Chapter 145 - 145 - Approval And Permissions

Zou Yue leaned back, holding his head. "When was the last you heard from that team?"

Uncle Wen sighed loudly, sipping his tea with trembling hands. "The last telegraph* transmission from them was a few days ago. It was a broken message." He massaged his forehead. "They.....they were surrounded, and the tank had flipped.... I haven't heard anything after,"

He nodded, gripping the armrest tightly. "It is more likely that they got caught in the hoards of zombies in the city,"

"It must be likely so..."

"So? What next, are you planning on sending another team?" Yue hopefully looked at him but much to his despair his uncle looked reluctant with this idea. "Uncle Qian is your son,"

"I can't afford to risk anymore human lives. If my son is alive, he might have to find his way home. Just like you did,"

"It's different. I had guns! He does not!"

Uncle Wen spat out his tea. "What! You had a gun? From where? Did you buy them illegally kid? Oh, my god how many times have I told you not to do that? It was too risky."

Yue frowned deeply. "That is not the concern here. Uncle Qian won't be able to come here by himself. The city is overrun. No amount of hiding or running will help. He needs to be rescued. So is Fan,"

Uncle Wen narrowed his eyes slightly. "Not sure who you are worried about, my son or that Fan Xui of yours,"

"He is very vital to this settlement, and so is your son. I made that pretty clear when I told you before." Yue stood p prancing around in the large room.

"What do you expect me to do?! No one is willing to go out now! Not after what happened to the previous team,"

Yue paused. "I'll go,"

"No,"

"I'll go, I'll go and bring them back," Yue ran behind the desk and held his wrinkly hand. "I can do it."

Uncle Wen sighed loudly, removing his hands out of his. "No you are not. You are going home and helping out that aging father of yours,"

"No, I am going, with or without your permission!"

Seeing his firm stance, uncle Wen gritted his teeth. "I'm calling your dad,"

Yue gasped. "You are acted like a school principal. Why do you have to call my dad! I am an adult. I can make decisions for myself,"

"You are barely an adult," uncle Wen grumbled, walking to the door to the study. He opened it wide and sent for a nearby soldier. "Fetch the car. We are making a home visit,"

"Uncle!"

"Silence. I'll talk to your dad," uncle Wen without a word walked out of his huge house to the spacious parking lot.

A few hundred cars were casually parked there. The soldier got into an army vehicle and opened the door for them.

"Get in,"

Yue growled loudly, hopping into the back seat. "Why won't anyone treat me like an adult? I am eighteen, going to be nineteen soon in a month, yet no one takes me seriously! It sucks. Even dad listens to Tian but not me?"

Uncle Wen chuckled loudly. "Eighteen, you are still a teenager. Who wants to send you out for war?"

Yue scooted forward in the gap between the two front seats. "I can enlist in army at my age." He tapped the military guy. "Hey how old were you when you joined?"

"Me?" the driver looked surprised at him. "I was twenty,"

"See,"

Yue gave a defeated sigh and laid on the spacious back seat. "I am mentally older,"

"That still doesn't count,"

"aghhh...."

The car drove swiftly to his home.

As soon as they reached the front entrance, he threw open the door and ran out, slamming it behind him.

"Don't slam the door, kid," uncle Wen got down slowly.

Yue did not bother. He knocked loudly. "Dad, mum, I am back!"

The door opened slowly from the inside and Hary popped his head out. "Oh, you are back so soon. Who is that?"

"My uncle," Yue rushed past him. "Dad, I can go right? You gave me permission, right?" he ran to his father's study shouting amongst the way.

"Wei, don't you dare give permission to a kid," Wen laughed loudly.

"Dad!" Yue ran into his father's open arms. "Daddy, you will let me go out, right? You said you will allow me ten days to go and come back.." he cutely batted his eyelids.

"I...."

Uncle Wen came close and patted his back. "Zou Wei, don't you dare give him permission,"

"Daddy~" Yue pouted softly. "I just want to save a friend. Plus, If I go out now, I can practice my sword skills before the zombies evolve. It is a good thing, right?"

"It does sound like a good thing...." his father mumbled, patted his head softly.

"Zou Wei, what the hell are you doing? Yue is a kid!"

Yue stomped like a two-year-old. "I am not a kid uncle."

Hearing this commotion, Tian ran out of his room wiping her sleepy face. "What's going on?" she came close and hugged Yue protectively. "Why is he whining?"

"Tian~ dad let us go out but uncle is telling no,"

Tina's sharp eyes fell on uncle Wen. "Why is that so?"

uncle Wen seemed hesitant as he looked tat her. "He is a kid..."

"Kid or not, he has to learn how to survive. How can one know how to swim if they are not allowed to jump into the ocean? Let him go. There is no stopping this one."

"Tian~" Yue hugged her tightly, kissing her cheeks.

"EW slobber," she wiped her cheeks. Her glance fell on the uncle who was still frowning. "Don't worry, I'm going with him. I will make sure to bring him back in one piece,"

Uncle's eyes suddenly went sharp. "You are going as well?"

"Yes,"

"I won't allow this!"

Tian frowned deeply.

"Wei! Are you allowing Tian?" He glared at him intently.

Zou Wei sighed. "Yes, they at both adults and they can go out if they want to. No questions asked,"

"Zou Wei! Not Tian! She just came home. You are not letting her go out."

Zou Wei let go of his children. He pulled Wen to a corner. "What are you doing?"

"What am I doing? What are you doing putting them in zombie's path?"

"Wen, calm the fuck down. The children can hear,"

Wen took a deep breath. "You can't let her go. Not now...."

"You might not know this, but Tian can fight really well. She can fend for herself out there."

"You are not listening. What kind of father are you letting your children out into danger!" Wen snapped out loud.

Zou Wei could not hold back his anger any longer. "You have no right to talk about my parenting! You..... You irresponsible pig. Tian is MY child, Yue is also mine. I can decide whatever I want with MY kids. If they want to go out and slice some zombies, that is exactly what they will do!"

Yue and Tian, who were in earshot, heard this cry.

'Why is dad so agitated....?' he stepped forward to intervene but Tian held him back.

"Let them talk it out. It's for the best,"

"Dad and uncle Wen had a very big fight before.. I think it's better we stop them now,"

As he was about to stop them, his mother stormed out of the room and stood in between the two. "Both of you Stop it! Enough of your nonsense!"

Zou Wei and Wen glared at each other deeply.

"Tian and Yue can decide on their own. Not you," she poked Wen, "or you can stop them git it," she glared at her husband.

Zou Wei stepped back with his hands up. "Tell that right to his face. He seemed delusional,"

Wen held his head with a trembling hand.

Yue's mum gently touched his forearm. "Sit down, I'll bring you some tea...."

Seeing the conflict being solved in seconds, Yue sighed loudly. "That's resolved. Tian, we should start to pack everything. Can you arrange the guns we will be taking?"

"hmm.. hand guns for you, right? The bullets are running low. We must duplicate them when your mum is free,"

"We don't have much time for that. As dad said, we only have numbered days to go and come back." Yue ran to his room and shuffled through his closet.

He simply wore a comfortable black t-shirt and a wide legged black pant. He re-tied the katana to his waist and added a holster to it as well.

"I'll get the food. You want cup ramen or the packet ones?" Tian pulled down the stairs.

"Cup...no, no, take the packet ones. We can eat it on the go,"

"You eat them raw?" she gave him a funny look.

"Yeah, it's tasty. I'll take a stove," he pulled the camping stove from under his bed.

"Don't bother, just take a pan. I have these remember," she waved her hands at him.

Yue chuckled. "Fire power. Really useful for cooking,"

Tian let out a soft chuckled and ran up the attic. 

He packed a few spare clothes for both him and Tian in his bag. His mum had actually brought a pair of same red t-shirt with the Eren Yeager on it on it.

It was his favourite t-shirt of all. He packed the two t-shirts with a wide smirk.

'Fan Xui.... we are coming. Just a while and we will come get you,'

He thought, biting his lips anxiously. 

'I hope he is safe....'

******

Note

Telegraph- a device that uses Morse code to communicate.. you don't need satellite because the message travels as a radio wave.