Having made up his mind, Xiao Fan didn't dawdle any longer and said directly, "My name is Xiao Fan, I'm also from Yan Yun, and I'm back because I have a mission. Hurry up and let me through."
"Oh, okay, okay! Come on, open up the barricade and let Commander Xiao through!"
Han Dongyang also had good judgement. Seeing that Xiao Fan's group was completely unmatched in power, his attitude was exceptionally good.
Because Xiao Fan's side also had heavy trucks, they not only had to move the barricade but also dismantle some sandbags. During this process, Han Dongyang obsequiously said to Xiao Fan, "Commander Xiao, which unit are you from?"
"Classified information, can't say." Xiao Fan's expression didn't change as he answered appropriately, because his affairs really could not be told to anyone.
But these words sounded completely different to Han Dongyang's ears.
It seemed that this young man named Xiao Fan had an extraordinary identity. He was probably the leader of a special forces unit, or held a very high position. He immediately felt a desire to befriend him.
He moved a little closer to Xiao Fan with a smile on his face, "Commander Xiao, you're probably the first person to return to Yan Yun since the apocalypse, right?"
"That's right."
"Then that makes sense. You probably aren't too familiar with the situation in Yan Yun yet. Let this brother introduce it to you?"
Xiao Fan looked at the man who was at least 5 or 6 years older than himself and nodded.
"The situation in Yan Yun now is very bad. The whole city has completely fallen. Those with a bit of ability have temporarily settled in, but they are all just barely scraping by, like those of us at this auto repair shop. There are about 200 of us now. Although we have some weapons, we can only gain a foothold at the edge of the city. It's also becoming harder and harder to collect supplies. We completely live day to day. The other powers are also more or less the same."
"Oh, there are other powers too?" Xiao Fan was surprised.
"Yes, for example Chen Fudong from the prison, Lu Wang from the wholesale market, Zhao Dashan from Zhao Village, An Lan from the airport, Guo Mingjie from the Wenquan Mountain Villa, and so on. These are some of the more formidable figures in Yan Yun now, and compared to them my strength is still far inferior."
"I really didn't expect there would be so many powers in Yan Yun."
"There are even more than these. These are just some of the bigger powers. Actually there are quite a few small survivor groups still alive now, but because they are blocked off by the zombies, it's very difficult for them to meet each other."
Xiao Fan looked at Han Dongyang strangely, "Then how do you know about all this?"
"It's simple, the radio! There is a wireless radio station in every city. Cars have them built in. Now phones don't work anymore and the TV doesn't show anything, but the radio still works. That's how everyone communicates with each other, cheering each other on. Some have even proposed meeting up to trade, but I don't really want to meet and trade with others."
"Why's that? Isn't trading mutually beneficial?" Xiao Fan asked.
"Because some people seem very dangerous. Meeting to trade may not necessarily be a good thing. I won't hide it from Commander Xiao, living this unrestrained life is the first time for us brothers too. I want to experience more of it for now. I don't want to randomly get killed or annexed by someone. Among these powers, some people are clearly only concerned about their own benefit and treat human lives like grass. Safety first."
Xiao Fan didn't ask specifically who it was. Since there was this kind of thing going on, and the radio was still usable, sooner or later he would find out.
The two chatted for a few more sentences. When Han Dongyang learned that Xiao Fan was heading to Yanshan Town in Chishui County, his face took on a solemn look.
"Commander Xiao, it's not very peaceful over there in Yanshan Town either. When you get there, watch out for an organization called the Racing Club."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Fan nodded without asking further questions, but had already taken note of it in his heart.
By now the barricade had been completely cleared away and the convoy could continue on.
Xiao Fan got on a vehicle and bid Han Dongyang and the others farewell as the convoy drove off, soon entering the highway and disappearing from Han Dongyang and the others' line of sight.
Someone behind Han Dongyang asked, "Boss, is that Xiao guy a soldier?"
"Hard to say. He doesn't seem like one, but those people following him clearly underwent strict military training. You can tell from their every move. So I guess he's probably the son of some big shot military officer, or a close confidant."
"Why did someone like him come back to Yan Yun? Has the military really established a foothold? Will there be any rescue for us here?"
"Hard to say. You know, the military district here was hit hard by the meteor shower. It's been almost a month with no word coming from them. Even if there is a rescue, it definitely won't happen in a short time."
Having said that, he turned around to face his men, "Pay close attention to information on the radio these days. Don't leak anything about Xiao Fan and the others for now. We'll wait and see how things develop."
"Understood!"
After setting the barricade back up, Han Dongyang continued with his road blocking and toll collection. As for Xiao Fan, he would observe for a period of time. If Xiao Fan could gain a foothold in Yan Yun afterwards, he would put effort into befriending him. If he just disappeared without a trace, there would be no need to waste any effort on him.
After all, he knew that things weren't peaceful in Yanshan Town. Although Xiao Fan's men looked quite elite, there were too few of them in number. It was hard to say whether they could make it past the Racing Club in Yanshan Town.
He vaguely knew that the Racing Club had some backing.
********
Xiao Fan's convoy continued on. They rested overnight in the wild midway and set off again early next morning. Bypassing the ring road of Chishui County, they finally arrived at Yanshan Town after noon on the second day.
Passing through a village about 30 li from Yanshan Town, they encountered around 300 zombies here.
Xiao Fan immediately ordered the zombies to be killed.
Over a dozen soldiers formed a defensive line. Since there were no variant zombies among these zombies, they didn't pose too big of a threat to Xiao Fan. Soon all the zombies were annihilated.
Xiao Fan was quite lucky this time. Killing over 300 zombies gained him over 800 funds!
After obtaining the funds, the amount Xiao Fan had on hand finally broke through 2000, even reaching 2,600!
The half month journey yielded sporadic gains from occasionally killing zombies. Accumulated over time, it finally reached this figure.
With enough funds, Xiao Fan immediately started constructing an Armored Vehicle Factory.
"Armored Vehicle Factory under construction. Requires 2,000 funds and 2 hours."
While the armored vehicle factory was under construction, the troops also continued advancing, finally arriving at the outskirts of Yanshan Town.
"Xu Qiang, go scout right away. Remember to share the footage with me."
"Understood!"
Xu Qiang entered Yanshan Town. Xiao Fan paced back and forth anxiously on the spot, soon to see whether his father was still alive!