Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 128 Spark Daily
The battlefield wasn't far from Licheng. Due to transportation constraints, they needed to travel from Licheng back to their base anyway. After the battle ended, Su Xun made a detour to the safe zone here.

To avoid any negative impact, the specific details about the zombie king were kept secret to a certain extent.

The public was unaware of what was happening outside the wall. The atmosphere inside the safe zone was no different from usual. Vehicles came and went on the road. Many civilian organizations used trucks to transport various supplies into the safe zone, and military vehicles carrying soldiers on missions were also heading to the front line.

Through a special passage, Su Xun and the others passed through the high wall and arrived at the command post set up in a small building.

Division Commander Cheng Rui held a brief meeting with Su Xun. In addition to reviewing the battle, he also reported to Su Xun on the recovery of local production activities and some livelihood issues.

Within the pioneering corps system, the division headquarters of a region was essentially the leadership team of a city, with countless issues to handle.

Throughout the meeting, Su Xun didn't say much, only asking questions that he was particularly concerned about.

"It's been almost a month, how many newlywed couples have registered in Licheng?"

"Around two hundred pairs."

"That won't do. You have a larger population, so how come your numbers are still less than those in Haiqu?"

Su Xun shook his head: "We need to keep this in mind and provide adequate support for newlyweds. We need to make people clearly feel that getting married and having children is not a burden. If we can do this, we won't have to worry about the marriage rate not going up."

“In this regard, I think you, Commander Cheng, should learn more from Commander Song of Haiqu.”

"Yes, I understand."

"Of course, don't try to fool me with some falsified data. Secretary-General Feng and I have high hopes for you. You are still young, and many things can be done slowly."

Actually, when he said this, the people around him felt a strange sense of incongruity. If you didn't look at Su Xun's white hair, he would look like a young man in his early twenties, while Cheng Rui, no matter how young he was, was actually in his thirties or even approaching forty.

After Cheng Rui solemnly agreed, the meeting ended. It was already late, so Su Xun decided to stay overnight in Licheng and return the next morning.

He went to the window, intending to take a look at the night view of the safe zone, but then he heard Cheng Rui, who had just come out, talking to the people outside.

"The commander-in-chief is in a bad mood, so don't bother him now. I'll help you reschedule later."

Turning his head to look, Su Xun said, "It's okay, just come over."

The person who came in was a young woman, holding a notebook in her hands and carrying a film camera. This was actually a pre-arranged conversation, and the person who came in was a reporter named Cheng Lu.

They are actually photographers, and possibly editors as well. These kinds of professionals are scarce right now, so it's not uncommon for one person to do the work of several.

"Commander-in-Chief." Cheng Lu greeted him as she entered the room. The moment she arrived at the conference room, she understood why Cheng Rui had said the Commander-in-Chief was in a bad mood. Just standing there, one could clearly feel a strong sense of oppression.

Su Xun seemed to realize the problem as well. When facing the visitor, he composed himself and even smiled at him.

"sit down."

Cheng Lu sat down at the other end of the conference table, her movements slightly reserved.

"Don't be nervous. I don't eat people. How could I be scarier than a zombie?"

Su Xun made himself more easygoing and even found a clean cup to hand him a cup of hot water.

"You news reporters work very hard too. I've heard of you. You volunteered to go to the observation post in the zombie horde to collect materials. I heard that you were the first to discover the unusual activity of the zombie horde in Licheng?" Cheng Lu seemed surprised that the other party was so easy to talk to. The chilling aura she had just felt seemed to be just her imagination.

She relaxed a bit and replied, "That was just luck. I only stayed at the observation post for two days, which is nothing compared to the sentries who are there all the time."

Su Xun nodded: "That's right, you can be more casual. Position is responsibility. Putting that aside, we are all comrades and fellow soldiers working on the same front."

"I understand, thank you, Commander." Cheng Lu opened her notebook. "Shall we begin?"

"it is good."

"The first question I'm addressing is actually one that many residents are concerned about or that is controversial: Under the current circumstances, maintaining the publication of a daily newspaper requires paper, ink, manpower, and precious electricity. Some people believe that these resources would be more valuable if used for more 'practical' purposes, such as reinforcing the walls or increasing the equipment of the patrol team. What is your opinion on this issue?"

"I know why you were in such a hurry to find me." Su Xun smiled. Not every safe zone has the resources to publish a newspaper.

In today's world, information is difficult to access, and in addition to radio, newspapers have returned to the public eye. Licheng has a large-scale printing plant, which is the reason why local newspapers and periodicals have developed rapidly. However, maintaining the operation of this printing plant is actually quite difficult, which has led to many different opinions.

"Working on this newspaper must be quite stressful, right? I heard you're Commander Cheng's sister? Have you been attacked because of that?"

Cheng Lu was taken aback, lowered her head slightly, and remained silent.

Today, the original Licheng Military Newspaper has been renamed Xinghuo Daily and is distributed throughout the entire safe zone.

Cheng Rui supported the establishment of this newspaper, and Cheng Lu herself played an important role in it. However, outsiders did not care about these things. They only thought that Cheng Lu was using her brother's power to find an easy and safe job to get by.

Cheng Lu often chooses to go to more dangerous areas, actually hoping to prove herself in this way.

“I have a… friend,” Su Xun said. “I think you can learn from her attitude.”

"She once said that she was a warrior, and so are you. As a warrior, you should only focus on the battle you are facing. Those irrelevant voices are just a few flies buzzing around, and they will run into obstacles sooner or later."

"Don't worry, the Safety Zone asked for permission before it started publishing a newspaper. Since you're allowed to do it, it means we fully support it."

“Reporter Cheng… no, Comrade Cheng Lu.” Su Xun said softly, “Back to your question, what do you think is the most practical thing? Being well-fed and clothed, and not being swallowed up by threats from outside the wall, is certainly the foundation of survival and the bottom line of all our efforts, but is simply holding onto the bottom line enough?”

Cheng Lu didn't respond; she knew Su Xun hadn't finished speaking, and she simply jotted down notes in her notebook.

"You've given the new newspaper a great name. We're establishing safe zones not just to survive, but also to prove that the spark of human civilization hasn't been extinguished and that we haven't been defeated by the Great Cataclysm."

"Newspapers are part of this spark, and their role is more indispensable than the resources they consume—information, ideas, cohesion, and... hope."

The answer to this question is actually clear to everyone in the organization, but the reason it was asked to Su Xun is that they need him to say it.

"Today, this newspaper records our daily struggles and progress, reports on the resilience and mutual assistance of ordinary people, and conveys the latest safety information and practical survival knowledge."

Su Xun used more formal language to facilitate direct publication later. He said to Cheng Lu, "This newspaper makes people scattered in various regions feel connected to each other and that we are a whole."

"It can remind us that we are not just animals trying to survive, but human beings with memories, thoughts, and feelings... Compared to the value of the newspaper itself, these things are the real luxuries of this era, and newspapers are the necessities for maintaining our dignity as 'human beings' and our sense of community."

“I fully support Xinghuo Daily to continue operating, and to grow better and bigger. If there are difficulties, we will overcome them. Your pens are an indispensable tool for us to rebuild civilized order.”

(End of this chapter)