50: Section 50

Then, following normal procedures, the Law Enforcers took the two of them away separately to change clothes and leave.

The two met again at the entrance of the Hall of Dawn; they shared a smile, remained silent, and walked away side by side.

Entering a state of post-coital clarity, Jing Yuan was now free from the constraints of desire and instead began to ponder several issues.

Previously, when Jing Yuan mentioned the Hall of Dawn to Charles, his actual intent was simply to disgust him.

In the original story, Charles used the Hall of Dawn to deal with Mark, which Jing Yuan found utterly shameless and loathsome.

At the time, it was purely trash talk.

But he hadn't expected Charles to actually arrange the Hall of Dawn for him—and it wasn't Vandy, Fan Lü, or Jing Nan, but Penny!

But why Penny?

As they walked, Penny suddenly headed toward the edge of the outer ring.

Although it was already night, there was moonlight in the sky, reflecting off the sea of clouds.

Penny couldn't help but walk over to admire the nighttime sea of clouds.

Jing Yuan wore a faint smile; he knew Penny loved watching the sea of clouds.

Come to think of it, he and Penny had become familiar with each other starting from that time they encountered the City Defense Force at the edge of the outer ring.

The City Defense Force?

Jing Yuan suddenly remembered that incident. Could it be for this reason that Charles arranged for Penny to go to the Hall of Dawn with him?

Chapter 51: Crossing the Thunderstorm Zone

Back then, the City Defense Force personnel saw Jing Yuan and Penny looking at the scenery there and assumed they were in a relationship, intending to take them back for questioning.

However, having encountered a troublemaker like Jing Yuan, that Deputy Captain figured it was better to avoid trouble and ultimately didn't take them away.

But had this news reached Charles's ears?

If Charles knew this news, he might have sent Jing Yuan and Penny to the Hall of Dawn as a gesture of goodwill to win Jing Yuan over.

This would explain why it was Penny for three consecutive visits to the Hall of Dawn, and why there were no Law Enforcers supervising the third time.

"I see."

At this moment, Jing Yuan finally understood. With Charles's shrewdness, how could he not leave himself a backup plan?

With Penny as a weakness, Charles wouldn't fear being unable to control Jing Yuan.

This was perfectly in line with Charles's style of doing things.

In the original story, he used Ran Bing to provoke Mark, used 4277 to control 4068, and used 1225's death to incite her Upper Citizen husband to expose Mark's identity.

Charles was skilled at using the emotions between people to stir up trouble.

Jing Yuan looked at Penny's back and realized that his unintentional actions had placed her in a dangerous position.

If Jing Yuan ever displeased Charles, he would target Penny.

Whether out of camaraderie or feelings developed over time, Jing Yuan did not want to see anything happen to Penny.

Standing at the edge of the Lighthouse, Jing Yuan watched Penny's back and thought that he must not let anything happen to her.

Jing Yuan stood there with her for a while; she remained silent, and he didn't know what she was thinking about.

"Let's go! It's getting late, time to head back and rest," Jing Yuan said softly from behind.

"Mhm!" Penny turned her head, her eyes filled with a trace of tenderness as soft as water.

Just as they were about to leave, a flash of light suddenly erupted in the sky, followed immediately by rolling thunder.

Penny looked at the distant clouds and said, "It might be a thunderstorm cloud. Looking at its scale, the Lighthouse might not be able to bypass it." She looked back at Jing Yuan. "Hurry back and stay in your room."

Jing Yuan nodded. "Let's go!"

The two hurried back to the residential area. Before they could even enter their rooms, they heard the alarm blaring on the Lighthouse.

"Attention all Lighthouse citizens! The Lighthouse is about to enter a thunderstorm zone! Please cease all outdoor operations immediately! Personnel on duty in all units, please head to your respective units to secure production equipment and ensure the Lighthouse passes through the thunderstorm zone smoothly!"

Listening to the broadcast, Penny said, "Entering the thunderstorm zone might cause turbulence. We need to head to the Armament Preparation Depot to secure the equipment."

Jing Yuan waved his hand and said, "You go back to your residence first! I'll go take a look. There are so many Wasteland Hunters; there's no need for a girl like you to rush to the front."

"But..."

"No buts." Jing Yuan pushed Penny back. "It's fine, hurry back!"

Under Jing Yuan's persuasion, Penny ultimately returned to her residence.

Jing Yuan then headed to the Armament Preparation Depot. When he arrived, the staff on duty had already begun securing the weapons and equipment.

All firearms were stored away, ammunition was boxed and secured, and gravity bodies were fastened.

Jing Yuan quickly went over to help as well.

Encountering thunderstorm weather like this was relatively rare because the Lighthouse flew in the air; if it encountered thunderclouds, it could adjust its course. Occasionally, if it couldn't be avoided, it wasn't a major issue.

Everyone was experienced, and they soon had the equipment secured.

At that moment, a tremor came from the Lighthouse platform.

The Lighthouse had entered the thunderstorm zone.

Violent jolts followed, making it difficult for even Jing Yuan to stand steadily.

What they needed to do now was find a stable place to hold on and wait for the Lighthouse to pass through the storm.

It took a full hour for the Lighthouse to cross the thunderstorm zone, and various areas on the Lighthouse suffered varying degrees of damage.

The Wasteland Hunters had a crate of ammunition that wasn't secured properly; it slid outside during a violent jolt, causing a significant loss of ammunition.

Relatively speaking, however, this wasn't a major problem.

Jing Yuan returned to his residence to rest once the Lighthouse stabilized. When dawn broke, someone brought him a message saying he was to attend today's Court Council.

Jing Yuan was now a Deputy Captain of the Wasteland Hunters, making him a mid-to-high-level official who could participate in the Court Council.

Lighthouse Central Command Hall.

Morgan sat in the high seat, listening to the reports from below.

As the commander of the Navigation Control Room, Jing Nan formulated all the Lighthouse's flight paths; she was the first to report on yesterday's situation.

"Yesterday, the Lighthouse entered a thunderstorm zone. The staff responsible for monitoring the weather were negligent in their duties and failed to discover it in time. I have already punished them with a forfeiture of contribution points."

"Such a major incident occurred, and you're just docking a few contribution points?" Charles asked from the side with a half-smile.

Jing Nan still answered solemnly, "The monitoring personnel's negligence was only a small part of the reason. The primary reason is that extreme weather is very difficult to predict. This thundercloud formation was on our flight path; forcibly avoiding it would have consumed a lot of energy and was unnecessary. The monitoring personnel's responsibility lies in failing to provide an early warning so that each department could prepare in advance."

"That is still a dereliction of duty."

"That's enough." Morgan raised his hand to stop Charles's baseless accusations. "Jing Nan's handling of the matter is fine. What about the losses in other departments?"

Hearing Morgan speak up for Jing Nan, Charles shot her a displeased look.

But Jing Nan didn't care at all; she was already used to it.

"The other departments all had some losses, but nothing major. Only the medical department lost some medicine, which is a bit serious."

"How much was lost?"

"Nearly half was lost, and among them..." Jing Nan didn't continue.

"What is it?" Morgan sensed Jing Nan's hesitation.

"Among the lost medicines were your emergency medications, City Lord..."

Hearing Jing Nan's words, the expressions of everyone below changed, though Morgan, as the person involved, remained calm.

Upon hearing this, Mark immediately said, "Jing Nan, where is the nearest medical supply collection point? I'll lead a team to gather some medical supplies."

Jing Nan immediately picked up her tablet to check, then replied, "In the T50 Area."

"Good, I'll go back and prepare immediately!"

Jing Yuan watched the scene from the side, thinking: Mark really is good to Morgan; knowing Morgan is out of medicine, he wants to go get it right away.

Later, Morgan passed the position to Mark, so the two could be considered a mutual success.

However, Charles couldn't stand this scene of "filial piety." He quickly said, "City Lord, I heard that the food production department also lost several food manufacturing machines. Currently, the Lighthouse has no parts for repairs. If the Wasteland Hunters aren't sent to The Surface to find repair materials, I'm afraid the food supply will also run into problems."

After hearing Charles out, Morgan looked toward Jing Nan for confirmation. "Is that so?"

Jing Nan nodded. "Yes. However, our existing food reserves can last for another half month, but the medicine is more urgent."

Morgan waved his hand and said, "A stable food supply is necessary to guarantee the stability of the Lighthouse. Mark, prioritize collecting repair materials and equipment. Jing Nan, adjust the flight path to coordinate with Mark's actions."

"City Lord..."

Mark and Jing Nan spoke at the same time; they were more concerned about Morgan's health.

At this time, Charles smiled, stepped forward, and said, "City Lord, it doesn't have to be a choice between the two. We just selected Vice-Captain Jing Yuan; he can certainly go collect the medicine while Captain Mark collects the materials. A two-pronged approach."

Jing Yuan was stunned, not expecting to be dragged into this.

However, as the Deputy Captain, this was indeed part of his duty.

Jing Yuan stepped forward and said, "Then I will lead a team to find the medicine!"