Chapter 141: Meeting Without Words

Luo Xingyu and Xiang Weiguo were still waiting outside when Gao Yuan rushed over. He grasped Luo Xingyu's hand and whispered, "I have good news for you, but don't get too excited."

With a confused face, Luo Xingyu nodded, and then Gao Yuan whispered, "Your dad is at Base No. 12, General Xu will take you to see him soon. Are you... okay?"

Clearly dumbfounded, Luo Xingyu stared at Gao Yuan and said, "My dad?"

"Yes, he's at Base No. 12."

Luo Xingyu glanced at Xiang Weiguo, who smiled and then nodded at Luo Xingyu, saying, "Congratulations."

Luo Xingyu didn't cry, nor did she smile. She was shocked but also appeared very bewildered.

"Are you okay?"

Her mouth twitched, but she didn't speak; instead, she started to cry.

Just tears, no talking.

At that moment, should they ask Luo Xingyu how she felt? Xu Manzhi immediately said loudly, "Let's hurry over now, um, let's not notify Mr. Luo yet; we'll go directly."

Gao Yuan half hugged, half dragged the despondent Luo Xingyu towards the direction of the train.

Yu Shunzhou called out loudly, "Hey, what about us? Where are we going?"

Panxin and Li Jingang also looked concerned. There must be arrangements for them, it was just that no one had informed them yet, leaving them somewhat perplexed.

"Panxin, Li Jingang, you two stay here; as for both of you, it was originally arranged for you to live here, um, but your personal wishes can be respected."

Yu Shunzhou glanced at Nie Erlong, and then he quickly said, "Can we follow and take a look?"

Gao Yuan turned back and said, "Look at what? Just stay here. We'll be back tomorrow, and to all go would only cause trouble."

There was no need to mention how scarce living accommodations must be in this underground base. Since arrangements were already made here, they shouldn't add to General Xu's headaches.

But Xiang Weiguo definitely had to go, given his extraordinary relationship with Luo Xingyu.

The group boarded the high-speed train, and Luo Xingyu continued to cry while sitting. It was supposed to be a happy occasion going to see her father, yet Luo Xingyu cried incessantly.

"Why are you crying? This is a good thing. Come, wipe your tears; your eyes are all red."

Gao Yuan wiped away Luo Xingyu's tears with his hand and then whispered, "Stop crying. What's there to cry about? It's a happy occasion."

Finally, Luo Xingyu sobbed, "I'm very happy, but I'm also very sad. I just want to cry..."

While Luo Xingyu cried, Xu Manzhi was holding a phone, and without deliberately avoiding anyone, he loudly said, "Hello, go and check where Mr. Luo Guodong is, but don't say anything. Is he in the factory? Oh, okay, I got it. Arrange the shuttle for me; I'll need it shortly."

It had been half a year, and this was the first time Gao Yuan had seen someone using a phone.

After Xu Manzhi hung up the phone, Gao Yuan asked with great surprise, "General Xu, can we use phones here?"

Xu Manzhi gave Gao Yuan a look and said, "Oh, yes, we can. Not only do we have phones, but we can also access the internet. Of course, it's only the internal network. Our underground base is fully covered with fiber optics, and of course, there's also phone signal."

Outside phones didn't work because even if the phone wasn't broken, there were no more signal towers, but here in the underground base, as long as there was a signal and the phone was intact, it wasn't surprising that one could continue to use the phone.

"Can I use the phone I brought from outside?"

"You can, all three major carriers' phones can work, and it's all free. It's just that there aren't many phones that can be used inside the base. We have the capability to produce phones with only basic functions, but for the time being, there's no need."

Gao Yuan's mind became active because he had a phone that still worked.

The high-speed train trip would take a while. After crying for some time, Luo Xingyu eventually fell soundly asleep in Gao Yuan's arms. After excessive excitement, a person would enter a period of fatigue, especially since Luo Xingyu had already had a long day.

As soon as the train stopped, Luo Xingyu woke up. Gao Yuan took her hand and followed Xu Manzhi onto a commuter car parked right beside what seemed to be the platform.

The commuter car was open-topped. Once the iron door opened, the vehicle sped through the deserted tunnel at high speed.

"Our underground base is like a spider web, constructed in a short time and under limited conditions. Still, we managed to establish the working and living areas, and the underground drainage system is pretty well-developed. Unlike Base No. 12—they only had half of their facilities complete when the aliens arrived. They hadn't even built a sewage system, and the stench there..."

Hearing Xu Manzhi speak, Gao Yuan felt uncomfortable just thinking about it. If there were no sewage system in the underground base, the smell would be unbearable.

At that moment, Luo Xingyu whispered, "General Xu, my dad... When did he arrive?"

"Hmm, it's been two years, I believe. After finishing the main construction of our base, there were still many auxiliary projects to be completed. Your father's company took on a lot of the work. For the past two years, he has basically been overseeing operations here. It's normal that you didn't know; this project is top secret. Even though we used civilian companies, the level of confidentiality was never compromised. Xiaoyu, you shouldn't blame your father. I can assure you now that he is also under close monitoring."

After finishing, Xu Manzhi paused, then continued in a lower voice, "I'm sorry. Your dad has made significant contributions to our country and people. The aliens came so abruptly; he was nearly driven insane. You should understand your father's situation."

Luo Xingyu nodded silently and then shook her head, whispering, "Thank you, I understand now."

Xu Manzhi wanted to say more but after some thought, he simply sighed softly without speaking.

Gao Yuan had the feeling that Xu Manzhi knew what had happened to Luo Xingyu's mother.

The commuter car emerged from the tunnel, revealing a vast space ahead, dimly lit and filled with assorted machine tools, but devoid of people.

Passing the large cave, they entered another stretch of tunnel, which soon led to a series of temporary housing units resembling the mobile plank houses found on construction sites.

There, Gao Yuan suddenly encountered the long-missed scent of fireworks.

People were entering and leaving the plank houses, some with doors open, revealing inhabitants playing cards inside, and some with lights off.

The commuter car came to a stop in front of a stand-alone plank house.

One could imagine how scarce space was in the underground shelter, where plank houses were stuffed into every corner, each one holding at least eight to ten people. So, this small, solitary plank house seemed very precious.

Xu Manzhi brought an orderly with him. The orderly got off the car and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

The person inside asked listlessly, and then the door was quickly opened. As the person inside saw Xu Manzhi, he immediately exclaimed in surprise, "General, what brings you here?"

Xu Manzhi said sternly, "Mr. Luo, let's talk inside. Look who's come to see you."

Xu Manzhi entered the house first, followed by Gao Yuan who pushed Luo Xingyu inside.

A middle-aged man with a full beard, upon seeing Luo Xingyu, became immobile. Then he reached out his hand and said in a hollow, stunned voice, "Xiaoyu?"

Luo Xingyu, who had been crying the whole way, found herself unable to cry at that moment. She took a step forward, embraced the bearded middle-aged man, and whispered, "Dad!"

Luo Guodong held Luo Xingyu tightly in his arms, hugging her intensely. After rubbing her head with his face, he whispered, "This isn't a dream..."

Suddenly, Luo Guodong pushed Luo Xingyu back, looking fervently at her. After staring deeply into her eyes, he kissed her cheeks avidly on both sides, then pulled her back into a tight embrace.

"Not a dream! Xiaoyu, Dad has missed you so much!"

Luo Guodong began to sob loudly, hugging Luo Xingyu and turning around on the floor, then after another glance at her face, he hugged her tightly again.

"Dad will never be separated from you again, never again!"

Xu Manzhi and Gao Yuan exchanged looks, then glanced at Wei Guo. The three of them nodded together, then tiptoed out of the plank house, quietly closing the door behind them.

For now, it was best not to disturb the father and daughter reunion.