Chapter 1210: The Commander's Orders?
Looking at Du Wenyuan's genuinely bewildered expression, Chang Zhiwei felt a pang of unease and finally decided to confront him.
He cleared his throat and tried to speak in a calm tone:
"Director Du, we have just received a top-priority order from Commander Gao of the theater command, requiring our unit to immediately provide secret protection and the best possible treatment for you, Battalion Commander Yang Zhendong, and your immediate family members. This is a direct order from the highest level of the theater command."
"Me?" Du Wenyuan automatically ignored Yang Zhendong, whom he was not familiar with, and was completely stunned. His eyes widened as if he had heard a fairy tale.
Commander Gao Jianguo? The top leader in charge of the Eastern Theater Command? He personally ordered my protection?
How can this be? !
Du Wenyuan had been struggling to survive under the Eastern Theater Command system for nearly a year, from Zhoushan to Lin'an, and had long since come to terms with reality.
Commander Gao Jianguo might know that there was such a person as former vice governor, but it was absolutely impossible for him to have any special impression of him, let alone take care of him personally!
If such a relationship truly existed, why would the Du family have suffered such hardship, falling from a high-ranking position as deputy provincial governor to their current powerless and subservient deputy director-general post? He should have been given a more important role long ago!
Why now? At this particular time?
As a veteran politician who has been navigating the political landscape for many years, Du Wenyuan instinctively analyzes the situation from the perspective of interests and motives.
He frantically searched his mind for any potential value he and the Du family might possess—pre-apocalyptic power? Long gone...
Post-apocalyptic connections? Utterly ineffective against absolute military power. Special skills or resources? Seems like they don't exist...
After much thought, he realized that he was just a discarded pawn that had long lost its luster, and had no value whatsoever for the top leader of the war zone, a person at the pinnacle of power, to suddenly make such a big fuss about.
This sudden "favor" did not bring him joy; instead, it was like a heavy fog, weighing on his mind and causing him to harbor doubts and even feel uneasy.
Meanwhile, Chang Zhiwei, who was silently observing Du Wenyuan from the side, watched the other man's eyes go from shock to confusion, and then to deep bewilderment, while inwardly he was furiously criticizing him:
"Pretending? Still fucking pretending?"
"The theater commander personally issued a document specifically naming and protecting him; the card is openly played on the table, and he's still playing the innocent card with me?"
"Pah! No wonder he comes from a political background, his heart is truly filthy! Even at this point, he's still hiding things, not letting a single word out!"
Chang Zhiwei despised people who were more cunning than honeycomb briquettes, but circumstances forced him to remain silent.
Seeing that Du Wenyuan's teacup was empty, he immediately sprang up from his chair, a fawning smile plastered on his face, and bowed to pick up the teapot:
"Director Du, have some tea, have some tea! I wonder if this tea suits your taste? This is my best stuff, I usually can't bear to drink it..."
His sudden change from arrogance to obsequiousness, and his careful tea-pouring, formed an absurd and stark contrast to his table-pounding and cursing behavior just minutes earlier.
Just then, there was another knock on the office door.
"report!"
It was the same communications officer, but this time his expression was even more serious than before, even carrying a hint of disbelief and astonishment.
"Speak!" Chang Zhiwei straightened up.
"Commander! We just received a notification from the theater command that Director Zhou Wei's special plane from the Joint Political Work Department of the theater command has taken off and is expected to arrive at our airfield in half an hour! Director Zhou instructed that he should meet with Deputy Director Du Wenyuan and Squadron Leader Yang Zhendong as soon as he arrives!"
"what?!"
This time, Chang Zhiwei and Du Wenyuan almost simultaneously gasped in shock!
Chang Zhiwei almost dropped the teapot in his hand, and the tea spilled out.
Providing preferential treatment and secret protection is one thing, but this... this actually alarmed Lieutenant General Zhou Wei, a member of the Standing Committee of the Theater Command and a deputy theater commander, who personally flew over?!
Who is Zhou Wei? He is one of the five people at the core of power in the Eastern Theater Command! He is a truly powerful figure standing at the pinnacle of power in several eastern provinces! His actual power is no less than that of a provincial governor before the apocalypse!
Such a busy tycoon would actually take a private jet and arrive in Lin'an, a frontline gathering place still under construction, in just half an hour, just for Du Wenyuan?!
Who exactly is the leader? Director Zhou Wei's impatient manner makes it seem as if Du Wenyuan, sitting here, is the leader? Otherwise, why not let Du Wenyuan go over?
Du Wenyuan himself felt a chill run from his tailbone straight to the top of his head, and he was completely stunned, his mind going blank.
Commander Gao's order could be understood as a high-level decision, but Director Zhou Wei's personal visit... went far beyond the scope of "care" or "protection"!
The information behind this filled him with an unprecedented fear and...absurdity!
What merit or ability does Du Wenyuan possess?! In this cruel apocalypse, how could he possibly command a deputy theater-level commander in person?!
I never even dared to dream of it...
Chang Zhiwei's gaze toward Du Wenyuan had completely changed. His previous doubts and complaints vanished, leaving only deep awe and even a hint of fear.
He suddenly realized what was happening and yelled at the still somewhat dazed communications officer:
"What are you all standing there for?! Immediately issue the order: highest alert! Clear the runway and prepare to receive Director Zhou's special plane!"
Once again, only Chang Zhiwei and the absent-minded Du Wenyuan remained in the office.
Chang Zhiwei looked at Du Wenyuan, who was sitting there with an ever-changing expression, clearly out of the loop. He opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't ask anything.
He knew that the world was truly about to change, and the eye of the storm seemed to be this seemingly ordinary former vice governor.
Du Wenyuan picked up the cup of Longjing tea that Chang Zhiwei had personally poured for him, which was already slightly cool, but his hand trembled slightly.
The tea tasted bitter upon tasting.
He had absolutely no idea where this sudden "overwhelming wealth," or rather, "overwhelming trouble," came from.
