novelTele Chapter 99 Who said I was going to protect them? Those who are slow should die!
Chapter 99 Who said I was going to protect them? Those who are slow should die!
The night was like a tattered rag soaked in ink, tightly covering Niuwang Mountain.
The sea breeze, carrying the stench of fish and lingering gunpowder smoke, howled dryly through the cracks in the bare rocks.
On the deck of the Blazing Flame, the beams of searchlights pierced through the darkness.
Qin Yue, holding a tactical tablet in her hand, walked behind Lu Sheng.
The navy lieutenant commander's crisp white uniform was stained with dust, making him look somewhat disheveled, and his face was even darker than the night.
"Major Lu."
Qin Yue's throat was a little dry: "After crossing the fog zone, plus the chaos caused by the landing just now... the fleet lost 10,326 people, and the total number of survivors has fallen below 90,000."
More than 10,000 lives.
It just disappeared without a trace.
In this damned world, human life is just a string of cold numbers on a report, and you can't even hear a sound.
Lu Sheng leaned against the railing, his expression calm.
"Survival of the fittest".
Lu Sheng uttered four words, without a trace of pity, "The remaining people are either tough or ruthless! This is a good thing for the journey ahead."
Qin Yue pursed her lips and did not refute.
Carrying a group of elderly, weak, sick, disabled, and overly compassionate burdens, no one can reach the West.
The remaining 90,000 people only have the right to live if they have experienced a life-or-death struggle.
"Where are those bandits from Niuwang Mountain?" Lu Sheng turned around and looked at Qin Yue.
"General Chen ordered their incorporation."
Qin Yue pointed to the long line of prisoners locked by searchlights on the shore, "There are more than 3,000 young men in total, including more than 200 Spirit Source cultivators. General Chen scattered them and incorporated them into the vanguard suicide squad, and issued them the most basic cold weapons."
"A suicide squad?" Lu Sheng scoffed. "Chen Yan certainly knows how to make use of trash. These thugs with blood on their hands are indeed more useful than those refugees who can only cry and scream."
He's used to bullying men and women, but now he has a military machine gun strapped to his neck, sea monsters in front of him, and a supervisory team behind him.
To survive, these people will be crazier than mad dogs.
"Major Lu."
Qin Yue took a deep breath and said seriously, "General Chen requests your presence on the Zhenyuan. The operational meeting will begin soon to discuss the upcoming route..."
……
Zhenyuan, strategic command center.
The smell of tobacco in the air fermented in the not-so-spacious space.
The long conference table was filled with senior officers of the Jinling Fleet.
One by one, their faces were flushed, their top buttons were ripped open, spittle flew everywhere, and the sound of them slamming their fists on the table was deafening.
"Absolutely not! That's suicide!"
A staff officer with graying hair and black-rimmed glasses slapped the holographic map so hard it shook, pointing at the large, deep red area and yelling, "Straight-line crossing? Are you out of your mind? The images from the drones show at least a dozen high-spiritual-source reaction points in that area! They're all sea beasts of level 6 or higher! There might even be level 7!"
"Take a detour? Tell me how you're going to take a detour?!"
The colonel in charge of logistics slammed the empty ledgers on the table, his eyes bloodshot: "Taking the detour north adds five hundred kilometers to the journey! We only have enough fuel for a straight line! We've already calculated the supply lines! Do you want these 90,000 people to starve to death on the way, or do you want them to cannibalize each other?"
"Starving to death is better than feeding sea monsters! That's their den!"
"I think you're scared out of your wits! Coward!"
Chen Yan sat in the main seat without saying a word.
The cigarette in his hand had burned down to the filter and burned his fingers, but he seemed oblivious, staring intently at that damned map.
With internal disagreements, the Jinling Fleet is now in a dilemma.
If a plan is not decided today, leading to a split within the fleet, it will be a dead end.
"Squeak—"
The heavy alloy hatch was pushed open.
The conference room, which was originally as noisy as a vegetable market, suddenly fell silent, like a duck with its neck choked.
All eyes turned to the doorway.
Lu Sheng, dressed in a pristine white naval lieutenant commander's uniform, his peaked cap pulled low, hands in his coat pockets, strode in. Behind him followed Lin Hu and Qin Yue, one on each side, like two menacing figures.
This white outfit stands out starkly against the backdrop of a room full of drab military uniforms.
Lu Sheng neither saluted nor greeted him.
He walked straight to the empty seat to Chen Yan's left, pulled out a chair, sat down with an air of authority, and casually slammed his hat on the table.
"Are you done arguing?"
Lu Sheng raised his eyelids, his gaze sweeping across the entire room before finally settling on the bespectacled staff officer who advocated taking a detour.
The staff officer felt a chill run down his spine under Lu Sheng's gaze, instinctively shrinking back, but still stubbornly insisted, "Major Lu... this isn't arguing, this is about the lives of 90,000 people! A straight line through that sea monster's lair has almost zero survival rate!"
"Responsible?"
Lu Sheng's lips curled into a mocking smile. His fingers tapped lightly on the table, making a crisp, tinkling sound. "Your responsibility is to let everyone live a couple more days, then, due to starvation and fuel shortages, they'll kill each other in despair, ending up as shiploads of corpses?"
"This..." The staff officer was speechless, his face turning a deep purplish-red.
"Brother Lu."
Chen Yan stubbed out his cigarette, his voice hoarse as if two pieces of sandpaper were rubbing together, "What's your opinion?"
Lu Sheng stood up and walked to the huge holographic map.
Above, from Hoi City to the western mountains, lies a shocking deep red area.
That was the confluence of Hongze Lake and the Huai River system in the old days, but now it has become a vast expanse of water.
According to military intelligence, the area is inhabited by a large number of sea monsters and is a true forbidden zone.
But in Lu Sheng's eyes, that was no forbidden zone at all.
Those were clearly densely packed spiritual source experiences and spiritual source crystal cores!
Taking a detour? Are you kidding me!
He took a detour; where is he going to find such a dense monster spawn? Where is he going to put all that ammunition in his warehouse?
My opinion is very simple.
Lu Sheng extended a slender finger and pressed it heavily on the straight red line on the map.
"Go in a straight line."
"Fight your way through."
As soon as he finished speaking, a collective gasp filled the conference room.
"Major Lu! You're playing with people's lives!" The staff officer finally couldn't hold back any longer, jumping up and pointing at Lu Sheng's nose. "Do you know what's there? That's the lair of level 6 sea beasts! There might even be level 7 sea beasts inside! Your Flame Fleet is indeed powerful, but how many ships can you protect? Once surrounded, the entire fleet will be wiped out!"
"Who said I was going to protect them?"
Lu Sheng turned his head and looked at the staff officer with a cold gaze, as if he were looking at an idiot.
"Since it's a retreat, we must be prepared to cut our losses and survive!"
"Those who are slow or unlucky, they deserve to die."
"As for those sea monsters..."
A fierce and fanatical glint flashed in Lu Sheng's eyes, sending chills down the spines of everyone present.
"They're blocking the way, just kill them."
"You make it sound so easy! That's a level 6 sea monster horde!" The staff officer trembled with anger.
Lu Sheng glanced at the staff officer indifferently, his tone contemptuous: "With the Blazing Flame and the Zhenyuan leading the way, General Chen and I will handle all threats above level 6."
"If your fleet of tens of thousands of men can't even handle the remaining small fry..." Lu Sheng sneered, "then you might as well find a block of tofu and smash your head against it, instead of making a fool of yourselves in the west and wasting air."
mad!
That's outrageous!
Everyone was stunned by Lu Sheng's words.
If someone else had said that, they would have been kicked out long ago.
But the one who said this was Lu Sheng, the god of death who killed the level 6 sea beast Megalodon with a single shot and shattered a level 5 spirit source with two cannon shots.
A deathly silence fell over the conference room.
Everyone looked at Chen Yan, awaiting the decision of the supreme commander.
Chen Yan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and seemed to be making an extremely difficult decision.
A few seconds later, he suddenly opened his eyes, a resolute and fierce glint flashing in his tiger-like eyes.
"Taking a detour is a slow form of suicide, while going straight is a near-death experience."
Chen Yan slammed his hand on the table, leaving a handprint on the sturdy alloy conference table.
"I've been a soldier for thirty years, and I've never learned how to be a coward!"
"Pass on the order!"
Chen Yan stood up, his posture as straight as a pine tree, and a fierce and ruthless aura suddenly erupted, causing the room to be filled with dust.
"All fleet, listen up! Tomorrow morning, target due west! Full speed ahead!"
"The Blazing Flame and the Zhenyuan will lead the charge, the remaining destroyers will defend the flanks, and the rest of the fleet will cover the rear!"
"Whether god or demon, anyone who blocks my path will be killed without mercy!!!"
"yes!!!"
All the officers stood at attention and saluted in unison, their shouts shaking the heavens.
Even the staff officer who had been the most vehemently opposed earlier now roared out with red eyes.
Since there's no way out, then risk your life to fight your way out!
P.S.: Today's update (4/5).