"For people?" Jiang Ye was startled. "What do you mean?"
"Wherever we go, there will be a large-scale evacuation. That means rescuing the civilians from the uncontrolled societies to prevent them from dying there. The evacuation point will naturally be a rear colony planet," Li Nannan said. "You'll take your troops there. Whoever you rescue, you'll send them all to Jiang Ye Star."
"So, we're snatching population?" Jiang Ye understood. "How many people can I take?"
"Including yourself, a total of one hundred," Li Nannan replied.
"Do I go in person, or..."
"Nonsense!" Li Nannan glared. "Of course, you'll use the remote control pods! Once the official order is issued, a new destination will appear on your planet's remote control pods upon landing, which will be the designated epidemic zone you're assigned to. You can select it directly. Don't worry, I'll take you there for a day and teach you step-by-step how to do it. After that, it's up to you."
"Alright!" Jiang Ye nodded. This was a good opportunity.
"There are a few precautions I..."
Li Nannan was interrupted mid-sentence. A deep male roar came from the poolside, "All personnel! Assemble at the conference hall in five minutes!"
A chaotic scene unfolded. Everyone in the pool scrambled out, like a group of frogs leaping from a pond, splashing water everywhere. The image on Jiang Ye's phone shook for a moment and then went black. The call ended notification popped up.
More than twenty minutes later, a message from Li Nannan arrived.
"They've issued the notice. We're in a meeting, and they've already decided to send you to the epidemic zone for support. Prepare yourself in advance."
Jiang Ye replied, "Understood!"
"Understood my foot! I wasn't finished. The situation is quite urgent. After this meeting, we'll immediately grant you access to the epidemic zone. The sooner you take your people there, the better. Ideally, as soon as our meeting concludes, you should lead your team over."
"No problem," Jiang Ye replied.
He switched from Li Nannan's private chat window to the chat interface with Che Zhen. "New mission: go to the epidemic zone to rescue people. Pick those who are quick and reliable. Including you, I need ninety-nine people. Gather at the military port. Prioritize junior officers with experience in remote control pods."
Che Zhen replied instantly, "Yes!"
Another message from Li Nannan came through. "I have a few requirements to tell you. Inform the soldiers going with you in advance."
"First, if you encounter local people committing evil deeds, try to arrest them. You'll be issued handcuffs. If they resist arrest, use force to retaliate. If only one soldier is present, they cannot kill, but if two soldiers are present simultaneously, they can kill him. This is to prevent individual lunatics from indiscriminately killing innocents. In extraordinary times, this is the only way."
"Second, military discipline must be strict. Although you are not regular troops, but a temporarily assembled ragtag rescue team, the people in the epidemic zone are citizens of the Galactic Empire and are protected by law. You cannot steal, kill arbitrarily, or damage public facilities. Each helmet will be equipped with a camera, and the entire process will be reviewed afterward for any criminal or non-compliant behavior. Soldiers in the rescue team who commit crimes will be taken to the nodal star prison to serve their sentences, and severe cases may even be executed. For non-compliant behavior, punishment will be administered on this planet, with the authority resting with the commanding officer."
"Third, you cannot refuse to help those in need. You will be issued a large vehicle, with two levels. The lower level will carry healthy individuals, and the upper level will carry the sick. All living people you encounter must be saved. Do not ignore anyone just because they look unwell, are ugly, disabled, infants, or elderly. Everyone must be saved. Even if there are critically injured individuals who are only minutes from death, they must be loaded onto the vehicle. Only after they die on the vehicle and it's confirmed they cannot be saved should they be removed."
"Fourth, when encountering other troops, you must identify their identities to confirm they are genuine forces. If they are fake troops, annihilate them on the spot! Don't be afraid of killing the wrong people. The troops going this time are all remote-controlled decoys, without real bodies. They can be revived if they die."
"Fifth, respect the simple wishes of the locals. This is somewhat vague, so use your empathy. It means that when you rescue people, be humane and not too rough. For example, if a seven or eight-year-old orphan wants to take their parents' photos, let them. If an old lady wants to take her pet dog, let her hold it. However, if someone says they want to go back to retrieve gold, silver, or jewels, ignore them."
"Sixth, if you encounter danger, you must shield the civilians. The locals are real people, and you are decoys. Do not be afraid of death. The military will reimburse you for your 'bodies' later."
Li Nannan's messages came one after another, over twenty precautions in total, enough to write an essay.
Just then, Che Zhen had finished selecting the personnel and created a group called "Jiang Ye Star Epidemic Zone Rescue Force," adding Jiang Ye and transferring the group owner role to him. The group had exactly one hundred members.
Jiang Ye @ all members and forwarded all the precautions from Li Nannan to the group.
"Everyone, hand-copy these, sign your names at the end, take a photo and post it in the group, and submit the hard copy to the unit archives for safekeeping. If you violate these rules in the epidemic zone, you will be held legally responsible. The copy you transcribe will be your guarantee. You must hand-copy it personally," Jiang Ye typed. "Start copying now. We could be deployed at any moment."
A string of "Yes" followed as the subordinates began copying.
Jiang Ye, of course, didn't copy. As the commanding officer, he didn't need to do such work. He comfortably waited for Li Nannan to issue the deployment notice.
Being an officer is indeed good!
Li Nannan: "Oh, right. Hand-copy these precautions I sent and send me a photo."
Jiang Ye's face darkened. "I had my subordinates copy them. Do I have to copy them too?"
"Of course," Li Nannan replied.
There was no choice. Higher rank trumps all. He had to copy!
Jiang Ye rummaged through his drawer for the paper and pen he hadn't used in ages and began copying with a grunt. It felt like a long-lost homework assignment from school. In school, he had loved copying homework because it didn't require much thought. He could put on headphones, listen to music, and copy leisurely.
Unfortunately, this planet didn't have music apps yet. It was truly primitive and needed to develop quickly.
One paragraph!
Three paragraphs!
Five paragraphs!
He had only written halfway when his phone vibrated wildly. Many subordinates had finished and posted their photos in the group.
Jiang Ye glanced at his subordinates' work and had a sudden idea: what if he photoshopped his name onto someone else's picture and submitted it?
Never mind. He was already halfway done. This was a rather serious matter, so it was better to hand-copy it himself.
Soon, two large sheets of paper were filled.
He signed his name: "Jiang Ye"
He took a photo and sent it to Li Nannan.
"The meeting is over. You'll lead your team into the remote control pods in half an hour. I'll be waiting for you at the destination," Li Nannan said.