Natural Disaster: I Started By Hoarding Tens Of Billions Of Supplies

Chapter 219: Meeting Xu Qipeng

 Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Long Yu looked at the soldier and replied, "We'd like to see Captain Wu Lian."

The soldiers exchanged glances before one of them said, "I'm afraid you won't be able to see him today."

Before Long Yu could ask why, the other soldier explained, "Captain Wu was dispatched to Haicheng City earlier today, and his return date is unknown."

Long Yu and Yao Ran looked at each other upon hearing this. It seemed that with Long Yu's retirement from the military, Wu Lian had taken his place on this mission. They knew that since Wu Lian had been sent out, he wouldn't be back anytime soon.

As the two fell silent, one of the soldiers asked, "Do you need something from Captain Wu?" Hearing this, Yao Ran thought for a moment and asked, "Could we see Commander Xu?"

Both soldiers were surprised at her request. Not everyone could meet with Xu Qipeng, and few people even knew about him.

Believing that they might have some connection to Wu Lian, one soldier replied, "Please wait here. I will inform Commander Xu. May I have your names?"

"Long Yu and Yao Ran." Long Yu said.

As soon as he said that, the soldiers were shocked. After a few seconds of silence, they regained their composure and quickly saluted him.

"Captain Long, please forgive us for not recognizing you."

Long Yu returned their salute, saying calmly, "I'm retired now, so please don't call me Captain anymore."

Having learned their identities, one of the soldiers said, "Please follow me. Commander Xu has instructed us to bring you to him directly whenever you visit."

When she heard this, Yao Ran glanced at her boyfriend for a second before following the soldier.

Walking beside her, Long Yu explained in a low voice, "Commander Xu was my direct superior when I was still active in the military. He sent me a letter asking me to return to service, but I declined."

Hearing this, Yao Ran nodded and said nothing. Although she is his girlfriend right now, she felt it wasn't her place to decide what he should or shouldn't do. As long as he was safe and unharmed, she would support him from behind.

Noticing her silence, Long Yu looked at her intently before taking her hand and asking, "Are you upset?"

Yao Ran was puzzled and asked, "Why would I be upset with you?"

Long Yu fell silent, and then Yao Ran realized something. She chuckled and said, "I have no reason to be upset with you. I'm just glad you told me, and I will support you no matter what you decide."

Seeing that he was still not saying anything, she patted the back of his hand and added, "Don't overthink it. Whatever your decision is, I will be by your side."

Listening to her words, Long Yu smiled and slightly tightened his fingers around her hand. They walked for over half an hour before the soldier led them to a large tent.

Looking at the tents spread across the field, Long Yu asked, "Is there not enough living space in the buildings that you guys need to sleep in tents?"

The soldier shook his head and replied, "There's plenty of living space, but we are concerned about the buildings collapsing. Some older buildings actually collapsed yesterday, so Commander Xu ordered everyone to evacuate and set up tents instead."

Hearing this, Long Yu's eyes flickered with worry.

He remembered that most buildings in Juncheng City would collapse when an earthquake struck. Before that happened, he needed to find a safe place for himself, Yao Ran, and the others.

Soon, the soldier stopped in front of the tent and said, "Please wait here. I will report to Commander Xu first."

"Alright. Thank you for your help." Long Yu replied.

The soldier nodded and entered the tent. A few moments later, he returned and said, "Captain Long, please go inside."

Long Yu and Yao Ran thanked him before stepping inside. The moment they entered, they noticed a difference in temperature. Although the tent had windows on each side, it was still a few degrees warmer inside compared to outside.

Long Yu approached the middle-aged man seated behind a large table and saluted him. "Commander Xu."

Hearing this, Xu Qipeng looked up from the report and asked, "So, are you finally ready to come back?"

Long Yu shook his head and replied, "I didn't come to rejoin the army, Commander. I came for other reasons."

Hearing his answer, Xu Qipeng threw his pen onto the table, stood up angrily, and pointed at Long Yu's nose.

"You-!" He was so angry that he couldn't speak.

Xu Qipeng closed his eyes, took a deep breath to calm down, and then asked tiredly, "Can't you see this is the time to come back and protect the people?"

Long Yu looked at him calmly and answered, "Commander, I have someone more important to protect. If I return to the army, I'd lose her. I can't and won't do that."

Hearing this, Xu Qipeng glared at him before ruffling his hair in frustration. After a moment of silence, he noticed someone standing behind Long Yu.

He glanced at Yao Ran, then looked at Long Yu and asked, "Is it her?"

Long Yu nodded, "Yes."

Seeing the determination in Long Yu's eyes, Xu Qipeng sighed. He waved his hand in annoyance and said, "Fine. Do whatever you want."

After saying that, he looked at Long Yu and asked, "So, what brings you here?"

Seeing that he had calmed down and was ready to talk about business, Yao Ran took a bottle of homemade disinfectant and a pack of medicine from her backpack and placed them on the

table.

She smiled and said, "Commander Xu, we initially came to see Captain Wu. But since he is on a mission and his return date is unknown, we decided to visit you instead."

Xu Qipeng looked at the medicine and disinfectant on the table. Recognizing the scent of medicine and alcohol, he looked at Yao Ran and asked, "Your name is Yao Ran?"