Ye Fan's community was situated around a hundred meters away from the property. This time, Wang Hu and Li Biao opted to leave him behind as they teamed up to acquire the coveted fire axe.
After descending the stairs, they hopped onto Ye Fan's sidecar motorcycle. Since Li Biao's gun had run out of bullets, he assumed the role of the driver this time.
Wang Hu occupied the sidecar, brandishing his Type 56 as the motorcycle roared out of the yard. Anxious to assess their situation, Ye Fan felt a twinge of impatience.
Nana offered a reminder, "Sir, without radar, I can currently monitor the Red Alert units within three hundred meters around me. Within this range, your perspective can be switched to any Red Alert soldier. Do you want to switch?"
"Great! Switch it to Wang Hu," Ye Fan exclaimed.
In Ye Fan's game interface, the main screen, previously dark, instantly illuminated. It resembled playing a battle game like CS as he witnessed Wang Hu's hand firmly gripping the gun.
Li Biao's driving skills proved exceptional. As the duo sped out of the community on their motorcycles, numerous zombies surged towards them from the roadside. Li Biao accelerated skillfully, leaving the pursuing zombies behind, reaching the property swiftly.
Wang Hu leaped from the car, shattered a window with the butt of his gun, and rushed in. In under ten seconds, he emerged holding the fire axe.
Back in the vehicle, zombies approached, prompting Wang Hu to open fire. Armed with 90 rounds of ammunition, Wang Hu's shooting frequency surged, and the Type 56 submachine gun exhibited its formidable power. Flames sprayed out, toppling zombies one after another.
Though the accuracy of shooting on the move remained imperfect, the sheer impact of the gun could temporarily incapacitate the undead. Instead of leading zombies towards the community, they intentionally drew them away, executed a sudden turn, and accelerated back.
The motorcycle's speed outpaced the pursuing zombies, which lost track after the turn. Upon returning to the community, fewer than twenty zombies followed.
Ye Fan expressed his satisfaction with the achieved outcome as the two men, slightly fatigued, returned upstairs, bearing the fire axe.
"Sirs, we need to replenish our energy with some food," Wang Hu suggested.
"Sure, what would you like to eat?" Ye Fan inquired.
Wang Hu and Li Biao retrieved compressed biscuits and canned meat from their backpacks, but Ye Fan found the taste unsatisfying—merely enough to stave off hunger.
"Is this your usual meal?" Ye Fan questioned.
"Yes, these are ration meals. They can keep us alive with one meal a day, but they won't make us feel full," Wang Hu explained.
Unable to cook, as combatants, Ye Fan pondered taking up the task. Nana intervened, suggesting that once he obtained the authority of a company commander, a cooking class would be available in the production sequence.
Ye Fan dismissed the notion of accepting survivors, as he aimed to leave the area swiftly and reunite with his family. Determined to form more than one squadron before departing, he acknowledged it might take a few days.
Reluctantly, Ye Fan stood up to cook, preparing a meal for himself and the two soldiers. While he cooked three times the required amount, he observed Wang Hu and Li Biao, realizing that Red Alert soldiers possessed voracious appetites.
Wang Hu and Li Biao, having finished their meal, prepared to collect gold and silver in the community. Ye Fan directed them to handle the zombies downstairs first, enabling Li Biao's promotion to a one-star private.
Descending together, they skillfully dispatched the zombies with bayonets to avoid drawing attention. Li Biao, supported by the teamwork, secured his promotion to a first-class soldier.
Observing from upstairs as night fell, Ye Fan ordered Wang Hu and Li Biao to withdraw. Nighttime witnessed increased zombie activity, and Ye Fan, acknowledging his current vulnerability, deemed it safer to remain indoors.
Upon their return, Wang Hu and Li Biao presented Ye Fan with a monetary harvest of 122 yuan. The zombies, predominantly women with a few children, were not affluent. Despite the modest gains, Ye Fan recognized that wealthier areas could yield more significant rewards.
The soldiers automatically divided tasks, ensuring one person remained on duty while the other rested. Watching their loyal soldiers patrolling outside, armed and vigilant, Ye Fan felt, for the first time, that the apocalypse wasn't an entirely bleak prospect.
Yet, the night remained unsettled, punctuated by the incessant roars of zombies. It marked the third night of the apocalypse, with occasional screams indicating the desperate struggles of survivors against the encroaching undead.
"You must leave as soon as possible. The longer you delay, the more dangerous it will be for your parents," Nana reminded, echoing Ye Fan's inner urgency.
Ye Fan estimated that about 70% of the people had transformed into zombies, based on the day's door-smashing activities. In the vast Blue Starfish planet, with its nearly 100 billion population, mutations had affected most individuals.
As he drifted into sleep, Ye Fan contemplated the future. Nana's abrupt prompt at around two in the morning startled him awake.
"Sir, a supply box was found 210 meters east of you!"
Alert and energized, Ye Fan felt a surge of excitement. The supply box held the potential for valuable items, mirroring the unpredictable rewards from Red Alert game boxes.
In the real world, the supply box represented a glimmer of hope and possibility. Ye Fan, determined to secure it, prepared for the challenges that lay ahead.