Honorary Lieutenant General

The meeting continued.

When the Six Great Base Cities were announced, most of the attendees showed little reaction.

It was clear that China's senior leadership had been considering this decision for a long time.

At this point, they were simply preparing for the worst.

As the Base Cities were established, their leaders were also granted the greatest possible authority.

But at a critical time like this, that was only natural.

Afterward,

many other related decisions were announced.

Every one of them spoke of helplessness and resolve.

As the monsters continued to widen the gap between themselves and humanity in both numbers and strength, communication between the Base Cities would become a major problem.

Only limited communication could be maintained through the satellites overhead.

China's leadership had run through countless projections of the future.

But none of the possible outcomes looked promising.

Fortunately, a powerhouse like Teng Qingshan had emerged, and he had even created the Genetic Origin Energy cultivation method and the Guidance Technique.

These gave China a glimmer of hope.

As long as they concentrated their strength and endured this most difficult period,

then, once more powerful fighters emerged in China and could stand against the strongest monsters, the country would finally have made it through the worst of times.

But...

Could they do it?

The animals that had once been docile across China's vast lands had mutated and evolved into savage, terrifying monsters.

What was more,

many monsters had appeared that no one had ever seen before, and they were even more terrifyingly powerful!

All of this filled China's senior leadership, who had access to the full picture, with anxiety about the future.

After all, these enemies weren't human.

They were monsters standing against humanity!

Humanity had once eaten them.

Now the opposite was true: most people had become food for monsters.

After a long while,

all the decisions and additional measures had been announced, and this far-reaching meeting finally came to an end.

From here on,

each Base City would have to face the crisis on its own.

With dangerous monsters everywhere—in the ground, the sky, and the waters—

transportation had ground to a complete halt.

China was no exception.

Across this vast land,

Teng Qingshan was the only person who could fly. But no matter how powerful he was, how much could one person accomplish?

To survive this Monster Crisis,

China as a whole would have to grow stronger.

When the projection at the front of the room went dark,

Wang Hai felt no excitement at becoming the nation's top leader. All he felt was endless worry and fear.

If a powerhouse like Teng Qingshan emerged among the monsters, what would become of the Jiangnan Base City, planned around Yangzhou City to house more than a hundred million people?

With this tremendous responsibility weighing on his shoulders, even Wang Hai, who had weathered countless trials and hardships, felt the immense pressure.

"Qingshan."

"Yes, Chief?"

"From now on, we'll have to rely on ourselves. Building the Jiangnan Base City in Yangzhou City and Mashan will be a difficult task."

"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, the Base City plan will succeed!" Teng Qingshan's eyes were filled with resolve. There wasn't a trace of hesitation or evasion in them.

"Excellent! For China to have a powerhouse like you, Qingshan, is truly Heaven's blessing!" Only after hearing Teng Qingshan's assurance did Wang Hai feel he had solid ground beneath his feet.

"Then let's get started. The Base City plan begins now. Qingshan, let's study the map."

As he spoke, Wang Hai led Teng Qingshan over to the map nearby.

It showed the planned boundaries of the Jiangnan Base City.

As expected, it covered several provinces surrounding Yangzhou City.

The surviving people in those provinces would have to gather in Yangzhou City, which would then be expanded.

It was an extremely difficult task.

Every province had once had tens of millions of people. Although more than half had died in the first wave of monster attacks,

the surviving populations across those provinces still added up to two or three hundred million!

Of course, it would be impossible to evacuate all of them safely to Yangzhou City.

But if they weren't evacuated, very few would survive.

With no other choice,

they had to make a painful sacrifice.

The monsters hadn't evolved too far yet, and conventional weapons could still threaten them. They had to seize every moment to evacuate the people and gather all their strength to fight back.

"Qingshan, our plan for the Jiangnan Base City has two stages. First, we'll help the surviving people from the surrounding areas migrate here. Second, we'll continue expanding Yangzhou City." Commander Wang Hai pointed at the map as he spoke.

"Of course, we'll carry out both stages at the same time. But the planned Base City is enormous, with room for a hundred million people, and we intend for it to become self-sufficient in the future. So we'll need to set aside more land for farms as well. As for food, most people may have to eat synthetic food from now on."

"But we don't need to worry about food for the next three years. Our stockpiles should last for quite some time. The only thing we need to focus on is clearing enough territory to begin building the Base City as soon as possible."

Wang Hai had someone bring over a tablet.

He tapped it a few times.

A map of Yangzhou City appeared, and then he made a few more adjustments.

"Qingshan, we plan to designate the original Yangzhou City as the main urban district of the Jiangnan Base City. Other areas, like Yi'an District, will become subordinate districts. Then we'll expand each district to ten times its original size! Of course, this will only create the rough outline. Once the migrants arrive and we have more manpower, we'll develop the city further."

"I understand. What do you need me to do now?" Teng Qingshan asked.

"It's simple. First, clear all the monsters from this area. Then help the armies in the surrounding provinces evacuate the people here."

"All right, understood."

"This is a military watch. It connects directly through the satellites. Put it on, Qingshan, so we can stay in touch."

As Wang Hai spoke, he took a black watch from his pocket.

Its face was intricate and complex, and the watch felt heavy in his hand.

Teng Qingshan took it and put it on his left wrist.

"By the way, Qingshan, have you considered joining the military?"

Wang Hai suddenly asked. "If you agree, then once you've earned enough merit, I can have you take over as commander of this military region!"

"Uh..." Teng Qingshan was taken aback, but still declined.

"Thank you for thinking so highly of me, Chief. For now, besides helping China survive the Monster Crisis, I intend to focus on martial arts and explore the limits of human cultivation. I really can't divide my attention, so I don't plan to join the military just yet. I hope you understand."

"Very well. I respect your decision, Qingshan. But if you ever want to join the military, our doors will always be open to you!" Wang Hai wasn't surprised by Teng Qingshan's decision.

To reach such an astonishing level in martial arts before the age of twenty, it was unlikely he could devote himself to other matters as well.

"We expected you to make this decision, Qingshan," Wang Hai continued. "So, after discussing it, we've decided to appoint you Honorary Lieutenant General! We're also establishing a Special Operations Team, with command entirely in your hands."