179: Nangong Yu visits

Learning that the Southern Military Region would send a representative, Jiang Xin postponed the deployment of the super survivor base awarded by the red alert system. He needed to gauge the other party's intentions and attitude first; exposing all his trump cards too early was not a wise move.

Due to the rush, Jiang Xin did not arrange a grand welcome banquet; everything was kept simple.

At the Qianzhou military base, beside the runway of the newly built Air Command Center. A transport plane from the Southern Military Region landed slowly, the roar of its engines gradually fading.

The cabin door opened, and Nangong Yu, dressed in military uniform and looking heroic, was the first to walk down the ramp. Behind her followed several capable accompanying officers and guards. However, as soon as they stepped onto the ground, they were deeply shocked by what they saw, and their steps slowed down involuntarily.

What met their eyes was a military base full of futuristic sci-fi vibes! Massive mechs patrolling back and forth, armed helicopters and apollo aerospace fighters neatly parked on the airfield, and the apocalypse tank in the distance looking like a mobile fortress... All of this far exceeded their imagination of a "local armed force"! The base was orderly, and the soldiers moved swiftly with sharp eyes, full of vigor.

"Is... is this the base of the Red Alert Legion?" an accompanying officer couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, "How did they build all this in such a short time? This level of technology..."

Nangong Yu took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, her eyes becoming more solemn: "It truly lives up to its reputation... This Red Alert Legion is indeed unfathomable." She had originally been full of confidence in her own strength as a Tier 3, but at this moment, a sense of oppression when facing a behemoth welled up.

Guided by a Red Alert officer, Nangong Yu arrived at Jiang Xin's command office. The office was decorated simply and efficiently.

Nangong Yu tidied her appearance and knocked to enter. As soon as she entered, her mind shivered! An invisible yet vast and majestic pressure instantly enveloped her, as if the surrounding air had become thick and heavy. What shocked her even more was that the fire elemental energy active in her body was now like it had fallen into a quagmire, its circulation sluggish and difficult to mobilize! (The protagonists Kings Domain suppressive effect on elemental energy).

She dared not be the least bit conceited, immediately straightened her body, and gave a standard military salute to the young Commander sitting behind the desk, her tone respectful with a hint of undetectable nervousness: "Officer Jiang, I have long admired your name! I am the special representative from the Southern Military Region, Nangong Yu!" She used the respectful titles "Officer" and "You" directly; this was both out of awe for Jiang Xin's unfathomable strength, and even more, an acknowledgment of the status of this "regional Governor" who actually controlled most of Xijiang Province and held a powerful army. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the Red Alert Legion unifying Xijiang was only a matter of time.

Jiang Xin stood up, returned a crisp military salute, with a faint smile on his face, and gestured with his hand: "Miss Nangong, no need for formalities, please sit. Coming from afar, surely you have important matters to discuss?" His tone was calm, yet it carried the aura of a superior.

Jiang Xin did not address Nangong Yu by her "Senior Colonel" rank. In his eyes, that rank meant little to him; true status came from strength. And he was a man of real power who held nearly ten thousand elites, was about to expand rapidly, and possessed Red Alert super technology.

(Currently 4 regiments, 1 battalion, totaling about 8500 people, plus miscellaneous city defense, air force, and missile logistics, should be around 9000, the author does not count in detail)

Nangong Yu sat down, feeling the pressure on her body slightly reduce, but the feeling of her elements being suppressed still existed, making her more cautious. She got straight to the point: "Officer Jiang is direct, so I will not beat around the bush. I have come this time representing the Southern Military Region, hoping to establish cooperation with your army."

"Oh? Cooperation?" Jiang Xin picked up his teacup with interest.

"Yes. Before discussing cooperation, forgive my presumption, but I would like to generally understand your army's current troop strength and equipment situation, so that we can evaluate the scale of cooperation." Nangong Yu asked cautiously.

Jiang Xin put down the teacup, his tone plain yet carrying absolute confidence: "Currently, the elite combat troops I can directly command are no less than twenty thousand. There are over a thousand Evolvers, including several at Tier 3. Main battle tanks, armored vehicles, various types of fighter jets, and armed helicopters are all fully equipped. There are also over a hundred new combat mechs that can be deployed for combat." He did not exaggerate; cleaning up Qianzhou had yielded a large amount of funds, and with the National Government's orders about to be fulfilled, he could easily expand his troops to a scale of twenty thousand very soon.

Hearing this, Nangong Yu gasped! Twenty thousand well-equipped troops supported by a large amount of high-tech equipment and Evolvers! This combat power was probably comparable to over one hundred thousand regular troops of the Southern Military Region! The development speed of this Red Alert Legion was simply shocking!

She suppressed her shock and said seriously: "Officer Jiang has impressive strength, which is admirable. Since that is the case, I will speak plainly. My Southern Military Region hopes to cooperate with your army to jointly recover two important cities in the east and north of Lingnan Province, clear out zombies, rescue survivors, and restore communication and transportation lines."

Jiang Xin heard this and a playful smile appeared on his face: "Oh? Your military region boasts over four hundred thousand troops, do you still need my 'small force' to assist from the sidelines?"

Nangong Yu gave a wry smile and admitted frankly: "Officer Jiang is joking. Your army's combat power is obvious to all; twenty thousand elites could probably rival fifty thousand of our troops. Moreover, our military region's main forces need to be deployed in coastal areas, especially in the direction of the super urban circles of Deep City (180 million) and Yang City (150 million), where the pressure is immense. At the same time, we have to split troops to rescue survivors, so we have no more than one hundred thousand troops available for mobile combat to recover cities. We urgently need strong reinforcements like your army."

Jiang Xin nodded; the other party's attitude was very sincere. He thought for a moment and then readily agreed: "Good! Fighting zombies and recovering lost territory is our duty. I can help with this. Not only that, I can also provide your army with a batch of urgently needed weapons and ammunition support."

"What?!" Nangong Yu stood up from her chair instantly, her beautiful eyes wide, her face full of disbelief, "Officer Jiang, you... are you saying you can provide weapons and ammunition? Could it be that your army has already... already restored large-scale military industrial production lines?!" Her tone was somewhat rushed due to urgency. Military industrial production was the biggest shortcoming of all major bases after the apocalypse; ammunition was used up with every shot, and the Red Alert Legion could actually export it?

"Of course." Jiang Xin's tone was affirmative, as if he were talking about a trivial matter, "I can provide your army with an initial batch: 10 million rounds of 5.56mm rifle ammunition, 5,000 70mm rockets, 5,000 anti-tank missiles of various models, 5,000 155mm howitzer shells, and 1,000 tons of high-explosive incendiary aerial bombs. In addition, 5,000 rounds each of 85mm and 120mm tank shells (including high-explosive shells and armor-piercing shells)."

He dared to be so generous because he relied on the red alert system's ammunition supply station; he only needed to pay system funds to produce standard ammunition without limit. (Supplementary setting: Ammunition not consumed by soldiers daily will be automatically recycled and reissued the next day, cannot exploit ammunition bugs).

Nangong Yu was dizzy from this astronomical number, and her breathing became rapid! The value of this batch of arms was immeasurable in the apocalypse! It was enough to support the Southern Military Region in launching a large-scale campaign!

"Re... really?" Her voice carried a hint of trembling.

"Naturally, it is true." Jiang Xin smiled slightly, "However, Miss Nangong, this batch of supplies is not free aid. Your army needs to pay corresponding remuneration."

"Of course! That is only natural!" Nangong Yu reacted immediately and quickly said, "I wonder what Officer Jiang needs? Grain? Fuel? Or..." She knew that what the other party wanted could not possibly be Huacurrency, which had already become waste paper.

Jiang Xin held up three fingers and said calmly: "Three tons of gold. Or other rare metals of equivalent value, such as platinum, iridium, tantalum, etc."

"Three tons of gold?!" Nangong Yu's pupils shrank, and she fell into deep thought. China's gold reserves before the apocalypse were about two thousand tons, scattered in vaults across the country and some private institutions. Before the apocalypse, gold mainly served a financial purpose, and some high-end precision instruments also used it. Three tons of gold was not a small amount.

She couldn't help asking curiously: "Officer Jiang, may I ask, what does your army need such a large amount of gold for, is it used for..."

Jiang Xin seemed to have anticipated this question and replied calmly: "Mainly used for the manufacture of some high-end precision equipment and the forging of energy cores." This answer was half-true and half-false, enough to brush it off.

Nangong Yu pondered for a moment and nodded solemnly: "Good! I will take your conditions back and report them to the military department in full. I believe Commander Zhou and Governor Zheng will definitely consider it seriously!"

"Then I will trouble you, Miss Nangong." Jiang Xin nodded with satisfaction.

Just then, the warlike gleam in Nangong Yu's eyes lit up again. She looked at Jiang Xin with burning eyes, her tone carrying a challenging implication: "Officer Jiang, I have one more request, I wonder if you would agree?"

"Oh? Feel free to speak." Jiang Xin seemed to have guessed something.

"I have long heard that Officer Jiang's strength is unfathomable. I am not talented, but I would like to ask for some pointers. I wonder if Officer Jiang could enlighten me?" Nangong Yu stood up, and fighting spirit rose faintly from her body. An important purpose of her trip was to personally weigh the stature of this legendary Commander.

"Hahaha!" Hearing this, Jiang Xin let out a hearty laugh, yet still sat steadily in his chair, "Miss Nangong is joking. I, Jiang, am a military Commander, out of practice with personal duels, so let's forget it."

Before the words faded, Nangong Yu's expression changed drastically!

A terrifying pressure, ten times stronger than before and as tangible as reality, descended like Mount Tai! Jiang Xin's Kings Domain was instantly pushed to the limit, and his mental power, amplified by the Kings Domain, received a terrifying 5-fold boost!

"Ugh!" Nangong Yu only felt the surrounding air solidify, her limbs instantly becoming as heavy as a thousand jun, and every movement became extremely difficult! What was even more terrifying was that she felt her connection with the surrounding fire elements was greatly weakened, almost impossible to perceive and mobilize! Beads of sweat the size of beans immediately seeped from her forehead and temples, sliding down her cheeks and quickly soaking the collar of her military uniform. She gritted her teeth, relying on the strong willpower of a soldier and the physical fitness of a Tier 3 Evolver to resist stubbornly, refusing to show weakness or ask for mercy, but her slightly trembling legs exposed her limit.

Jiang Xin still wore a smile, as if he had done nothing. He appreciated the other party's stubborn appearance. After a few seconds, with a thought, that abyss-like pressure instantly disappeared without a trace.

Once the pressure was withdrawn, Nangong Yu gasped for air, her body swayed before she stood firm again. She raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her face in some disarray; the back of her military uniform was already soaked.

"If Miss Nangong wants to spar with someone, there are also Tier 3 colleagues in my army with quite impressive strength. Miss Nangong can go to the Barracks and look for them to exchange pointers. I, Jiang, am busy with official business, so I will not accompany you further." Jiang Xin's tone remained calm, but it carried the implication of seeing a guest out.

Nangong Yu took a few deep breaths, calming her churning blood and shocked mood, and squeezed a smile onto her face: "In that case, I will go to your army's Barracks for a walk and broaden my horizons."

"Haha, please do. Inside my base, Miss Nangong can visit as she pleases." Jiang Xin waved his hand and said no more.

Nangong Yu didn't say anything else. After saluting again, she turned and left the office. The moment the door closed, she could almost hear her own heartbeat like a drum and the soreness of her muscles. She leaned against the corridor wall, catching her breath for a long while, her heart already stirred with stormy waves:

"Too terrifying... He didn't even stand up, and just by relying on that pressure... he made me unable to resist at all! I'm afraid I'm really not a match for him in one blow... Such strength, such an army... being able to cooperate with them might be a blessing for the Southern Military Region and even the whole of China!"

She let out a long breath, suppressing that sense of frustration, and instead turned it into strong fighting spirit and curiosity. She tidied her military appearance and walked toward the direction of the base Barracks with steps that were still somewhat weak but firm.

She had come on this trip to find an opponent. Since the Red Alert Commander was unfathomable, the experts under his command surely would not disappoint her. She longed for a battle that would truly allow her to go all out!

(Preparing to write the large-scale campaign of joining forces with the Southern Military Region. Before writing, Xiao Feng still needs to check some materials and write according to the actual weapon equipment, and also coordinate the assistance of Evolvers. Brothers, it will be satisfying. I am posting this chapter today, 3700 words.)