Chapter 111: Meeting 2
The meeting room was a large hall with a raised stage at the front.
At the moment, there were more than one hundred seats in the hall and a podium on the stage.
Mo Chenxuan and Qin Wu sat near the middle.
After sitting, Mo Chenxuan erected a spiritual barrier around them before he and Qin Wu began talking.
"It seems several Tier-A teams have yet to register." Qin Wu observed, and Mo Chenxuan nodded.
"Team Renegades, Team Soaring Dragons, Team Imperial Guards, and Team White Tigers are out on missions. All other Tier-A teams are here."
"It’s too bad. Fuel will be crucial in the coming winter."
"There are still five days before the mission. Maybe the four teams will make it in time."
"Maybe." Qin Wu said.
At this time, a man walked to the podium.
The man was in his late fifties or early sixties and wore a military uniform.
Seeing the man, army representatives stood up and solemnly saluted.
"At ease." The man said.
Soon after, the hall returned to calm and the man began speaking.
"This time, the army will lead a mission to collect supplies from the YS Petrochemicals Refinery." He started and quickly continued.
"From what we know, the YS Petrochemicals Refinery has a large reserve of fuels, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, heating oil, fuel oil, and liquefied petroleum gas. Additionally, it has reserves of lubricants, asphalt, and wax among other products. This time, our main goal is fuel, specifically gasoline, diesel, heating oil, and LPG."
"As mentioned in the task notice, each team must bring back at least fifty thousand litres of fuel. That said, the base will also compensate for other products."
"Any questions?" The man asked, looking at the gathered people.
However, no one had questions, so the man nodded and continued his speech.
"The mission will begin at dawn, five days from now."
After saying that, the man looked at the front row and beckoned someone to stand up.
Soon after, three people stood up and walked to the front.
"This is Guan Sheng." The man said, pointing at a younger man.
The younger man was in his late twenties or early thirties.
However, he had a resolute face and steady eyes that implied a dependable personality.
"Guan Sheng is a captain in the first army and he will lead this mission. His words are absolute and anyone who defies his instructions will face serious consequences." The older man warned, his eyes narrowed into slits.
Pre-apocalypse, ordinary people wouldn’t dare to defy the authority.
However, the apocalypse was different.
Although the base leadership still had the most power, it was difficult to control powerful superpowers.
After all, the world was shifting from traditional leadership to a stage for the strong.
Unless the base leadership had absolute strength, they could only compromise in some matters involving powerful superpowers.
"Guan Sheng." The old man called, inviting Guan Sheng to the podium.
"Thank you, General." Guan Sheng said and quickly walked to the podium.
"My name is Guan Sheng and I will lead this mission." He started and soon continued.
"First, I will introduce my two deputies."
After that, Guan Sheng introduced the two people who walked to the stage with him.
The first was Ling Hua, a captain in the second army, and the other was Ning San, a captain in the third army.
After the introductions, Guan Sheng gave some basic instructions.
From what he said, each team could bring as many people as they wished but for each ten, one must be a level two combat-type superpower.
Additionally, during the mission, no one could leave the camp or search for supplies without permission.
Hearing this, Mo Chenxuan and Qin Wu were not surprised.
After all, they had participated in army missions in their previous life and knew the basic instructions.
Since no one objected to the instructions, Guan Sheng began talking about the route.
Basically, the army wanted to clear obstacles on the way to the refinery so that the journey back would be smoother.
This was standard practice.
However, Mo Chenxuan frowned when he heard the proposed route.
"What’s wrong?" Qin Wu asked.
"This route passes near a swamp." Mo Chenxuan said and Qin Wu also frowned.
At the same time, she lowered her head to look at their map.
"You are right." She said after a moment.
"This route is long but has the fewest obstacles. However, the swamp is a big problem."
In their previous life, zombie insects and mutant insects began appearing after the first winter.
However, neither Mo Chenxuan nor Qin Wu could guarantee they wouldn’t encounter a swarm of zombie or mutant insects while passing near the swamp.
Fortunately, they were not the only ones who considered this matter.
"Captain Guan, this route will have us pass near a large swamp. I am concerned about zombie and mutant insects." A female voice resounded in the hall.
Hearing the words, Guan Sheng nodded and turned to Chu Wan’er.
"Team leader Chu, we have also considered this matter but the route’s threat assessment is lower than for other routes."
After saying that, Guan Sheng began explaining.
Originally, the army considered five routes.
The first route crossed a large city centre and was immediately disqualified.
After all, choosing that route would force the army and teams to clear the city before they could proceed.
Similarly, the second and third routes crossed zombie or mutant plant-dense areas that would require a larger force to clear.
As for the fourth, the route was mostly good but incomplete due to a broken bridge. Unless they stopped to repair the bridge, they wouldn’t be able to reach the refinery.
With no other choice, the army could only settle for the fifth route, which passed near the swamp.
After listening to the explanation, many people agreed but Mo Chenxuan and several others didn’t.
After all, they had more experience than people who had just entered the apocalypse.
Excluding fellow humans, the evilest things in the apocalypse were not zombies, mutant plants or animals, but insects.
This was a cruel lesson that humanity learned in the worst way possible.