si-mexico Chapter 144 Heavy losses
Chapter 144 Heavy losses
Although the battle was won, with the combined forces from the three bases eliminating at least 150,000 zombies and zombie beasts, not a single soldier showed any joy on their face during the return journey. The casualties in this operation were simply too great; even several level-five ability users had perished.
Dawn City had already been notified, and Yun Lan proposed that all soldiers enter through the south gate to receive a welcome from the entire city. Liu Qingqing, Chu Kexin, and Jiang Hui from the propaganda department used broadcasts, loudspeakers, and every other means available to notify all members of Dawn City. Zheng Aiguo led half of the Second Regiment, Zhao Gang's Fourth Regiment, and Qi Guoan's Fifth Regiment, except for the necessary troops guarding Dawn City, as they marched out of the south gate, forming two long lines stretching two kilometers along the road. All the soldiers solemnly saluted, welcoming their comrades home.
At 6:30 PM, Yang Liu and Zhao Liying's special forces off-road vehicle came into view first. Yang Liu slowed down as she approached where her comrades saluted, and slowly drove towards the south gate of Shuguang City under the watchful eyes of her fellow soldiers. Dozens of troop carriers followed, and the soldiers on board stood up to return the salute, many choking back tears as they saluted. At the south gate of Shuguang City, Zheng Yong and other high-ranking officials waited to see the soldiers enter the city. As soon as Yang Liu's vehicle entered Shuguang City, she saw the roadsides lined with Shuguang City residents who had spontaneously come to welcome them; the crowd stretched as far as the eye could see, indicating that everyone had come. Yang Liu drove directly to the entrance of the Shuguang Building, where Yun Lan was waiting, her eyes already wet with tears, supported by Li Xue.
As soon as Yang Liu got out of the car, she opened the door of the back vehicle and lifted Li Chenglong out. Yun Lan and Li Xue quickly went over to check on Li Chenglong's condition and were relieved to find that he wasn't seriously injured. At this moment, the passenger side door of the back car slowly opened, and a blue-haired woman slowly stepped out. Yun Lan and Li Xue's eyes widened. The blue-haired woman said, "Let's help Li Chenglong back to rest first. Li Xue, there are still many seriously injured people. I know you care about your brother, but now we need you." Li Xue nodded vigorously, and then she and Yang Liu joined the ranks of those treating the injured.
On the other side, Yunlan and Chen Xiaoke had already decorated Dawn Square in front of the Dawn Building with various white and yellow flowers. Then, all the soldiers who had died in the battle were carried to Dawn Square one by one on stretchers for people to pay their respects. However, although nearly a thousand soldiers had died, not many bodies were found intact; in the end, only the remains of more than 400 martyrs were recovered. Many soldiers, ordinary residents of Dawn City, and officials at all levels of Dawn City spontaneously came here to express their condolences.
After putting Li Chenglong back in his room, Zhao Liying and the others left first. Han Xiaoling also said she wanted to go to the square to visit her fallen comrades, so she left with Zhao Liying, leaving only Yun Lan and the blue-haired woman in the room. Yun Lan slowly spoke, "You saved him again this time, didn't you, Miss Erica? Thank you." Erica shook her head, "No need to thank me, but it was really close. If I hadn't happened to be on Earth via the teleportation array and not too far away, he would have been in serious danger. But his injuries aren't severe this time; he should wake up on his own in a week at most. Things will be very busy in Dawn City these next few days, and I'll have to rely on you to hold things together."
Erica paused, pointing to her necklace, "I've used up too much energy this time, so I can't leave anytime soon. I need to stay in Dawn City for a while. Could I borrow your second bedroom for a few days?" Yunlan immediately replied, "Of course! You're our great benefactor; you can stay as long as you want." Erica smiled slightly, fiddling with her long blue hair, "Then I'll go take a shower first. You'd better change his clothes." With that, she left Li Chenglong and Yunlan's bedroom.
After Erica left, Yunlan took a basin from the storeroom, filled it with some cold water, and mixed it with some hot water from the thermos. She then used the mixture to wash Li Chenglong and changed him into clean clothes. This time, she wasn't as desperate as before, because last time she truly had no other options. But this time, with Erica's assurance, she felt much more at ease.
Meanwhile, Zheng Yong, Ma Tiancheng, and others got to work, and all levels of management in Shuguang City busied themselves in an orderly fashion. Wu Gang sent a message that the troops would return to Shuguang City before noon the next day, in time for the memorial service and commemorative meeting. Because of the heat, Zheng Yong also indicated that things had to be done quickly. Yun Lan and others, from the logistics department, collaborated with several other departments, indicating they would work through the night to expedite the venue setup.
Zheng Yong instructed all departments to submit an accurate list of the fallen as soon as possible. The Organization and Personnel Department, City Defense Department, Military Affairs Department, Logistics Department, Civil Affairs Department, and Finance Department of Dawn City would then work together to handle all matters concerning the families of the fallen soldiers. This work would begin first thing tomorrow morning. Regarding the list of the fallen, Zheng Yong contacted Yun Lan, who could access it through the central computer managed by Alice. Since each person was issued an identification card, the death of the wearer would be recorded in the computer specifically for these cards. Yun Lan had Alice print out a detailed list, recording each soldier's name, unit, points, whether they had family members, and where they lived, among other details.
After receiving the list, Zheng Yong immediately had it copied and distributed to various departments. Each department would then send someone to notify the families of the martyrs. In addition to the martyrs' funeral arrangements, there were also soldiers who were injured or disabled and unable to return to the battlefield. These people would be specially arranged by the Ministry of Military Affairs to ensure that everyone received the best possible care.
At midnight, Yunlan slowly walked downstairs to Dawn Square. The square was almost fully prepared; many relatives of the fallen soldiers had been notified and arrived to search for their loved ones among the more than four hundred bodies. Some were found, but many more were gone forever. The sounds of weeping and sobbing frequently filled the air. Many residents of Dawn City remained, spontaneously offering bouquets and tributes. Yunlan walked slowly past them, looking at the small plaques beside each body displaying information about the martyr, some even including photographs. Dawn Square was now brightly lit; thanks to Yunqian's arrangements, numerous lighting fixtures had been brought in to facilitate the setup of the venue and the mourning procession.
Yang Liu, leading the special forces team to help, saw Yun Lan there and went over with Zhao Liying, Han Xiaoling, and Liu Fang. Yang Liu quickly inquired about Li Chenglong's condition and, upon learning he was safe and sound and would wake up in a few days, they were all relieved. Li Xue returned from the medical department shortly after. Thanks to her and other ability users with healing powers, many soldiers were out of danger. Worried about Li Chenglong's safety, she quickly left the hospital.
The following afternoon, a memorial service was held in Dawn City, attended by most of the Dawn Army soldiers and over ten thousand civilians. After the service, the remains of all the martyrs were taken to the Martyrs' Cemetery for burial, and a memorial stele was erected, bearing the soldier's photograph and biographical information. The identification cards worn by the martyrs were either given to their families as souvenirs or placed in the newly constructed Martyrs' Memorial Hall for public remembrance.
In the following days, with the concerted efforts of all parties, the work with the families of all the martyrs proceeded smoothly. In addition to a one-time distribution of condolence materials and crystal compensation, the families of the young were given jobs with wages 1.5 to 2 times higher than those of the same position, while the elderly received condolence materials every week and had their health checked by a designated person every month. As for the orphans, they were all properly cared for by the compound.
On September 1st, a high-level meeting of Dawn City was held without Li Chenglong present. All mid-to-high-level leaders of Dawn City and mid-to-high-ranking officers of the Dawn Army attended. The meeting began with self-reflection and self-criticism, and Yun Lan also spoke on behalf of Li Chenglong. During the subsequent discussion, Wu Gang angrily said, "Fu Sanshan's desertion has caused us enormous losses. Dawn City has always wanted to coexist peacefully and cooperate with them. We even shared some of the large amount of supplies we obtained at the port with them. But now, they betray us like this, running away without a second thought. Are there really such shameless people in the world?" Zhao Rui stood up and said, "Commander Wu Gang is right. Moreover, in the past few days, the envoys we sent to thank the Feiyun Base were detained by the Huaxing Base. They even took advantage of our rest and recuperation to repeatedly harass our troops and supply search teams. This is intolerable!"
Zheng Yong and Yun Lan exchanged a glance, then stood up and said, "While City Lord Li Chenglong is still unconscious, although we have managed to recruit enough troops after several days of effort, we are severely lacking in training, and our firearms and ammunition are also in short supply. Huaxing Base is a large base, currently not much weaker than our Shuguang City, so I suggest everyone wait a little longer and be patient." Yun Lan added, "Starting today, we will temporarily close the South Gate. All troops and supply search teams should use the other three gates when they go out. If they encounter people from Huaxing Base, they should avoid them if possible." The meeting ended in a less than harmonious atmosphere.
During this time, the Langley Base sent an envoy to thank Dawn City for its full assistance, bringing a considerable amount of chemical materials and steel, as well as 5 blue crystals, 20 cyan crystals, 60 green crystals, and in addition to these high-grade crystals, 15,000 white crystals and 5,000 red crystals. Yunlan kept only the blue crystals, distributing the rest, especially the white crystals, most of which were given to the families of the martyrs.