Chapter 200: When Are We Leaving?

The latest news is that Yang Shuo insists on returning to the Haicheng Barrier and does not want anyone from here to go pick him up, but just as he was about to depart, he was suddenly detained.

"Detained by whom?"

Liu Mu looked around with some curiosity; the machine room, over fifty square meters in size, was filled with instrument cabinets of all sizes, with red, yellow, and green lights flickering on these instruments.

These are the devices that keep the Haicheng Barrier in communication with other bases and the General Command; most are the most advanced from before the disaster, but limited by external conditions, they are still frequently unable to connect.

Therefore, some of the news is delayed; for example, Yang Shuo was originally scheduled to depart at 3:00 AM, but they only found out five hours later.

"It's the people from the Military Department," Jiang Wenjun said, as he also has his own channels at the General Command. "Yang Siling being kept behind is not because of our own reasons, but rather..."

His face held an unprecedented gravity, even more serious than when his chest was pierced back then.

"What is it, Uncle Jiang? Just tell me directly." Liu Mu's idea of quitting was dashed once again; although regretful, she also intuitively felt that something had happened over there.

Because it is a classified, high-security area, there were only Jiang Wenjun, Liu Mu, and a classified communications clerk in the room.

This clerk has no name, only the code name "Number 3," and rarely appears in other parts of the Barrier, all to keep the secrets in the communications.

A person who does not exist—this is both to protect him and to place him on the tip of a blade.

In the room with the three of them, Jiang Wenjun believed they were all trustworthy, to the point that he did not even notify Qin Han.

"Old Qi—that is, Qi Zhengxun, whom you have met—has been assassinated." Jiang Wenjun is not from the Northwest Army, but he knows the bond between Yang Shuo and Qi Zhengxun, as well as the weight Qi Zhengxun carries in the General Command and the military.

"So Uncle Yang was kept behind for the investigation?"

Liu Mu could not think of any other reason for a moment. At this critical juncture with waves of Cold Waves arriving, she believed everyone knew Yang Shuo was the backbone of the Southeast Three Provinces; there could be no other reason for detaining him besides suspicion.

"No, this news is top secret," Jiang Wenjun said, knowing Liu Mu was not clear about internal infighting. "Once word of Old Qi's passing reaches the Northwest, there is an eighty percent chance the army there will mutiny. At that point, them no longer obeying the General Command is a minor matter; what I fear is..."

"War?" Liu Mu thought of it almost immediately. As a small, struggling person in her past life, she had heard news of fighting in the north, but who was fighting whom, or how it was going, no one cared about the follow-up news due to the constant natural disasters.

"Are you saying the Northwest Army will attack the General Command, or other military regions?"

"Yes. Even if Old Qi is not personally in command, that place is full of his people; the army's reverence for him even exceeds our military region's trust in Yang Siling." Jiang Wenjun nodded in agreement. "But this is not the problem we face; the problem we face is that Yang Siling cannot return, so what should we do next?"

Here we go again...

Liu Mu instantly wilted. "Uncle, you don't want me to go and snatch Uncle Yang back, do you? Even if I had the courage of a giant, going there would just be throwing my life away."

Seeing her like this, Jiang Wenjun's expression softened slightly. "Yang Siling has other arrangements. The General Command will likely send him to the Northwest to win over hearts; after all, Old Qi trusted him deeply, and many of the upper echelons of the Northwest Army are his comrades-in-arms."

"So?"

Liu Mu did not believe Jiang Wenjun wanted her to escort Yang Shuo. Please, facing an army, what use would she be!

Jiang Wenjun said: "I hope you will visit the various bases in the Southeast Three Provinces as soon as possible, and I will accompany you."

As soon as he received the news, Jiang Wenjun thought of many things, and he thought about them from Yang Shuo's perspective.

As the highest military and administrative official of the large military region, what Yang Shuo worries about at this time is nothing more than the stability of the three provinces and how to survive the cold disaster.

Liu Mu did not want to go; it was too cold outside, she could not even handle it herself, let alone the old man in front of her whose serious injuries had not fully healed. "Then what about the Barrier?"

"With Qin Han and your people there, there won't be any major chaos," Jiang Wenjun knew Liu Mu's thoughts and could only try his best to persuade her: "You can redeploy before you leave. Don't forget, you possess the highest command authority; you can take it out and use it now."

Whether out of resistance or a desire not to get involved, Liu Mu had never used the power to command all the troops in the Barrier.

During this time, Jiang Wenjun had also figured it out: Liu Mu putting military command in his hands and administration and logistics in Qin Han's hands was her way of being prepared to walk away at any time.

How should one put it? There are really too few people in this world who possess power but are not greedy for it. Liu Mu might not necessarily count as such a person, but she certainly did not treat the Haicheng Barrier as her own.

Jiang Wenjun had also been to the Shengli Group headquarters; good heavens, her own home was indeed built much better than the Barrier. Sigh, one has to say, for an acting leader, being able to do as well as Liu Mu is quite good, but still, can't she have a little ambition?

You have to know, if there is an "acting" position, there is a chance to be confirmed. Even if Yang Shuo returned one day, Liu Mu could at least land a second-in-command spot; what great power that would be!

"Let me consider it," Liu Mu actually still held a glimmer of hope. "Yang Shuo hasn't confirmed the news yet, so why not wait until he or the General Command gives the order?"

"It will be too late by then." Jiang Wenjun had a real headache; he could actually go himself, but... his previous serious injury was too severe, and he had to take a painkiller every night before sleep; he didn't know if he would be able to hold on one day.

"Fine, three days. If there is still no news of Yang Shuo within three days, we will go to inspect the bases."

Liu Mu felt she had already compromised. Within three days, she had to find a way for her body to withstand the cold, and there were many other things to do.

Just like that, time reached the third day.

During this period, there was still no response from Yang Shuo's side. The news Jiang Wenjun got from his own channels was: Yang Shuo had already set off for the Northwest.

It was six hours after Qi Zhengxun was assassinated.

Liu Mu was puzzled. "The temperature is even lower in the north; how did they get there?"

"Actually," at this moment, Qin Han already knew the sequence of events, and there was a sincere apology on his face, "there are still a few railways that can be used in the north. The passable journey is truly limited, but the General Command specifically launched repair work, and now one can go directly to Chang'an."

Liu Mu was not surprised at all; after all, she was now a woman who had seen the grand scale of the Shengjie Church. In this world, besides people like them at the bottom who are ignorant, what else is there to be surprised about?

Sorry, in her past life, she really had tried her best, tried her best to struggle at the bottom.

Seeing her not speaking, Qin Han was glad this girl didn't take the opportunity to demand something. "It's just that the geological terrain of the Southeast Three Provinces is complex; many tunnels collapsed during the heavy rain, and neither highways nor railways can get through."

"It's fine, there's no other way, is there?" Liu Mu put on a magnanimous appearance, which made the two old men who knew her a bit more cautious.

Sure enough, Liu Mu said again: "Since it's just that the roads are blocked, the equipment is actually all there, right? Why don't we bases fix up the railways and highways? It would be convenient for us to visit each other, right?"

Qin Han secretly breathed a sigh of relief; this request was within his expectations and was not excessive. "I will apply to the General Command. Then when do you plan to leave?"

Liu Mu's eyeballs turned in his direction, looking a bit eerie. She asked, "What departure?"

"The Barrier does indeed still need you for a lot of work, otherwise," Jiang Wenjun had a bit of a spirit of sacrifice in him, "I will go make the trip, and while I'm at it, I'll deliver some urgent supplies. Saving one person is one person saved."

"Forget it, old uncle," Liu Mu had already planned it out; the cold is one thing, but doing business is urgent. "I'll take the convoy. With your old arms and legs, don't go and die on the road."

Although the words were unpleasant, Qin Han and Jiang Wenjun truly breathed a huge sigh of relief; they were just afraid Liu Mu would refuse to manage the other bases no matter what.

During the Black Rain, they had also thought about letting other bases migrate their people to the Haicheng Barrier and its vicinity; after all, the total number of survivors in the Southeast Three Provinces now is less than five hundred thousand.

Compared to the total of five hundred thousand, the forty thousand-plus people in the Haicheng Barrier and Shengli Group combined seem quite small. But you have to know, just the rescue bases currently registered at the Barrier number over seventy, and this is still the result of Qin Han urging them to merge as much as possible. So some bases might have populations similar to the gangs gathered in Mei City—a few thousand, or even as few as a few hundred, are all possible.

Liu Mu pulled up the spreadsheet and map, compared them to mark the bases that could be reached within a day and had convenient transportation, and then started sighing and lamenting.

Qin Han, who was assisting her in organizing, felt his ears were about to grow calluses and had to speak up. "Besides supplies and weapons, what else do you think you need?"

Liu Mu did not speak, only sighing incessantly, as if it were not the Haicheng Barrier she was leaving, but this world.

Not until the moment of departure did Liu Mu speak.

"Uncle Qin, you say it's just that the weather is a bit cold, it's not like we can't go outside. Why don't the Sky Viper and the Saintess Society come to find trouble for us anymore?"

"If they don't come, who will deliver our supplies and equipment? It's worrying."

"You..." Even as experienced as Qin Han was, he couldn't find any other adjective besides "thick-skinned" at this moment. "Be careful on the road; with so many supplies, I'm afraid there will be people who try to rob you. If they won't listen to reason, you may take action."

Action—what other kind of action could it be? Naturally, it meant killing them all.

"I understand, please rest assured," Liu Mu said, gripping Qin Han's hand. "If something happens, don't try to bear it alone. If some people really insist on being contrary, you should take action too."

Qin Han's expression stiffened; he did not have the authority to kill, especially not mid-to-high-level cadres.

"I know what to do."

Of course, Liu Mu didn't really mean those words; they were for the benefit of the people behind her.

That officer who had his hand severed had already retired and was now assigned to the Internal Order Management Office, becoming a small Maintenance Worker.

To be honest, Qin Han was not very reassured by Liu Mu; this young Acting Chief had too much of a penchant for slaughter, and he feared she would offend quite a few people on this trip.

Turning his head, he found Luo Sanlin, who was going with her, and gave him a long series of instructions. The main point was one thing: try to treat the Survivors well, as they were all compatriots.

Ever since learning that Liu Mu was going on an inspection, Luo Sanlin had volunteered, and the former had very conveniently handed the organization of supplies over to him.

Xing Tianyang's Laboratory was inside the mountain and only required a portion of the armed forces to defend, so the Sea Soul Team was recalled by Liu Mu.

Before leaving, she returned home to explain the situation to her eldest sister and several key partners, but she could not determine the time, nor could she be certain what situations might arise on the road.

Besides settling these things, she also asked about the Steel Factory and the iron Mine, and upon learning that everything was fine there, she felt temporarily at ease.

As for why Xu Xiaofeng knew the situation at the iron Mine, it was because the Great Master Flower potted plant that Liu Mu had previously brought was planted there by her.

The weather was cold, and the branches had entered the ground, though they had not yet entered dormancy.

The same applied to the Steel Mill.

As for the Coal Mine, it had been lent to the Mountain Rat Army, and enough food had been left behind; coupled with its naturally hidden location, there would be no problems in the short term.

What she found most difficult to let go of was the Haicheng area—when she set out, the iceberg had not yet appeared.