At this moment, a nervous-looking major staff officer strode into the conference room. He bypassed the crowd that was surrounding the vice chairman of the military department, walked straight to Zhao Zhikai's side, leaned down, approached his ear, and whispered in a hurried tone: "General, something is wrong———— signal monitoring department has just detected that the radio signal transmitted from the new Nanyang base is a common frequency. ”

The major spoke in a loud voice. However, all of them here are generals, and they all have the ability to strengthen at or above the third order.

"What did you say?"

The gray-haired lieutenant general's face was full of shock, the news was so sudden that he could hardly believe his ears: "Public channel? How is this possible? The military department's special line must be encrypted in both directions to be connected, and once an external signal is found to cut in, the computer will immediately and automatically shut down the communication. New Nanyang ...... Su Hao...... How exactly did he do it? ”

The staff officer of the major had a gloomy face, and a little cold sweat oozed from his forehead: "Xinnanyang uses a hidden camera to take a second shot, and then broadcasts the call scene to every public channel receiving unit. This practice is completely undetectable, and the monitoring department has only only learned about this matter through information feedback from other channels. Colonel Su Hao cut off the public information link with the military department, and we cannot supervise or prevent the spread of information. ”

Hearing this, Lieutenant General Huo Ran stood up from his chair, and his tone became tense and serious: "You mean, the content of the meeting just now has been broadcast in full?" ”

The major wiped a handful of cold sweat with the back of his hand, and nodded tremblingly: "...... Yes...... That's right

The lieutenant general's expression was stunned, and then he quickly became angry: "He, how dare he do this? This is already a violation of the confidentiality ordinance and is simply a blatant public disclosure of confidentiality. Bastard...... Ordered the Security Bureau to immediately send a special person to the Xinnanyang base to arrest Su Hao. ”

"Enough is enough————"

Just when there was chaos around him, Zhao Zhikai, the chairman of the military department, who had always been calm, suddenly spoke out.

He sat upright in his chair, his eyes glittering with an uncertain light. There are emotions, there are shocks, and there are also fleeting, imperceptible inexplicable flashes.

"In what name was he arrested? Violation of confidentiality regulations? Treason? Disobedience? Or is it self-conscious? ”

Zhao Zhikai's eyebrows were tightly locked, his hands were placed on the table, he kept holding each other hard, and his voice was as calm as usual: "Su Hao didn't directly use the public channel, he was at best a preset camera, shooting the meeting footage from other angles and transmitting it outward." He had many excuses and reasons to clear himself from ———— office of the new Nanyang base belonged to Zhang Shengfei, and he didn't know the hidden facilities in the channel, let alone that the camera in the channel was connected to the public channel. What's more, now Xinnanyang is in chaos, and the failure of the machine can easily cause signal connection errors. He had enough reason to prove that it was not his fault, and even if he had suppressed it by force, he could still have made a bunch of witnesses to show that he didn't know. Don't forget, he is now the highest rank holder in New Nanyang. There, what he wants, is his freedom. ”

"Speaking of treason...... The words he said at the end of the meeting were resounding. Do you think the charge of treason is appropriate for a soldier who took the initiative to take up arms and go to the front at a critical moment? ”

"As for disobedience to the officials, it can barely be said."

Zhao Zhikai turned his head and glanced at the vice chairman of the military department who was being carried out of the conference room by several soldiers, and the corners of his mouth showed a hint of mockery: "It is also a very unique ability to make a general so angry that he has a cerebral hemorrhage and a heart attack on the spot." But then again, no one ordered the New Nanyang base to send reinforcements in the direction of the front. The current situation in the 3rd South-Eastern Theater of Operations is complex, the situation must be stabilized in the adjacent theater of operations, and all units must be used for defense. No matter what Su Hao's reason is, whether he is grandstanding or pretending to be posturing, at least, he behaves like a soldier, not an "office general" who stays in the base and waits for death. ”

The lieutenant general froze for a moment, opening his lips slightly to speak, but in the end he couldn't make a sound. He frowned and thought for a few seconds, then retreated to his seat, pulled out his chair and sat down.

"Su Hao is a very shrewd guy."

Zhao Zhikai smiled and raised his voice: "Several nearby war zones refused to send reinforcements, of course, because of unavoidable reasons. However, the officers and soldiers who had been defeated at the front did not think so. They will complain, they will be angry, they will point the finger at the military department. Although the "military department" is an organization composed of many people, and different identities represent different opinions, outsiders do not think so. Su Hao used the public channel to transmit the content of the meeting, just to get more people's support. New Nanyang will soon fall, and the defeated troops of the 11th Independent Army and the 184th Army have become lone troops. He needed sympathy, he needed help, he needed a constant supply from other directions. ”

"Hmph"

The lieutenant general shook his head indignantly: "He is grandstanding and gaining political capital." ”

"You're right."

Zhao Zhikai's expression was indifferent: "However, no one can blame him." He was very brave, and he was able to lead the troops to reinforcements with a death-defying attitude at such a time, which was already very popular. This is the purpose of Su Hao's use of public channels. If we want to disrupt his plans, we only need to send a few divisions to the front. The problem is that we can now do nothing but resupply the defeated forces with the Air Force. The distribution of our troops was uneven, and the garrison strength in the defense area was insufficient, so we could only watch him perform on the stage alone, and received a lot of applause and flowers. ”

The major general sitting next to him looked uncertain: "Let's just watch him act recklessly and do nothing?" ”

Hearing such unkind words, Zhao Zhikai only felt funny. He turned his gaze to the major general and said calmly: "What else can we do but watch?" ”

"Su Hao chose the most appropriate time, otherwise how do you think he would be mad at the military meeting? This young man is very smart, he never weaves traps for himself. On the surface, it may be that he is challenging the entire military department on his own. In fact, he has been careful not to break through our psychological bottom line. Reinforcements from the direction of New Nanyang will not have any impact on the entire battle situation, and will not put pressure on the adjacent defense areas. For a short time, the Eleventh Separate Force was our only mobile force in that area. To be honest, I did have the idea of sending Su Hao's troops up for reinforcements. But he took the initiative to do it in the front, and even his attitude was extremely resolute. ”

"The reason why I don't punish Su Hao for making public information is that I have to take into account the series of consequences that will be triggered by the rout at the front. He saw through this, and knew that we would not suppress him on this issue, so his attitude and language became more and more arrogant. This is his dependence, and it is the root of our inability to act

"Well, there's no need to dwell on this issue. All in all, Colonel Su Hao's performance is indeed in line with his military status. Especially the last few sentences, even I felt my blood boiling when I listened to them. Biological warfare is unlike any pattern of warfare in human history. Since he is willing to do it, give him enough freedom. ”

Zhao Zhikai's expression was extremely solemn, and the wrinkles on his face were carved even deeper, like mountains squeezed out by the movement of the earth's crust, and under the heavy plate outline, magma with an astonishing temperature was constantly surging.

"We need warriors, brave men who dare to stand up to death, who dare to save their fellow citizens in dangerous situations. Everyone has selfish intentions, and there is no need to punish them for inconsequential minor issues. As long as they are fighting with all their might, fighting for the survival of humanity, this is enough. ”

On the empty highway, a group of ragged soldiers walked in the distance.

The scorching sun scorched the earth. In this season, at this latitude, the daytime temperature is mostly above thirty degrees, there is no wind, and all the moisture in the air is evaporated. The ground is hot, and when you walk barefoot on the road, a puff of green smoke rises from the soles of your feet, giving off the smell of burnt meat and a piercing and terrifying "hiss" sound.

Liu Jiangyuan was surrounded by hundreds of soldiers in the middle, walking slowly in the direction of Xinnanyang.

The 517th Division has already been dispersed.

Because of the previous relationship with the 11th Independent Army, Liu Jiangyuan has an inexplicable sense of trust in Su Hao. Although he didn't understand why Su Hao was so strongly opposed to the Hefei campaign plan, Liu Jiangyuan believed that there must be Su Hao's own reasons. Out of his instinctive sense of danger, when setting up his position, Liu Jiangyuan reserved more than 300 trucks in advance. He ordered the military vehicles to be refueled, empty their carriages, equipped with drivers, and docked near military highways on standby...... Although it was only a preparatory measure, in Liu Jiangyuan's heart, he still did not believe that the Battle of Hefei would fail.

It is extremely persistent, and it can even be said to be a helpless fixed thinking.

He couldn't imagine the misery of defeat. That's more than 200,000 troops, the entire theater of operations. In the event of a rout, the consequences are unimaginable.

The terrible prophecy finally became a reality———— when Liu Jiangyuan saw through the telescope the creature frenzy rushing past the end of the highway and rushing to the position, he only felt that his hands and feet were cold, and the whole person was frozen in place like a sculpture.

Mutated creatures attack at a speed far faster than you might think. They glide short distances, swarm in clusters, know how to make the most of their numerical advantage, and even understand the importance of cutting off transport hubs.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Liu Jiangyuan wouldn't have believed it was true at all. The intelligent evolution of mutant organisms is getting faster and faster, and the division of labor between different species tends to be closer, and preliminary tactical concepts have been produced. In particular, the scene of the coordinated shooting down of the helicopter made everyone who saw it tremble and gave rise to a strong fear that could not be contained.

The glare of the sun forced people to keep their heads down, and the boiling heat quickly evaporated sweat. The close-fitting military uniform was tormented between dampness and sunburn, and the surface of the cloth was condensed with the salt of white flowers, which quickly hardened and burned, rubbing against the skin, drawing bright red abrasion marks, and then forming a large area of molting.

It makes no difference in this situation, whether a soldier or an officer. Their eyes were glazed, they carried various weapons, and dragged forward with mechanical steps.

The tide of attacks of mutated creatures was extremely fast, and no one expected that the well-arranged position would be broken through. When death came, people didn't care about anything else at all, but subconsciously grabbed their weapons and retreated along the road while counterattacking. The only items I had with me were bullets and a first-aid kit, and the few quantities of food and water I had had already run out. From last night to now, Liu Jiangyuan has not eaten anything, nor has he taken a sip of water.

As a division commander is already like this, the situation for soldiers and ordinary officers is naturally worse.

Of the more than three hundred reserved trucks, less than twenty were able to launch and escape from the bio-frenzy.

Their pursuit is extremely fast. Perhaps because of the remnants of human thinking in the depths of the brain, humanoids and bloody corpses actually know how to distinguish between light and heavy. In local battlefields where numbers are not dominant, they abandon attacking fugitive soldiers in favor of ramming vehicles with hard mouthparts and cuticles, tearing through fuel tanks. Some insectoid humans with gliding abilities rushed straight into the cab, killing the driver and smashing the steering wheel and joystick. Even if the vehicle is lucky enough to start and has begun to accelerate, there are mutated creatures that continue to impact the tires, blocking the rotation of the axles with their flesh and blood, forcing the vehicle to stop.

Relying on a small number of trucks to break out of the encirclement, in order to save more people, Liu Jiangyuan ordered the convoy to stop after driving more than 80 kilometers. Including him, all the officers and men got out of the car and walked in the direction of Xinnanyang, and the convoy turned around and returned to save those comrades-in-arms who were still struggling.

The trucks never kept up. Maybe it's a round-trip order, or maybe it's been destroyed......

The shadow of the AWACS aircraft is always visible in the sky. At noon yesterday, Liu Jiangyuan set up a simple guidance sign on the ground in accordance with the battlefield regulations. After waiting for nearly three hours, I finally got a helicopter. Due to capacity constraints, it brought only a hundred portions of water and food, as well as part of the ammunition. After sending a dozen seriously wounded people to the plane, the pilot told Liu Jiangyuan in a hurried and nervous tone that ————Biomania was in hot pursuit, and just behind them, there were several other groups of routed troops. At present, the entire 3rd Southeastern Theater of Operations has collapsed, and the remnants of the forces are moving in different directions. Due to the different objectives of the retreat, the dispersion of the troops, and the limited capacity of the air force, it was impossible to assist everyone, so they could only be replenished in different levels according to the number and direction of the remaining battle groups.

According to the agreed time, the next air supply should be four o'clock this afternoon. The AWACS will process information on all ground markers in the area, and it will not be difficult for helicopters to find them as long as they follow the road.

More terrible than hunger and thirst is the fear of death that hangs over people's minds all the time.

Soldiers and officers have been exchanging views on mutant creatures. From the preparations and signs before the outbreak of the virus, to the appearance of mass zombies later, people's views are becoming more and more pessimistic, believing that the war cannot be won. To live is just to survive, and the final outcome is ...... It is likely that the human extinction.

Liu Jiangyuan was unable to stop these remarks.

Although he is a division commander and a general, he cannot control the thoughts in the minds of others.

What's more, Liu Jiangyuan himself is also a victim of biological warfare. He has no loved ones anymore, he has nothing but fighting and anger.

There was no food and water, extreme fear, scenes of death that were personally experienced, and hundreds of thousands of troops were defeated...... People only feel that their feet are getting softer and softer, and their strengthened bodies can't lift their energy. They faltered like refugees, their eyes were hollow, and every few minutes they had to turn their heads and look behind them a few times to see if the monsters had caught up. Will you be able to survive?

Courage is inseparable from the actual environment.

With adequate supplies, weapons and bullets, soldiers can easily be motivated to burst into surprising combat effectiveness. However, when the material foundation is insufficient, when there is no support, when the body is extremely thirsty and hungry, there is no impassioned faith. The only thing left in people's minds is how to flee, how to live.

As for dignity and courage...... They are nothing in the face of life.

From Hefei to Xinnanyang, it is a straight line on the map.

When passing through abandoned cities along the way, Liu Jiangyuan would order to speed up. They are just a group of routs, their combat effectiveness is seriously weakened, and their physical strength is insufficient. Nothing can be done but flee.

They can't even get to the neighborhood in search of food and water. The mutated creatures trailing behind may catch up at some point. It is better to be hungry and thirsty than to be killed and eaten.

Yesterday for the whole night, no one rested, kept walking. Many people are so sleepy that they can't even open their eyes.

"Hold on, we must go back alive."

"The military department will not leave us alone, they will send planes and reinforcements. Remember the promise they made with us yesterday? At four o'clock in the afternoon, there was water to drink and something to eat. We weren't alone and had people come back to help us

"Come on, cheer up, you are soldiers of the republic, not waste. Go, go forward, speed up ————"

Voices like this kept coming up in the ranks. It was a couple of higher-ranking officers, cheering up the soldiers.

Still, the pace of the team is getting slower.

Everyone was staring at the sky, hoping that the sun would move faster in the west, and that the sound of helicopter propellers would be heard in the sky as soon as possible.

Liu Jiangyuan's ears were hot from the sun, and he suddenly heard a noisy footsteps.

He stopped, turned around, and looked suspiciously in the direction he had come.

A lieutenant colonel leaned over and said uncertainly, "Division commander, it seems to be our people." ”

Liu Jiangyuan nodded silently.

At the turn of the highway blocked by the mountain bag, a group of soldiers wearing combat uniforms and carrying various standard weapons appeared. They were just as tired as the survivors of the 517th Division, but they moved much faster.