Chapter 201 - Take Responsibility for Yourself

Xinghe was still eating, and Gao Yuan, who decided to turn his grief and anger into an appetite, officially started his meal.

After gnawing on dry rations for several days without having a proper hot meal, now that he got to eat the hot and fragrant grilled meat, Gao Yuan could truly appreciate the joy of being alive.

"This lamb is delicious, it doesn't seem like frozen meat."

"Of course it's not frozen meat, this is freshly slaughtered lamb. We have thousands of tons of reserved meat frozen in our food storage, but since we knew you couldn't get fresh meat, we prepared live lambs for you. This time, we have three hundred lambs, and maybe another five hundred can be brought in tomorrow. Don't worry, you can eat fresh meat for a few days while you're here."

The military officer who accompanied them at the meal chuckled and said something that shocked Gao Yuan.

"What? Live lambs? Where did you get them?"

The officer was still chuckling as he said, "We have vast land and sparse population here, with very few viruses in the air. Guisui City suffered a lot, but the pastoralists in the surrounding areas didn't have significant losses, so neither did the herds. Knowing that you were coming, we specially exchanged grains for live lambs from the pastoral areas, just waiting for you guys to arrive."

The virus can be transmitted through the air, but it's not pervasive in all parts of the world. The Serpent People would focus on releasing the virus in densely populated areas, but naturally, they wouldn't specifically target sparsely populated areas like the pastoral regions.

"So things are a lot better here, huh?"

"Yeah, a lot better, but the situation in the cities is still very bad. With a permanent population of over three million people, I guess… most of them are left inside."

The officer speaking was a major, who shook his head with a look of regret, then gestured with his hands, "Let's not talk about that. You eat, just eat."

Now that Xinghe had finished eating, she was contentedly picking her teeth and then she crossed her legs and said, "Got any Pu'er tea? A cup of tea would be a small favor."

Gao Yuan furrowed his brow and said, "Who did you learn this mannerism from?"

"From the TV, it gives off a sense of life, an urban flair."

"But it doesn't suit your image. Put your leg down and cover your mouth when picking your teeth. Why don't you learn something good and just pick up bad habits?"

"Is this not good?"

"It's not that it's not good, it's inelegant."

After a brief exchange with Xinghe, Gao Yuan grabbed another piece of meat and ate it all in a few bites, while Xinghe finally put down her legs and said, "Gao Yuan, eat less. They said the roasted lamb legs will be ready soon. You can eat several of those."

"Got it, I'll eat less."

As Gao Yuan said this, his hands continued to send piece after piece of meat into his mouth.

"Bring some more chive blossoms, oh and the lamb neck is delicious, give me some more of that too, will you?"

Others were astonished as they watched Gao Yuan devour an entire lamb, but he showed no sign of stopping.

Eating too much could be frightening as well.

The accompanying officer stood up, looking at Gao Yuan with a face full of surprise and said, "Are you Gao Yuan?"

"Ah."

"Then... do you know someone named Xiaoyu?"

The officer's eyes kept darting over to Xinghe, and Gao Yuan smiled, "I know her."

"So you are that Gao Yuan? The one from the broadcasts?"

"Well, if I'm not mistaken, you're talking about me."

"My goodness! My goodness gracious, so you are that Gao Yuan? And she is Xiaoyu, right? Goodness gracious, I can't believe it, you actually came to our place, my word."

The officer looked absolutely thrilled, standing in front of Gao Yuan, wanting to shake his hand. But looking down at his grease-covered hands, ultimately, he did not extend his hand but said with urgency, "I, we, here, we can still...let me think, got it! Wait a moment, I'll get you another dish."

He turned to leave, but just then, a red alarm light above the door suddenly lit up. It flashed like a police siren, accompanied by a low wailing sound.

The sound wasn't loud but was definitely enough to awaken anyone sleeping. However, the noise didn't last long; only the flashing red light remained.

Zhao Qiang asked in a low, urgent voice, "What's happening?"

"Zombies abnormal in Guisui City area! Not good!"

The officer who just spoke of adding a dish said to Zhao Qiang, "You all stay here, someone will take you to a safe zone!"

The officer opened the door and dashed out, while eight royal guards stood up—two blocked the door and the other six stood in front of Gao Yuan and Xinghe.

It was chaos; not a single officer from Guisui Institution No.1 remained, leaving no one to ask about the situation.

Zhao Qiang said urgently, "We can't just wait here, I will find someone, bolster the defenses!"

Zhao Qiang opened the door, and just then, a piercing and prolonged air raid siren started to sound.

In a refuge that should have strictly controlled noise, when a loud air raid alarm is intentionally sounded, it can only mean one thing.

An enemy attack.

Zhao Qiang stepped outside, looking up at the sky.

The battle example from Stonegate Shelter No.2 should have informed every shelter by now. Every shelter should also be prepared for the Serpent People's tactics; although it's just one experience, experience is still experience.

There was nothing unusual in the sky, but just then, Shi Lei ran over with a group of people, accompanied by those from Guisui Institution No.1.

Shi Lei, leading the special combat team, had only one task: protect Gao Yuan and Xinghe. They were in the canteen next door, and now with the alarm sounding, they could arrive immediately.

With Shi Lei was the second-in-command from Guisui Institution No.1.

"Follow me!"

Now was not the time for useless talk. The deputy commander of Guisui Institution No.1, also a colonel, said hastily, "I'll take you to an underground shelter, it's safer there!"

Zhao Qiang grabbed the deputy commander's arm and asked in a low voice, "Is there a secret tunnel in the underground shelter?"

"No, there are just some holes dug into the side of the mountain, but it's definitely safer than here."

Zhao Qiang spoke with a grave voice, "No, we can't enter a shelter without an escape route. Our mobility is remarkable; if the defenses are breached, we'll escape into the mountain range."

Without asking why, he simply stated what to do. Then Zhao Qiang turned to Gao Yuan, "Get ready. If the situation gets out of control, just take Xinghe and run. You will definitely get her back to the base. Don't worry about anything else; I'll repeat it, don't worry about anything else! Understand? Respond to me, understand?"

Gao Yuan nodded and said, "Understood!"

Zhao Qiang turned to the deputy commander, "You don't need to worry about us anymore, now tell me what's happening."

"The surveillance outpost in the city area sent a warning. Satellite People's ships descended over Guisui City, and a large number of zombies are gathering and heading this way!"

Zhao Qiang pointed at the sky and said urgently, "Then the Aliens will definitely release the Armored Beasts directly over the shelter area. Are you prepared?"

"We are prepared. We adjusted the camp's firepower deployment as soon as we received the notice!"

"Good, I have no more questions; we'll take care of our own safety!"

The deputy commander glanced at Gao Yuan and then at Xinghe before he said in a low voice, "As long as we're not all dead, the zombies won't reach here! I'm going to command the fight."