Chapter 430: Acting

Inside the meeting room, Gao Yan was stunned for a moment, then felt at a loss.

Once the armored troops begin indiscriminate bombing, it's foreseeable that Long'an Base will surely be destroyed imminently.

Even if Lin An takes action, it would be useless!

Under a double pincer attack, even if Lin An doesn't die, Gao Tian and the others will die!

I don't know why Colonel Chu missed this point, nor why Lin An hasn't acted up to now.

For a moment, Gao Yan felt she was about to go crazy.

She grabbed Wang Meng's arm and spoke at breakneck speed:

"Uncle Wang!!"

"You forgot the military region wants to capture Lin An alive and learn the mission's secret?!"

"He's so important, yet you're doing this..."

Wang Meng's expression grew even more grave with doubt; he glanced at the emotionally unsettled Gao Yan, frowned, and said:

"Lin An's secret?"

"There's no secret anymore."

"His so-called completing the safe zone mission isn't just relying on those two awakened ones, is it?"

"Oh, maybe there are also those two strange flesh-and-blood monsters."

"There are actually quite a few of these special awakened ones under my command."

"We were wrong from the start, mistakenly thinking he had some shortcut."

"You might not have been present during this period's discussions and simulations, so you wouldn't know."

"With an illusion awakened one and that bow-wielding kid, theoretically we can wear down the mutants required by the safe zone mission."

"Of course, we also guessed that maybe the first safe zone mission is relatively simple, but defending the city is difficult."

"Otherwise, there's no way to explain why Long'an Base's mission differs from others'."

Having said that, Wang Meng let out a sigh:

"It's a waste that we previously valued Lin An so highly, even the Capital Military Region became extra wary of him."

"I heard that some factions still speak up for him."

"But looking at it now."

Wang Meng shook his head, his eyes full of contempt.

"His value has dropped to zero."

"Instead, he's just like the guesses in a chat channel—a lucky kid."

"But in terms of personal ability..."

"He's even less useful than the safety token and those few special awakened ones."

"If you hadn't said this person might help the old chief, I would have already reported Lin An's situation to the capital side."

In the main seat, Wang Meng suppressed his doubts and patiently explained to Gao Yan:

As the old chief's daughter, I naturally have to give her some face.

Just that, after Gao Yan came back, her behavior seemed a bit off.

It's as if she became a different person.

At present.

The only remaining value of Long'an Base is the token.

He specifically asked other military regions that had established safe zones.

Obtaining the token allows one to establish a safe zone and also use the previous numbering.

Of course, the defending-the-city mission will also be reset.

Long'an Base's name must be changed, but the first number still holds great symbolic significance.

The higher-ups still place great importance on these things.

Not to mention Long'an Base's special architecture, which he also covets.

Upon hearing this, Fan Bing, who was portraying Gao Yan, went blank in her mind.

No matter how skilled she is at acting, she can no longer remain calm.

Having seen Lin An act, she naturally knows the corpse tide can be resolved.

She even vaguely knows that Long'an Base never used the safety token to build a city.

Never mind whether she could hand over the token; even if she could produce one, Colonel Chu and Lin An would never agree to Wang Meng's terms.

The crisis is imminent.

Once Wang Meng loses his patience, everything is over!

In an instant, Fan Bing could not think; her mind was filled with the thought of not letting Wang Meng issue an attack order,

she almost death-gripped Wang Meng's arm:

"Don't fire the missiles!"

"Absolutely not!"

"Lin An must not come to harm!"

Wang Meng looked at Gao Yan in astonishment, and along with him, the thousands of eyes in the meeting room all turned toward them.

"What's going on?"

"How did the old chief's daughter end up like this?"

"Lin An must not come to harm? On what grounds?"

Seeing suspicion rise in Wang Meng's eyes, Fan Bing nervously blurted out in a panic:

"I like Lin An!"

"I was with him before the Apocalypse!"

"I'm pregnant!"

"My dad knows!"

"He's the father of my baby!!"

"You dare to blast him to death! The child will have no father! My dad can find you and fight you to the death!!"

Each piece of news is more explosive than the last.

In an instant, the huge meeting room fell silent.

Everyone stared with their mouths open at the solemn, even slightly red‑eyed Gao Yan, and two words kept popping into their minds.

Absurd!

Too absurd!

That is to say... Lin An is... General Gao Wang's son‑in‑law!?

Such a bombshell of news is no less than a bomb.

Wang Meng sat there dumbfounded, feeling as if he had misheard.

Watching Gao Yan's superb performance, he could not detect a trace of lying.

Miss Gao Yan, my grandaunt... you can't just spout nonsense!

Panicked.

As the Military Region commander, Wang Meng felt uneasy for the first time.

Damn it! Damn it! What the hell is going on!?

Under the gaze of nearly a thousand eyes, Fan Bing took a deep breath and quickly fabricated a complete 'fact'.

It's like this: I wasn't studying at the capital university before? Back then I often went to the troops for fun, and by chance I met Lin An and started dating him.

Later he retired, and we lost contact.

As she spoke, Fan Bing frantically brainstormed, desperately trying to tie this string of excuses together.

Almost without pause, she continued speaking at breakneck speed:

Uncle Wang, do you still remember how Lin An's men mysteriously stepped in to 'rescue' the Liaojiang search‑and‑rescue team?

That was actually because I had contacted him beforehand and asked him to send help.

Besides, aren't you curious why I said he could help my father?

Aren't you also curious how I managed to return safely from Long'an Base?

Moreover, don't you think Long'an Base broadcasting the city defense is actually 'helping' us gain experience?

Also, have you wondered why I was the first to find Long'an Base? Why I insisted on leading a team to 'seek' Lin An?

Fan Bing, playing Gao Yan, took a deep breath and spoke more fluently as she went on.

So immersed in the role, she even ended up deceiving herself.

While speaking, a flush of shyness crossed her face, and her tone grew somewhat pleading:

Uncle Wang, just think about it.

If I had no connection to Lin An, how could these questions be explained?

Lin An is my father's son‑in‑law, so of course he can help him!

As for what you thought was coercion before, it was actually just proving our strength to you.

Think about it: if Lin An wants to marry me openly and aboveboard, how could he lack strength?

Having said all that in one breath, Gao Yan saw that most people were half‑convinced.

Without hesitation, she added:

Actually, I wanted to keep this news under wraps, and my father felt the same way.

After all, you know, the high level actually harbors some misunderstandings about Lin An, or rather...

Wang Meng shuddered all over; he understood what Gao Yan was trying to convey.

After Gao Yan repeatedly invoked the old chief, he hurriedly signaled her to stop speaking.

What misunderstanding.

That is clearly the high level splitting into factions, with the old chief wanting to carve out his own domain!

Good grief, as expected of the old chief—despite being tens of thousands of kilometers from Liaojiang, his scheming runs deep and his layout remains hidden.

No wonder... no wonder the old chief's situation is dire.

No wonder the high level's attitude toward Lin An is so strange.

He went on a wild bout of speculation.

For a moment, Wang Meng felt himself drawn into the undercurrents of court intrigue.

After a while, he seemed to think of something and cautiously asked the only question.

Miss Gao Yan, doesn't Lin An already have a fiancée?

"The Liaojiang search‑and‑rescue team was previously just to bring back Tang Wan and the others..."

In an instant, a flicker of surprise crossed Gao Yan's face.

Seeing Wang Meng unable to believe the 'fact,' her heart surged with massive waves.

That single remark from Wang Meng nearly broke through her defenses.

Damn! How could Lin An have a fiancée?

That man, isn't he an emotionless killing machine!