Huang Tingwei did not dare to imagine that he would one day be able to command an aerial corvette. The 188-meter-long, 68-meter-wide, and 23-meter-tall corvette was like a huge flat-bottom iron, flying towards Yinmeng at a speed of 150 kilometers per hour. Originally, the captured aerial transport ship had already broken the common sense of mankind. No one would have thought that a spaceship could fly into the sky. When this aerial corvette, which was even more elegant than the transport ship, appeared, no one could refuse to pilot and command this warship. Gao Feng, Huang Quan, Huang Tingwei, and even the various commanders of the Army all wanted to become the captain of this warship.
Huang Tingwei had paid a heavy price for competing for the position of captain. He had offended all the people he could afford to offend. He even dared to scold his immediate superior, Huang Quan. He said that Huang Quan did not do his job properly and did not prioritize the overall situation. He said that he had let down Zhang Xiaoqiang's trust in him and had let down the respect of nearly 100,000 troops in the Hubei Military Region. He scolded Huang Quan until he vomited blood. As for the few infantry division commanders and deputy division commanders, he took out Zhang Xiaoqiang's previous appointments and carefully taught them a lesson, letting them know the difference between infantry and air force. In the end, he sincerely told them that if they wanted to be the captain of an aerial corvette, they had to first be pilots.
However, his words to the Army were useless against Gao Feng. Commanding a high-tech corvette that only appeared in sci-fi movies was the dream of every man when he was young, especially Gao Feng, who was motivated to become a Navy after watching "The Legend of the Galaxy Heroes". Gao Feng was willing to give up his position as the Commander of the Yangtze River Fleet to join the corvette. Because of this, the two of them quarreled more than 20 times a day, almost every half an hour. Gao Feng determined that the corvette was an extension of the Navy. Otherwise, why would it be called an aerial corvette and not an aerial corvette?
Gao Feng's nonsense almost drove Huang Tingwei crazy. He brought the case to Huang Quan. However, he did not know that Huang Quan had failed in his attempt to attack the corvette. How could Gao Feng, who owned a destroyer, still want to extend his claws?
With just a few words, Huang Tingwei suppressed him in the name of Zhang Xiaoqiang. In the end, it was still Huang Tingwei who had the upper hand.
At this time, Zhuo Mingyue also requested to board the ship. It was because Zhang Xiaoqiang was trapped in Japan, and it was unknown whether he was dead or alive. Following Zhuo Mingyue was a full 200 elite Evolvers. These Evolvers were formed from the remnants of the Special Combat Force. After Lou Fanjun's death, the Special Combat Force was taken back by the Ministry of Defense, and became a direct subordinate Special Combat Force. There were three companies, each with 2,000 people. Among them, the first company had five companies that had been on the battlefield for a long time, and the first company's captain was the strongest Evolver other than Zhang Xiaoqiang and Zhuo Mingyue. The first company was stationed on the corvette, and its leader was Xi 'er, who had been evacuated from Shanghai. Xi' er, the Ning brothers, and Chen Yu were all elites of the first company.
The corvette, which was named Yuanchuan, had the most elite Evolvers and the most powerful weapons. The first corvette prototype had crashed in China, and a lot of information had fallen into Zhang Xiaoqiang's hands. However, the information from the previous tests had been modified into the new generation of warships, improving their anti-air combat capabilities. They did not blindly rely on high-tech weapons, and many supplementary weapons had been added. Two cannons similar to the navy's 730 close-range defense system were installed at the stern and bow, and there were also various phased radar arrays. There were also innovations in sensor and target guidance, so the corvette would no longer be damaged by missiles like what had happened in Sichuan.
Apart from this, the corvette had been modified by Hubei's technicians as soon as they got their hands on it. Nothing had been changed, and the only thing that had been changed was the power supply and transmission system. Yin Meng already had a mature ability to develop the Sun Bamboo, and they were unique in terms of power supply and energy conversion. Even though they were pressed for time, and it was impossible to completely modify the corvette, with the assistance of over a thousand shipbuilders, they used twenty-four hours to complete a safer electrical modification system. More than twenty tons of electrical machinery were removed, and more than ten engine rooms were cleared out. While the corvette's weight was reduced, it could also carry more combat resources.
If it wasn't for the limited time, this corvette would have been modified even further. Forget about installing more weapons, at the very least, Pearl Tears would have been stuck on the outer shell that looked like ancient tree bark as a defensive reinforcement. This time, while Huang Tingwei was proud of himself, he was also slightly worried. Zhang Xiaoqiang had already been informed of his whereabouts, and they would be sent to Japan. However, the four islands of Japan were just too large, and two airships might not necessarily be enough to complete the mission. They had to first go to Yin Meng to pick up the twenty-four drones as a supplementary investigative method.
In addition to the twenty-four drones, there was also the first shuttle squadron of Yin Meng. These five shuttles were all modified from the remaining escape pods of the transport ship. Each shuttle was three meters long and 1.4 meters tall. After the modification, it could only accommodate one pilot. Although it carried two air-to-ground missiles, two close-combat missiles, and a laser launcher, its overall combat effectiveness was not as good as the drones, let alone the Funeral Helicopter. At most, it could only be used as a reconnaissance aircraft and communication ship. Similarly, these shuttles were also stuck with the outer shell of Pearl Tears.
Zhang Xiaoqiang did not know how strong the troops that came to rescue him were. At that moment, he could feel the despair and depression hidden in the underground hangar. Thousands of people were trapped in a small space, which made most of them irritable. Fights were happening all the time, not only between evolutionaries, but also between the survivors. When the men became aggressive, the women began to be in danger. Even though Zhang Xiaoqiang had gathered all the women, he could not stop the peeping eyes of the men on the periphery. Many people had touched the invisible warning line several times, constantly testing it. Occasionally, there would be people gathered in a corner and whispered something. From time to time, they would look around, afraid of strangers approaching.
The ponytail girl also noticed that the situation was not right, and did not dare to leave Zhang Xiao Qiang's side. The two of them had become Zhang Xiao Qiang's tails, and no matter where they went, they would hang behind Zhang Xiao Qiang's butt. On the other hand, Wan Qiang did not show himself at all, as though he had disappeared into the underground hangar. Zhang Xiao Qiang was very dissatisfied with Wan Qiang's neglect, and had gone to look for him several times, but Wan Qiang used the excuse that he had arranged for Brother Cockroach to be in charge to avoid him.
Zhang Xiaoqiang knew that Wan Qiang was watching a joke. Everyone here could die, except Wan Qiang, so he was not worried at all. In the middle of the team, the Russians had the upper hand, so Wan Qiang was not afraid of Zhang Xiaoqiang. But now, the Americans and the British added together were no less than the Russians, which made Wan Qiang feel threatened. The British and the Americans and Zhang Xiaoqiang were not in the same pot. If it was the Chinese and the Japanese, Zhang Xiaoqiang could use his strength to suppress them, but the Westerners did not fall for this trick, let alone the Easterners who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Feeling that the atmosphere was getting more and more out of place, Zhang Xiao Qiang went to look for Lieutenant Colonel Byron. Compared to the rest, the British had performed the best. Furthermore, Lieutenant Colonel Byron had a lot of prestige, and he had managed to unite the British people, forming a strong group. Lieutenant Colonel Byron was currently reciting a poem to some of the children. Zhang Xiao Qiang could not understand the English poem, but it had a beautiful melody. The Japanese children were all repeating it loudly, bringing some liveliness to the stifling atmosphere. At this time, Byron no longer had that cold and gloomy aura, instead, he seemed gentle and kind. All the little ones were being protected by the British, and the biggest protector was this violent Lieutenant Colonel Byron.
Seeing Lieutenant Colonel Byron, Zhang Xiaoqiang could not help but feel annoyed. He would rather let these children learn Chinese. On the other hand, Jiang Feng and Jiang Bo, who were following him, looked at Byron with longing in their eyes. The current situation reminded them of the time when they were in the homeless kindergarten.
"I need you to form a security team. If this continues, I am afraid that there will be a riot. At that time, I will have no other choice but to kill …" Zhang Xiaoqiang stared at Byron's serious eyes and said bluntly. He believed that Byron had also realized this, and that was why he had gathered all the children. Li Yuehan, who was acting as their translator, heard the word "kill", and his eyelids twitched. He did not know who would be the next Chris Brown.
"I feel that killing people won't solve any problems. High pressure will only cause anger to accumulate. Even if they temporarily obey you, they will still feel resentment. If they rebel at a crucial moment, it will be a disaster. The angry Evolvers will destroy everyone along with themselves …" Byron wasn't too interested in forming a security team. There were Evolvers, armed personnel, and weapons scattered in their hands. No one was willing to think about the outcome if a confrontation broke out.
"Lieutenant Colonel Byron, this is an order. Unless you can come up with a better solution, you'll have to do as I say. I know you're willing to protect the child, but I hope you can protect everyone, be it men or women …"
Zhang Xiaoqiang was not polite. Not far from him, Zuo Tian was guarding more than seven hundred women with more than ten armed men. These women were the hope of the Japanese. If they were lost here, the Japanese would no longer exist. Although this had nothing to do with Zhang Xiaoqiang, these people were willing to follow him, so he had to take responsibility.
Zhang Xiao Qiang's words caused Byron to hesitate, and he looked at the women not far away. Gemma, who was beside him, seemed to be anxious, and wanted to persuade Byron to agree, but was held back by someone behind. The Americans disliked Zhang Xiao Qiang, and so did the British. Establishing a security force would make them the target of everyone, and if things went awry, the British would be the first to be destroyed.
"Zhang Xiaoqiang, maybe we don't need the British. The Americans can also do it. Not everyone is against you. I will go and talk to them, and we should be able to form a team of about twenty people …" Li Yuehan hesitated and said the suggestion in his heart. Zhang Xiaoqiang did not nod. His eyes were fixed on Lieutenant Colonel Byron. Rather than trusting the Americans, he would rather trust the British. In this game of balance, the British were the weakest side. They had to get close to Zhang Xiaoqiang to survive. However, the Americans were different. They looked down on Zhang Xiaoqiang, even if Zhang Xiaoqiang killed people to establish his power.
"There is no need to form a security team. They are so irritable because they have been suppressed for too long and have nothing to do. Find them some work and let the majority of them move. They won't think about hopeless things all day long. This way, their attention will be diverted to other areas. Plan one or two small plans. For example, organize people to investigate on the ground, or seize a few communication stations and pretend to call for help. As long as they have hope, everything will be fine."
Byron did not agree to form a security team. Instead, he gave Zhang Xiaoqiang a new suggestion. Zhang Xiaoqiang thought about it and felt that it was reasonable. Weren't those fellows in the hangar bored to death?
Just like Byron said, desperate people could do anything. But with hope, they would have the motivation to live.
"Then, please stand up and help me plan. I need you to be in charge of specific matters …" Zhang Xiaoqiang's answer was within Byron's expectations. He nodded in agreement, and Li Yuehan also agreed. "The investigation team can be selected from the Silver Armor Corps. If they are united against outsiders, they will not oppose your command. Of course, only a portion of them will agree. The majority are very stubborn …"