Chapter 1207 A Favor Gathered for Free
Ten minutes later, in the core area of the Qianlong Base in the Eastern Theater Command, in the No. 3 Standing Committee meeting room.
The conference room is nestled deep beneath the mountain's rock formations. The walls are rough concrete with minimal plastering, and exposed ventilation ducts and cable trays crisscross the ceiling, emitting a low hum.
A heavy, long alloy conference table occupied most of the room, surrounded by a dozen or so uniform metal folding chairs.
Apart from the necessary emergency lighting and a huge electronic map marking the controlled area and threat distribution of the Eastern Theater Command, there were no other decorations on the walls. The entire space exuded a simplicity and pragmatism unique to the military.
At this moment, several members of the Eastern Theater Command Standing Committee who were still at the base and had no urgent military affairs—including Zhou Wei, Director of the Joint Political Work Department, Li Zhenbiao, Chief of Staff, and Zhao Deming, Minister of Logistics—had all gathered here.
They were passing around a memorandum that had been brought by Commander Gao Jianguo's secretary and briefly explained the contents of the communication.
The meeting room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; the only sound was the soft rustling of papers turning.
Each member of the Standing Committee wore a solemn expression, their eyes conveying silent astonishment and rapid calculation.
The direct relatives of Chairman Gu's sister-in-law...are on our turf?
Political Commissar Zhou Wei tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, his mind racing: This was not just about finding someone, but also an extremely important opportunity, a golden chance to establish an unconventional connection with Chairman Gu...
If handled properly, it will be of great significance!
Chief of Staff Li Zhenbiao took a more practical approach: the search area, potential resistance, the forces needed, and... the consequences if the person is not found or if something happens to them.
Thinking about these things, he couldn't help but furrow his brow slightly, feeling a sudden increase in pressure on his shoulders.
Logistics Minister Zhao Deming was quickly calculating in his mind what scarce resources would need to be mobilized for the subsequent reception and resettlement once the person was found. This was no ordinary task, and the standards could not be lowered.
"Squeak-"
Just as the Standing Committee members were lost in their own thoughts, the heavy soundproof door to the conference room was pushed open, breaking the silence inside.
Commander Gao Jianguo strode in, his face now devoid of the fatigue he had felt while reviewing documents, replaced by a complex expression that blended urgency and excitement.
He walked straight to the head of the conference table, placed his hands on the surface, and his sharp gaze swept over each member of the Standing Committee present. Without any preamble, he got straight to the point:
"Comrades, you all have a basic understanding of the situation. I just spoke with Colonel Du Yuming in Jinling by phone to further confirm the specific details of the mission."
He paused, then said in a heavy but firm tone, "I want to emphasize that this is no longer a simple search for someone or a humanitarian rescue!"
"Considering the future dependence of our Eastern Theater on the Committee and the Central Theater, this matter must be treated as the most important political task at present!"
"Success is the only option; failure is not an option! There can be absolutely no mistakes in any step!"
Gao Jianguo's voice echoed in the simple meeting room, each word striking the hearts of the Standing Committee members.
"Du Yuming has provided more detailed information about the Du and Yang families, including their personal details, physical characteristics, and possible social relationships before the apocalypse, along with relevant information and search instructions..."
At this point, he looked at Chief of Staff Li Zhenbiao: "I have already instructed the confidential department to immediately issue a directive to the intelligence department and all external reconnaissance units, requiring them to utilize all available and reliable intelligence channels and ground personnel to conduct a comprehensive search as quickly as possible."
"The key task is to search our database and large clusters, especially the Zhoushan cluster at headquarters and the Lin'an cluster which is under construction!"
After speaking, he straightened up and looked around at everyone: "All departments must be prepared to coordinate their efforts. Once there is solid evidence, we must spare no effort to ensure the safety of the target and report it immediately!"
"Yes!" the Standing Committee members present responded in unison, their expressions solemn.
They all understood that this sudden search mission had already affected the future destiny of the Eastern Theater Command.
However, as soon as Gao Jianguo finished speaking, as if to confirm his determination to "use all available resources," the heavy soundproof door of the conference room was gently knocked on.
"report!"
An official in charge of internal document retrieval entered, a hint of excitement on his face, and quickly walked to Gao Jianguo's side, reporting in a low voice:
"Commander, esteemed leaders, the database comparison results are in! Based on the detailed information provided by Nanjing, we have identified the target family in the permanent resident registration files of Zhoushan headquarters and the recent roster of construction workers in the Lin'an cluster!"
So fast?
The members of the Standing Committee in the meeting room were all taken aback.
Although the Eastern Theater Command was severely weakened by the chaos and civil war in the early days of the apocalypse and had to retreat to the Zhoushan Islands, it was precisely because of this that the current leadership has achieved an unprecedented level of precision in its internal control and statistics.
In order to effectively manage a limited population and resources, they established a detailed database covering all registered survivors, including basic information, skills, kinship and even important social background before the apocalypse (if declared).
Before the apocalypse, the Du and Yang families were prominent local families with distinct characteristics and relatively complete personnel information. Under such precise searching, they were captured by the system almost instantly, like fireflies in the dark.
A glint of light flashed in Gao Jianguo's eyes, and he immediately pressed, "Where is he? What's the situation?"
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged government official quickly flipped through the documents he was holding and reported on the meeting:
"Reporting to the Commander, according to data comparison, most of the surviving family members of the Du family after the end of the dynasty are currently registered with the Lin'an Gathering Area Construction Committee."
"The current head of the Du family is named Du Wenyuan, who is 50 years old this year. Before the apocalypse, he was the Vice Governor and Standing Committee Member of Zhejiang Province, mainly in charge of science, education, culture and health. After the apocalypse, he served as the Director of Education in the Zhoushan settlement. Currently, he serves as the Deputy Director of the Construction Committee in the Lin'an settlement, with the rank of Second-Level Inspector (Deputy Director-General level)."
"So it was him? I never imagined he would become Chairman Gu's brother's father-in-law??"
Upon hearing the name Du Wenyuan, Lieutenant General Zhao Deming, the logistics director of the Eastern Theater Command, couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
"What? Comrade Deming knows him?" Zhao Deming's exclamation quickly drew the attention of General Gao Jianguo, the commander of the war zone, and other members of the Standing Committee.
"Reporting to the Commander, I wouldn't say we know each other, we've only met once. When Du Wenyuan was the director of education in the Zhoushan settlement, I went down there for research, and we chatted a few words by chance..."
“He’s an exceptionally eloquent person, but given our current situation…” At this point, Lieutenant General Zhao Deming abruptly stopped the conversation.
He met Du Wenyuan in the restroom. He was craving a cigarette but didn't have a lighter with him. Du noticed and offered him one. They chatted in the restroom for the time it takes to smoke a cigarette.
Besides, the reason I could remember the other person was because of their leadership position before the apocalypse; a high-ranking official at the deputy provincial level who had survived was rare even in the entire Eastern Theater Command...
At the same time, there were also sighs and lamentations that the other person was currently holding such a marginal and insignificant position, which could be considered a waste of their talent... But there's nothing that can be done; every era has its own unique circumstances...
Today, military power reigns supreme, and those who hold important leadership positions in major gathering places are all people with close ties to the military...
Besides excluding internal instability factors, this phenomenon is also caused by selfish motives...
For example, even he himself arranged for his relatives to hold important leadership positions in certain gathering places...
After all, everyone has selfish desires. Given the ability, who would want an outsider to do a job with an annual salary of a million, while arranging for their own son to do a job with a monthly salary of three thousand?
Who can do it?
