amaotonovel Chapter 282 Severe Crackdown
Chapter 282 Severe Crackdown
In just a few minutes, Li Chenglong had led his special forces team to eliminate all the zombies and armed men, leaving only a tall, thin man in a suit and gold-rimmed glasses. Yang Liu walked over to Li Chenglong and said, "Captain Li, all the civilians have been rescued and counted. There were 51 people in the vehicle. What's most infuriating is that 30 of them are under 18 years old. We just gave them a simple physical examination, and apart from some malnutrition and mental trauma, they're fine."
Wang Shuang kicked the skinny man, waking him up from his near-fainting state. She demanded sternly, "What exactly happened? Tell me now, or you'll die." The man, now awake, was already kowtowing repeatedly, saying, "It was our base leader who ordered us to do it. It really has nothing to do with me. Please don't kill me!"
Dong Meng said sternly, "You only have 5 minutes to explain the whole story. The timer starts now." The man immediately said, "My name is Li Jian. Our base is called Qinghe Base, and there are more than 10,000 people in it. The leader is named Wang Hai. He found me two months ago and asked me to carry out a mission. He didn't tell me any details. When I arrived, I found out that it was a deal with zombies..."
Li Jian spoke for about ten minutes straight, revealing everything he knew. It turned out that Wang Hai, the leader of their Qinghe base, had somehow connected with the zombies and reached an appalling cooperation agreement. Every month, the Qinghe base would send 300 living people to the zombies, in exchange for minerals and even crystals. According to Li Jian, this deal had been going on for at least three or four months.
Wu Ruilan turned off the recorder; it was for later evidence. She had also taken many photos and even recorded videos. Seeing that the man had finished speaking, Li Chenglong said, "Alright, I keep my word. You can go now, but don't let me see you again." Li Jian, overjoyed at being granted a pardon, quickly tried to escape. However, before he had gone more than two hundred meters, he was surrounded by the rescued people. Then, screams of agony came from the center of the encirclement; Li Jian was beyond dead.
After everyone had vented, Li Chenglong walked up to the 51 people and said, "I'm sorry you've suffered. We are the troops from Dawn City. After learning about your plight, we came to rescue you. Now you have two choices: one is to leave here, and we will give you some food; the other is to come with us to Dawn City. However, Dawn City will be very strict. As long as you abide by all the rules and regulations of Dawn City, you will definitely be dozens of times better off than you were at Qinghe Base."
Actually, this choice wasn't difficult at all. Anyone with a brain would know to choose the second option. After all, it was December, the weather was freezing cold, and there was the threat of zombies and other strange creatures. Going to Dawn City was undoubtedly the best choice. Moreover, they had heard of Dawn City and Li Chenglong's reputation many times before, but it was too far away to go. Now that they had the opportunity, they had to choose to join.
Seeing that everyone wanted to join, Li Chenglong instructed Yang Liu to select 15 special forces members to escort the 51 people back to Shuguang City. The other 35 special forces members would follow him and arrive at Qinghe Base before 8 p.m., take Qinghe Base within an hour, and annihilate all the resistance fighters.
Han Xiaoling took out some food from her storage space and distributed it to the civilians to help them regain their strength. Then Yang Liu selected 15 special forces members to escort the people to Dawn City in trucks. Currently, the lowest-ranking special forces members in Dawn City are all level 8 ability users, making their escort mission somewhat of a waste of their talents.
After the civilians and escort team left, Li Chenglong checked his watch; it was already 4 p.m. After the special forces soldiers had rested, Li Chenglong said, "The distance from here to Qinghe Base is 320 km. It's 4:15 p.m. We need to reach Qinghe Base before 8 p.m., and then follow my orders."
This time, Li Chenglong drove, Yang Liu sat in the passenger seat, and Han Xiaoling, Wu Ruilan, and Wang Shuang sat in the back as usual. Currently, the special forces team is still predominantly female, with only five male members: Dong Meng, Jiang Dali, Jiang Cheng, Song Yuchen, and Li Fusheng. There was originally also Liu Chuanfeng, but he was transferred to be a regimental commander in the first half of the year and made great contributions in the last major battle.
In fact, during its development, the Special Forces have provided many outstanding talents to various departments of Dawn City and the Dawn Army. For example, Chu Xiu, who was previously in the Special Forces, is now the chief of staff of the 002nd Regiment of the 1st Combat Division of Dawn City. Another example is Liu Chuanfeng, who is now the commander of the 010th Regiment of the 2nd Combat Division of the Dawn Army. Another example is Zhao Liying, the deputy director of the Central Computer Office, and Wang Xiao, a member, who were both from the Special Forces. There are countless such examples. According to Yang Liu's statistics, the Special Forces have provided 20 mid-to-high-level cadres to Dawn City and the Dawn Army in the past year and a half.
Yang Liu, sitting in the passenger seat, asked, "Captain Li, what's our plan? Should we just attack directly?" Li Chenglong smiled and shook his head, "No, I plan to go with you guys and, under the pretense that our base has been reported and we're here to inspect it, go to their Qinghe base, expose their leader Wang Hai, and force them to take action. That's much better than attacking directly."
Wang Shuang asked from behind, "It's good to use the pretext of a surprise inspection, but we don't have any documents, which is a problem." Li Chenglong said, "We do. I already spoke with General Chen Guoqiang, and he sent me the documents. Now we have the right to investigate. It's up to them to decide what to do. If they take action, don't hold back. Anyone who resists can be executed."
At 7 PM, to ensure the special forces members were in peak condition for the upcoming battle, Li Chenglong ordered the car to stop and rest for half an hour. Han Xiaoling took out pre-prepared boxed lunches made with high-grade Dawn Rice, alien beast meat, and fresh vegetables from her storage space and distributed them to everyone. The lunch location was in an abandoned residential area. Although it was freezing cold, they were all at least level 8 ability users, so the cold wasn't a problem for them at all.
While eating, Li Chenglong explained his plan to the special forces team, which they unanimously approved. After everyone finished eating, Li Chenglong collected the disposable lunch boxes, put them in a large garbage bag, tied it up, and threw it into the garbage chute on the side of the building.
Then he took out some strawberries, all grown in the natural zone of his psionic space. They were absolutely pure, natural, and free of pests. Yesterday, Li Chenglong had picked several hundred kilograms, washed a lot of them, and distributed them to his parents-in-law and Li Xue and a few others. He also gave quite a few to some department heads and officers. Now there were only about thirty kilograms left, so he simply took them all out and let the special forces members eat some as they pleased.
As for Yunlan, Li Chenglong wasn't worried about her. After she reached level 10, her spiritual energy space was already 1 square kilometer in size, and the ratio of the natural area to the storage area was 6:4, meaning that 0.6 square kilometers of the area was natural, where she could grow whatever she wanted. Li Chenglong didn't need to worry about Yunlan's fresh fruits and vegetables at all; she knew how to eat much better than him, often growing different kinds and eating them with her son.
The special forces soldiers took out strawberries from the large basket and ate them. They tasted sweet and sour, with a rich strawberry flavor. Moreover, since they were fruits of psionic plants, they could restore a person's physical condition and completely eliminate their fatigue.
At 7:40 PM, Li Chenglong ordered the special forces soldiers to set off. They were very close to the Qinghe Base, and in less than an hour, the special forces convoy arrived at the base's gate. Two bunkers were built on either side of the gate, along with some fortifications and hidden bunkers nearby. After careful observation, Li Chenglong determined that the defense force at the gate numbered approximately three hundred men.
A man who looked like an officer walked over and said, "May I ask which unit you are from, and what brings you to our Qinghe base?" Since there were several military vehicles in Li Chenglong's car, it was normal for them to be recognized. Yang Liu took out his officer's ID from the driver's seat and said, "We are acting on orders from the Eastern Theater Command because your base has been reported, so we have come specifically to inspect it."
The officer's expression changed, and he said with a forced smile, "So it's the superior officer. However, I can't make this decision myself. Please allow me to inform him." With that, he stepped back and spoke to a few people nearby. Then, some of them quickly left, seemingly to inform their superior officer.
At this point, Li Chenglong also had the special forces soldiers get out of the vehicles and stretch a bit to prepare for the upcoming battle. About 15 minutes later, the gates of Qinghe Base slowly opened, and countless lights shone onto the road. A tall man led a group of people out. Li Chenglong compared this with the information he had obtained and confirmed that this man was the highest-ranking officer of Qinghe Base, and the mastermind behind the bloody trade between humans and zombies.
Wang Hai walked over with a smile and said, "So it's the special envoy. I'm so sorry for not welcoming you sooner. It's so cold. Please come in quickly. I'll have someone prepare a hot meal for you right away." As arranged by Li Chenglong, Yang Liu temporarily acted as the leader of his team, while he himself changed his clothes slightly and followed beside Yang Liu.
Yang Liu took out the documents from the Eastern Theater Command and showed them to him. She said seriously, "We received a report that someone saw some people at your base engaging in illicit transactions with zombies. The headquarters takes this matter very seriously and sent us here to investigate. We hope Commander Wang Hai can cooperate."
Wang Hai's expression changed, but he quickly recovered and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll accept the inspection, but it's too cold outside. Let's go inside the base first." As he spoke, he was about to lead the special forces soldiers inside. As soon as they entered, the gate of Qinghe Base was firmly closed, and then at least several thousand armed men, including many with superpowers, surged in from the side.
Yang Liu's face turned cold, and she asked in a chilling voice, "Wang Hai, what do you mean by this? Are you planning a rebellion?!" Wang Hai chuckled maliciously, "Since it's been brought up, I'll be frank. Yes, we have a deal with zombies, but we're just ordinary civilians who eat for free. What's the big deal if a few hundred die? Since you all know, I'll give you two choices: either be surrounded and killed here, or go back obediently. I don't need to teach you how to report, right? Hahahaha."
Li Chenglong shook his head and sighed slightly. He had been wondering how the man would feign compliance with the special forces soldiers and try to get away with it. He hadn't expected this fool to expose himself so directly and even try to use these small fry to threaten him and his men. He was truly overestimating himself.
Yang Liu said sternly, "You'd better think this through. I'm giving you one last chance. Make them lay down their weapons immediately and submit to our inspection." Wang Hai coldly shouted, "Do you think I'll have a chance to live even if I lay down my weapons? Since you're so stubborn, don't blame me. Open fire!"
The moment Wang Hai gave the order to fire, Li Chenglong shouted, "Action!" and immediately charged towards Wang Hai, a level 9 water-type ability user. The other special forces members also sprang into action, rushing into the enemy ranks and indiscriminately slaughtering their way through. In an instant, the sounds of gunfire, shouts of battle, cries of pain, screams of agony, pleas for mercy, and groans filled the air. Wherever the special forces went, the rebels fell one by one.
Li Chenglong threw Wang Hai's head in a conspicuous place and shouted, "Surrender and you will be spared death; those who refuse to surrender will be killed without mercy, and those who cause trouble will also be killed without mercy! Those who surrender, immediately throw down your weapons and lie on the ground." Before he finished speaking, many rebel soldiers raised their weapons to indicate their surrender. When they heard that they had to lie on the ground, they all threw down their weapons and immediately did so.
However, not everyone was so pragmatic. Several level 8 ability users, seemingly high-ranking members of the Qinghe Base, still recklessly charged forward. Li Chenglong gathered energy in his right fist: "Dragon Fist Burst!" Instantly, a giant red dragon flew out from Li Chenglong's right hand, striking the ability users fiercely. To the horror of the people from the Qinghe Base, the ability users were swallowed up by the red dragon before they could even utter a word, leaving not even ashes behind.
Seeing that everyone had surrendered, Li Chenglong divided the 30 special forces soldiers into three groups. One group was to wipe out the remaining resistance forces in the base, another group was to rescue the imprisoned civilians, and a third group was to take over the base's warehouse and confiscate the property of the corrupt officials. The other five special forces soldiers remained with him.
Jiang Cheng introduced, "Listen up, everyone. This is General Li Chenglong, the city lord of Dawn City, commander of the Dawn Army, and also the deputy commander of the Eastern Theater Command. We are his direct special forces team." Everyone turned to look at Li Chenglong, who was staring at them seriously, and were startled. Li Chenglong was a renowned figure, said to be the strongest fighter in China, and known for his strong sense of justice, decisive actions, and brilliant military strategy. They never expected to meet him in this way.
At this time, the troops from Black Gold City, led by Shangguan Wan'er, the younger sister of Shangguan Jingyun, also arrived at Qinghe Base. After learning what had happened, they took all those people away for a public trial. Those who deserved to be executed would be executed, and those who deserved to be exiled would be exiled. After taking stock, there were still more than 8000 civilians and some unsuspecting officials at Qinghe Base. After discussion, Li Chenglong decided that Shuguang City and Black Gold City would each take half of the people.
The following day at noon, the four departments of the Chinese Military Commission, the Chinese End-of-Day Countermeasures Committee, the Chinese People's Congress General Committee, and the Chinese General Affairs Council jointly issued a statement. They first praised the contributions made by Dawn City and Black Gold City in this battle, and then sternly stated that if any traitors like Wang Hai were to appear in the future, they would not be tolerated.