After a long journey on the road, Unit Alpha had finally reached the base in Z District. It was already nightfall when they reached the close gates of the base. The awakened soldiers who were on guard duty blocked the path of the six hummers approaching the base. They pointed the gun at the motorcade.
The car stopped as the guns of the guards were raised to their directions.
"Stop and get out of your cars!"
"Don't dare make any sudden movements. We will shoot!"
The guards shouted. Some even shotguns as warning.
BANG. Bang.
But before the third shot was heard, all guns were covered in ice, including the guard's hand. The guards started panicking until they saw someone go down from the hummer at the center.
They couldn't see his features clearly in the dark but they could still feel the menacing and overbearing pressure the man possessed. The guards of the base were all about to call for Reinforcement when the face of the man was revealed.
"General Cao?"
It was indeed the great general with a pissed off expression on his face. Once the general spotted the leader looking person among the guards he grabbed its collar and glared at that person.
"Are you doing your job right? It's almost midnight and you dare shoot some guns! You do want to wake my child up huh!!" complained Cao Junye.
It's long past Ximen Chino's sleeping time. But the child isn't willing to return to the dimensional space with his Uncle Yue and wanted to sleep in the car with his parents.
Cao Junye couldn't enter the space as he still needs to lead the unit. Ximen Xueya wasn't willing to sleep without Junye by his side. The child was already asleep when suddenly gunshots were heard in the middle of the night, almost jolting awake baby Chino in his sleep.
Ximen Xueya's mood turned bad hearing those gunshots and froze the guns, if not because Cao Junye coaxed him to calm down that he would also turn the soldiers guarding the base into an ice sculpture.
It is also because of this that Cao Junye got out of the car.
Recognizing General Cao, the soldiers wanted to salute him but when they did so. Only then did they remember that their hands were frozen, including the gun. They could only look helplessly at the general in front of them.
"Generally this... This ice is..."
Cao Junye replied nonchalantly, "My wife did it. Go in and ask some fire ability users to melt it for you. My wife is in the bad mood since you've almost wake up our child and bother his nap."
The soldiers who heard the general's explanation couldn't help but sneak a peek at the far center car in the motorcade. They were so sure they could feel some icy gaze coming from the car.
When they saw the ice on their hands slightly spreading more, they knew that someone was indeed glaring at them from inside the car.
They immediately removed their gaze and asked a patrolling soldier to inform the leader and Old General Sun about General Cao's arrival.
"Someone. Inform that General Cao is back!"
"Y-Yes Sir!"
The soldier who was passing by during his patrol had run off into report after saluting at the youngest yet greatest general in their country, Cao Junye.
After talking a few more minutes with the captain, he whispered something to the soldier's ear which made the latter panic even more.
His face turned completely white as if frightened horribly. The soldier with fire ability just finished melting his comrades hands as they watched the general return to the car at the center.
"Let them in. Open the gates now! I will bear all responsibility. Just fucking open the gate!"
"C-Captain what's wrong with you?"
"Sir, the protocol?"
The captain replied, "Protocol your ass! Let them in right now. I'm telling you now. The one inside that car isn't only General Cao!"
"Not only General Cao?"
Then as if coming in realization the soldiers had thought of something that made them fear for their lives. With a collective pale face they've all hurriedly open a path for them and open the gates even without the permission from above. Even when the car had passed by them they'd all lowered their heads fearing to meet someone's eyes from within those cars.
The captain of the guards were among the rest with his head down like the others. The soldiers next to them had whispered as all cars had gone inside.
"Captain, you... Is what we think... Do you think it's true?"
"The Old General had informed us that General Cao's abilities are Darkness and thunder. But it was Ice that almost turned us to real life statues. Put your hand above your heart and ask. Whose temperament could be equated to frost?"
The soldiers' expressions turned ugly and frightened.
"...QAQ..."
"If you know the answer then just shut your mouth. We have no authority to get involved."
"Yes sir."
"Close the gates to prepare for zombie attacks at night."
The soldiers on guard duty resume their jobs but just from their eyes which keep on wandering towards the directions where the people who had just arrived had gone to, they knew that tonight there would be lots of people who wouldn't be able to fall asleep.
Meanwhile, the unit alpha were escorted to the grand looking huge mansion and let them stay there. The soldiers who were waiting on standby stood at the side waiting for the general's further instructions.
In the five cars that surrounds the hummer at the center, only the Old Instructor Wu had higher position that those captain class soldiers who escorted them here. These two soldiers' eyes were focusing on the car where the general was.
The first one to come down the car is someone they haven't met before. A youth with timid yet stupid smile on his face went down first followed by a muscular tall man with wild aura.
Next is Unit Alpha's Lieutenant Wang Lei then he helped his lover, Lou Lan step out of the car. Then they saw Uncle Wu approach the car and a hand holding a sleeping child carefully passed the baby to the old butler.
Then their eyes almost fell out their sockets when they saw the general finally climb down the car. There's a familiar looking man sleeping in his arms.
But unlike what they remember, this man's hair is white with light blue highlights. Just based on this appearance they know that the person in the general's arms was someone with high level ice and attributed abilities.
The two captain soldiers had stiffened when they recognized who the gorgeous man and adorable child were. If one could see them at closer look you would be able to see them slightly trembling. Cao Junye saw them but didn't speak a word instead gestured at Wang Lei before entering the mansion with the old butler and the rest following him inside.
Wang Lei appeared before the two captains and said, "The General won't be entertaining any guests tonight. I suggest you come back tomorrow morning. Since his wife and son are already asleep you cannot ask him to see you tonight.
If you guys are worried about any of us mutating to a zombie you could leave some guards outside the mansion just in case. Quiet ones if you prefer. We've been on a nonstop journey for a few days or so."
The two captains showed a disbelieving look while hearing words like wife and son. The great general is a famous bachelor. How could he have a child and wife at the end of the world? They've asked about this in confusion.
"Sir Lieutenant, pardon. But who are you calling the wife and son of the general?"
Wang Lei looked at them with a questioning gaze but they could read the meaning of his eyes saying 'Are you blind? Can you see properly?'.
Wang Lei answered, "His wife is of course, his lover, Master Ximen while his son is called Ximen Chino. They were biologically related."
After saying those words Wang Lei just walk into the mansion leaving the two dumbfounded soldiers in front of the house. The guards who were tasked to guard the mansion gave them pitying looks as if they could understand what these two captain rank soldiers were feeling. Master Ximen is a special existence after all. He has a very extraordinary standing in the country.
"The General's lover is Master Ximen!?"
"Moreover he is the biological father of Young Master Ximen! Doesn't that mean..."
"Let's go. Report to the old general about their arrival."
---
Meanwhile at the Leader's office.
Shi Moye, Yun Suisen and the old general Sun were all at the room planning about the punishments of those men who had stolen the resources of the base.
They were also thinking about lessening the power of those elite clans. As they were getting wilder and greedier as time passed.
It was at this moment when a soldier came running to the office to report. The soldier had run over to the place even almost forgetting about his manners in his panic.
"Leader! Old General! I have something to report!"
Seeing the almost out of breath soldier in front of them made them worried.
"For now, calm down and have a seat." said Shi Moye.
Yun Suisen had passed a glass of water to the soldier. He drank the water with large gulps as he was indeed too thirsty at the same time too nervous.
Old General Sun asked, "What is it that you're going to report?"
"Ah... Yes! Reporting to the Old General, Unit Alpha and General Cao had returned!"
"What!? Is this real!? Tell him to come over to see me right away!?" said the Old General.
The soldier was about to leave when the two captains who escorted Unit Alpha to the mansion had also come over. After entering the room to speak with the old general, they saluted him before speaking. They've also overheard the Old General wanting to summon General Cao.
"General, it would be impossible to call General Cao to meet you tonight. He wouldn't be able to leave the mansion"
A frown appeared on the old general's face, "What nonsense, are you talking about?"
"Old General, Lord Ximen and his son are together with him!"
"They've said that he couldn't leave the side of his wife without permission!"
"You can only meet them tomorrow morning."
Hearing the name of Ximen being mentioned, everyone inside the room had suddenly turned silent. They didn't care to speak out. As they knew that man's strength is unbelievable even during this time.
Yun Suisen especially knew about his former Master's pass action. If there is someone in the apocalypse who had the most resources it could only be his master, Ximen Xueya.
Old General Sun had asked the soldiers who came to report to him. Afterwards the three who were left behind in the office were all looking relieved for a reason.
Shi Moye sighed, "Hah~ now that they've returned those elite clans and the government officials would be making their move."
"We should visit them tomorrow as well to report." said the Old General Sun.
But Yun Suisen had declined this plan, "No. Not tomorrow but three days later. The Master's mood would be very bad after the other people come over to bother him and the general. Let's not suffer with them.
3 days later. We would visit the mansion. There are still lots of things that need to be prepared before going to meet them."
On the other hand the news had spread about General Cao and his unit Alpha arrival. Whether it was people in the military, people from elite clans and the guys from the government had all received the news. Their spies were all over the base and it was easier for them to get the news about the youngest yet greatest General.
The news had spread like this.
[General Cao and his unit Alpha had arrived at the base. The general had brought back a lover and a child from the outside.]