Chapter 251 Powerless
Just last night at midnight, the info team at West Mountain Base got a distress signal from Zane, one of their Special Forces guys. The folks on duty immediately kicked into emergency mode.
This was a first—no Special Forces member had ever sent a distress signal back to base during a mission before.
The shelter's setup was still pretty new, only about two months old, and the departments were still figuring out their roles and how to communicate.
So, when this happened, everyone was kinda clueless about what to do.
The staff who got the distress signal reported it to the minister, asking for his instructions.
Information Minister Harold Hayes frowned deeply when he saw it.
"Distress signal?" Harold muttered.
The info department couldn't command troops, so he had to report it to the leader, Peter, and let him decide.
But the problem was, it was late at night, and Peter had a strict schedule; he was already asleep.
Waking him up now would be a bad move, and if Peter got pissed, Harold could even lose his job.
In West Mountain Base, Peter's word was law; he had absolute power.
Seeing Harold's hesitation, a staff member said, "If we don't report it and something goes wrong, won't we end up taking the blame?"
Harold frowned even more. He'd been in the game for decades and knew how to avoid trouble.
This was a real dilemma.
After thinking for a bit, Harold had an idea.
He couldn't handle this directly, but he could inform the captain of the Special Forces, Charles Reed.
After all, those two operatives were Special Forces members, and Charles would definitely be more anxious if there was an emergency.
So Harold rushed to the Special Forces and had the soldiers on duty wake up Charles.
Soon, a group of fierce-looking Special Forces members stood in front of Harold.
The Tiger Special Forces, the elite warriors of West Mountain Base, were mostly made up of special forces soldiers and psychics.
Most of the psychics here were modified ones.
Leading them was a short officer, about 5.5 feet tall. He wasn't particularly bulky, but the dark muscles under his green short-sleeved shirt hinted at serious strength.
The taller Special Forces members behind him bowed their heads in his presence, looking particularly respectful.
But when they saw Harold, a murderous aura emanated from their eyes.
"What happened to Zane and Brittany?" Charles asked, arms crossed.
Harold quickly explained the situation. "We got their distress signal five minutes ago. We've already pinpointed the location. But you need Mr. Martin's permission before taking action."
Charles saw through Harold's scheme right away.
But for the sake of his team, he decided to go to Peter and request permission for a rescue mission.
After the apocalypse, many of their comrades had died in blizzards and modification experiments.
The number of survivors was dwindling.
Both Zane and Brittany were important comrades in the Tiger Special Forces.
As the captain, Charles had to do everything he could to protect every member of the Special Forces!
He grabbed a few of his guys and headed straight to the First Life Warehouse, where Peter lived.
This place was the most heavily guarded spot in the whole West Mountain Base.
Without Peter's say-so, no one could get in.
Honestly, the security here was even tighter than at Steven's shelter!
When Charles got there, Peter's secretary, Lisa, stopped him.
"Captain Reed, please don't disturb Mr. Martin's rest this late. If you have any issues, report them tomorrow!"
Charles didn't waste a second. "Two of our Special Forces members, Brittany and Zane, are in danger on a recon mission. They sent a distress signal to the base. I need to tell Mr. Martin right now!"
Lisa gave a faint smile. "Captain Reed, I get your concern. But you have to understand, the Special Forces are impressive, but his work is on a scale you can't even imagine."
"Mr. Martin works tirelessly every day for the survival of the base. He just went to bed, and waking him now would be irresponsible to the entire base!"
The Special Forces members behind Charles were instantly pissed.
One of them snapped, "Brittany and Zane might be in mortal danger right now; otherwise, they wouldn't send a distress signal. They could die if we delay!"
Lisa stayed calm and composed. "You must trust your teammates! Brittany and Zane are excellent Special Forces members with good combat skills. They can take care of themselves."
Seeing the smile on Lisa's face, the Special Forces members were so angry that veins bulged on their faces, and they wanted to punch her.
Charles stayed stern and said to Lisa, "Ms. Grant, take this seriously! Please notify him."
Lisa smiled warmly but spoke with undeniable authority. "Captain Reed, do you think the safety of two Special Forces members is more important than Mr. Martin getting a good rest?"
She continued, "If Mr. Martin doesn't get proper rest, the entire West Mountain Base is in jeopardy. So I hope you can understand the gravity of the situation."
The Special Forces members were enraged. "Are you saying the lives of Special Forces members don't matter?"
Lisa smiled gently. "That's not what I mean. But in West Mountain Base, Mr. Martin is above all!"
Charles extended his arm to stop his increasingly angry team members.
He frowned and asked, "Can we make an exception? Every Special Forces member is a valuable asset to West Mountain Base."
Lisa bowed and said, "I'm truly sorry, but there's nothing I can do."
After a moment of silence, Charles turned around.
"Let's go back!" He barked the order through gritted teeth.
The Special Forces members were anxious. "Captain Reed!"
They didn't want to ignore their comrades' distress call!
Their comrades might be facing a life-and-death crisis right now!
"Follow orders! Without higher authorization, we cannot act on our own!" Charles said sternly.
The Special Forces members around him were in agony but had to obey Charles' orders.
They were soldiers, and obeying orders was their duty.
No matter how unwilling, the discipline ingrained in their souls did not allow them to act out of line.
Seeing them leave, Lisa retracted her smile and stood in front of Peter's door with a standard posture.
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