binnovel Chapter 22 Building Power
Chapter 22 Building Power
Li Chenglong first waved to everyone, then hugged Zheng Yong and Wu Gang. Zheng Yong said, "It's good that you're awake. We were so worried these past few days." Wu Gang added, "Yes, Captain, seeing you so lively and energetic now, our superhuman team and the garrison brothers are all relieved." Yun Qian said, "Brother Li, you've survived such a calamity; you're sure to have good fortune in the future. You'll definitely become even stronger." Li Xue rushed over and whispered, "Sister Lan has been with you every day these past few days, barely eating anything, and she's lost weight." Li Chenglong nodded, "I'll make it up to her properly."
Just as everyone was cheering, a pretty figure rushed down the stairs and threw herself into Li Chenglong's arms, crying, "You're finally awake! Waaah, I was so worried!" Li Chenglong let Yunlan's little fists pound his chest, holding her in his left arm and gently stroking her back with his right, "It's alright, it's alright, I'm back. Xue'er said you haven't been eating or resting properly these past few days. Go and rest a bit more, I'll go get you some food." Yunlan buried her head in Li Chenglong's down jacket, "Carry me upstairs." Li Chenglong smiled and said to everyone, "Everyone, go back to your posts, I'll go upstairs for a bit." Zheng Yong then said with a smile, "It's alright, you go ahead and do your work. I'd like to have a meeting at 3 pm this afternoon for everyone above the lower-level management level, what do you think?" Li Chenglong nodded in agreement, "Yes, that's appropriate, I can also familiarize myself with the situation." Then he carried Yunlan upstairs.
Once they were upstairs, Yunlan felt that no one was around, and struggled to get off Li Chenglong. But Li Chenglong held her even tighter: "Don't move, I want to hold you a little longer." Yunlan stopped struggling after hearing this. Li Chenglong put Yunlan on the bed: "Li Xue said you've been watching over me for the past three days and haven't had a good rest. Get some more rest." After saying that, he sat down on the sofa next to him: "I know what Longling and Xiaofeng said. I will definitely help them complete the task they entrusted to us. But Longling also said that we can only unlock what they sealed in our spiritual sea when our strength reaches a certain level. So let's put this matter aside for now and focus on improving our strength." Yunlan stared at Li Chenglong and nodded in agreement.
Li Chenglong continued, "The second thing is that to treat my injuries, not only did Long Ling and Xiao Feng sacrifice themselves, but you also took such a huge risk. From now on, even for your sake, I will protect myself well. No matter how great the danger, I will come back alive." Yun Lan's eyes welled up with tears again: "Don't push yourself too hard. One person's strength is always limited. Just don't forget that you still have me, Xue'er, Wu Gang, and other companions. We are your strong support." Li Chenglong nodded, feeling that the topic had become somewhat heavy. Looking at Yun Lan, he suddenly laughed and said, "We're bound together now. You can't go anywhere. From now on, stay home and guard the house." Yun Lan snorted: "No way! I'll fight alongside you from now on. Wherever you go, I'll follow. Don't even think about getting rid of me!"
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Li Chenglong opened it to find a girl of about fourteen or fifteen standing there, holding a tray with several lunchboxes. "Sister Li Xue and Sister Yun Qian said you two must be hungry, so they sent me up to bring you food," the girl said timidly. Yun Lan, seeing the girl, said to Li Chenglong, "This is Chen Liren's sister, Chen Xiaoke." Li Chenglong nodded. "Come in quickly. Have you eaten? Would you like some?" Chen Xiaoke placed the lunchboxes on the table. "I've already eaten. You two eat slowly. I'm leaving." Li Chenglong quickly stopped her. "Wait a moment, sit down first. I have a few words to say to you."
After Chen Xiaoke sat down, Li Chenglong said, "Your brother heroically sacrificed himself before my eyes to cover the retreat of the main force. The situation was too dire to bring him back; we had to bury him on the spot. You must forgive me." Chen Xiaoke nodded, her eyes red, without speaking. Li Chenglong continued, "I told you then that I would treat Chen Liren's sister as my own, and I would personally train you. If you feel uncomfortable because I'm a man, I can have Yunlan or Xue'er train you." Chen Xiaoke shook her head: "No need, Brother Li. When my brother was alive, he often told me to be independent and not to rely too much on others. And now, I'm doing my own work at Sister Yunqian's, and it feels pretty good. Everyone cares about me. Although I don't have combat skills, my water-based ability can purify water. Although the amount purified isn't large yet, it can still contribute to everyone's drinking water safety."
Upon hearing this, Li Chenglong sighed, "Alright, but if you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can come to me immediately. Also, this afternoon we're going to discuss the issue of the families of martyrs. Since you're also an ability user, you'll receive 30% more crystals and 50% more living supplies in the future. Don't refuse this; it's what you deserve." Chen Xiaoke nodded, "Okay, Brother Li and Instructor Yun, you should eat quickly. I won't disturb you any longer." After saying that, Chen Xiaoke quickly left.
Yunlan had already gotten out of bed and walked to the table, opening her lunchbox. Inside were two servings of rice, two servings of chicken soup, one serving of pork and cabbage, and one serving of stir-fried potato shreds with chili peppers. "Qing'an Town is safe, but supplies are extremely scarce, and our numbers are increasing, so our consumption is enormous," Yunlan said to Li Chenglong. Li Chenglong nodded. "That's indeed a big problem. We have a meeting this afternoon, so let's discuss it there. Come on, let's eat." Li Chenglong urged Yunlan to eat, and the two finished their meal while chatting and laughing.
Suddenly, Yunlan seemed to remember something and said, "Oh, right, we heard some big news on the radio yesterday. The General Affairs Council issued a notice through all communication channels, mainly about two things. First, due to the zombie army's attacks on major strongholds a few days ago, many places have lost contact. In order to allow more people to survive, the General Affairs Council has decided to grant local governments autonomy for self-rescue and encourage them to form self-rescue organizations to resist the zombies. The second thing is that the General Affairs Council has announced the effects of the crystals, also to help more people survive." Li Chenglong nodded after hearing this, "That's indeed necessary. The global zombie outbreak a few days ago was too terrifying. If these things weren't announced, ordinary survivors would still be kept in the dark." "In the drum, only destruction awaits us." Li Chenglong then looked at the map of Donghai Province hanging on the wall: "Qing'an Town is too small, which is not conducive to our development, but there are too many zombies in Jinghai City, and it will be difficult for us to break in with our strength. I've decided that after we develop for another month or two, we'll go to Linhai City, which is 160 kilometers to the south. Linhai City is not large, but there is an arms factory there that can provide us with weapons and ammunition, and there is also a high-tech development zone there where we can develop crystal ammunition and zombie virus protection agents." Yun Lan walked over and also looked at the map: "That would be perfect." Then Li Chenglong told Yun Lan to rest for a while, and then went out to discuss the meeting agenda with Zheng Yong and the others.
At 3 PM, the main conference hall in the town office building was already filled with 90 managers from various departments. Li Chenglong carefully reviewed the meeting agenda he had just discussed with Zheng Yong and the others. Seeing that everyone had arrived, Yun Qian had the doors closed and then walked to the stage, announcing, "The first general meeting of the survivors of Qing'an Town is now convened." The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause. After the applause subsided, Yun Qian continued, "There are three main agenda items for this meeting: First, to establish our organization and determine the composition of our key management personnel. Second, to establish our own army. Third, to determine our future course of action. Now, please welcome Company Commander Zheng Yong to preside over the first item."
Zheng Yong stepped to the front of the stage and announced in a loud voice, "I believe everyone is aware of the announcement made by the General Affairs Department yesterday. For the development of our 1970 people, Captain Li, Wang Yousheng, Yun Qian, Wu Suqiang, Liu Qingqing, and I, along with 20 others, have held preliminary discussions and decided to establish our own force, named Dawn Base. Dawn means breaking through the darkness. The gradual transition from night to day signifies that our base will also overcome the darkness of the zombie army and usher in a hopeful tomorrow!" The hall erupted in enthusiastic applause. Zheng Yong continued, "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Therefore, to ensure orders are issued more quickly and effectively during this special period and to maintain execution, we will implement semi-military management. You must explain this clearly to them when you return. The following is the temporary management personnel list for Dawn Base."
Yun Qian stepped to the front and handed Zheng Yong a list. Zheng Yong took it and said, "After preliminary discussion and unanimous approval by our 20 members, the Dawn Base will have one captain and two vice-captains: Captain Li Chenglong, and vice-captains Zheng Yong and Yun Lan. A Coordination Committee will be established with seven members, responsible for major decision-making and overseeing various departments: Li Chenglong, Zheng Yong, Yun Lan, Wang Yousheng, Yun Qian, Wu Suqiang, and Liu Qingqing. A Logistics Department will be established, headed by Yun Qian, with Li Xue as deputy head. A Security Department will be established, responsible for internal security and order management, headed by Liu Dongliang, with Hao Dahai as deputy head. A Management Department will be established, responsible for the daily management of ordinary personnel, headed by Yun Qian, with Liu Qingqing and Wu Suqiang as deputy heads. A Medical Department will be established, headed by Li Xue, with Academician An Qingyuan as deputy head. That concludes our report on the management structure of the Dawn Base. If everyone agrees, we will move on to the next topic. Anyone with objections, please raise your hand." After Zheng Yong finished his report, he returned to his seat. Immediately, the people below began whispering and engaging in a heated discussion, and then all expressed their agreement.
Seeing that no one objected, Yun Qian continued, "Now, let's announce the management personnel list for the Dawn Army. The Dawn Army currently has 400 members, including those with superpowers. There will be one battalion commander, Li Chenglong, and a deputy battalion commander, Yun Lan. There will be two political instructors, Zheng Yong and Wang Yousheng. Each battalion will have three companies, each with 130 members. The company commander for the first company is Wu Gang, the second company commander is Zheng Aiguo, and the third company commander is Hao Dahai. The deputy company commanders will be selected from the best performers in each company, plus recommendations from the company commanders." Yun Lan paused and added, "To minimize casualties among ordinary soldiers, each platoon leader in each company will be at least a level two combat-type superpowered individual."
At this moment, Li Chenglong stepped forward and added, "As our numbers increase, the size of the army will definitely expand accordingly. At that time, I will form a supervisory team to handle corruption or retreat in the face of battle within the army. Also, Yun Qian has some temporary regulations for the Dawn Base. If anyone violates the regulations, regardless of their position, they will be dealt with according to the rules, without any favoritism." Yun Qian nodded, "The base's regulations will be made into booklets and posted on bulletin boards tomorrow morning. Everyone is welcome to read them."
Li Chenglong continued, "Now, let's move on to the third topic: future plans. After discussion, our committee has decided on three things: First, we will continue to expand the population. We will send people to search for survivors and provide them with protection, encouraging them to join us. Second, we will relocate. Qing'an Town is relatively short of supplies, so we won't stay here for very long. We've decided to move to Linhai City in the south in two months, making it our main base. Third, regarding supplies, starting tomorrow, we will implement a new system for distributing supplies. This system will award points based on the total points earned, with more work resulting in more pay and less work resulting in less pay." The system uses a tiered points system. For example, if 500 points is one tier, then 0-500 points earns 3 steamed buns per day, and after 500 points, it's 4 steamed buns per day. These tiered points are an incentive; they reset monthly, and rewards are distributed based on the accumulated points for that month. Finally, regarding the families of martyrs, in addition to a one-time subsidy, the families of soldiers who died on the front lines or in the line of duty receive monthly supplies. If the family consists only of children or elderly people, the supplies are distributed weekly, and a dedicated person will follow up on the payments.
Li Chenglong continued, "That concludes our three agenda items for today. This is our first meeting, and time has been very limited, so many things may not have been covered. If anyone has any suggestions or objections, please feel free to contact any member of the coordinating committee. We will certainly accept them humbly, correct any shortcomings, and strive to improve. Alright, that's it for today." The meeting then ended with enthusiastic applause.
With the establishment of the base, the operation of various departments, and the promulgation of various regulations, the somewhat chaotic survivor base gradually became orderly. In the following days, Li Chenglong chaired another meeting to improve and resolve the shortcomings and problems of the first meeting, and the entire Dawn Base presented a thriving scene.