Trapped in a dilemma on all sides

Just as Fang Qiang had described to the special operations squad members via satellite video, these past few days had been a whirlwind for him. First, he was received by high-ranking officials, followed by internal network media interviews, photo sessions, short film shoots, and official reports. Everything changed so fast that Fang Qiang felt a deep sense of unreality.

The silver lining was that the previously obscure and struggling Peninsula Outpost—a makeshift unit that barely qualified as a ragtag squad, Special Operations Squad 08—had in just a few days become a nationally renowned hero team, the absolute epitome of military-civilian cooperation. Even the dozen or so rudimentary regulations they had cobbled together during their meetings had, through Fang Qiang's narration, spread to every corner of the country. Of course, the official narrative was that they were referencing Squad 08's successful experiences to streamline legal provisions, accelerate the formulation of outpost codes, establish publicly accepted outpost regulations, and curb crime to the greatest extent possible. As a hero captain who had established such an outpost, the authorities were naturally more than willing to let some supplies slip through their fingers to arm the small Peninsula Outpost. Thus, simultaneously with Fang Qiang's return, a relatively generous batch of supplies had already been dispatched, and the construction plan for a field airstrip was currently in design. It was foreseeable that before long, the Peninsula Outpost's defenses would reach a whole new level.

Since the superiors had made the first move, Fang Qiang naturally had to reciprocate. Coupled with an invitation from the Capital Military Region Base, Wang Chen "volunteered" as a special operative from Harbin to join the Harbin Investigation Team, which became a logical progression. Fang Qiang had soared straight to the top, catching the eye of the higher-ups, and Wang Chen could also be said to have soared to the top—though whether this heaven was paradise remained to be seen.

Fortunately, the leader of this newly formed investigation team was an acquaintance of Wang Chen.

Tu Hongye.

The investigation work near the thirty-fourth parallel north was required to be completed by nearby outposts, but what about the fact that Harbin had no existing outpost? Naturally, it was led by Academician Tu Hongye, who had taken the initiative to submit a research application and won the recommendation.

It all made sense. After all, investigation tasks were the same everywhere; where couldn't one investigate?

As for whether anyone secretly hoped that Tu Hongye would perish in Harbin—where the survival situation was extremely obscure, plagued by floods and unstable geological conditions, making it fraught with danger—thus causing the investigation task to fail, permanently cutting off Chen Hanxin's path to further advancement in the near future, or even completely severing his political career, that was absolute groundless rumor and pure slander!

While Fang Qiang was riding in a helicopter, basking in the halo of a hero as he returned to the Peninsula Outpost with instructions from the highest authorities to build it into a model outpost and a benchmark to be promoted nationwide, Wang Chen—fully armed, wearing a sullen expression, and accompanied by Yang Xiaohua and Sheng Qingru—had already boarded another helicopter heading for the Capital Military Region Base. There, they would rendezvous with Tu Hongye, refuel at the forward base, and fly onward to Harbin.

Yang Xiaohua joined the investigation team because Zhao Ying at the forward base could not be spared. If someone else were put in charge of logistics and communications, Tu Hongye, who came from an academic background and had practically zero military subordinates under his command, would not feel at ease. Bringing Sheng Qingru along was a helpless choice for Wang Chen. Originally, Ma Tian was supposed to come; among the special operatives, aside from Ren Wanrong who had lost a hand, only Ma Tian and Pablo could partner with Wang Chen and watch each other's backs. However, Pablo had a weakness in the language department, and the newly formed investigation team would not accept an unidentified undocumented person, leaving Ma Tian as the only option.

Ma Tian had initially agreed to join the investigation, but unexpectedly, his mother found out through private channels. After a tear-soaked phone call, no matter how much Ma Tian talked back to his old man, facing his mother's tearful offensive, he had no choice but to turtle up. If Ma Tian's mother knew that the Peninsula Outpost was not actually safe, and that a dozen kilometers away lay over two hundred corpses killed by brain-bursting rats that had yet to be collected, one could only wonder what her mood would be.

Without Ma Tian as a partner, after picking through the remaining personnel at the Peninsula Outpost, Wang Chen simply considered going alone. Sheng Qingru, however, was violently opposed. Seeing the man she loved risking his life far away while she hid in the rear wallowing in self-pity had driven her to the brink of madness. Now that she had a chance to stay by Wang Chen's side, she was determined to go along. Wang Chen naturally refused to let Sheng Qingru follow him into danger, so this young woman simply took a needle and poked holes in the condoms, declaring loudly that if he didn't let her go, she would force the issue with the real deal, just to see if she could avoid turning into a zombie while leaving Wang Chen with an heir...

Unable to withstand such a bizarre threat, coupled with the fact that joining the investigation team granted priority access to the zombie vaccine—which offered too many benefits to their private life—Wang Chen ultimately brought Sheng Qingru aboard the helicopter bound for the Capital Military Region Base.

The cabin noise of a helicopter was far louder than that of a ordinary commercial plane, so Wang Chen simply put on his headset and dozed off leaning against Sheng Qingru, leaving Yang Xiaohua all alone to fiddle with her laptop in isolation. Being responsible for communications in the rear, re-familiarizing herself with Harbin's latest terrain and heat-source distribution was part of her bounden duty; she had to do it well, and she had to do it to the best of her ability.

The journey was uneventful, and the helicopter finally landed at a covert helipad halfway up a mountain belonging to the Capital Military Region Base. Twilight was deepening by then, and even with the illumination from the helipad lights, one could only vaguely discern the murky mountain silhouettes mixed with patches of early winter snow. To truly appreciate the full panorama of the surrounding mountain terrain, they would likely have to wait until dawn the next day.

Stepping off the helicopter, Wang Chen stared blankly at the massive cavern mouth leading deep into the mountain's core. This was Wang Chen's first time facing a genuine national-level project face-to-face. The scale of this entrance far surpassed the ammunition depot of the previous mechanized infantry regiment; an aircraft hangar entrance of this size could easily swallow two heavy trucks without breaking a sweat, let alone a helicopter. Just looking at its imposing momentum was enough to command attention.

In truth, Wang Chen did not know that the base entrance where he currently stood was merely one of many entrances to the Capital Military Region Base. Even the Capital Military Region Base itself was just a fraction of a gigantic military fortress concealed within the continuous mountain ranges northwest of the capital.

Speaking of this cluster of military fortresses near the capital, its history was quite ancient, tracing its origins as far back as the Song and Yuan dynasties. During the Ming dynasty, due to the strategic necessity of the Great Wall to defend against foreign enemies, the excavation of the mountains was further expanded, forming a considerable scale of troop-concealment caves and grain-storage warehouses. The scale of manpower used to hollow out the mountains back then was already quite astonishing. After the fall of the Ming dynasty, the Qing dynasty rallied the Mongol tribes into the Eight Banners, and the defensive function of the Great Wall virtually vanished. Consequently, the entire project was abandoned, and there were no records of maintenance throughout the entire Qing dynasty until the Japanese puppet era. The Japanese had once explored the fortress ruins that had been nearly swallowed by the natural environment and had plans to restore and utilize them. However, those little devils danced around for fourteen years before folding, and the plan to restart the fortress became a dead letter.

Following the liberation, especially with the steel torrent of the Soviet Union lingering like a thorn in their side for nearly forty years, the mountain fortress clusters, including the Capital Military Region Base, were restored and reactivated. Through decades of continuous expansion, renovation, and arming, it was no exaggeration to say that even in the event of a world-class nuclear war, as long as they were not directly hit by a bunker-busting nuclear weapon in the central area of the fortress, the fortress cluster—supported by multiple nuclear power plants alone—could protect the personnel inside and keep operations running until the end of the world.

Just as Wang Chen was leading Sheng Qingru and Yang Xiaohua to look around, marveling at the sheer scale of the Capital Military Region Base, Tu Hongye walked over to meet them. Instead of shaking hands, he first gave Wang Chen a huge embrace and laughed, "Long time no see! *Hiccup!* Long time no see, *hiccup!*"

Wang Chen deliberately ignored the pungent smell of medicine emanating from the man and forced a smile. "Sorry to trouble you to come and greet us at the landing pad. Oh, this is my girlfriend, Sheng Qingru."