14 The Flower of the Battlefield, Raven

On the other side, outside a residential building, a tall woman with ear-length hair and a cold demeanor was directing special forces members to escort seven recently rescued survivors onto an armored personnel carrier. Her physique was so remarkable that it was hard not to associate her with the elite soldiers of the military, as her chest would vigorously shake whether she was shooting, running, or commanding.

She even became the captain of the special forces squad with the best results, often subject to rumors that her promotion was due to her attractive physique. However, Raven didn't care about others' opinions, believing that true strength spoke for itself, a principle highly regarded in the military.

At that moment, her communicator lit up.

"I am Raven!"

"I am Allen, the Emergency Command Center's Strategic Commander!"

"Good to hear from you, General!"

Hearing that the call was from the highest-ranking officer in the command center, Raven immediately stood at attention, even while on the phone.

"I've seen the video of your recent battle, and I've posted it online. The response has been very positive!" encouraged Allen.

"Thank you for your recognition, General. Our special forces team will achieve even more glorious victories in the upcoming rescue missions!"

Raven spoke loudly on purpose so that the members of the special forces squad could hear the General's approval, prompting proud smiles to emerge on their faces.

"As for the rescue missions, put them on hold for now. Your squad needs to come back immediately; we have a more important task for you!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Also... is Dr. Piers with the troops?"

Allen shifted the conversation.

"Professor Piers is here; he's inside the armored vehicle, very safe!"

"That's good. On your way back, he will administer the second dose of micro-antibodies to your squad. Make sure you cooperate with him, understood?!"

"Yes, we will fully support Professor Piers' work!"

"Good, that's all."

Allen hung up the phone. At that moment, inside the command center, Mayor Macy of Jiangcheng pointed at the news of the counterattack on the screen, frowning, and asked, "Is it really okay to deceive everyone like this?!"

"Deception? What are you referring to? The statement about retaking the city? Or the video of rescuing survivors? Which one is fake?!" Allen's heart twitched at the mention of deception, and he asked with a stern face.

"You say you're going to retake the city, but you haven't given a specific start date. It could be tomorrow, a week, a month, a year, or even ten years from now. But can the survivors trapped in their homes really wait that long?!"

"The video of rescuing survivors is real, but you only saved those seven people. It creates a false impression that the military is fighting zombies and rescuing survivors day and night."

"In reality, you've already prepared to give up on the city and those survivors, haven't you?! You're using these seemingly true but vague concepts to deceive the citizens. Am I wrong?!" Macy angrily slammed the table.

"You're not wrong, so am I wrong?!" Allen's eyes were red with anger, and he roared in a higher pitch. As a soldier, his aura was fully unleashed, resembling a fierce tiger ready to attack, filling the room with a sense of menace. This forced Macy to calm down immediately.

Hearing the mayor and the commander arguing, the aide-de-camp signaled, and everyone present quickly left the room, thoughtfully closing the door behind them. It wasn't good for the quarrel between the two highest local leaders of the military and the government to be known; it was safer not to listen.

"Ah, others might not understand me, but don't you?" Allen realized he had overreacted and sighed, forcing his tone to become calm and gentle.

"The purpose of the military is to protect our country and our homes. Right now, it's not about national security but safeguarding our homeland and our people."

"But have you considered, based on preliminary reconnaissance estimates, there are about 10 million zombies in Jiangcheng? Our military has suffered heavy losses since the outbreak, now numbering less than three thousand."

"Your police forces fared even worse, with only a little over a hundred reaching the safety zones."

"Nearly a hundred thousand civilians have already gathered in the safety zones. The security checks, maintenance of order, logistical support, and so on, are overwhelming."

"With just these three thousand troops, it's already a stretch to protect the safety zone, let alone consider retaking the city!"

"Others may not know this situation, but don't you? How can we retake the city with what we have?"

"Are the lives of civilians the only lives that matter? Aren't soldiers also someone's sons and daughters?"

Allen stated indignantly. It was a painful decision, but it was a necessary one.

"Even so, you shouldn't have canceled the notice for the safety zones. Let those who can make it come, saving one more is better than none, isn't it?"

"By leaving everyone stuck at home, how is that different from waiting to die?"

Macy tried to calm his tone, asking softly.

"You certainly haven't seen the doctor's medical report on the virus!"

Allen glanced at the sealed file on Macy's desk, instantly understanding the crux of the issue.

"What does this have to do with the topic we're discussing?"

Macy, puzzled, still opened the file, "The incubation period of the zombie virus ranges from 5 minutes to 72 hours? The apocalypse has only broken out for twelve hours, so where does this 72-hour conclusion come from?"

Allen, while adjusting the monitor, casually responded, "This virus seems to have erupted worldwide simultaneously, but in reality, it had already started spreading in a country embroiled in war a month ago."

"Due to restricted access to news and information, even if a few videos leaked out, everyone thought it was due to cannibalism caused by famine or that war had sparked hatred among people."

"By the time it was confirmed to be zombies, that country was already half-conquered."

"The worst part is, people from the United Nations peacekeeping organizations were there holding an event, followed by the routine monthly meeting of the World United Nations."

"It's speculated that the virus was spread to the whole world by members of the United Nations then! As for how it was transmitted, it's unknown, especially since the entire United Nations no longer exists..."

Macy nodded, seemingly understanding the cause of the worldwide outbreak.

"But... what does this report have to do with restricting residents' access to the safety zones?"