199: Chapter 199 Lingyue and Lingluo

“Building these underground defensive works will require a considerable number of crystalss.”

“What’s the price?” Yan Zhengping asked.

“Each underground work will cost at least 500,000 crystalss,” Oriental Chen replied.

“500,000! That’s no small sum! No wonder you suggested I combine our forces,” Yan Zhengping exclaimed.

500,000 crystalss for one Military Sub-district, which means 6 million for 12.

Even though Yan Zhengping had earned a lot from other Military Regions, it wouldn’t be easy to come up with that amount.

“I have a compromise,” Oriental Chen said. “For the 12 Military Sub-districts, two adjacent Military Sub-districts can share one underground work initially. This will solve the immediate problem and reduce some costs. However, this would require temporarily merging the two Military Sub-districts into one.”

“That’s also a solution,” Yan Zhengping nodded.

This method isn’t very direct, and he could provide an explanation when reporting to the military and political department.

“However, this isn’t a long-term solution. The most fundamental approach is to find ways to acquire more crystalss,” Oriental Chen stated.

“After all, the number of zombies is limited. It’s currently summer, and there are many mutated cockroaches in the south, so the risk is too great. Therefore, our Soldiers can only push north. After these past few months, the zombies in the surrounding cities have largely been eliminated,” Yan Zhengping explained.

“Have you considered raising some Zombie Rats?” Oriental Chen inquired.

“Raising Zombie Rats?” Yan Zhengping frowned.

Wasn’t that something the Red Coat Sect had done before?

“That’s right. Rats are small and reproduce quickly. As long as the base number is large enough, I believe the speed of acquiring crystalss won’t be slow,” Oriental Chen explained.

“But once these rats become zombies, they’ll be very difficult to eliminate!” Yan Zhengping said.

“You don’t need to worry about that. As long as you raise them well, I have a way to eliminate them and acquire their crystalss,” Oriental Chen assured him.

“Really?” Yan Zhengping’s eyes lit up.

“Of course, it’s true,” Oriental Chen smiled.

“Alright! This will give these lazy Soldiers something to do,” Yan Zhengping chuckled.

“I can provide you with food for raising the rats,” Oriental Chen offered.

“Use grain to feed rats? Do you know how many people across the country can’t even get enough to eat right now? And you’re feeding grain to rats!” Yan Zhengping couldn’t believe his ears.

“Commander Yan, please don’t misunderstand. The ‘grain’ I’m referring to is the waste material left over after food processing. The production bases of the Huatong Chamber of Commerce produce large quantities of this waste every day,” Oriental Chen clarified.

“So that’s how it is,” Yan Zhengping understood.

“However, even though it’s waste, I’ll still need to collect some crystalss for it,” Oriental Chen added.

“Haha! You truly are a money-grubber!” Yan Zhengping joked.

“One more thing: for the construction of the underground bases, please have Yan Fangfang handle the coordination for now. The Huatong Chamber of Commerce’s situation has just begun to open up, and the first batch of 20 Settlements we’re cooperating with are still building their branches. If news of our cooperation with the military gets out at this time, it might backfire,” Oriental Chen explained.

“I don’t mind, as long as the bases can be built as quickly as possible,” Yan Zhengping stated, indicating his indifference.

…

“Master, how are you doing?” the Saint Son asked.

Since fleeing Mos on the night of June 29th, the Saint Son had been leading the Bearded Man towards the northwest.

They had now reached Gansu Province, which belongs to the Northwest Military Region.

“I can still hold on,” the Bearded Man replied distractedly.

“Master, do you know what rank the leader of the Red Lotus Sect is?” the Saint Son inquired.

“I’m not sure. When he made his move, I didn’t feel a single energy fluctuation. I think he must be at least rank 5 or above,” the Bearded Man said.

“Hiss~” The Saint Son gasped.

“Master, how is that possible? How could someone advance to rank 5 in just one year!” He found it hard to believe.

He had just advanced to rank 2 himself and thought no one would be his opponent. He didn’t expect to fail on his first attempt.

“Perhaps our guess was wrong. This Red Lotus Sect might not be a temporary gathering of disorganized individuals,” the Bearded Man suggested.

“But didn’t the higher-ups say that only our Holy Sect has this cultivation method?” the Saint Son asked.

“Our Holy Sect has existed for nearly 2,000 years since its inception. Who can guarantee that the scriptures within the sect haven’t been leaked?” the Bearded Man said.

The Saint Son nodded, indicating his agreement.

“The failure in Mos clearly shows that trying to copy foreign experience and control China by controlling zombies is obviously not feasible,” the Bearded Man continued.

“Master, as long as Number 1 is still here, we will be invincible,” the Saint Son, Ling Yue, said.

“Ling Yue, I haven’t had a chance to tell you, Ling Luo has already arrived in China,” the Bearded Man informed him.

“Why is he here?” the Saint Son, Ling Yue, frowned.