284: Chapter 284 As Expected

After the trade ended, although the atmosphere on site remained cold, the hearts of the personnel of The Authorities were burning hot.

Although those mountains of supplies had been moved away...

...the shock left in their hearts would not subside for a long time.

More importantly, the supply delivery receipt they held in their hands was real, life-saving food.

Major General Li Tiejun watched the group of soldiers carefully loading several cages of old hens onto the armored vehicles.

His gaze was gentler than if he were looking at his own son.

"Easy! Everyone be gentle! If one gets broken, I'll stew you all!"

He roared, but his voice carried an irrepressible joy.

With these chickens, they could have eggs.

With eggs, they could hatch chicks.

With chicks...

This meant an endless supply of chicken meat and eggs!

This was hope!

Seeing Li Tiejun looking like he was guarding a cornucopia, Ji Wushuang, standing behind Lin Yuan, couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Look at that old man, his drool is almost reaching his chin. It's just a few chickens, isn't it? Our base's cafeteria has more leftover chicken bones than that every day."

She carried that Flame Greatsword, which was larger than a person.

While boredly kicking the snow on the ground with her toe, she complained.

Tang Shiyun pushed up her glasses and said indifferently:

"To someone who is starving to death, the chicken bones in your eyes are a Manchu Han Imperial Feast. This is the resource barrier."

"Alright, stop bickering."

Lin Yuan interrupted their whispering and looked toward Li Tiejun and Zhao Dezhu, who were walking over.

The expressions of the two were somewhat subtle.

Their previous ecstasy had been restrained.

It was replaced by a hesitant conflict, looking like poor relatives who wanted to borrow money but were too embarrassed to speak.

"Mr. Lin..."

Li Tiejun rubbed his hands together, his face covered in a flattering smile, his weathered old face smiling like a dried chrysanthemum.

"That... can we have a word in private?"

Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow and looked at him with a half-smile:

"What? Is General Li unsatisfied with the trade just now and wants to take off his military coat and sell it to me too?"

Li Tiejun's old face turned red, and he quickly waved his hands:

"No, no, no, how could that be. There's... there's an important matter I'd like to report to you privately."

When he used the word "report," it sounded extremely natural.

Clearly, under the dual crushing weight of martial and financial power just now, this Major General of The Authorities had subconsciously placed himself in a subordinate position.

Lin Yuan nodded, signaled the women to stay put, and followed Li Tiejun toward the Bulletproof Command Vehicle.

As soon as he stepped into the vehicle, the warm air hit him.

Although it was far inferior to the constant temperature system in Lin Yuan's base, it was like heaven in this icy and snowy world.

The car door closed, cutting off the view from outside.

The smile on Li Tiejun's face vanished instantly.

It was replaced by a deep solemnity, even... a hint of fear.

From his inner pocket, he pulled out a sealed document bag.

The words "Top Secret" were printed in bright red on the bag, and the seal had a wax stamp.

"Mr. Lin, this is the last data report sent back by our Meteorological Department and Ocean Monitoring Station before we lost contact."

Li Tiejun handed the document to Lin Yuan with both hands.

His voice was very low, as if afraid of disturbing some unspeakable existence.

"Originally, this was top secret, and only the Capital Headquarters had the right to view it. But... I feel you have the right to know."

This was not just a gesture of goodwill, but also a way to test the waters.

The Authorities had realized that they could not withstand certain crises on their own.

Lin Yuan took the document and casually tore open the seal.

He pulled out a few photos and data tables from inside.

The photos were very blurry, mostly satellite cloud images and some long-distance shots of the sea surface.

But in those gray tones, one could still see some heart-pounding images.

The first photo was of a coastline.

The coastline, which should have been frozen, now appeared an eerie black.

That wasn't the color of the seawater, but... densely packed creatures.

Countless strangely-shaped marine life forms were piled up on the shore, like a wriggling carpet spreading toward the land.

The second photo was a sonar image of the deep sea.

Deep in the pitch-black ocean floor, several giant red dots were moving slowly.

The data annotated beside it was shocking:

The third photo was the ruins of a coastal city.

The skyscrapers that once stood there were now only half-remaining.

And at the broken gaps, some kind of huge, slimy tentacles seemed to be wrapped around; those tentacles were thicker than subway tunnels and covered in nauseating suckers.

Lin Yuan looked at these photos, his expression remaining calm, not even a frown.

It was as if he wasn't looking at some doomsday crisis, but at today's dinner menu.

Li Tiejun had been secretly observing Lin Yuan's expression, and seeing him so calm, his heart couldn't help but feel even more awe.

"Mr. Lin... you... aren't surprised?"

Lin Yuan casually threw the photos on the table, leaned back in his chair, and said indifferently:

"As expected."

"The resources on land have been almost eaten up, so those guys in the sea naturally want to come up and change their taste. This follows biological laws, doesn't it?"

Li Tiejun's mouth twitched.

What kind of biological law is that?!

Those are monsters eight hundred meters long!

If they crawled onto the shore, just rolling over could crush a whole division!

"Ahem... Mr. Lin has a unique perspective."

Li Tiejun wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and continued:

"According to the experts' speculation, the recent abnormal tides and sudden drops in temperature are all caused by the activities of these Deep-sea Behemoths. They... seem to be migrating inland."

Speaking of this, Li Tiejun's voice trembled slightly.

"Several coastal bases of The Authorities have already lost contact. The last message sent back was only two words—'Tsunami'."

"But our analysis shows that it wasn't a natural tsunami at all, but... a Beast Tide."

The cabin fell into a deathly silence.

Only the sound of the wind and snow outside whistled past.

Li Tiejun looked at Lin Yuan nervously, waiting for this "true god's" judgment.

He knew that if even Lin Yuan said there was no hope, then humanity might really be finished.

Lin Yuan's fingers tapped rhythmically on the table, making a "da-da" sound.

Every sound seemed to strike Li Tiejun's heart.

After a moment, Lin Yuan spoke.

"This intelligence has some value."

He pointed to the documents on the table.

"Although the photos look like they were taken with a potato, I can barely make out a few big guys."

Li Tiejun breathed a sigh of relief and quickly asked:

"Then... what does Mr. Lin think we should do? Should we evacuate? Evacuate inland? Or..."

"Evacuate?"

Lin Yuan sneered.

"Evacuate where? Are there no Mutated Beasts inland? Besides, can you outrun a tsunami?"

Li Tiejun's face turned pale: "Then..."

"Prepare your defenses."

Lin Yuan stood up and straightened his collar.

"Reinforce the city walls and prepare more fire-type and lightning-type weapons. Seafood is afraid of fire and electricity; that's common sense."

Li Tiejun was stunned.

Seafood?

Calling those extinction-level behemoths seafood?

This was just too...

"Mr. Lin... if... I mean if..."

Li Tiejun grit his teeth and finally asked the question he wanted to ask most, "If we really can't hold out... will you... take action?"

When this sentence was uttered, the air seemed to freeze.

This was not just a request for help, but a test of submission.

Lin Yuan looked down at Li Tiejun.

His gaze was as deep as an abyss, as if it could see through all the fear and calculation in his heart.

Just as Li Tiejun was about to break under the pressure and kneel.

Lin Yuan suddenly laughed.

"General Li, you know my principles for doing business."

"As long as the price is right, on this piece of land, if the King of Hell wants to take a life, he'd have to ask me for permission first."

This statement was incredibly arrogant.

But to Li Tiejun's ears right now, it sounded like heavenly music!

This was not just a promise, it was a life-saving talisman!

"Understood! Understood!"

Li Tiejun nodded repeatedly in excitement.

"As long as you are willing to act, The Authorities are willing to pay any price! Even if we have to sell everything we own!"

"Alright, stop painting me pictures."

Lin Yuan waved his hand and turned to open the car door.

"When that time really comes, remember to keep the hotline open. And..."

He stopped, looked back at the photos on the table, and a playful arc curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Tell your people not to try using nuclear bombs. Those things won't kill them; they'll only feed them and make them stronger. If they mutate into Godzilla by then, it'll be too late for tears."

After saying that, Lin Yuan pushed open the door and strode into the wind and snow.

Leaving Li Tiejun alone in the car, dazed.

Godzilla?

Isn't that from the movies?

Could it... really exist?

But now that it's the Apocalypse, the appearance of a Godzilla isn't that far-fetched...

Li Tiejun shuddered and quickly grabbed the secure phone on the table to dial the headquarters' line.

...