binnovel Chapter 291 Cooperation
Chapter 291 Cooperation
Zhou Qiang led his men, guided by a squad of soldiers from the city defense department, towards the city center. Because it was winter, the areas of Dawn City near the city walls were still largely undeveloped and appeared somewhat desolate. However, the further they went in, the more surprised they became.
They hadn't even walked 1km north when they saw a number of buildings. The rebels noticed many main heating pipes extending from the ground, branching off into various smaller pipes that reached the residential buildings. A soldier from the city defense department explained to Zhou Qiang, "To ensure that every resident of Dawn City is protected from the cold, in addition to the comprehensive heating system, there is also central air conditioning to provide warmth to every household."
As they walked, they came to a food street. The members of the resistance were already drooling as they walked down the street, because the food smelled so good. It was lunchtime, and many people were eating there, including some superhumans. Even Zhou Qiang was tempted to have a big meal, because life at their resistance base was tough, and even he, a level 10 superhuman, hadn't had a proper meal in a long time.
Li Chenglong had already contacted Zheng Yong, the political commissar of the Dawn Army, and Feng Tian, the chief of staff, via his crystal phone, and also notified Ma Tiancheng, the deputy city lord of Dawn City. Now that the resistance delegation had arrived, it was essential to inform them all, to avoid any problems later.
Twenty minutes later, some high-ranking officials from Dawn City and the Dawn Army arrived at the reception room on the first floor of the Dawn Building. Zhou Qiang, Li Qingshuang, and Liu Changsheng from the resistance side sat on the right side of the reception room, while Zheng Yong, Feng Tian, and others sat on the left. Li Chenglong also instructed the central computer office to turn on the recording equipment to record the video and audio of the meeting.
The three men and their companions were all taken by Li Chenglong to a public restaurant next to the Shuguang Building for a meal. Li Chenglong specifically emphasized that they could eat as much as they wanted, as long as they didn't waste food, it would all be free. Zhou Qiang and his two companions were also a little hungry, but when they heard that Li Chenglong wanted to sit down and talk with them, they put aside their thoughts of eating.
Li Qingshuang recounted the situation and experiences of her resistance army to the attendees, and also handed a personal letter from her commander to Li Chenglong. Zhou Qiang said, "Our leader originally said that we could only take out this letter if Lord Li allowed us to enter Dawn City; otherwise, the letter would be treated as if it didn't exist."
Li Chenglong opened the letter and passed it around with Yun Lan, Zheng Yong, and others. The letter first praised Li Chenglong and Dawn City extensively, then explained the current difficulties faced by the resistance army, and earnestly requested that the Dawn City Autonomous Region provide a place for nearly ten thousand resistance soldiers and civilians to live, promising to leave once they recovered. Finally, it mentioned wanting to use crystals to purchase a batch of supplies from Dawn City to solve their immediate crisis.
Yunlan said, "The three of you, this matter is of great importance. We need to have a short meeting to discuss it, but it will take no more than an hour. We will definitely give you a reply. Please go to the canteen in the government building for lunch first." Zhou Qiang nodded, "Okay, then we will wait for good news." Then, the three of them, guided by Pei Ji, went to the canteen in the Dawn Building.
The other leaders of Dawn City sat down together and began to discuss the matter. Half an hour later, Li Chenglong slammed his fist on the table and decided to allow the rebel army and civilians to temporarily station themselves in the northwest of the Dawn City Autonomous Region. He then agreed to exchange supplies for a batch of crystals with them, under the guise of humanitarian aid. The other leaders felt there was no problem with this arrangement; even if other bases knew that Dawn City had been in contact with the rebels, they couldn't say anything.
Li Chenglong, on the other hand, was already prepared. He whispered a few words to Wang Jie, and then Wang Jie left. Soon after, the Eastern Theater Command and the headquarters of the Anxi Base received Li Chenglong's report. Generals Sun Tianlong and Chen Guoqiang contacted him one after another, expressing their agreement with Li Chenglong's handling of the matter.
Forty minutes later, Zhou Qiang, having eaten and drunk his fill, returned to the reception room. He excitedly said to Li Chenglong, "Lord Li, to be honest, we've been on the move a lot lately, and I haven't had a proper meal in a long time. I never expected that Dawn City would have such delicious food, so clean and tidy, and even an automatic food delivery robot. It's amazing!"
Li Chenglong smiled but didn't speak. Feng Tian said from the side, "The three of you, after discussion, we have agreed to your request. However, your activity area is limited to the area we have designated. There is a new residential area in the northwest of Dawn City that has been under construction for several months, and most importantly, it has heating installed. However, since it is not yet completed, no one lives there. You can stay there temporarily for now."
Yunlan continued, "As for the issue of supplies, we agree. Moreover, considering humanitarian considerations, our prices will definitely not be too high. You can discuss this matter with Minister Yunqian of our Logistics Department. We have already made arrangements on our side."
Upon learning that Dawn City had approved their application so quickly, the three were overjoyed and repeatedly expressed their gratitude. Zhou Qiang and Liu Changsheng then went to gather their men, preparing to accompany Wang Jie to Yun Qian, the head of Dawn City's logistics department, to finalize the purchase of supplies. Li Qingshuang stayed behind, intending to give a detailed account of their resistance army.
After Li Qingshuang's explanation, they learned that their resistance army was one of the eight units of the Resistance Alliance, officially known as the Second Resistance Army. The commander was a woman, but she always wore a veil, and even Li Qingshuang and the others had never seen her true face. Moreover, not only had they never seen her face, they didn't even know her name; she usually only allowed others to call her Lei Qingcheng or General Qin.
After more than two hours of negotiation, Zhou Qiang and Yun Qian finally finalized the first batch of traded goods. After handing over a portion of the crystals, Yun Qian said that the first batch of goods would be transported back with them this afternoon, and that they would deliver them to their door.
Seeing that the mission was complete, Zhou Qiang and the others thanked them repeatedly and then left with the people from Shuguang City who were delivering supplies. For safety reasons, Li Chenglong also specially called on the special forces team to accompany the logistics department's supply delivery personnel to protect their safety.
Yunlan asked, "What do you think of this resistance force?" Li Chenglong smiled and said, "These few dozen people are only a small part of their resistance force, so it's hard to judge them now. However, I've become a little curious about them. Let our intelligence department keep an eye on the resistance forces in our autonomous region and report any unusual situations immediately. When Yang Liu returns, we can also ask her about what the special forces have seen and heard."
The two chatted for a while longer before heading to the office. They still had some work to do that day and couldn't let this matter waste their time.