190: Young Master Luo Chen

A squad of elite guards, wearing standardized combat uniforms and clearly superior equipment, fast-walked over, surrounding a young man.

The young man at the lead was about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, standing tall and straight. He wore a carefully tailored, antique-style brocade robe, cinched at the waist with a high-quality jade belt buckle that accentuated his slender frame.

He walked with a steady, imposing gait, moving quickly, yet the hem of his robe barely swayed, revealing a highly sophisticated mastery of movement and precise control over his physical power.

As they drew near, Brigade Commander Tang inspected him closely. The man had a face as handsome as jade, eyes like bright stars, a high-bridged nose, and unparalleled good looks.

His lips were slightly thin, carrying a curve of confident strength. This man perfectly embodied the combination of classical elegance and modern sharpness—what a spirited, jade-faced Young Master!

What shocked Brigade Commander Tang even more was that he could clearly sense a powerful energy fluctuation from the man, one not inferior to his own. This person was actually a Third-Tier Expert!

He must be the 'young master' the previous man spoke of. Tang Qi was secretly startled; how could a local family possess such deep foundations and talent?

The young master walked to the front of the standoff line, his gaze sweeping across the scene before landing on the most imposing figure, Brigade Commander Tang. A perfectly balanced smile appeared on his face as he cupped his hands in a salute, his movements natural, graceful, and steeped in ancient tradition: "I am Luo Chen. You must be the officer of the Red Alert Legion? My subordinates didn't know the rules and offended your army; I am here to apologize."

As the saying goes, one does not strike a smiling face. Since the other party was so courteous, Brigade Commander Tang also reined in his aura and returned a military salute, saying neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Brigade Commander Tang Qi, First Mixed Brigade of the Red Alert Legion."

Although he was just an ordinary university student before the apocalypse, he had built his base from scratch and later received an official commission after joining with capital. Having been tempered by the fires of war, he possessed a natural, decisive authority. Even facing a direct descendant of a millennium-old clan, he did not lose any ground in terms of presence.

"So it is Brigade Commander Tang. My apologies for the disrespect." Luo Chen's smile remained unchanged as he turned to give orders behind him: "What are you all still standing there for? Hurry up and move the vehicles so the army can enter the city! What kind of behavior is this!"

His elite guards immediately took the order and quickly began directing manpower to drive away the trucks and clear the road obstacles.

Luo Chen then turned back and explained to Brigade Commander Tang: "Brigade Commander Tang, please do not take offense. The apocalypse is chaotic, zombies are rampant, and many bandits are roaming about. My Luo Clan was forced to set up checkpoints on this main thoroughfare to protect the local populace and prevent trouble; we certainly have no intention of opposing the official military."

"Young Master Luo is wise and righteous; I understand." Brigade Commander Tang nodded. "Our army has come here under the orders of the Red Alert Legion's Deputy Commander-in-Chief to enter Sword City, clear out the zombies, and restore order. More of our troops will arrive later, with the goal of recovering the entire West River Region. We have long heard that the Luo Clan has been loyal for generations, and we hope you can provide your full support to help us overcome these difficult times."

"Easily said, easily said." Luo Chen smiled very sincerely. "My Luo Clan has enjoyed the nation's grace for generations, and we even have an uncle serving in the Southern Military Region. Assisting the imperial army in recovering the country is our duty; it is an obligation we cannot refuse! Brigade Commander Tang, you must be tired from the journey. Why not have your troops move out and take a temporary rest at the base our Luo Clan has established in the suburbs? Allow me to fulfill the duties of a host, what do you say?"

"In that case, thank you for your hospitality, Young Master Luo. I will trouble you to lead the way." Brigade Commander Tang also laughed heartily. Indeed, with the legitimacy of the official government and powerful strength, even the most arrogant local forces had to offer sufficient respect and cooperation.

Under Luo Chen's guidance, the army marched toward the Luo Clan base.

The ancestral home of the Luo Clan was in Xiuzhen, near Lingchuan City. From a distance, one could see a massive complex of antique-style buildings with blue bricks, dark tiles, flying eaves, and bracket sets—truly imposing.

Most shocking of all was that the perimeter of this massive ancestral shrine area was surrounded by a solid blue brick wall seven or eight meters high, complete with crenellations and watchtowers, looking just like an ancient city!

Along the way in, there were layers of checkpoints, with guards in different uniforms visible everywhere. Some held modern automatic rifles with sharp gazes, while others carried traditional spears and staves.

However, the bulging temples of the latter showed they were skilled practitioners, and there was no shortage of Evolvers among them with energy fluctuations. The strictness of the defense was astonishing.

Through conversation, Brigade Commander Tang learned more information. During the early stages of the apocalypse, this millennium-old family with tens of thousands of direct and collateral descendants demonstrated amazing cohesion.

Luo Chen, who was studying at a top military medical university in the country at the time, happened to be home on vacation. He helped the clan elders quickly consolidate the family's power with thunderous means, displaying a ruthlessness and decisiveness beyond his years.

After awakening the powerful spirit of Luo Cheng, his prestige became unmatched. They used their ancestral shrine, which was difficult to attack and easy to defend, as the core to quickly establish a base and used the large amount of surrounding farmland for self-rescue production.

Even more worth mentioning was that Luo Chen had led the family elites to risk taking over the Xiuzhen arsenal! This factory mainly produced assault rifles, various types of ammunition, and hand grenades. Relying on this arsenal, the Luo Clan's strength expanded rapidly.

To date, the Luo Clan base had taken in over thirty thousand survivors. There were over two thousand seven or eight hundred core family members, almost every one of them equipped with an assault rifle, capable of pulling out a fully equipped infantry regiment at a moment's notice!

In terms of Evolvers, they had a scale of one hundred. In addition to the strongest Third-Tier Master Luo Chen, there were 5 Second-Tier and 26 First-Tier masters! Its strength far exceeded that of the Lingchuan University Base Brigade Commander Tang had seen before, vividly demonstrating the terrifying foundation and cohesion of a millennium-old family.

Luo Chen invited Brigade Commander Tang into a council hall in the central area of the ancestral shrine. The hall was decorated in an antique style with rosewood furniture and curling sandalwood incense. Several steady-looking middle-aged men sat on both sides, with only one white-haired old man sitting in the main seat.

Luo Chen walked naturally to the seat next to the old man and sat down. Brigade Commander Tang could tell that Luo Chen was the actual person in charge of the family, while the old man was more of a symbolic and spiritual leader of the clan.

Brigade Commander Tang was led to a guest seat and sat down.

Luo Chen spoke first, his voice clear: "Elders, Clan Patriarch. This is Brigade Commander Tang of the official Red Alert Legion. Brigade Commander Tang's visit is for the purpose of exterminating the zombies in Sword City and recovering the lost territory."

The old man in the main seat nodded slightly, his voice old but clear: "Brigade Commander Tang, you have come a long way. Thank you for your hard work. On behalf of the Luo Clan, I offer my greetings." The middle-aged men on both sides also stood up one after another, cupping their hands in greeting to Brigade Commander Tang with perfect courtesy.

Brigade Commander Tang stood up to return the salute and said calmly: "Respected elders of the Luo Clan, no need for such formalities. My Red Alert Legion is a secret national unit stationed in Lujiang. After the apocalypse, under the leadership of our Commander-in-Chief Jiang Xin and Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhang Lei, we have successfully recovered large swathes of national territory, including Lujiang, the Region, and the Region."

"Currently, the Commander-in-Chief is directing operations on the front lines in Qianzhou, with frequent reports of victory. The Deputy Commander-in-Chief has specifically ordered me to lead the troops to enter Sword City first, to clear out the zombies and protect the people, and second, to prepare for the subsequent recovery of the Hongdu provincial capital."

His words were clear and his demeanor was neither humble nor arrogant; he had stated his official status and powerful strength, as well as the purpose of his visit.

A middle-aged man named Luo Hui interjected: "So that's it! Your army's achievements in recovering the country are remarkable and admirable! If there is anything the Luo Clan can do to help, please feel free to speak, Brigade Commander Tang! My Luo Clan has been virtuous for generations, producing many pillars of the nation. In this time of national crisis, the whole family is duty-bound!"

"Uncle Hui is right." Luo Chen nodded in agreement and stated: "Assisting the imperial army in recovering our homeland is something our Luo Clan will definitely do with all our might. We will provide men if needed, and supplies if needed!"

Brigade Commander Tang felt reassured; it seemed the foundation for cooperation was there. He said solemnly: "The Luo Clan is indeed wise and righteous, worthy of the name of heroes! Since that is the case, our army needs your family to provide detailed intelligence on Jiancheng County and its surrounding areas, including zombie distribution, topography, and other survivor strongholds, so that our army can formulate subsequent operational plans."

"That is natural." Luo Hui nodded immediately: "We will organize a detailed file and present it to you tomorrow."

The old man in the head seat spoke slowly at this moment, finalizing the decision: "Little Chen, since you are the acting head of the family and are both young talents with Brigade Commander Tang, it will be easy to communicate. You will be fully responsible for all matters of cooperation with the military. You must cooperate well with Brigade Commander Tang to recover Sword City early and honor our ancestors."

Luo Chen stood up and responded respectfully: "Don't worry, Clan Patriarch, grandson understands. I will certainly work sincerely with Brigade Commander Tang to open up the situation as soon as possible."

He turned to Brigade Commander Tang with a confident and steady smile on his face: "Brigade Commander Tang, let's discuss the subsequent matters in detail. Please."

Brigade Commander Tang nodded, understanding in his heart that the cooperation with this millennium-old family had begun, but the measure and maneuvering within it had probably only just started. This Young Master Luo Chen was by no means an easy person to deal with.