The airdrop was precisely dropped onto Hezhou, and Shen Feng immediately led his people to transport the airdrop into the dam. With the radio, the base could now directly contact the outside world, and perhaps receive more support.
Upon opening the airdrop, Shen Feng found the radio inside the box. Besides the radio, there was also a separately packaged satellite phone. Next to the satellite phone was a note that read: "Use the satellite phone only in critical situations. Please use the radio for regular contact."
It seemed the military had gone to great lengths to prevent the misuse of the satellite phone, even writing a note to stop people from making calls out of boredom. But then again, for safety reasons, satellite phones indeed couldn't be used casually.
Shen Feng had someone assemble the radio according to the manual and then discussed with Chang Jianyi whether to assign specific people to monitor the radio. If there were any messages needing contact, they had to ensure they could receive them. The current radio was very advanced; it could not only make calls but also video calls, and it even had a backup power supply in case of power failure. However, under normal circumstances, this radio could only receive information, and active contact was only possible within designated times.
Chang Jianyi considered for a moment and assigned Zhang Xiaoqiang to be in charge of radio communications, along with ten people to record the information received from the radio daily.
With the radio, Shen Feng's side could have a clearer understanding of the current situation. If there were any dangers nearby, headquarters would also alert him.
Shen Feng felt he was not being taken seriously and couldn't help but feel a bit helpless. He said, "They only provided us with one missile. If the 'Tragic Plan' is not successful, we can only slowly retake Luzhou. I feel somewhat unwilling."
"I can't give you an answer regarding this matter, as I don't quite understand it myself. However, I know someone who can explain it clearly!" Chang Jianyi said with a smile.
As night gradually descended, Hezhou was brightly lit. Almost everyone lived in makeshift shelters outside. Only Shen Feng and the leaders of the Self-Help Association could stay inside the dam. After all, the dam had various machines, and it could accommodate several hundred people. However, if the number of people increased, it would affect the normal operation of the dam. Chu Chaoyan had already become an evolved person, so she and her grandfather had a room. Compared to their previous life, it was certainly a significant downgrade, but compared to other survivors, it was already spacious enough.
The makeshift shelters built on Hezhou were still not enough, so many people lived in them. To prevent wind from entering, many chose to seal the gaps in the shelters with mud. Household waste was simply thrown into the Yangtze River. However, the Self-Help Association had a rule: garbage was not allowed to be thrown upstream, only downstream. Everyone was afraid of water pollution, so they all threw their garbage downstream. Otherwise, if the garbage piled up, it would be impossible to handle.
Shen Feng put on his trench coat, pulled the hood over his head to cover his eyes, and wore a mask. He did not want his actions to be discovered this time. As long as his face was covered, no one would know he had come, and Shen Feng also did not want anyone to know who he was talking to.
Shen Feng walked to Chu Chaoyan's door and gently knocked. Although it was called a door, it was actually just a larger piece of wood, connected with wire. Chu Chaoyan was not an important administrator of the Self-Help Association, so she was not qualified to live in the dam.
Currently, most people living in Hezhou resided in makeshift shelters. It was the apocalypse, and having a place to live was already good. After all, living in Hezhou meant no safety concerns, so everyone did not have too many complaints.
"Who is it?" Chu Chaoyan did not expect anyone to visit so late at night. She opened the door and found the person in front of her wearing a mask with the hood pulled low, which made her wary. Who was this person, and why were they dressed like this, coming over so late at night? Could they have ill intentions?
In an instant, Chu Chaoyan had one hand behind her back, holding a dagger tucked into her lower back. This was her self-defense weapon. Ever since the zombie outbreak, Chu Chaoyan had lost her sense of security, so she always carried a knife with her, which could help her deal with danger.
Shen Feng said, "It's me. Don't be nervous. I want to come in and sit for a while, is that okay?"
Upon hearing Shen Feng's voice, Chu Chaoyan calmed down. It was the president. There was no danger. However, she then had another question: why was Shen Feng looking for her so late at night, and in such a sneaky manner, as if afraid of being discovered?
"Could it be?" Chu Chaoyan suddenly realized. Shen Feng dressed like this, was he trying to have an affair?
Chu Chaoyan immediately refused sternly, saying, "No, it's not appropriate for an unmarried man and woman to be together so late at night. Please leave quickly, or I will call for help!"
"If you don't let me in, I will go in! If you dare to call for help, I will reveal that I stitched up your wound before!" Shen Feng didn't care if Chu Chaoyan was willing or not. The previous inquiry was just politeness; he would enter even if you didn't allow it.
Chu Chaoyan felt helpless when Shen Feng threatened her. Shen Feng then forcibly entered the shelter. Upon closer inspection, the room was divided into two halves. It seemed the inner room was Chu Chaoyan's residence, and the outer room was Chu Yangtian's. This was because Shen Feng smelled a faint fragrance from the inner room, and he figured only Chu Chaoyan would use perfume.
Seeing Shen Feng forcibly enter her room, Chu Chaoyan felt both embarrassed and angry. She looked around and found no one nearby. She quickly closed the door to avoid being seen, lest rumors spread in a few days. She still wanted to find a handsome and elegant man to marry, and if her reputation was ruined, it would be troublesome.
There were no chairs in the room, but Shen Feng didn't mind. He sat directly on Chu Chaoyan's bed, removed his mask, and asked, "Where is your grandfather? Isn't he here?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Chaoyan quickly replied, "He went out and will be back soon, so please leave quickly."
"Leave? I finally came here, why should I leave! If I don't get an answer, I'll stay here tonight!" Shen Feng said indifferently. At this moment, he just wanted to know why he wasn't taken seriously. Was it because he was too weak, so the military didn't have high hopes for him?
Seeing Shen Feng sitting on her bed and looking around as if he wasn't treating her as an outsider, Chu Chaoyan became angry. She said angrily, "If you are looking for my grandfather, please come during the day and don't be so sneaky."
"That won't do. This kind of matter cannot be done openly," Shen Feng shrugged and then lay down on Chu Chaoyan's bed, completely unashamed.
Chu Chaoyan was furious seeing Shen Feng like this. Not only did he enter her room, but he also lay on her bed so brazenly. Didn't he know to avoid suspicion? Or was he just counting on her not daring to speak out? After thinking about it, Shen Feng had simply barged in by being shameless.
"Get down, don't sit on my bed," Chu Chaoyan said irritably.
Shen Feng said helplessly, "If I could find a chair, I wouldn't be lying on your bed. You are an evolved person, can't you tidy up the room properly?"
"Hmph, almost everyone is waiting for you to retake Luzhou. This is just a temporary residence. Once Luzhou is retaken, you can have whatever you want," Chu Chaoyan explained. She naturally wanted to decorate her room nicely, but she thought that after retaking Luzhou, she could have any size house she wanted, so she gave up on decorating.
Shen Feng lay in Chu Chaoyan's room for ten minutes. Chu Chaoyan was also helpless. She found her suitcase and chose to sit on it. Neither of them said anything, and Chu Chaoyan began to speculate wildly. Shen Feng was so secretive, could he be talking about something extraordinary?
Suddenly, Chu Yangtian pushed the door open and said, "It's late now, let's go to sleep. I have to go fishing again tomorrow. Oh, Shen Feng? Excuse me!"
Chu Yangtian saw Shen Feng in his granddaughter's room, and even lying on his granddaughter's bed. This suggested that the relationship between the two was not simple, and perhaps he had returned at the wrong time. He decided to leave them some space for the two young people and turned to leave.
Shen Feng quickly said, "Professor Chu, I came specifically to find you. Don't misunderstand."
Chu Yangtian was very confused and asked, "Why are you looking for me? Can't you come during the day?"
"I have a small matter to inquire about," Shen Feng said with a smile. Then he pulled Chu Yangtian to sit in the outer room and said to Chu Chaoyan, "You go outside and keep watch, don't let anyone get close."
Chu Chaoyan reluctantly went to the door and observed the surroundings. However, she listened intently to the conversation inside the room, her curiosity about Shen Feng's purpose growing.
Shen Feng directly stated the reason for his visit: "I feel that the Self-Help Association is not being taken seriously. The military is only willing to provide one missile and then air-dropped a radio. I want to ask, is it because my current strength is too weak, so I cannot attract the attention of the country?"
Upon hearing this question, Chu Yangtian immediately replied without hesitation, "This is just one aspect. Lack of strength is one point, but there is another very important reason why everyone is not taken seriously, and that is industrial capacity, especially production capacity!"
"What does this have to do with industrialization?" Shen Feng was completely confused. With zombies rampant everywhere, wasn't the important thing to kill zombies? Why should they care about industrial capacity? Moreover, industrialization seemed to have nothing to do with everyone.
Chu Yangtian patiently explained, "Nationwide, there are at least over a billion zombies. How long will it take to kill so many zombies? If it's a long-term battle, then ensuring industrial production capacity is a necessary task. Therefore, you can see that the regions the country is focusing on retaking first are the old industrial bases in the Northeast and the developed cities in the eastern regions. Why? Isn't it because of industrial capacity? Population is also an important factor, but industrialization must be the first consideration!"
"I see. Professor, your words have enlightened me like the sun breaking through the clouds. However, one missile is still too little, isn't it?" Shen Feng understood somewhat, but he still felt a bit indignant.
Chu Yangtian continued, "Industrialization is the most important. With industrial equipment, guns and cannons can be produced continuously. Moreover, if you observe carefully, the eastern regions are also important grain-producing areas of the country. The coast can also be used for sea transport to mobilize grain and supplies. Therefore, the country's focus will inevitably be on the eastern regions. As for the western regions, they will have to wait! All western regions are like this, not just you who are not taken seriously!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Feng felt a sense of unfairness and couldn't help but say, "How can this be? Isn't this making the people in the west continue to suffer?"
"This is the best choice!" Chu Yangtian said earnestly. "Don't the higher-ups understand what's more important? In times of crisis, it is the industrialized regions that must be preserved. The old and remote areas in the west are indeed difficult to be taken seriously. The most important point is that there are too few soldiers. It's fine for dealing with war, but now with zombies everywhere, should we support all cities? It's unrealistic!"
"So, besides getting one missile, I won't get any other support, right?" Shen Feng said with great distress.
Chu Yangtian nodded, then whispered, "However, there is also a benefit, and that is ruling power! As long as you can retake the Luzhou region, you will be equivalent to the emperor here!"
"Don't talk nonsense. I am loyal to the country!" Shen Feng was startled. Was this old man trying to persuade him to rebel?
Chu Yangtian smiled and said, "Everyone is loyal. Therefore, to understand a person, you don't look at what they say, but at what they do!"
Shen Feng couldn't help but swallow his saliva. He didn't want to show his timidity in front of this old man, so he prepared to leave and said, "Alright, I have gotten the answer I wanted. Goodbye. If there is an opportunity, I hope you will become a member of my think tank."
"Let's talk about it after you take Luzhou," Chu Yangtian said with a smile.
Chu Yangtian did not refuse Shen Feng's proposal. Instead, he put forward his own conditions. It wasn't that he couldn't join Shen Feng's side, but Shen Feng was currently only the leader of ten to twenty thousand people, with an uncertain future. He was not willing to become Shen Feng's advisor just like that.