178: Fire Phoenix Nangong Yu

Rongcheng Base

Governor Zheng had just finished a call with the frontline defense forces, his brow furrowed with a heavy solemnity that was hard to dispel.

"Commander Zheng, regarding the mission to contact the Red Alert Legion, I would like to lead the team personally."

A clear and firm voice broke the gloom of the command room. Governor Zheng looked up to see Nangong Yu standing before him, looking valiant and heroic in her well-fitted olive-drab combat uniform. More than half of her shoulder-length hair had been dyed a striking fiery red by her Superpower, resembling flowing flames. Deep within her bright eyes, it seemed as if lava was flowing, and her every look carried a scorching, heroic aura. She stood tall, her every movement exuding the efficiency and confidence of a top-tier elite soldier.

As the undisputed top expert of the Southern Military Region and an extremely rare Third-Tier Expert nationwide—a Fire Phoenix Summoner—Nangong Yu's strength was unfathomable. Her life-bound summoned beast, the Fire Phoenix, possessed the terrifying power to incinerate mountains and boil seas. She had turned the tide many times during critical moments of Zombie Tides besieging cities; her strategic value as a one-woman army was immeasurable.

"Xiao Yu," Governor Zheng rubbed his temples, his tone helpless, "I understand your intentions. But the military region needs you here. You know very well how much pressure Rongcheng is under. If anything goes wrong while you're away, the consequences would be unimaginable."

As the most populous province before the apocalypse, Lingnan Province faced the greatest zombie pressure in the country. Although the military region was located in Rongcheng in northeastern Lingnan, far from the four major coastal cities, the zombie swarms formed by the two mega-cities of Yangcheng and Deep City remained like a sword of Damocles hanging over their heads, ready to devour them at any moment.

It wasn't that he didn't trust others, but Nangong Yu's presence alone was a banner, a cornerstone for stabilizing military morale. Sending her on a diplomatic contact mission seemed to him like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Nangong Yu's gaze was exceptionally firm. She took a step forward and spoke clearly, "Commander Zheng, I understand the pressure on the military region. But because of that, we need to understand this suddenly rising Red Alert Legion even more. Their strength and intentions concern the situation of the entire South of the Ranges and even the south. Feng Wu and Qi Huatai are no weaker than me now. With the two of them coordinating the defense, it will be enough to handle any emergencies."

She paused, a hint of curiosity and battle intent toward a fellow expert flashing in her eyes. "Moreover, I truly want to see for myself what kind of person Commander Jiang Xin is—the one who can command such a powerful army and has become famous throughout the country."

Governor Zheng fell into deep thought. Feng Wu and Qi Huatai, whom Nangong Yu mentioned, were indeed top geniuses who had recently emerged in the military region. Feng Wu's wind-element spells were superb, having reached the peak of the Second Tier, with terrifying large-scale destructive power and lower consumption. Qi Huatai, a descendant of the hero who fought Japanese pirates, Qi Jiguang, could summon the heroic spirit of his ancestor Qi Jiguang to assist in battle. He had also reached the peak of the Second Tier, possessing both offense and defense with unparalleled combat power. With these two present, they could indeed take over most of Nangong Yu's responsibilities.

(Note: The ranking of the top ten experts in the country will be adjusted in a separate chapter later. The author felt it was unreasonable that the National Government didn't have many experts in the early stages, given the population base. I'll re-rank them once I've thought it through.)

Seeing the unquestionable desire in Nangong Yu's eyes and thinking of the illustrious military achievements she had made for the military region since her awakening—and the fact that Nangong Yu had been exceptionally promoted to the rank of Senior Colonel, becoming the first female Senior Colonel since the founding of the country—Governor Zheng found it truly difficult to reject his favorite subordinate's request.

"Alright," Governor Zheng finally sighed and instructed solemnly, "Xiao Yu, since you insist on going, then go and return quickly! You must stay safe. Having you represent our Southern Military Region will indeed better demonstrate our importance and sincerity."

"Yes! Don't worry, Commander Zheng. I will definitely complete the mission and return quickly!" A smile of satisfaction appeared on Nangong Yu's face. She gave a crisp salute, turned, and strode away, her fiery red hair tracing a confident arc in the air.

Meanwhile, inside the temporary command room on the Qianzhou frontline.

Jiang Xin was facing the map, his brow slightly furrowed as he contemplated the resettlement of tens of thousands of survivors. The original urban area had been turned into ruins during the bombing, and setting up a temporary camp was by no means a long-term solution.

Just then, the voice of System Assistant No. 1, which hadn't spoken proactively in his mind for a long time, suddenly rang out, its coldness seemingly carrying a hint of pleasure:

"Ding—Detected that the host's cumulative number of eliminated zombies has exceeded ten million! Hidden milestone [Zombie Slaughterer] achieved!" "Congratulations to the host! Reward issued: One Large Modular Survivor Base (Standard Edition)! Please check it!"

This base was exactly the same as the previous Battalion Commander reward.

[Base Overview]

· Area: 5 km x 6 km = 30 square kilometers

· Defense System:

· 15-meter-high reinforced perimeter wall, total length 22 km.

· One defensive building every 250 meters along the wall, with sentry guns and Machine Gun Bunkers deployed in a crossfire pattern to form a fire net with no blind spots.

· Four main city gates (East, West, South, North), each with 2 additional Machine Gun Bunkers, totaling 8, guarding the passages.

· Uses Chrono-technology to connect and maintain a 10-meter-wide moat with rapid, never-ending water flow, effectively deterring ground threats.

· Military District:

· Barracks x8, Power Plant x2, War Factory x2, Air Command Center x2.

· Ammunition Supply Depot, Enhanced Radar (detection range 800 km!).

· Grand Cannon x1.

· Patriot Missile Silo x10 (Anti-air).

· Commander's Residence x1 (includes advanced command system), Field Hospital x1 (for rapid treatment of wounded soldiers).

· Residential District:

· 1,000 18-story standardized residential buildings! Each building provides 72 units of 80-square-meter two-bedroom, one-living room, one-bathroom apartments.

· Total capacity: 72,000 households.

· Supporting facilities: Small parks, open-air stadiums, water treatment plants, residential Power Plants, large material warehouses, 8 neighborhood offices, 4 material collection points, special material exchange centers, 10 patrol stations, residential hospitals, fire stations, and more.

· Production District (Black Tech):

· Includes modern chicken farms, duck farms, pig farms, cattle farms, and large plantations.

· Uses Chrono-dimensional space folding technology, making the internal actual usable area 10 times the building's footprint! This greatly increases production capacity, achieving partial self-sufficiency in meat, eggs, milk, and grain!

· Weapon Reward: starfall plus x1 (a fully enhanced version based on the starfall Han Sword).

After digesting this massive amount of information, Jiang Xin felt an uncontrollable surge of ecstasy! This was truly like receiving a pillow just when he was getting sleepy! The system's reward this time completely solved his biggest logistical and resettlement problems!

"Great!" He couldn't help but punch his palm. This fully functional, strongly defended base, which could even achieve partial self-sufficiency, was enough to allow most of the survivors in Qianzhou to live and work in peace, stabilizing his rear.

And the arrival of the starfall plus made him even more eager. The original starfall was already indestructible under the drive of his Psychokinesis; the power of this enhanced version could only be imagined.

"I need to plan the deployment area!" Jiang Xin suppressed his excitement and looked at the map with burning eyes, beginning to select a site for this miracle city that was about to rise from the ground. At the same time, with a thought, the starfall plus—even more ancient and magnificent in design, with ancient patterns engraved on the blade—appeared in his hand, its sharp aura striking him right in the face.

(Brothers, I'm collecting some opinions. What kind of plot points should I arrange next? If you have any ideas, feel free to speak up. My thought is to shift the perspective to the whole country. What about you guys?)