Chapter 150: Chapter 149: An Apocalyptic Life from Scratch (23)
City C, the East City Area and half of North City, due to their higher terrain, became the optimal refuge after the disaster.
From other parts of the city, people continued to arrive in a never-ending stream. Suddenly, the capacity of the gymnasium was severely exceeded, conflicts occurred frequently, and it posed a significant challenge for the troops sent to maintain public order.
At the shelter, in a temporary office.
Political Commissary Qu Guoâan, like a whirlwind, burst in from the outside, headed straight for the mineral water on the table, twisted it open without a word, and chugged several large gulps before wiping his mouth and speaking.
âOld Tang, we canât take in more people here. We have to make it clear to those above. If we keep going, everything will descend into chaos!â
The person Qu Guoâan was talking to was sitting at a temporary office desk, deeply focused on writing something.
Right hand with a pen, left hand with a cigarette.
The tip of the pen moved across the paper, making a rustling sound.
After Qu Guoâan finished speaking and noticed there was no reply, he curiously carried his water over, leaned over, and after a glance, chuckled.
He slapped the otherâs shoulder heavily twice and laughed heartily, âNice, your mind is always scheming. I was wondering why you were so quiet. It turns out youâve already been cooking up some âgood ideasâ to suggest to the higher-ups!â
Tang Zelin took a drag on his cigarette, slightly smiling with a gleam in his eyes.
Reversing the pen, he pointed at the report with the cap end and said, âWhich word here suggests foul play? I am simply stating the implementation situation â every word true to fact. The higher-ups will understand.â
Qu Guoâan put down the water, wiped the moisture from his hands, picked up the papers from the desk, and after examining them, nodded repeatedly.
âHmm, written like this actually works well. This report is well-written. Regarding the situation at the gymnasium shelter, itâs not enough for the higher-ups to just think about it; they need to consider the reality. Going blind about it could cause a major issue.â
âThatâs exactly what I was thinking. Youâre better with words than I am. I was planning to go out and take a look around with some men. You stay in the office and refine the report a bit more. Once itâs ready, have it sent over,â Tang Zelin said.
âAlright, leave it to me,â Qu Guoâan replied, turning to take the papers to his own desk to polish them a bit before heading off, while he nonchalantly snatched the cigarette from Tang Zelinâs fingers.
âHey, hey, hey, that was my last one!â
âYour body hasnât recovered yet, why are you still smoking? This time, better behave yourself when you return; otherwise, your old man will certainly have you reassigned.â
Tang Zelin raised his eyebrows and smiled, âYou have no idea what it was like being cooped up at home, in the hospital. Coming back here, I feel great, really comfortable!â
Qu Guoâan laughed teasingly at him, calling him masochistic by nature, and Tang Zelin accepted it cheerfully.
Unit 208 was responsible for maintaining public order at the East City Gymnasium. When the flood hit, Tang Zelin had not yet returned, and the rescue and command tasks were overseen by Political Commissary Qu Guoâan.
As one of the first teams ordered to conduct rescue operations, they had fought relentlessly at the front lines until the flood waters receded. All troops were utterly exhausted. They had barely returned to the base for a brief rest and supply replenishment when they received new orders from their superiors to maintain security at the shelter in the gymnasium.
Upon receiving the orders, Tang Zelin strongly requested to return to the front lines to participate in post-disaster search and rescue operations, or even in the rebuilding of basic infrastructureâanything but maintaining public order.
But the decision had already been made by his superiors, with no possibility for change. Unable to do anything about it, once the orders were set, as a soldier, he had no choice but to comply unconditionally.
Before leaving, his leader spoke earnestly, âYou always want to rush to the front. When will you think about slowing down a bit? Maintaining public order isnât exhausting work; government staff are coordinating and scheduling over there. You just help maintain order without causing any trouble. The situation is quite serious everywhere this year, not just here. The more it is like this, the more we need to do our jobs well. You are our brigadeâs treasure, your body hasnât recovered yet, so rest up in the rear for now. There will be plenty of time for you to charge forward later, why the rush?â
After this conversation, Tang Zelin and Qu Guoâan led their team to East City.