284: hope

Order, hope, vitality, and power! All of this formed the most cruel and stark contrast to the dilapidated state, hunger, and despair of the Yueyang Base before them!

Not only were the people below the stage stunned, but even Hua Feng stared fixedly at that dreamlike scene, tears finally welling up and overflowing uncontrollably. He clenched his fists tightly, his nails sinking deep into his palms. This... this was the order and life he had always longed to protect! He hated his own incompetence, his inability to lead his fellow villagers toward such a future. But at this moment, there was more hope; General Zhang Lei had come, and perhaps all of this was no longer a dream!

The image switched, showing real-time aerial and internal views of the Yueyang Port Base.

In the area near the port, rows upon rows of brand-new, neatly planned buildings rose from the ground! A high and solid city wall, though not as grand as Longxing City's, surrounded the entire port area. Soldiers patrolled the wall, and sentry guns rotated slowly. By the wharf, a massive Red Alert shipyard had already been constructed, with the silhouettes of ships faintly visible. Inside the base, the roads were smooth, and the functional zones were clearly demarcated.

"This is your new home—the Yueyang Port Base!" Zhang Lei's voice rang out at the right moment, firm and decisive. "I promise: after arriving at the base and completing registration, every four people will be allocated a two-bedroom apartment with a living room, equipped with a private kitchen and bathroom! Families of three or four can apply for an independent unit! After moving in, everyone will enjoy a half-month free medical conditioning period and one month of free room and board! After one month, a system of distribution according to work will be implemented—more work, more pay—with a minimum guaranteed monthly income to ensure basic living needs are met!"

The imagery changed again, showing scenes from the resident hospital at Hongdu Base: although many survivors were thin and weak, their faces carried hope as they queued orderly for free physical examinations, received nutritional supplements, and ate the steaming patient meals provided by the hospital... "General... is... is all of this true? Does such a place... really exist? Is there really... food to eat, a place to live, and free medical care?" A woman in her thirties, so thin her cheekbones protruded, lunged toward the stage with strength from an unknown source. She knelt on the ground, looking up at Zhang Lei, tears carving two white streaks through her grimy face, her voice hoarse and broken, filled with an incredulous plea.

Without hesitation, Zhang Lei strode down from the high platform and personally helped the woman, who felt almost weightless, to her feet. Looking at her haggard face and the extreme, humble longing in her eyes, Zhang Lei's voice couldn't help but turn low and raspy:

"It is true. I swear by this uniform and the general's star bestowed upon me by the National Government that everything I have said is true, word for word. You... will never be oppressed again, and you will never go hungry again. I'm sorry... the nation... I... have come late..."

"Waaa—!!!"

The silence was broken, like a dam bursting!

Amidst the crowd, there was first a deathly silence, followed by an explosion of earth-shattering wails and shouts!

Some collapsed directly to the ground, sobbing with their heads in their hands, as if to cry out all the suffering, fear, and despair of the past months at once; some looked up to the sky, faces covered in tears, letting out silent roars; some tightly hugged the relatives beside them, their bodies trembling; more people stared blankly at the projection that had yet to fade, as if to engrave that 'heavenly' scene into their minds, fearing it was only a dream.

"Oh heavens... we... we can finally be human again!"

"The nation... the nation has really come! We didn't wait in vain! We didn't wait in vain!"

"Father! Mother! Do you see? The army is here! Good days are coming!"

"Sob... we've looked forward to this... finally looked forward to this..."

Hua Feng looked at the people below the stage who were weeping bitterly, their emotions completely released. A mix of bitterness and relief filled his heart, and a sense of self-reproach almost overwhelmed him. Zhang Lei walked softly to his side, patted his shoulder firmly, and whispered, "Captain Hua, you have done your best. The apocalypse is difficult; one cannot support it alone. From now on, we will bring everyone home together."

Before long, the roar of propellers came from the sky. Several chinook transport helicopters slowly landed on the cleared open space. The cabin doors opened, and squads of disciplined, fast-moving Red Alert Soldiers filed out, carrying large quantities of supplies.

"Captain Hua," Zhang Lei instructed, "organize people to set up pots and boil water immediately! Let our fellow villagers have a hot, filling meal first!"

"Yes!" Hua Feng's spirits lifted. Wiping away his tears, he immediately took action with the Armed Police and SWAT officers, cooperating with the Red Alert Soldiers to quickly set up temporary stoves.

Soon, water boiled in the large pots. The Red Alert Soldiers distributed cases of cup noodles, eggs, and ham sausages. The preparation was extremely simple: brew with boiling water, add peeled eggs and sliced ham sausages.

However, when that long-lost, rich aroma of food wafted out with the steam, the entire area fell silent for a moment, followed by even more suppressed sobbing.

The people carefully held the cup noodles distributed to them. The warm sensation through the paper walls almost burned their long-frozen hearts. They watched the noodles slowly soften and expand in the cup, the floating oil droplets, the whole boiled egg, and the few slices of pink ham sausage... many people's hands trembled so much they couldn't even hold their forks steady.

Salty tears fell in large drops, mixing into the noodle soup.

"So... so fragrant..."

"It's instant noodles... it's eggs... I... I've already forgotten what they taste like..."

"Sob... delicious... so delicious..."

Someone, using all their strength, choked out a shout: "Long live the army! Long live the nation!"

In the next moment, this cry was like a spark on a prairie, instantly igniting the pent-up emotions of everyone!

"Long live the army!"

"Long live the nation!"

"Long live the Red Alert Legion!"

"Long live General Zhang Lei!"

Thousands of people, with tears in their eyes, held their precious cup noodles and shouted over and over again with hoarse, tearful voices. The waves of sound converged and soared into the sky, as if to dispel all the gloom and despair that had shrouded this land since the apocalypse began.

That simple bowl of instant noodles not only warmed their cold stomachs but also ignited the nearly extinguished fire of hope.

Zhang Lei and Hua Feng stood together, looking at the Yueyang citizens before them, who were overwhelmed with joy and sorrow, remaining silent for a long time.