Chapter 290
Wei Yenwu nodded, satisfied with the result.
"Alright, then we'll wait for your good news."
Rhodes Island's intervention to block the Core City plots adds an extra layer of protection to the entire operation. He will still formulate countermeasures and plans as usual, so that he can promptly control the situation if the opponent fails.
Kal'tsit had no intention of staying any longer, and after politely saying goodbye, she left with Amiya and the Doctor.
The three of them took the elevator to the lobby on the first floor.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, Kal'tsit revealed her secrets:
"I've already sent Operator like Meteorite, Jessica, Frostleaf to scout the outer perimeter of the Core City. So far, there's been no sign of the Rhodes Island. I'm considering whether to have them stay put or wait for reinforcements to arrive before going deeper."
Although the Doctor had lost his memory, he hadn't forgotten his battlefield command skills. Upon hearing this, he offered his personal suggestion:
"Let's wait until the reinforcements arrive before sending them to investigate further. If there are no problems in the Core City, they won't move towards Lungmen. Sending Operator to explore prematurely will only alert them."
Kal'tsit nodded, finding it quite reasonable:
"You used to be like this too, always able to pinpoint the problem perfectly. Back then, well, you've forgotten about it anyway, so it's better not to bring it up. It's a blessing in disguise that your leadership skills haven't deteriorated."
The Doctor clenched his fist slightly.
January 4, 1097, 9:00 AM
After a detailed geographical survey, Shi Lei built a stone city on a mountain near the border of Yan in Ursus, which could accommodate 50,000 people and was called Liyue City.
He left enough space in the north of the city for future expansion. Currently, the Qianyan Army only has a little over two thousand men; there's no need to build too large a force.
There are two water sources near Liyue City, one of which flows only in the mountains and can be used as a backup water source.
During construction, Shi Lei preserved some of the century-old trees on the mountain. Without deliberately cultivating greenery, he was able to add a touch of vibrant life to the city.
Considering the complex terrain of the mountainous area, where there are sometimes significant differences in elevation between adjacent locations, he used Rock Constructs to fill and re-cover the ground, paving large areas into platform avenues. He also laid out a trade route from the east gate, branching into two roads: one leading to the western part of Yan, and the other through the western part of Higashi.
However, Liyue City has not yet established any caravans; the trade routes only extend to the mountains within the borders of two countries. No roads leading down the mountains have been built yet to avoid causing trouble.
The capital city of Liyue is located at an altitude of about 1,000 meters. This altitude, combined with the reinforcement of the mountain crevices by Rock Constructs, is sufficient to protect it from natural Catastrophe such as tornadoes, earthquakes, and large tsunamis.
Shi Lei can fly and freely enter and exit the city. Ordinary people only have two ways to enter Liyue City.
The first way is to walk up the stairs.
In the south, Shi Lei built a thousand-tiered staircase leading directly from the ground to Liyue City. Each step is 20 centimeters high, and there are a total of four thousand steps. From a distance, it resembles a brown sky road that can ascend to the heavens.
The last two hundred meters is a narrow pass used to defend against foreign invasion. The passage is one meter wide, with smooth rock Shi Lei on both sides, making it difficult to climb using grappling hooks.
If a large army attacks in the future, simply blocking the pass with stones will be enough to defend Liyue City. Truly, one man can hold the pass against ten thousand.
The second method is to use an elevator.
Shi Lei constructed straight elevator shafts in the southwest, northwest, southeast, and northeast directions of Liyue City. He also built a transport transfer station at a height of 333 meters and 666 meters, each equipped with a sentry post.
Even if the 333-meter outpost is captured, there's no way to enter Liyue City. The 666-meter transfer station will intercept you a second time, requiring three transfers before you can enter the city.
It's troublesome, but it's safe.
The main reason was that Shi Lei was concerned that a 1000-meter elevator was prone to breakage. Therefore, at Hegre's suggestion, it was changed to three sections for segmented transportation.
An elevator, as the name suggests, requires electricity to operate. But Qianyan Army has none, so he needs to come up with a solution.
During these nine days, Shi Lei took a trip to Trimon, an A Thousand Miles Away. He found Kristen, the Director General of Rhine Lab, and asked her to help procure a large quantity of easily stored food, seeds, generators, and other equipment.
Kristen was more than happy to accept such a request. She offered to help with the procurement and said she would pick up the goods in a few days.
As Shi Lei left the park, he overheard employees discussing the resignation of the head of the Defense Department Saria. His whereabouts afterward were unknown.
On the morning of January 4, Shi Lei used Rock House to bring more than 1,500 Qianyan Army and more than 500 family members up the mountain.
Faced with the magnificent city built in just one week, they really didn't know how to describe their feelings at that moment.
It's not because Liyue City is so magnificent, but because this will be their true home.
Shi Lei was very satisfied with the city he had built, feeling as if he were starting a simulation of city management. He wondered what scale it would eventually develop into.
Throughout, he never bothered to find out if Hegre possessed any maternal qualities. He had originally intended to ask directly, but then felt it inappropriate and changed his mind at the last minute.
The main problem is that Shi Lei currently has few capable generals, with only two military talents.
Asking this right off the bat could put immense psychological pressure on Hegre. And regardless of whether he has any saintly qualities, he'll be employed eventually.
Shi Lei felt it was inappropriate to ask a few days ago, so he deliberately delayed until after settling in Liyue City. Testing him now would leave a better impression than asking a few days ago.
"Knock knock".
Upon hearing the knock, Shi Lei responded:
"Please come in."
Hegre pushed open the door and entered, bowing reverently:
"Leader, what brings you here?"
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Hegre didn't know why Shi Lei wanted to see him alone, so he closed the door behind him.
He then stood straight in place, a habit he had developed during his many years of military service.
Shi Lei sensed that the other person was a bit reserved, so he slightly raised his right hand to gesture for him to sit down and talk slowly.
"Relax, it's nothing serious, sit down."
Hegre did as he was told, but still placed his hands on his thighs, sitting upright.
Seeing that he was still a bit reserved, Shi Lei didn't bother to persuade him any further and casually said:
"Liyue City is newly built and everything is waiting to be developed. There are so many vacant positions, are there any that interest you?"
Upon hearing this, Hegre's expression eased slightly:
"Leader, even if you hadn't brought it up, I was planning to talk about it sometime. As long as I don't have to lead troops, you can assign me any position."
This answer was exactly what Shi Lei wanted to hear. He continued to guide the conversation along this line:
"In terms of battlefield command ability, you are in no way inferior to Broca. Why do you suddenly not want to lead troops? Is there some difficulty you have?"
Mentioning past glories, Hegre became somewhat embarrassed and explained with a slightly awkward tone:
"Leader, that's all in the past. I don't like political struggles, nor do I like getting involved in internal factions and infighting. It would be best to assign me to a relatively easy position with little conflict of interest."
Over the years, I've witnessed too much life and death, and the coldness of human nature. Now I'm a dull knife, no longer as sharp as before. Of course, if you have other arrangements, I will absolutely obey. Even if you asked me to don my armor and go back to the battlefield, I would have no objection.
Shi Lei did not give a direct response, neither agreeing nor refusing:
"But we're short-staffed right now, so we'll have to put you in charge for now. Here's what we'll do: I'll give you a few questions. See if they suit you for the position of logistics manager."
This request was reasonable, Hegre had no reason to object, so he nodded in agreement:
"No problem, Leader, please ask."
"Imagine you are now the Minister of Logistics, managing all the food in Liyue City. Every day, you distribute it to every Qianyan Army on time and in the correct quantity. One day, I go out and issue an order not to accept any Infected. At this moment, an Infected mother and daughter happen to arrive. Would you take them in out of pity?"
Hegre shook his head, answering decisively:
"Won't."
"If they haven't eaten for several days and want you to give them some food, how would you handle the situation? Would you go to the storeroom and get some food for them?"
Hegre for a moment, then said seriously:
"As the logistics minister, I am only responsible for storing the food for everyone; I do not have the authority to distribute it. There are rules for how it is distributed, and it cannot be misappropriated without authorization. I will most likely share my own food with them."
Shi Lei remained calm and began to guide the discussion towards extreme environments, adding new restrictions:
"What if there were more than two people, but two hundred pairs of mothers and daughters? How would you solve the problem if you didn't have enough food?"
Hegre's pauses became noticeably longer:
"Rules are rules, and obeying orders is a soldier's duty. But outside of the rules, I will find ways to help them. If there isn't enough food, and we can't use the warehouse's reserves, I will ask other Qianyan Army if they are willing to donate some food. This must be entirely voluntary; I will not force them to do so."
"Even if doing this would cause them to starve to death, you're unwilling to use the grain stored in the warehouse?"
"Yes, leader. I have done everything I could outside the rules to help. But if that still doesn't change anything, I will accept the outcome."
Not bad, not bad, it seems we misunderstood him.
Hegre's question about why not save everyone wasn't due to an overflowing sense of compassion, but rather because he possessed a quality that others lacked.
Human touch.
An old general who adheres to the rules and has a touch of humanity would be perfect as the head of logistics.
Shi Lei was very satisfied with this perfect answer. As for whether his words and actions were consistent or inconsistent, a few questions alone cannot tell.
Only time will tell.
"One last question. If you're appointed as the Minister of Logistics, you'll be under the Broca. I heard your rank used to be significantly higher than his. Are you comfortable working under him now?"
Hegre didn't think for long and nodded in agreement:
"It's acceptable, Leader. No matter how high my rank was before, it has nothing to do with the present. I no longer serve the Emperor of Ursus, but am a member of the Qianyan Army. I never dwell on past glories; only the future is worth looking forward to."
Shi Lei concluded the meeting, some unspoken suspicions subtly dissipating:
"Okay, you can go out now. While you're at it, Broca in; I need to talk to him about something."
"Yes, leader."
Hegre, with a devout posture, quickly left.
After Patriot entered the house, Shi Lei gave some instructions and then left again. He had only brought some food and seeds from his trip to Trimon a few days ago, and this time he needed to bring the generator and some electrical equipment back to Liyue City.
Previously, when using Rock House aircraft for manned flight, factors such as air pressure prevented them from flying too fast. The journey from Lungmen to Lake Baikal is over 1,000 kilometers and takes two days.
If it were a single person, they could fly at high speeds at an altitude of four to five thousand meters. With Shi Lei's powerful physical body at the Archon Realm, he could withstand wind pressure that ordinary people couldn't bear.
The journey from Lungmen to Trimont is over 2,000 kilometers and only takes about 20 hours. We set off this morning and will be back on the evening of January 6th.
January 4th, 9:30 AM
When Amiya and the other two returned to the This Ship last night, it was already around 1 a. m.
At this time of day, the Core City is completely dark, with no light source visible. Recklessly turning on a flashlight to search would only make you a sitting duck in the shadows.
Kal'tsit ordered the Reconnaissance Squad to withdraw first, taking turns to stand guard in safe areas. They were instructed to closely monitor the movements of the Core City and report any unusual activity immediately.
At 9:30 a. m., Amiya gathered more than ten Elite Operator and went to investigate with the Doctor.
Considering the potential unknown dangers lurking in the Core City area, we brought along the incredibly potent Rosemary to deal with any unforeseen circumstances.
Other Elite Operator such as Ace, Scout, and Blaze provided full support to prevent the Doctor, whom they had finally managed to rescue, from failing in the first mission.
Last night, Meteorite and his team only investigated the outer perimeter of the Core City. Today, they ventured deeper and, as expected, discovered remnants of the Rhodes Island.
Two infected individuals were setting up a pot to boil water in the rubble, seemingly preparing breakfast. Five other infected individuals were sunbathing, their locations quite far apart.
The Doctor once used the PRTS system in Chernobyl to command the Operator in a brilliant battle.
This time, he once again took on the role of commander, controlling the PRTS system on his mobile phone. By making good use of the existing troop configuration, he cleanly and decisively ended the battle.
Amiya was overjoyed to see that the Rhodes Island had been successfully wiped out thanks to the Doctor's calculations.
"Not bad, the Doctor."
The Doctor covered his face with a semi-transparent mask, making it impossible to see his expression. Like an emotionless machine, he calmly directed his Operator through battle after battle.
The Reconnaissance Squad advanced rapidly, quickly moving from the outer area into the central zone.
"21, 22..."
Scout lowered the sniper scope and pointed on his phone:
"There are people here, here, and behind this ruin. There are 22 Rhodes Island in total."
The Doctor nodded and imported the simulated base map of the area using PRTS. After a brief moment of thought, he provided a detailed operational command plan.
The Operator acted on orders, launching an attack on three Rhodes Island members. They eliminated them simultaneously to prevent the spread to other infected.
Just when everyone thought victory was assured, a faint Black Mist suddenly appeared near Frostleaf.