196: Chapter 196 Yan Zhengping's Frustration

That night was destined to be the Southwest Military Region's second sleepless night.

The last time the Red Coat Sect attacked the Southwest Military Region at night, at least they were human zombies. By setting up layers of blockade lines, they ultimately eliminated tens of thousands of zombies at the cost of over a thousand lives.

But this time, the Zombie Bats were flying in the sky. Their numbers were large, their movement speed was fast, and they were difficult to defend against.

It wasn't until past eight in the morning that the statistics came out. From midnight to dawn, in just a few hours, the Military Region Commander-in-Chiefs office suffered over 3,200 casualties.

Some were injured on the head, some on the back, and some on their buttocks.

Most of them were scratched or pecked.

So far, only 213 people have died.

Yan Zhengping's eyes were bloodshot as he sat at his desk, silent.

Yan Fangfang stood beside him, not moving an inch.

"Just dealt with some Zombie Rats, and now here come Zombie Bats! Fangfang, why does it feel like there's no end to it?" Yan Zhengping leaned back in his chair, looking at the ceiling, feeling very tired.

"Dad, you're too tired. Go get some sleep!" Yan Fangfang felt a pang of heartache.

"Fangfang, contact Xiao Chen and explain the situation here in detail. Have him quickly arrange a batch of targeted medicine and serum; our soldiers need treatment as soon as possible." Yan Zhengping still looked at the ceiling, speaking with a weary tone.

"Dad, I've already contacted him," Yan Fangfang replied.

"Fangfang, do you think I've been a failure as Commander? If the Southwest Military Region were to lose Xiao Chen, I wonder how many people would be left? Perhaps not a single one! First, the zombie attack, then the bat night raid. If it weren't for the Combat Suit, I wouldn't have thought of any way to cope."

One blow after another had left Yan Zhengping, this man of steel, riddled with wounds.

He actually felt a deep sense of frustration and powerlessness.

"Dad! Don't say that! You'll always be my hero!" Yan Fangfang couldn't help but shed tears.

Yan Zhengping shook his head, not responding.

"Fangfang, from July 1st last year when the first confirmed virus infection case appeared, to now, exactly one year has passed. Do you know how many soldiers our Southwest Military Region has sacrificed in this year?" Yan Zhengping asked.

"Not entirely clear!" Yan Fangfang shook her head.

She only officially joined the Southwest Military Region after returning from Oriental Chen's base at the end of last year. Before that, she had been engaged in biological research in the capital. She wasn't fully aware of the previous events.

"A total of 7,386 soldiers have been sacrificed!" Yan Zhengping replied.

"Before you officially took office as the Southwest Military Region's Chief Instructor, nearly 6,000 people had already been sacrificed!" Yan Zhengping added.

"Dad, such situations will become less and less frequent in the future," Yan Fangfang said.

"That's right, they will become less and less frequent. I've thought about it for a long time and still made a decision that breaks the rules," Yan Zhengping said.

"What decision?" Yan Fangfang asked.

"I plan to have Oriental Chen build an underground base for our Southwest Military Region," Yan Zhengping said.

"Dad, Oriental Chen might not agree, right? He's very money-grubbing; he definitely won't do anything without benefits," Yan Fangfang said.

"Money-grubbing? You don't understand him!" Yan Zhengping turned his head to look at her, then continued to gaze at the ceiling.

"The time isn't right yet, so he indeed won't agree. But for every day the underground base isn't built, our soldiers face an extra day of danger. So I plan to take a risky step," Yan Zhengping said.

"What risky step?" Yan Fangfang asked.

"Directly cooperate with the Huatong Chamber of Commerce," Yan Zhengping said.

"Dad! That's impossible. Oriental Chen didn't want the Huatong Chamber of Commerce to get involved with the military, which is why he gave this part of the business to us. Now you're letting the Huatong Chamber of Commerce help us build the base; this will definitely disrupt his plans, and he definitely won't agree." Yan Fangfang knew it was impossible without even thinking.

"You're wrong. I'm not worried about Oriental Chen disagreeing; I'm worried about the council disagreeing," Yan Zhengping said.

"Huh?" Yan Fangfang didn't understand.

"At the Huatong Chamber of Commerce's headquarters inauguration last time, Oriental Chen intentionally let slip a hint, and I believe he did it on purpose. The message he wanted to convey was that he wanted to build a base for the military."

"However, the Military Region isn't our own home. Such a large project definitely needs to be reported to the council for discussion. As things stand, the technological strength Oriental Chen has revealed far exceeds China's current level. Therefore, if this matter goes to the council, cooperation with the Huatong Chamber of Commerce will definitely not be approved. Because if it were, the military might face an extremely high risk of information leakage. You know, once the military is monitored, the consequences can be very frightening," Yan Zhengping explained.

Yan Fangfang nodded, understanding a little.

"That's why I say Oriental Chen is cunning. He doesn't want the council to trouble him, but he also wants to get a foothold in the military, so he threw this problem to me and Zongzheng Yue. Don't you think this kid is completely wicked?" Yan Zhengping asked with a smile.