Chapter 1248 Goodbye
The top floor of the Central Plains Military Region headquarters building.
Inside the Chairman's office, time seemed to flow even slower than outside. Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the morning light dyed half the sky golden red, and the entire war zone headquarters awoke at his feet. The light was filtered by the specially coated glass, leaving only a soft halo that spilled into the room.
In the spacious office, Gu Chengyuan sat behind his desk, wearing a crisply pressed dark green general's uniform, the stars on his epaulets gleaming with a steady golden light in the morning sun.
He had his head slightly lowered, a specially made pen in his hand, and was intently reviewing a report on the allocation of supplies for the second phase of the night market campaign.
His brow would occasionally furrow slightly at a particular data point or detail, before he would write down his instructions. The scratching sound of his pen across the paper was the only noise in the room.
The entire space was filled with an extreme quiet and a refined sense of power, as if even the air became heavy because of the owner's focus.
Dong dong~
A sudden knock on the door broke the silence inside.
"Go in." Gu Chengyuan didn't even raise his head, his voice steady.
The door was pushed open silently, and Zhou Guihong, the director of the secretariat, stepped in. He was also dressed in a neat uniform and walked very quietly. He stopped about three steps away from the desk and stood at attention.
"Commander." Zhou Guihong's voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough:
"Commander Lu Chong's motorcade from the Chongqing Military Region departed from the Xishan Guesthouse at 7:40 a.m. According to the planned route and speed, it is estimated to arrive at the headquarters in about 20 minutes."
Gu Chengyuan paused slightly with his pen, then neatly signed his name at the end of the document. He then looked up and cast his gaze at Zhou Guihong, a hint of joy in his eyes at the prospect of seeing his old friend again.
Lu Chong was a squad leader in the same batch as Jia Sanniu. When Lu Chong was the company commander, Jia Sanniu was the squad leader of the 1st squad and Lu Chong was the squad leader of the 2nd squad. He was one of the few officers and generals who followed him the earliest and left a deep impression on him.
People say that happy times are short-lived, but the time in the apocalypse is undoubtedly extremely long. So much so that even though the apocalypse has only lasted for less than two years, Gu Chengyuan feels as if it were a lifetime ago whenever he thinks back to the beginning.
It feels like most of my life has passed...
Thinking of all this, Gu Chengyuan couldn't help but shake his head, shaking off the melancholy in his eyes:
"I understand. Go and make the preparations. Take Comrade Haitao to the office building to greet him. It's rare for Lu Chong to come home... Never mind, I'll go myself!"
At this point, Gu Chengyuan suddenly stood up, tugged at the hem of his casual clothes, and pulled out a chair and walked out.
"Commander...Commander..."
When Zhou Guihong saw Gu Chengyuan's actions, she instinctively wanted to say something, but then she shut her mouth.
.....
The convoy drove steadily into the Central Plains Military Region headquarters, traversed the straight and wide internal roads, and finally came to a slow stop in front of the iconic, dark red, square and imposing main building.
The car door opened, and Lu Chong jumped out almost impatiently.
As he stepped back onto this familiar land, a symbol of the core of power, he instinctively straightened his back and took a deep breath of the cool, solemn morning air.
He stood beside the car, tilting his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the majestic building before him with a complex expression. The sunlight gilded the dark red walls with a golden edge, and the huge battle flag fluttering on the rooftop waved in the morning breeze.
It feels like a lifetime ago when I last stood here.
At that time, he had just been urgently recalled from a training course for middle and senior cadres. With trepidation and excitement, he took over the First Air Assault Brigade from his superiors with the rank of colonel.
Now, he has returned with a completely different identity—he now commands the Chongqing Military Region, leads the 3rd Army Group, commands hundreds of thousands of troops, and controls one of the top heavy industrial cities in the Zhou Kingdom!
However, the rise in status did not bring any alienation; on the contrary, it stirred up a stronger sense of belonging and a feeling of trepidation, like being close to home.
This place is ultimately his "home," the starting point of all his glory and power.
However, before he could fully savor this feeling, his gaze was immediately drawn to several figures standing in front of the main building's entrance.
Several high-ranking military officers were standing there, but Lu Chong's gaze instantly cut through all of them and locked onto the most familiar figure in the very center.
Commander!
It's the commander!
He... he actually came downstairs to greet me personally?!
In that instant, all my feelings and thoughts were overwhelmed by an even more surging and intense emotion!
It was the excitement of a long-awaited reunion, the overwhelming sense of being flattered, and even more so, the loyalty and affection deeply rooted in our blood and engraved in our souls!
Lu Chong's eyes reddened almost instantly, and an uncontrollable soreness welled up in his nose.
He didn't care about anything else!
"Commander—!!!"
A low growl, almost distorted in tone, burst from his throat. Like a lone wolf that had spotted its alpha, he suddenly took off running towards the figure on the steps!
His movements were so intense and reckless that the moment he started to move, his foot slipped, and one of his shiny general's dress shoes flew off his foot and landed with a "thud" on the smooth granite floor!
However, Lu Chong seemed completely oblivious. He didn't even glance down at the lone leather shoe. Wearing only one shoe and barefoot, he continued running towards Gu Chengyuan in an extremely awkward, limping yet incredibly fast manner!
