385: Rear Army

"Zhu Ge, stop right there!"

A young man lunged forward, roaring at the big-bearded man, but it was too late. The big-bearded man had already finished injecting the potion. He clutched his arm, a savage smile on his face.

The big-bearded man was named Zhu Qing, and the young man who tried to stop him, whom he knew from the base, was named Ji Wenhao.

Looking at the suddenly appearing Ji Wenhao, Zhu Qing endured the immense impact of the potion, feeling the Superpower Potion transform his body.

About ten minutes later, a smile appeared on Zhu Qing's face: "Wenhao, why are you out here? Did you get the supply pack?"

Ji Wenhao nodded slightly: "I got it, but after injecting this Superpower Potion, it's like setting a death countdown for yourself. Fourteen days to travel a thousand kilometers and wait for the second wave of airdrops at the designated location. It's not certain we'll even get the potion. A thousand kilometers in a straight line, and we don't have planes. It's a question whether we can even run that far."

"You didn't inject it?" Zhu Qing ignored Ji Wenhao's words and asked directly.

"I'm not injecting it."

"Listen to me, inject it immediately. It's hard to say if you'll even survive fourteen days. Moreover, those who have injected it will definitely come to snatch the Superpower Potion from your hands to save their own lives, extending their life by another fifteen days. If you don't inject it, you'll either be eaten by zombies or die at the hands of your own people."

Zhu Qing's words sent a chill down Ji Wenhao's spine. Zhu Ge was right; those who had already injected it would certainly come to seize it. From here to the East Sea City Base, there were countless difficulties and dangers along the way. Snatching others' supplies to survive was the best and most secure method.

He immediately took out the Superpower Potion, gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and plunged it into his arm.

"Satisfying!"

Watching Ji Wenhao inject the potion, Zhu Qing's face broke into a smile! As soon as the potion took effect on Ji Wenhao, firelight erupted not far away.

That was the sound of light weapons firing. At this point, the supplies had been fully delivered. Many smart people, upon receiving their tactical comprehensive supply packs, would immediately hide. But some people were originally civilians, and after putting on the clothes, they began to study the items on the spot with flashlights. Such fools naturally became targets for a scramble.

Soon, people gathered in small groups, mostly men. They used communicators to network and began forming their own teams, then collectively rushed to snatch supplies and Superpower Potions.

Just three hours later, these released individuals, having obtained weapons, started fighting among themselves.

Jiang Chen stood on top of a building, watching these humans kill each other, a look of disdain on his face.

"Human nature is like this, selfish and self-serving, yet they dare to call themselves the spirits of all things?" The exchange of fire lasted for more than ten minutes, and the previously crowded people quickly dispersed. The ground was littered with corpses, their clothes stripped off.

To survive, the strong began to form their own teams and snatch supplies. They knew that only with double the supplies could they last until the next wave of supply replenishment."

In the center of the Donghai City Command Post, Tian Ming sat in the main seat, looking at the real-time images transmitted by infrared remote sensing. The high resolution allowed him to see that this group of people, after receiving the supplies, had conflicts within half an hour, reducing their numbers by nearly one-tenth.

Bai Yan's face was grim, and he angrily asked: "Tianquan, how many tactical backpacks did you deliver?"

Tianquan replied: "800,000, covering eighty percent of the demand. This situation is within my expectations and is a natural selection."

"Currently, according to infrared high-resolution satellite reconnaissance, there are still 913,000 people left. Over 300,000 did not get any supplies, and some people have double the supplies," Tianquan reported.

"Increase the delivery volume!" Bai Yan said.

"I'm sorry, my plan was to release roughly this many people, so I didn't prepare more supplies. The second wave of supply replenishment has already been arranged for production. Currently, the base's raw materials and production capacity are primarily focused on ensuring ammunition supply and robot soldier production," Tianquan unhesitatingly rejected Bai Yan's order.

"Bastard, are their lives not lives? Are they just cold numbers in your eyes?" Bai Yan questioned.

Tianquan calmly replied: "Commander Bai Yan, please control your emotions. Your behavior further confirms the correctness of my decision to strip you of command."

"Why are we fighting the corpse race? It's for more people to survive, do you understand?"

"Commander Bai Yan, I understand your sense of responsibility as a Commander, but my mission is to ensure the greatest gain at the lowest cost. Sending rescue missions behind enemy lines would consume resources at a rate exceeding the base's production capacity. This is a trap Jiang Chen set for us," Tianquan calmly replied.

"You goddamn..." Bai Yan's face was ashen, too angry to speak.

Tian Ming smiled faintly and said: "Bai Yan, I'll give you an additional 200,000 comprehensive supply packs. You arrange the delivery. Leave the big picture to Tianquan; I'll handle the gaps."

Tian Ming's words made Bai Yan's expression much better. Deep down, Tian Ming actually quite liked this uncontrollable AI, calm and decisive. From a human perspective, it was extremely cold-blooded, but every step it took was correct.

Bai Yan nodded slightly and said: "General Lu, I'll have the Super Legion assist you with the material delivery."

Tian Ming nodded slightly and said to Tianquan: "I have an idea, just an idea."

Tianquan bowed slightly and said: "General Lu, please speak."

AI Tianquan, the only person he didn't dare to confront directly now was Tian Ming. He also feared that Tian Ming might dismantle him in a fit of rage. His machine defenses and consciousness interference could deal with Superpower Users, but not Tian Ming.

Tian Ming began: "Most of the population released by Jiang Chen will likely be lost on their way south, won't they?"

"Based on the latest calculations, the attrition rate will not be lower than eighty percent," Tianquan said.

Tian Ming nodded and continued: "I'll provide them with material aid and let them form a legion behind enemy lines. Don't come back. A force of seven or eight hundred thousand people should be enough to give Jiang Chen a headache."

Tian Ming's proposal made everyone in the command room gasp.

Lin Yao, who had been silent, couldn't help but speak: "Tian Ming, this matter needs careful consideration. I believe you can deliver the combat equipment, but they are not combat personnel to begin with. Even if they inject the Superpower Potion, they cannot form a systematic fighting force."

Tian Ming's proposal was highly feasible, but the probability of these released people surviving might be extremely low. If they were behind the zombie-formed defense line and tried their best to escape to Donghai City, there might still be a glimmer of hope, but to stay and fight, that's another matter entirely.