dognovel Chapter 122 Huaxing Base
Chapter 122 Huaxing Base
Dawn City is approximately 600km away from the Chinese Federation in a straight line, separated by the Huaxing Base. Li Chenglong looked at the map and decided to arrive in the Chinese Federation the morning after tomorrow. Since they were only setting off at noon today, they would rest at the Huaxing Base for the night. Wang Shuang sat in the passenger seat, looking at the map and making notes from time to time. As a Level 5 Shadow-type ability user, she had only managed to get Wu Gang to invite her to the Special Forces team last month after much persuasion from Li Chenglong. As compensation, Li Chenglong transferred a very capable Level 4 Wind-type ability user from the Special Forces team to her.
Wang Shuang suddenly asked, "Captain Li, I haven't been to this Huaxing base yet. Do you have any detailed information about it?" Li Chenglong smiled and said, "Let Jiang Hui tell you. He's from the propaganda department, so he should be very familiar with Huaxing and Lanli bases." Jiang Hui said while driving, "City Lord, you flatter me too much. I wouldn't say I'm very familiar with it, but I know some of the basics. Huaxing base is located at the border of our Donghai Province and Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces. It's based in a county-level city, with an area of about 120 square kilometers, almost a third smaller than our Shuguang City. The base was established around the same time as our previous Shuguang base. It was originally established by a level 5 ability user as its leader. Currently, it's publicly claimed to have more than 400 ability users of various levels, 3000 soldiers, and a population of about 20,000, according to our understanding."
Li Chenglong nodded and continued, "The Huaxing Base, our Dawn City, and the Langley Base established a defensive alliance last month to further strengthen cooperation. As far as I know, the current leader of the Huaxing Base, Fu Sanshan, has already reached Level 7, and he has several Level 6 subordinates. Their strength should not be underestimated. However, the leadership model of the Huaxing Base is different from ours. They practice family management. Fu Sanshan, his wife, and their three sons, along with the families of his two younger brothers, form the top leadership. Even if others are very capable, they may have a higher status than some of these people, but they cannot participate in decision-making. Moreover, I have also heard that Fu Sanshan has a group of five generals, all of whom are Level 6 ability users."
Jiang Hui asked, "Lord, are we going to Huaxing Base to meet their leader, or are we just staying overnight?" Li Chenglong shook his head. "We'll just rest at their hotel and leave the next day. Only the higher-ups and the two of you know about this trip. I don't want to attract too much attention. Who knows if there are any spies from the Chinese Federation at Huaxing Base? We don't want to alert them." After Li Chenglong finished speaking, he asked Wang Shuang, "How are you doing in the Special Forces? The Special Forces are definitely different from the combat battalion, both in daily training and when we go out on missions." Wang Shuang smiled and replied, "It's great. In the combat battalion, there were relatively few female soldiers in our battalion, and there wasn't much to talk about except for training and combat operations. But the Special Forces are predominantly female. There are 29 female soldiers now. The atmosphere is great, and the training is very unique every day, allowing me to utilize my abilities."
The special forces training method was created by Li Chenglong and Yun Lan based on their original Xiaolong squad's training methods, combined with the current post-apocalyptic environment and the need for coordination among ability users. It was perfectly suited for small squads of ability users to fight in various environments. During their casual conversation, the topic of Yun Lan's pregnancy came up. Wang Shuang said, "Captain Li, I didn't expect you to come out at this time. Actually, our special forces team can handle this mission well." Li Chenglong said seriously, "We know almost nothing about the specific situation of the Chinese Federation right now. Besides my Yun Lan, the highest-ranking members of the special forces team are only Yang Liu (level 5) and you and a few others. If we encounter any danger, it would be a real loss. Although our overall strength in Dawn City is currently the highest among the three bases, we still need to be cautious when facing such a large enemy."
At 6 PM, after a long drive, the three of them finally arrived at a hotel on the outskirts of the Huaxing base. In peacetime, this wouldn't have taken so long, but currently many highways were congested, forcing them to take national roads and even rural trails, significantly increasing the total distance. The hotel only accepted crystals; as long as enough crystals were paid, their safety was guaranteed. Since it was personally run by Fu Sanshan's family, there was no risk of robbing travelers. Fu Sanshan was greedy, but he still had his principles.
Li Chenglong paid three crimson crystals for three people's lodging at the inn. The price wasn't based on the number of rooms, but rather per person. A standard room accommodated six people, costing 10 white crystals per person per night. A mid-range room accommodated four people and had better facilities, costing 30 white crystals per person. A deluxe room accommodated two people and had almost everything they needed, costing 1 crimson crystal or 80 white crystals per person. This was just the lodging cost; meals, fuel, car washes, etc., were charged separately.
The three first checked out the food in the cafeteria on the first floor. Surprisingly, some dishes were made with exotic beast meat, but the prices were quite high; a dish of braised pork made with exotic beast meat cost one crimson crystal. In Dawn City, one could exchange thirty white crystals for a serving of braised pork made with exotic beast meat, and after becoming a level three ability user, one would also receive some exotic beast meat or chicken every week. After looking around, Li Chenglong felt the food wasn't very good, so he led the two back to their room. The superior room was quite luxurious, with an indoor bathroom, shower, tables and chairs, and even electricity. However, the waiter explained that the electricity was only available intermittently, during lunch and from 8 pm to midnight.
Li Chenglong took out the prepared food from his storage space, set it on the table, and invited the two to eat. During the meal, Jiang Hui said, "I feel we need to be careful tonight and not sleep too soundly. Although this place is relatively safe, there's no guarantee that someone won't cause trouble." Li Chenglong smiled and patted Jiang Hui's shoulder, "That's right. Being vigilant at all times is very necessary in the apocalypse. However, I don't think so today. I used the True Dragon Eye to investigate before I came in. This inn has two level-four guardians, and although there are many guests currently staying here, besides us, there is only one level-three ability user. I don't think anything will happen."
After a quiet night, Li Chenglong woke up Jiang Hui, who had been sleeping soundly, early in the morning. The two washed up and went outside, where Wang Shuang was already waiting for them on the first floor. Li Chenglong paid some more money to have the hotel staff fill up the gas tank, and the three continued their journey towards the Chinese Federation.