novelhk Chapter 53 Satellite Phones
Chapter 53 Satellite Phones
At this moment, Zhang Zhenhua was also in the command room. He was standing in front of the huge electronic map, discussing the rescue plans for various urban areas with several staff officers.
The map was marked with a dense array of red and yellow dots. The red dots represented uncovered areas, while the yellow dots indicated advancing rescue routes. The entire Xicheng District was almost entirely a blinding red.
The problem in Xicheng District is that the residential areas are too densely packed, with many old neighborhoods and a high population density. In addition, many streets are narrow and winding, making it impossible for large armored vehicles to enter, which would greatly increase the difficulty of rescue operations.
At this moment, Zhang Zhenhua's train of thought was interrupted by Wang Bowen, and his brows furrowed involuntarily.
But he knew his soldiers well. Wang Bowen was a steady man and wouldn't shout in the command room unless something really serious happened.
He immediately interrupted his discussion with the staff officer and turned to walk towards Wang Bowen's workstation.
Upon arriving, he first glanced down at the task log sheet beside the other person. The name written on the first task sheet was none other than Lu Chen, the person he had instructed to keep a close eye on.
A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. "What is it?"
Wang Bowen did not answer directly, knowing that no words could compare to a visual image at that moment.
He tapped his fingers rapidly on the control panel, maneuvering the quadcopter drone upwards, from its low position hovering in front of Lu Chen to its high position directly above the rooftop.
The camera switched from a narrow angle to a wide angle, resulting in a panoramic close-up shot.
In an instant, a dense crowd came into Zhang Zhenhua's view. The red cloth covering hundreds of square meters was filled with people, men, women, young and old, crammed together tightly.
"This number...it's probably over a hundred!" Even he couldn't help but show surprise in his eyes at this moment.
"Yes, 105 people, and the number is still increasing," Wang Bowen replied immediately.
Zhang Zhenhua stood in front of the screen, his hands resting on the edge of the control panel, his eyes fixed on the densely packed heads on the screen.
Several seconds passed before he muttered to himself, "How did he do that?"
No one in the command center could answer his question.
On the fourth day of the apocalypse, Lu Chen single-handedly rescued over a hundred people in the West District, a place with the highest zombie density and the weakest rescue force.
The second-ranked superhuman in the city saved 23 people.
"This ability to control zombies seems to be much stronger than we expected!" he said again in a low voice.
He recalled the images transmitted by reconnaissance planes when he discussed the situation in the West District with his staff. The zombie density in the West District was two to three times that of the East District. Most of the unit doors in the old residential buildings were open, and the corridors were full of wandering zombies.
The military's rescue forces are currently unable to cover even the East District, and only a few small teams have been sent to the South and North Districts as a symbolic gesture.
As for Xicheng District, based on the current progress, it will be at least half a month before the first batch of ground rescue forces can be dispatched.
But now, a superhuman has cleared out an entire neighborhood in Xicheng District, saving more than 100 survivors.
The enemy had no military support, no heavy weapons, no logistical supplies; they relied solely on a group of zombies under his control.
Suddenly, a bold idea popped into Zhang Zhenhua's mind.
……
Meanwhile, all 125 survivors had reached the rooftop.
Gao Yuan, accompanied by five assistants, conducted a final headcount at the stairwell to confirm that all registered survivors had come up, and then gestured to Lu Chen.
Just as Lu Chen was about to speak and confirm the number of people with the drone, Shen Qingci, who was standing next to him, stepped forward and spoke first.
"There are 125 survivors here, 10 of whom were part of my previous missions, and the rest are Lu Chen's. When you're recording their military achievements, make sure you don't make any mistakes."
Lu Chen glanced at Shen Qingci and gave her a grateful look.
Although this was agreed upon when the two first started working together, neither of them expected that they would rescue so many people at once.
125 people, 1250 military merits, is an astronomical figure in anyone's eyes.
Under normal circumstances, in a normal collaboration between two superhumans, even if one is the main attacker and the other is the support, the supporter should at least receive 20-30% of the military merits.
If the military were to ask him how the military merits would be distributed, and Lu Chen revealed the answer himself, it would inevitably be seen as him hogging the credit, which would be detrimental to his image and future collaborations.
But when Shen Qingci took the initiative to speak, the situation changed completely; it was her own choice.
Wang Bowen's voice quickly came through the drone, his tone returning to professional and formal: "Okay, the number of people has been verified, and the video has been uploaded to the command center."
As the sound was emitted, the drone began to slowly descend onto the rooftop. Then, the metal box under the fuselage clicked open the latches on both sides, revealing two items inside.
Two cell phones!
It has a retro look, with a metal casing, a prominent antenna interface, and physical buttons at the bottom. Overall, it is almost twice as thick as a pre-apocalyptic smartphone.
The screen is not large, but the casing looks extremely sturdy, with rubber edging at the corners to prevent drops, and a thick anti-scratch film on the screen.
"Comrade Lu Chen, Comrade Shen Qingci, these are satellite communication phones that the military has provided free of charge after you completed your preliminary tasks, for the convenience of subsequent contact."
"The phone has a built-in military satellite communication module, which allows it to maintain communication even when all communication base stations in the city have been paralyzed."
"In addition, the military merits will be distributed to the two individuals today, and can be checked and redeemed through a military app on their satellite communication phones."
Lu Chen and Shen Qingci stepped forward and each took out their phones from the metal boxes. The phones' metal casings felt cool and solid to the touch, and were heavier than they looked. There was a protruding satellite antenna interface module on the back.
Lu Chen pressed the power button on the side, and the screen lit up. He swiped the screen twice. The operating system was no different from that of a regular smartphone, with simple and clear icons. It came pre-installed with military apps and contacts, and the signal icon in the upper right corner was full.
Just as he was trying to figure out if he could log into WeChat, his phone suddenly rang.
The ringtone was short and loud, unlike the default ringtone of any popular mobile phone before the apocalypse; it sounded more like the alert tone of some kind of military communication equipment.
A caller ID interface popped up in the center of the screen, displaying only one line of text: Command Center.
At the same time, Wang Bowen's voice came from the drone, his tone more solemn than before: "Comrade Lu Chen, our shelter commander, Colonel Zhang Zhenhua, wants to speak with you."
Lu Chen's finger paused briefly above the answer button.
Colonel Zhang Zhenhua, the commander-in-chief of the entire city's military rescue operation, contacted him directly.
He looked up and exchanged a glance with Shen Qingci, who nodded slightly.
Lu Chen turned and walked towards the stairs, found a quiet place, and pressed the call button.