Chapter 280: Reserve Army

Yingzhou looked toward the source of the sound, and sure enough, it was him—Pu Lie. Had this guy always been so snide when he spoke?

Yingzhou ignored Pu Lie's snideness, and seeing that the other Councilors had not yet arrived, he began to flip through the documents at his side.

Seeing this, Pu Lie pursed his lips in dissatisfaction and also began to wait for the others to arrive.

Soon, Selina walked into the Meeting Room, and the other Councilors also entered the Meeting Room or connected via projection.

"This emergency Council meeting was convened to address the resettlement of the survivors brought back by the Military District. According to the report sent back by the Military District, all survivors infected by the Zerg have been cleared, and the remaining survivors have not been controlled by the Zerg."

Selina adjusted her glasses and then continued.

"There are a total of 【number missing in source】 survivors rescued this time. Among them, young adults account for 80%, children account for 17%, and survivors who are disabled or elderly account for only 3%. After the Military District completes the Back Spirit Awakening Ceremony for the survivors, those who do not awaken a Back Spirit will be assigned to various areas to perform production labor. If any of you would like a list of the survivors, you may submit an application, and once approved by the Councilors, you may directly take the personnel you need."

As soon as Selina finished speaking, Pake smiled and spoke up.

"The Research Institute needs some survivors for research projects. We need about 1,000 people; as long as they are not disabled or elderly, anyone will do."

Hearing this, Yingzhou could not help but look at Pake, only to find the other man looking at him with a smile, which sent a chill through his heart.

Selina did not say much more, but instead asked the other Councilors, "So, does anyone have any objections to Councilor Pake's proposal? If not, then Councilor Pake's application is approved."

Just then, Jack spoke up, "I object!"

"I object as well!" Lu Yang also raised his hand to express his opposition.

Selina looked toward Jack, her red lips slightly parted, and said in a flat voice.

"Councilor Jack, please state your reasons."

Jack took his hand down from his hairline, straightened his lapels, and licked his dry lips with his tongue.

"The research at the Research Institute is completely useless. Wasting the labor of 1,000 people to conduct experiments that have no practical significance is, in my opinion, inadvisable. It would be better to follow the original plan; whether they enter the Military District or the Production Zone, they will contribute to the Ninth Defense Zone!"

Jack paused, crossed his hands in front of him, and continued.

"The Zerg have not launched a large-scale attack for a very long time now, only conducting small-scale harassment. Everyone knows very well that whenever the Zerg do not attack for a long time, there must be a major move coming. Previously, with Ji Bu there, we managed to turn danger into safety."

"Now the Military District has just suffered heavy losses, and Ji Bu also died in that attack by the Alien Race. Although Yingzhou has become the Military District Chief, he is still very young after all. We must prepare for the changes that are to come!"

Yingzhou had originally been listening to Jack's speech, but he did not expect Jack to lead the topic to him at the end, and the expression on his face became somewhat strange.

After hearing Jack's point of view, Selina looked at Lu Yang.

Seeing that it was his turn, Lu Yang coughed lightly and said, "My view is similar to Councilor Jack's. The Research Institute's research has no results; we cannot continue to invest too many resources into it, so those resources can be used where they are needed more."

After listening to Lu Yang's explanation, Yingzhou felt a glimmer of interest in that Research Institute. What kind of research were they doing there, and why did it draw such resentment from so many people on the Council?

For this application, besides Pake casting a vote in favor, there were 5 abstentions and 3 votes against.

Yingzhou did not expect that Pu Lie would actually vote against it as well. Since he did not understand the inside story, he could only abstain and observe the situation. Yingzhou really could not figure this Pu Lie out; why did he vote against it?

However, upon seeing Pake's application rejected, Selina repeated the same question from earlier.

"If any of you would like a list of the survivors, you may submit an application, and once approved by the Councilors, you may directly take the personnel you need."

Seeing that no one was speaking, Yingzhou coughed lightly and spoke up.

"Ahem, then I will also submit an application. I apply to select 5,000 people from the ordinary residents to form a unit composed of ordinary people. Just as Councilor Jack said earlier, I want to be prepared for the Zerg attack."

Yingzhou's words made the expressions of the Councilors present become somewhat strange, except for Selina.

"I object! How could ordinary people possibly fight against the Alien Race on the battlefield? Where would they have that kind of strength? 5,000 ordinary people would be better off anywhere else than on the battlefield!"

Pu Lie was the first to jump out and express his opposition. Although the other Councilors did not object, Yingzhou knew from their expressions that they did not support his idea much either.

"Furthermore, how would a unit composed of 5,000 ordinary people be trained, and how would they form combat effectiveness on the battlefield? Under what status would they enter the battlefield—as regular soldiers? If so, would their weapons and equipment have to be the same as regular soldiers?"

Just after Pu Lie finished speaking, Jack also spoke up.

"The 5,000 ordinary soldiers will serve as a Reserve Army and will be trained in the Military District. The Production Zone only needs to provide them with food supplies; I will solve the weapons, equipment, and training personnel myself."

"Furthermore, after this Reserve Army finishes training, I will deploy them to the battlefield. Their task is to fill the gaps that appear on the battlefield at any time."

Hearing Yingzhou's words, Jack said no more. After all, being able to obtain 5,000 soldiers for the cost of food for 5,000 people seemed quite cost-effective, even if they were just cannon fodder.

"I think Yingzhou's idea is quite good, but I suggest that the number of 5,000 people cannot be increased, as these ordinary people are also needed for production. As for the weapons, equipment, and training personnel, since they won't occupy the Ninth Defense Zone's quota, let's see what kind of results the new Military District Chief will achieve."

Seeing that Jack was no longer speaking, Lu Yang smiled and said to everyone.

Upon hearing that this Reserve Army of 5,000 ordinary people only needed food to be sent to the battlefield and that no extra issues needed to be considered, the other Councilors had nothing to say. After all, this was just an attempt; if it didn't work, couldn't they just stop doing it in the future?

In the end, Yingzhou obtained the document to form the Reserve Army of 5,000 ordinary people. Plus, among the survivors rescued this time, there would certainly be soldiers who had awakened a Back Spirit, which would allow him to isolate this batch of soldiers from the others to prevent infiltration by the Alien Race.