165: Report Meeting (3)

The report meeting proceeded in an orderly fashion within a solemn and slightly oppressive atmosphere.

Due to the extremely heavy workload in each province and their relatively weak strength, it was difficult to dispatch officials to attend in person, so Chen Jingzhi, a high-ranking official of the National Government and Minister of Finance, reported the situation of each province on their behalf.

Minister Chen Jingzhi walked onto the podium with steady steps. He had a lean face, wore black-rimmed glasses, and his eyes were sharp and calm. Even in the apocalypse, he maintained the competence and prudence unique to financial officials.

He adjusted the microphone and, without much small talk, went straight to the point. His voice was clear and steady, as if he were reporting on a crucial economic statement, only the content concerned survival and war.

"Comrades," he began, "Except for the five major military region bases and the two border defense bases of Tibet and Anxi Base, according to the situation we have been able to contact and confirm so far, the remaining twenty-six provinces across the country have established provincial-level military bases as regional support points and shelters."

(Beijing and Tianjin are under the unified jurisdiction of the capital; Shanghai and Chongqing have fallen. In addition, I have included the population of Shanghai in the Suzhou area, so the Suzhou area is the second most populous province, whereas in reality, it should be the Region covering Shandong.)

The large screen behind him lit up, displaying a huge map of China, marked with dense light points and brief information.

"Among them, those with relatively strong strength include," the red dot of his laser pointer moved across the map, "the Yantai Base in the Region covering Shandong, the Xingyang Base in Yuzhou, and the Handan Base in Jizhou." These three light points were exceptionally bright.

"In addition, there are also the Hangzhou Base in Zhejiang Province with a strong industrial foundation, the Changsha Base in Western Hunan located in a strategic position, the Jiangcheng Base in the Jingchu region which is a hub for nine provinces, and the Huizhou Base in Jianghuai which connects the north and the south..." The laser dot lit up in sequence as he introduced them, outlining a draft of a national defense network that was struggling to be maintained.

"Specifically," Chen Jingzhi pushed up his glasses and looked at the data pad in his hand, "The bases in the Region covering Shandong and Yuzhou have both expanded their troops to about 40,000, with a sheltered population of about 150,000, and the number of Evolvers is around 500. The other provincial bases mostly maintain a force of 30,000, with a base population of over 100,000, and about 300-400 Evolvers."

Strings of numbers were read out calmly, yet everyone in the audience could feel the immense sacrifice, the difficult maintenance, and the precarious situation represented behind every single number.

At this moment, Chen Jingzhi's tone paused slightly, and a rare, subtle hint of excitement leaked into his voice, as if he had seen a glimmer of light in the dull report: "It needs to be specifically pointed out that currently, only Lujiang City in the West River Region has successfully established a highly capable official municipal base!"

He deliberately raised his voice, attracting the attention of the entire audience: "The Lujiang Base was established by a unit codenamed 'Red Alert Legion.' The predecessor of this base was our country's highly confidential high-tech comprehensive research base. After the apocalypse, their scientific research power was miraculously preserved and transformed, and they have already achieved breakthrough results!"

At the right moment, several high-impact images appeared on the screen—the streamlined, futuristic-looking destroyer, the thunderbolt, the blaze mechs, and the sci-fi-styled apollo aerospace fighter!

A low gasp and murmurs of conversation rippled through the venue. Many people's eyes showed disbelief and a glimmer of hope. Zhang Lei could feel the surprised and inquisitive gazes cast by Lü Yan, Lin Yan, and others beside him.

Chen Jingzhi continued, his tone more certain: "Based on the powerful technological potential demonstrated by the Lujiang Base, the National Government attaches great importance to it and has officially contacted Comrade Jiang Xin, the person in charge of the Red Alert Legion. We will finalize the procurement agreement as soon as possible, introduce their super-tech weapons in batches, and prioritize equipping the main forces to cope with the increasingly severe war situation!"

His gaze swept over the audience and finally fell on Zhang Lei, a formal smile appearing on his face: "It is worth mentioning that the Red Alert Legion has also sent a representative to attend this meeting." He reached out and gestured in Zhang Lei's direction, "Comrade Zhang Lei."

Zhang Lei stood up steadily amidst the focused gazes, his posture as straight as a pine tree.

Chen Jingzhi introduced him to everyone: "Everyone, this Comrade Zhang Lei is not only a representative of the Red Alert Legion, but also one of the only two third-tier Evolvers who are now famous across the country! He rendered outstanding service in the previous Lujiang Zombie Tide battle!"

Instantly, more surprised, admiring, and scrutinizing gazes focused on Zhang Lei, accompanied by a more noticeable buzz of discussion. Zhang Lei remained calm, nodded slightly to his surroundings in greeting, and then sat down gracefully under Chen Jingzhi's "please sit" gesture, the whole process conducted with neither servility nor overbearing pride.

After introducing Zhang Lei, Chen Jingzhi brought the topic back to the overall situation, his tone becoming grave again: "Overall, the situation in each province remains far from optimistic. Before the apocalypse, our country implemented a system where the five major military regions governed the provincial military districts, which resulted in limited troops for the provincial military districts themselves. That they were able to react quickly after the disaster broke out and establish the existing provincial bases is already extremely difficult and came at a huge cost."

He changed the subject and mentioned a new phenomenon: "However, in addition to powerful official local bases like Lujiang, we have also observed that across the vast territory, some survivor bases spontaneously established by civilian forces and of considerable scale have emerged."

New images appeared on the screen: some college students were reinforcing walls, militia members were training, and golden rice in the fields was being harvested.

"More prominent examples include: the Lingchuan University Base in the West River Region, which utilizes school resources and terrain to have gathered over ten thousand survivors with orderly conditions; even more impressively, the Northwest A&F University Base in Yongzhou Province, relying on its strong agricultural research foundation and material reserves, has not only achieved self-sufficiency but has even successfully carried out a second round of grain harvesting, greatly alleviating the pressure on the Yongzhou provincial base."

A flash of complex light, both appreciative and thoughtful, flickered in Chen Jingzhi's eyes: "Other provinces and cities also have similar civilian strongholds of varying sizes. I believe this is not a bad thing at the current stage. It has fully mobilized the enthusiasm of civilian Evolvers and survivors, effectively gathered scattered forces, and saved more of the population. Once our official bases are further stabilized and their strength increased, we can gradually guide, integrate, and even incorporate these civilian strongholds, turning the sparks into a force that can start a prairie fire!"

He expounded on this current survival strategy of "official-led, civilian-assisted" in a continuous flow, drawing a forward-looking conclusion to the main part of the report meeting. The meeting then gradually drew to a close.