness, prepared to deal with any sudden situations. Especially in the tent areas, the pace of soldier patrols was even more dense. Chaos was most likely to occur in such places.

Passing over the tent area, Zhou Liming could even hear the noisy sounds coming from below.

The transport helicopter soon appeared in a district south of Yu A City. After undergoing an aerial check, it was allowed to enter the area. In Zhou Liming’s mind, the people living here must be important figures belonging to a privileged zone. Otherwise, even the incoming helicopters would not need to be inspected.

As Zhou Liming had guessed, after landing, the dirt and chaos seen in other areas were gone here. The place remained clean and tidy, and there were no messy people around. Apart from the occasional passing patrol soldiers, the streets were very quiet. Although people lived in the residential communities, there was not a single sound of noise.

The helicopter landed on a main road. A row of various helicopters, totaling over a dozen, was parked there.

Getting off the helicopter, a group of more than ten people was standing nearby, waiting for them.

Negotiations were naturally left to Qiao Bingsen. Zhou Liming and Chen Yejun stayed on the side, while the other four new members followed the “veterans” of the Squadron. Zhou Liming had learned their names and noted their Squadron numbers when he first arrived, so he knew who they were.

Perhaps this mission was indeed very time-sensitive. Qiao Bingsen only went over to have a brief chat and then returned. He shook his head and said, “Get on the helicopter.”

Sitting back on the helicopter, looking out the window, Zhou Liming saw five people walk out from the group of more than ten. The youngest of them was already in his fifties. They boarded another helicopter. They were likely the experts this time who needed to be escorted.

“We are now heading to the military airport, and then we will take a Transport Aircraft to the destination.”

The military airport was more than thirty kilometers away from Yu A City. When they arrived, they could see the airfield densely packed with all kinds of warplanes. Roughly calculated, there should have been nearly a thousand. This place was like a busy port. Countless ground crew members and pilots were busy at work, and various tug vehicles drove along the runway.

The helicopter landed next to another Il-76 Transport Aircraft. Then, without stopping, they boarded the plane again.