Chapter 1019: Visitors from outer space?
Zhang Shouzheng and Zou Yuan glanced at each other quickly in the aftermath of enthusiastic applause. No words were needed. There was only a desperate determination and a sense of relief in each other's eyes.
Zhang Shouzheng took a deep breath, as if to expel the heavy guilt. He stood up suddenly, his hands firmly on the table. His voice trembled slightly with excitement and determination, but it pierced through the applause that had not yet completely subsided with extraordinary clarity:
"Commander Gu! Comrades from the Zhongzhou War Zone!"
His eyes were blazing, and with unprecedented determination, he looked directly into Gu Chengyuan's deep eyes:
"Regarding your request for 'coordinated deployment of forces' (troop stationing) to ensure energy security!"
"Our Western Theater Command delegation, on behalf of the highest decision-making body in the Western Theater Command, solemnly promises: full acceptance! Full cooperation!"
He spoke with absolute certainty, each word ringing with force:
"After we return, we will immediately begin to provide all necessary convenience and security for your support forces to enter core nodes such as energy extraction, production, and transportation!"
"From now on, the gate of the Western Theater will always be open to the Central Plains Theater, our blood brothers, and our community of shared destiny!"
Pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa~
The moment the words fell, all the participants in the conference room stood up again and burst into applause that was even warmer and longer-lasting than before!
This applause is proof that the Western Theater Command has completely let down its guard and pledged its allegiance!
It is also the strongest voice of the Zhongzhou War Zone in achieving an all-round and overwhelming victory in this epic negotiation!
Gu Chengyuan, who was sitting in the main seat, couldn't help but smile when faced with this complete submission and commitment.
The lifeline of the Northwest is now firmly in our hands.
...
With the successful achievement of fundamental consensus on the two core concerns - troop stationing and material assistance - the next step is the consultation stage to implement the specific details.
This stage involves technical issues such as specific terms, safeguards, time nodes, etc., which no longer require the theater commander Gu Chengyuan to handle personally. A deputy theater-level general in charge of relevant areas can come forward to preside over it, which will be enough to advance it efficiently.
So after Gu Chengyuan raised his hand to check the time, he casually waved to the staff officer standing beside him, his gesture carrying a sense of self-determined dominance:
"Okay, we've almost finished discussing the business. Tell the office cafeteria to prepare a dinner according to the highest hospitality standards!"
He glanced at the Western Theater Command, who were still immersed in the huge shock and their hearts were surging, and spoke in a tone that was almost 'homely' and friendly:
"Director Zhang, Deputy Commander Zou, and all the comrades in the Western Theater Command, thank you for your hard work along the way."
"Let's stay here tonight and taste the food from our Zhongzhou war zone!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Chengyuan stood up first. Like a silent command, everyone in the conference room, whether in Zhongzhou or the Western Theater, immediately stood up in unison.
Zhang Shouzheng, director of the Western Theater Command's Joint Political Work Department, reacted the fastest. He practically rushed forward and extended his hand to Gu Chengyuan across the large conference table with a sincere expression.
"Commander Gu! Thank you so much! Thank you and the Zhongzhou Theater for your hospitality!"
Compared to the hesitation and awkwardness when they first met, his tone was now full of well-deserved gratitude and respect.
Gu Chengyuan smiled brightly and reached out to shake hands with Zhang Shouzheng. His smile was sincere and infectious.
"Haha—Comrade Shouzheng, that's too polite! I'm the one who should be thanking you! Thank you for your firm stance on major issues, your discernment of the overall situation, and your active promotion of this far-reaching cooperation between our two war zones!"
He let go of his hand, as if he had just remembered something, and said with a hint of self-blame:
"Hey~ Look at me, I'm just busy talking! Hahaha——"
Gu Chengyuan looked around the room, his tone carrying an unquestionable "commanding" concern:
"From now on, work ends here! No one is allowed to talk about business anymore!"
"You've all been exhausted from the journey, so let go tonight, have a good rest, and relax!"
"The point is, you should really savor the cooking of our cafeteria chef! The ingredients we're using tonight are probably rare to see outside!"
Gu Chengyuan deliberately paused, successfully attracting everyone's curious gaze, especially the representatives of the Western Theater Command.
They did feel a little dissatisfied: it was true that the Central Plains War Zone had abundant supplies, but they were, after all, the core leadership of the Western War Zone, holding high positions and great power. What had they not seen?
To say that they are "rarely seen" is a bit disrespectful.
Gu Chengyuan's sharp eyes caught the flash of doubt in the eyes of the representatives of the Western Theater, but he just curled up the corners of his mouth into a deeper and more mysterious smile without explaining.
This deliberate suspense actually increased the sense of anticipation and the weight of the unknown.
"Let's go, everyone!" Gu Chengyuan said no more, laughed loudly, turned around first, and walked towards the door of the meeting room with steady and powerful steps.
His natural leadership aura made everyone follow him involuntarily.
The group walked through the corridor of the office building, which was covered with dark gray sound-absorbing carpet and had matte metal trim and smart indicator lights on the walls, and took the elevator down in batches.
hum-
As the elevator door slid open silently, what came into view was the first cafeteria of the Zhongzhou War Zone Headquarters!
The war zone headquarters canteen, which has been renovated several times, is spacious and has a simulated natural light lighting system on the ceiling, which provides soft and bright light.
The air in the cafeteria is unusually fresh, with almost no smell of oil smoke, but a faint plant fragrance, obviously having undergone a "mechanical + biological" double filtration cycle.
The floor is made of a non-slip and wear-resistant silver-gray composite material, as smooth as a mirror. The dining area is designed as relatively independent booths, cleverly separated by translucent frosted glass and green plants, ensuring privacy without being oppressive.
The most eye-catching area is the central area of the cafeteria, which is not an ordinary food collection counter, but a huge, circular, transparent display kitchen!
Behind the thick ultra-white glass, a team of chefs, dressed in clean white sterile uniforms and moving as precisely and skillfully as surgeons, are busy at work.
Gu Chengyuan led everyone straight to a reserved semi-open private room with the best location.
Along the way, the representatives of the Western Theater Command had already been captivated by the food being processed in the kitchen, and they couldn't look away!
"What...what is this?!" A major general from the Western Theater Command couldn't help but exclaim, pointing behind the glass.
I saw a chef in his early 50s using a kitchen knife to precisely cut up a huge steak with a dark golden metallic luster. The texture of the meat was extremely dense, and you could faintly see tiny lines like circuit boards flowing under the light!
On another working table nearby, several segments of limbs covered with thick, dark brown chitinous shells were being processed. The edges of the shells were as sharp as knives, and the tender white meat inside was like the finest lobster, emitting a strange, invigorating fragrance.
Further away, several huge slices of meat, as thin as a cicada's wing and shimmering with colorful phosphorescence, were carefully placed on the ice tray...
Mutant beast ingredients! And they are top-grade mutant beast ingredients that have been processed extremely professionally and safely!
This scene instantly shattered the arrogance in the hearts of the representatives of the Western Theater Command when they saw these "ingredients" that were completely beyond their cognition!
At this moment, they finally understood that Commander Gu's words "rare to see" were already very polite and tactful!
They have never even seen these things, let alone eaten them!
After the end of the world, the mutant creatures they knew were only hideous, dangerous, and untouchable, symbolizing death and destruction!
They had also thought about bringing the other party to the table, but due to the limitations of biotechnology, after several major problems occurred in small-scale experiments, the Western theater's exploration in this area came to a halt.
But I didn’t expect to see it in the Zhongzhou war zone today!
The feeling of having their dreams come true by others made Zhang Shouzheng, Zou Yuan and others marvel at the novelty of the ingredients. At the same time, they also had a preliminary first impression of the level of biotechnology in the Zhongzhou War Zone: extremely high!
By extension, if the Zhongzhou War Zone's research on mutant creatures has reached the point of being edible, what about their application on the battlefield? Like the super biological warriors in science fiction movies?
Could it be that thermal weapons aren't the enemy's ultimate strength? Or that they have also made achievements in biotechnology?
Thinking of this, the members of the Western Theater Command delegation, led by Zhang Shouzheng and Zou Yuan, couldn't help but feel a little terrified...
They were surprised to find that the more they understood the Zhongzhou war zone, the less they seemed to understand it, as if they were caught in a strange paradox.
The Zhongzhou war zone that suddenly appeared after the end of the world is like a huge black hole... It is impossible to look directly at it, difficult to peek into it, and it is unfathomable... You will never be able to figure out the opponent's limit.
It is said that fear comes from the unknown, and this is also the most frightening thing about the Zhongzhou war zone!
In the Zhongzhou War Zone, he is too strong and too perfect, seemingly without any weaknesses, so much so that he gives people the feeling that he is from another world!
