Chapter 98
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Chapter 98: Temporary Strategy
The man dared not look any longer, as if his eyes had been pierced by that sharp sword.
He put down the binoculars and calmly instructed his subordinates:
“Lower the safety basket and let her come up alone.”
A simple yet mechanically beautiful device was quickly pushed over from a distance and set up on the city wall.
With the motor’s drive, a lift basket with railings slowly descended, finally stopping on the surface of the river outside the inner city wall.
Zhuang Mian pushed through the crowd and stood in the basket by herself as the motor started to turn in the opposite direction, lifting her up continuously.
Soon, the dazzling golden sharp sword was presented once more to the wall’s defense officer.
“No need, no need, I can really see clearly.”
The Middle-aged Man waved his hands repeatedly, as if he might be pierced by that sharp sword at any moment.
“I do not intend to target any members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Could you explain what is happening in the outer city? Our task is to guard the wall during the riot, but it doesn’t look like that now…”
“Help me contact the upper military command.”
Zhuang Mian said lightly:
“Or maybe you have the authority to open the city gate for the refugees to take shelter.”
“But I can’t just say that!”
The Middle-aged Man’s hefty body trembled, and his stomach shrank back:
“I will help you contact them, why threaten people?”
He mumbled to himself and entered the office behind him to retrieve the communicator emblazoned with the city defense army’s logo.
Zhuang Mian had already reported the previous intelligence to her immediate superior, Wayne, but the current situation was clearly more serious.
She had to report bypassing the chain of command to get results quickly, even if it would involve a bit of… misconduct.
The communicator was quickly connected, and the voice on the other end sounded quite displeased:
“This is the General Command. Please speak.”
“This is Xie Zhengyuan, the city defense officer at the south second gate of the inner city. One member of the Ministry of Internal Affairs wishes to report some important intelligence directly to the General Command.”
On the other end, a clear inhalation was heard.
“Deliver the communicator to him.”
“At your command!”
The Middle-aged city defense officer, Xie Zhengyuan, quickly handed Zhuang Mian the small communicator, as if he were passing a hot potato.
Zhuang Mian swiftly took the communicator and began to report the intelligence she knew to the General Command on the other end.
At that moment in the General Command, Zhuang Mian’s voice was being broadcast loudly, and all the staff members were attentively listening to the situation coming from the front line.
The number of surveillance in the outer city was very limited, which left them nearly completely unaware of the outer city’s situation.
Upon hearing Zhuang Mian’s report about the mycelium-infected individuals and crowd dispersal, the staff member on the line asked Zhuang Mian to hold on. Then the General Command fell into intense discussion.
The focus of the so-called discussion centered on two points:
Whether to allow the gathered crowd to enter the city for shelter, and whether to kill those controlled by the mycelium.
At that moment, another report was transmitted, containing the latest data from the research institutes.
Based on the information provided by Ji Yongxing about the biological field and mycelium infection, Zhou Zhuo and most researchers believed that the number of infections in the outer city had reached a terrifying figure—
Six hundred thousand.
This had already reached one-eighth of the outer city’s total population and one-tenth of Hope City’s total population.
If these crazed individuals were left unchecked, the city defense army on the wall would be attacked from both sides, and it was only a matter of time before they were breached.
Hope City could not afford to lose the outer city, which would be a catastrophic blow.
Even if all the remaining people squeezed into the inner city, countless individuals would starve.
But if these people all perished in this disaster, Hope City would also suffer greatly.
At that point, regardless of whether the beast tide could invade Hope City, the impact of the biological field on the people in the outer city would be enough to disrupt normal life.
In the heated discussion, the sound of slamming hands on the table suddenly erupted, and everyone turned to look at the man clad in a military uniform.
He was a middle-aged man with graying hair, possessing a facial structure as strong and resolute as a sculpted statue. His short hair and the imposing aura of a warrior and a high-ranking leader shone through vividly.
At that moment, all eyes in the General Command were upon him, filled with fear, reluctance, but above all, anticipation.
“Open all communication channels of the city defense army in the inner city.”
With his command, Zhuang Mian’s communicator was transferred to the terminal in front of him, while all the communication devices of the city defense officers in the inner city began to emit beeping sounds.
“I am General Wencheng, the highest commander of the army, and I am issuing the latest order:
“All city gates in the inner city are to be opened. All uninfected individuals are permitted to pass through, guided by the city defense army to nearby open areas for further arrangements.
“Anyone who disobeys this order will face immediate execution.”
He pressed a switch on the terminal before him, and with a brief sound of electricity, the communication channel changed to all the city defense forces in the outer city.
“I am General Wencheng, the highest commander of the army, and I am issuing the latest order:
“All city defense forces in the outer city must hold their positions to resist the beast tide. If infected individuals cross the line, a warning shot will be fired. Anyone who does not retreat will face immediate execution.
“Superpowered individuals and other support units are already on their way. Hold your positions until the last moment.”
After the communication ended, some additional materials for quick identification of infected individuals were quickly sent to each city defense officer’s communicator.
After glancing through the materials, many were instantly filled with rage, wanting to smash something in frustration.
“These damned extraordinary beasts can actually infect humans!”
The double attack had made many frontline city defense officers furious, but as the soul of the team, they had to maintain steady command, even if an extraordinary beast appeared right in front of them at that very moment.
Meanwhile, General Wencheng’s orders had been heard by many soldiers, including Zhuang Mian and Xie Zhengyuan.
For many of them, it was the first time they had heard the general’s voice, and they felt exceptionally excited.
As members of the army, their admiration for the general was as fervent as that of every researcher towards Zhou Zhuo, the Deputy Director.
At this moment, they were merely waiting for Xie Zhengyuan’s command, ready to protect those civilians outside and guide them to a safe area.
Zhuang Mian sighed inwardly. Although she might face internal disciplinary action from the Ministry of Internal Affairs later, she had ultimately saved so many lives, which was not a bad outcome.
Zhuang Mian turned to look down at the wall, her eyes widening in surprise.
She saw several members of her team, the [Butterfly] squad.
At that moment, they all looked disheveled, as if they had just escaped from a fire, their casual combat suits marked with burn marks, scratches, and claw marks, and many wore expressions of lingering fear on their faces.
