Apocalypse Rebirth: 3000 million won at the beginning

Chapter 1986 This time it's really going to take off!

August 24th.

Yang Tianlong led his transport team early in the morning toward the oil city.

Time was of the essence; he had to arrive in the oil city before 3 p.m. and return to the headquarters base in Dazhangshu with the minister.

If he can't get to the oil city by 3 p.m. today, he estimates he won't be able to take the special plane back to headquarters today and will have to wait until tomorrow.

The third high-level meeting starts at 8:00 AM tomorrow. Even if he goes there early by helicopter, he won't make it in time and will inevitably be late.

So, he set off with the transport team at six o'clock this morning, just as the sun was rising.

As summer approaches, the sun rises earlier.

The distance from the oil city to Oriental Paradise is about 400 kilometers. As long as you maintain a speed of 55 to 60 kilometers per hour, you can arrive at the oil city before 3 pm.

Extreme pressure.

Yang Tianlong gave a firm order: they must return to the oil city as soon as possible.

Perhaps it was divine intervention, but on the return journey, none of the vehicles in the convoy experienced any malfunctions, nor did they encounter any large-scale zombie hordes. They arrived at the buffer city smoothly at 2:30 PM.

After entering the buffer city, Yang Tianlong quickly handed over the affairs there to his deputy captain Wen Jun, and then returned to the oil city ahead of time with Li Qi, Zhu Xiao and others in a pickup truck.

In the oil city, many people stood outside the tarmac.

Third Uncle, Li Zhengping, Lao Huang, Zhong Chuchu, Liu Jinglue, Cao Hu, Lao Luo, Ju Tianrui, Dongtai, Lü Cheng, A Hong, Li Haoran, Guo Peng and others were all there.

Nearly a hundred people gathered outside the helipad and were boarding the helicopter in order.

"Phew~ Just in time." The pickup truck pulled up beside him, and Yang Tianlong got out of the car, glanced at the time, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Many people in the crowd queuing to board the helicopter spotted Yang Tianlong and his group.

"Captain Yang, you've arrived just in time! We thought you wouldn't make it in time."

"Haha, Captain Yang, you guys really know how to time things perfectly."

Guo Peng looked at Zhu Xiao, who had been transferred from the Northern Border to the Second Transportation Brigade, with some envy.

"Old Zhu, you've finally arrived."

Zhu Xiao walked over and asked:
"Where's Xiao Hu? Why didn't he come?"

Guo Peng gestured towards one of the helicopters, "He's in that helicopter, he's already gone up."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiao's eyes lit up and she said:

"I thought he and Zuo Ruxue wouldn't be coming back, but I didn't expect them to actually return! Didn't the First Transport Brigade go to the Northwest? How come they're back so quickly?"

Guo Peng explained:
"It won't be that fast. A few of them just came back by helicopter first. After the meeting, they will return to the Northwest with Director Ju and the others."

"The First Transport Brigade is still in the Northwest."

"Oh, I see." Zhu Xiao nodded, and said with a sigh:
"This is probably the most complete gathering of our forces in all these years."

After everyone boarded the helicopter.

Luo contacted the co-pilots of each helicopter and asked them to count the number of people and then compile a tally.

After finishing the statistics, he walked up to his third uncle:

"Minister, everyone is here, and we can depart at any time."

"Okay, let's take off once everyone's here," Uncle San nodded and said.

One hundred and fifty-six people traveled in ten helicopters.

After obtaining permission from his third uncle, Lao Luo contacted the pilots of each helicopter using a communicator and immediately took off.

The ten helicopters took off one by one in sequence, heading towards the headquarters base.

The seating arrangement in the helicopter was not based on rank, but rather on the order of boarding.

Many people saw old friends they hadn't seen in a long time, and they chatted with them on their way back.

They chatted about their busy lives, marveling at the growth of the camphor tree's influence and how quickly time had passed.

Before we knew it, three hours had passed in the blink of an eye.

At 6 p.m., the helicopter fleet accurately arrived over the second outer city of the Dazhangshu base.

Outside the second outer city helipad.

Li Yu, accompanied by high-ranking members of the Great Camphor Tree faction, greeted them from the side.

Ten helicopters, and the people in these ten helicopters represent core personnel outside the headquarters base of the Great Camphor Tree: the North, the Northwest, and the Oil City.

Next to Li Yu, his second uncle watched as the helicopter fleet landed on the helipad in sequence.

There was a hint of excitement in his eyes.

Because among these helicopters was his son, Li Haoran, whom he hadn't seen for a year.

Since Li Haoran went to the oil city, he was transferred to the northern border not long after that due to a shortage of people.

Li Haoran did not return even during the blizzard and flood disasters.

It's been over a year since I last saw Haoran, and I wonder what he's become.

Among the welcoming crowd were family members of the dispatched personnel.

People such as Lü Cheng's daughter Lü Zifei, Cao Hu's brother Cao Bao, and Dai Jiusheng's son Dai Fengmang were all looking at the helipad not far away behind Li Yu.

Uncle San did not get off the helicopter until the last helicopter came to a stop.

As soon as he stepped down, the welcoming crowd nearby erupted in thunderous applause.

Bang bang bang bang~
Uncle San and a large group of people walked towards Li Yu and his party amidst applause.

When the apocalypse first broke out, no one dared to clap. This became a tacit agreement, because clapping was likely to attract the attention of zombies due to its loud noise.

But now, the camphor tree's power is strong enough that there are even three layers of walls around its headquarters.

Moreover, there are guards and mobile switchboards on the wall.

They no longer have these concerns.

“Third Uncle.” Li Yu stepped forward.

"Hmm." Third Uncle nodded, walked to Second Uncle's side and said, "Second Brother."

The two brothers hadn't seen each other for a long time; their third uncle hadn't returned since he took up residence in the oil city.

Second Uncle patted Third Uncle on the shoulder and whispered:
"Go see your parents in the inner city later. They wanted to come too, but it's too crowded and noisy here, so we didn't let them come."

"Okay." Uncle San nodded calmly.

Even though Uncle San is almost fifty years old, and his own children are already in their twenties.

But in his parents' eyes, his third uncle was still their child, still the most mischievous son they had ever known.

Considering everyone's long journey, Li Yu did not make the welcoming ceremony too complicated.

After giving a speech welcoming everyone home, he instructed He Chao to arrange for everyone to go and rest.

After all, many of them have old friends or relatives in the base.

Since it's rare for them to meet, this is a good opportunity for them to have a get-together.

Besides, there's a meeting early tomorrow morning, so let's give them more time to rest.

Everyone dispersed.

First outer city.

Guo Peng, Xiao Hu, Zhu Xiao, Zuo Ruxue, Li Qi and others gathered together.

They were all among the first batch of people to join the camphor tree base.

Zuo Ruxue and Li Qi walked side by side, while Zhu Xiao and the others huddled together.

Zuo Ruxue asked with a smile:

"Li Qi, your Second Transportation Brigade is doing well! You completed your second transportation mission so quickly. How are you doing? Are you adapting well to the work in the transportation brigade?"

Li Qi stretched her arms and said rather comfortably:

"It's better than staying at the military base. I used to envy you guys who could run around outside every day when we were at the military base. Now I feel pretty good, hahaha."

Hearing Li Qi say this, Zuo Ruxue shook her head and smiled bitterly:

"After a while, you won't think that way anymore. There are all sorts of unexpected things happening when you're leading a team outside. You're always on the road to solving problems."

“I feel fine. It’s better than living a monotonous life in a military base,” Li Qi disagreed. Zuo Ruxue didn’t argue with her further; she had thought the same way when she first joined the transport brigade.

But people, after staying in a quiet and stable place for too long, will want to find a new and exciting life.

But after spending too much time in a novel and exciting life, one longs for stability.

It's all a walled city, no matter which way you look; people are never satisfied.

Zuo Ruxue looked at Guo Peng beside her and asked:

"Old Guo, do you guys still remember Yu Lei?"

Guo Peng, who was chatting with Xiao Hu, thought for a moment and replied:
"I remember him! Holy crap! It's been so long since I've seen him. Shall we go find him?"

"Sure, let's go, let's go. It's been so many years since we've seen Yu Lei," Zhu Xiao said with a smile. "He's not still a Level 3 officer, is he?"

Xiao Hu shook his head and said:
"How could that be? He's a Level 2 personnel now, serving as the guard supervisor in the buffer city's barbican. It's dark now, so he's probably off duty."

"I happen to know where he lives. Come with me."

Yu Lei was among the group of people who joined the camphor tree base at the same time as them.

However, his leg was broken when he faced Gan Gaojie, which affected his normal advancement.

But over the years, Yu Lei has remained loyal to the camphor tree and has been doing some steady tasks, so his contribution points have gradually increased.

Six months ago, he was promoted to Level 2.

Although he walked slowly, he had become one of the core members of the camphor tree base.

As they chatted, they arrived at Building 6 of the first outer city residential complex.

Xiao Hu addressed the crowd behind him:

"He's on the third floor, shall we go in together?"

"Let's go, we're already here."

As Yu Lei walked out of the dormitory with a towel draped over his shoulders and slippers on, he saw Xiao Hu and his group walking towards him.

"Old Yu!" Xiao Hu shouted loudly.

His voice echoed down the corridor.

Yu Lei looked up and saw Xiao Hu and his group.

"Xiao Hu?"

"Holy crap? Is that Li Qi? Oh, Guo Peng is here too, Zhu Xiao? What are you all doing here?!"

Yu Lei, looking completely bewildered, stared at them with wide eyes.

Damn it, it's been so many years, at least two years, and he still hasn't seen Zhu Xiao and Guo Peng.

I haven't seen Li Qi for over a year.

"Hahaha, Lao Yu, how come you've gotten fatter?" Zhu Xiao walked over and punched him in the chest.

Yu Lei's old face was all wrinkled from smiling, and he exclaimed:

“I still see Zuo Ruxue and Xiao Hu often; they return to the headquarters every few days to transport supplies.”

"but"

He looked at Guo Peng, Li Qi, and Zhu Xiao, "It's been such a long time since I've seen you three."

"How are you all doing?"

"Great, that's perfect, hahaha." Zhu Xiao put her arm around his shoulder and laughed loudly.

"That's good." Yu Lei looked at his old comrades, a smile spreading across his face.

"Wait for me, I'll put the things back and then take you to a restaurant in the buffer city."

Guo Peng was somewhat surprised, "Is there a commercial area similar to a trading market around here in the headquarters base?"

He hadn't been back to headquarters for over two years, and his helicopter had just landed in the outer city, so he had no idea what was in the buffer city.

But he had just strolled around the outer city and found that the changes weren't particularly significant; there were just a few more buildings.

"Have!"

Xiao Hu said with a smile:

"Not only do they have it, but it's even cheaper than at the trading market! The facilities here are very complete. Although there aren't as many shops as at the trading market, there's still a good selection."

"Especially that entertainment center, it's very lively inside!"

Xiao Hu looked at Yu Lei and teased, "Old Yu, we're all here now, aren't you going to treat us?"

Yu Lei laughed heartily, "Please, you absolutely have to! Whatever you guys want to eat or do tonight, it's all on me!"

Rich and powerful.

People like Yu Lei rarely use their points, so they have a lot of points saved up.

He usually eats in the cafeteria; people of his rank don't need to spend points to eat there.

He doesn't have any hobbies, so he can't spend his points.

After hearing Yu Lei's words, everyone felt a strange sense of emotion.

When they first joined the Big Camphor Tree Base, they were very poor. They had to work hard to complete the tasks issued by the Big Camphor Tree Base in order to get a little bit of food.

Moreover, these foods must be eaten sparingly.

But now, in a sense, they have already achieved points freedom.

They can afford almost anything that's currently available in the trading market and the commercial area of ​​the Big Camphor Tree Base.

Back then, there were no places to eat out at all.

Unbeknownst to many, the camphor tree base has developed to such an extent.

As they were part of it, they benefited from the development of the camphor tree base.

soon.

They arrived at the buffer city's commercial district.

After walking down a long street, Zhu Xiao saw the huge, six-story entertainment complex and was stunned.

This looks like a miniature version of a pre-apocalyptic Wanda Plaza.

Moreover, he observed that the streets were bustling with people, indicating a significant flow of traffic.

I couldn't help but ask:
"Old Yu, I remember when I first left the headquarters, there were less than 10,000 people. How many people are there at the headquarters now?"

As the commander of the buffer city's barbican, Yu Lei had a good understanding of the number of people in the base.

But he kept it a secret. "Guess."

After a moment's thought, Zhu Xiao gave a number: "Thirty thousand?"

Yu Lei shook his head. "Guess again."

"5?"

"Guess again."

"Eighty thousand?"

Yu Lei replied with a smile, "About that. Eighty-five thousand six hundred people!"

"Holy crap, why is the population at the headquarters base growing so fast?" Zhu Xiao asked in shock.

Xiao Hu, who was standing next to him, was also a little surprised. "I remember the last time we came, it was only a little over 80,000, right? It's only been a little over a month, how come there are several thousand more people?"

Yu Lei explained with a smile:
"The camphor tree base has also started external publicity, covering the entire southern region. Many survivors from Guangdong, Fujian, Hunan and other surrounding provinces have come here."

"In the next few months, with the promotion and publicity, even more people may come in."

hiss!
Zhu Xiao gasped, her eyes widening in shock.

He never imagined that the headquarters of the camphor tree base would one day reach 100,000 people.

However, as he looked at the bustling commercial street, most of the people on the street were unfamiliar faces.

I couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion:

"Our big camphor tree is probably really about to take off and develop."

(End of this chapter)