188: Chapter 188 Training Ends

"Mayor Zuo, may I ask why you've come to see me today?" Commander Zongzheng Yue got straight to the point, not bothering with pleasantries.

"Commander Zong, I'm here again about the Red Lotus Sect," Mayor Left Wen Shan replied.

"Mayor Zuo, I already made it very clear to you last time that I will not interfere with the Red Lotus Sect's affairs," Commander Zongzheng Yue said.

"Commander Zong, you don't know the full story. This morning, the Red Lotus Sect brazenly came to the Settlement to distribute flyers, misleading ordinary people into believing in them. If we don't suppress them, I'm afraid that over time, people's hearts will become restless!" Mayor Left Wen Shan said urgently.

"Mayor Zuo, these are internal affairs of your Settlement. I think you should look for reasons and solutions internally," Commander Zong refused.

"Commander Zong, does that mean you plan to completely stop inquiring about the Settlement's affairs from now on?" Mayor Left Wen Shan's tone turned cold.

"That's right!" Commander Zong replied.

"Is this your intention, or the Council's intention?" Mayor Left Wen Shan continued to ask.

"Whether it's me or the Council, the intention is the same," Commander Zong left no room for maneuver.

"So that means, no matter what decisions our Suiyang Anbu makes in the future, the Military Region and the Council will not interfere?" Mayor Left Wen Shan confirmed again.

"Yes!" Commander Zongzheng Yue replied.

"Oh, alright! Commander Zong, since that's the case, I'll take my leave now!" Seeing Commander Zongzheng Yue's resolute attitude, Mayor Left Wen Shan prepared to depart.

"Mayor Zuo, take care!" Commander Zongzheng Yue directly saw him out.

...

Binjiang City Underground Base.

"Assemble!"

Upon hearing the assembly command, the trainees quickly came to the base hall and lined up.

"Trainees, as of today, you have completed three months of training. It's time for you to leave," Oriental Chen said.

Everyone remained silent.

"After these three months of training, I believe you have mastered basic survival skills. As long as you're not too foolish, I believe you can live very well in this apocalypse."

"I can tell you clearly that I had a purpose in training you. However, I don't like to force people, after all, a forced melon isn't sweet. Now I'm giving you a chance to choose, and this will be your last chance to choose."

"Now, listen to my command: those who are unwilling to obey orders and unwilling to take risks to carry out missions, take one step forward," Oriental Chen said.

The trainees looked at each other, but no one stepped forward.

"How about this, all members of the regular group, turn around!" Oriental Chen shouted again.

The regular group consisted of 156 people, excluding the 30 people specifically trained for the Southwest Military Region and the 54 people specially selected by the base to form the Special Operations Team.

These 156 people turned around in unison.

"Listen to my command: those who are willing to join the base, willing to carry out base missions, and even dedicate their lives for it, take one step forward," Oriental Chen shouted loudly.

This time, more than half of the people took a step forward.

"Good, trainees who stepped forward, fall out. Everyone else, re-form your lines."

"You all line up over here," Oriental Chen said, pointing to another empty space.

The trainees willing to join the base quickly arrived at the empty space and stood in line.

"Count off!"

"1, 2, ..., 93, 94."

There were a total of 94 ordinary trainees willing to join the base.

The remaining 62 people had not expressed their stance.

But not expressing a stance was the best attitude.

These 62 people lowered their heads in shame.

"I just said that I don't like to force people. You have the freedom to choose, and I respect your choice. There's nothing to be embarrassed about, you don't need to lower your heads."

"Later, I will arrange for planes to take you away. I hope that after you return to your hometowns, you can use your own strength to protect the peace of your area."

"I apologize, but before you leave, you must return all your equipment. Of course, it's not that I'm stingy and can't bear to part with these things. It's that without the base's protection, you won't be able to keep these things. Perhaps, after others find out, it will even bring you danger. The saying 'an innocent man is guilty because of his treasure' is this very principle," Oriental Chen said.

Everyone remained silent.

"Alright, I'll give you 10 minutes to pack your things. After 10 minutes, everyone must gather in the commuting area, and planes will take you back to your respective Settlements one by one. Dismiss!" Oriental Chen said.

These 62 people quickly left the hall and returned to the resting area to pack their belongings.

It wasn't that Oriental Chen was rushing them to leave, but the upcoming arrangements were not suitable for those who intended to withdraw to know. Therefore, sending them away early was the best choice.

The others, not having received Oriental Chen's command, could only wait in place.

Ten minutes later, 10 planes took off successively, leaving the base.

Only after the planes had taken off did Oriental Chen begin the next set of arrangements.

The remaining 178 people had the following structure:

Ordinary trainees: 94 people;

Southwest Military Region directed training: 30 people;

Base Special Operations Team reserve trainees: 54 people.

"Next, I will play a video for everyone."

Oriental Chen gave instructions to Xiao Lin, and an animated video about the ecological crisis began playing on the large screen in the hall.