Xiao Fan asked in a solemn voice, "Where do you come from? How many of you are there? Who is your leader?"
"We come from General Ridge, twenty kilometers away, with over two hundred people. Our leader's name is Zhang Feng."
As the survivor spoke, he examined Xiao Fan and Xue Ninger.
Seeing their calm demeanor and lack of ferocity, he mustered some courage.
"Commanders, can I ask you a favor?"
"Speak."
"Could we pay a bit less in taxes? There are only a little over two hundred of us, and it's already difficult to survive in the desolate mountains of General Ridge. It's tough for us to afford the monthly taxes, and with no place to process the harvested grains now. There's also no salt or diesel left at the nearby gas stations. We really want to pay but have no means to do so."
Xiao Fan stroked his chin. "How often do the tax collectors come around?"
"Ah, aren't you two from the Alliance Headquarters' tax office?"
"Of course not."
"Then who are you?"
"No more chatter. Answer the commander's questions."
The two survivors exchanged a fearful glance, unsure of Xiao Fan's identity but daring not to stay silent.
"The tax collectors only came once before to notify us. They said they'd return in a month to collect taxes, and it's been over twenty days since then. They'll probably come within a week at most."
"Where did you say the Alliance Headquarters is located?"
"In Yunzhou Film and Television City, of course. It's already been occupied by the Alliance Headquarters. They broadcasted the news to the entire city a month ago. Many major survivor groups have already joined them, and now there are a lot of people there, with many branches too."
Xiao Fan was familiar with Yunzhou Film and Television City, one of the top three film production sites in the country, famous for shooting period dramas and war films in the past.
The site covered a vast area and had long been a renowned scenic spot in the north.
Moreover, Xiao Fan knew there was a border defense force stationed nearby, either a company or a battalion.
There was even an airport in the vicinity.
If the Alliance Headquarters had consolidated the local resources, their strength could not be underestimated.
After clarifying the situation, Xiao Fan waved his hand, dismissing the survivors.
The two hurried away, unwilling to provoke Xiao Fan and Xue Ninger in their military attire and armed with guns.
The rule of post-apocalyptic survival: be polite to those carrying firearms.
Watching them leave, Xue Ninger asked Xiao Fan, "Commander, they might leak our presence here."
Xiao Fan smiled, "It doesn't matter. The tax collectors will arrive here soon anyway, so our presence will be revealed then. In fact, I'd prefer them to spread the word since we've come to Yunzhou. We need the people of Yunzhou to know about us, or else our base would be too quiet."
Xue Ninger nodded, her gaze falling back on the supply crate still floating in the water.
Earlier, when she was about to undress, they were interrupted. With no one around now, she could enter the water.
Xiao Fan turned away again, continuing to examine the intriguing rearview mirror.
Xue Ninger started undressing once more.
She had just taken off her top and handed it to Xiao Fan when she quickly snatched it back.
The sound of an approaching vehicle could be heard in the distance.
After putting her clothes back on, a mountain cat all-terrain vehicle from their base came into view.
Shen Ruihui and his men drove up to Xiao Fan and Xue Ninger, jumping out of the vehicle and standing at attention with a salute.
"Commander, you two moved too fast, and I almost lost track of you. But I managed to catch up in time to protect you."
Seeing the soldiers from the security squad on the mountain cat, Xiao Fan didn't comment further.
He simply waved his hand. "This place isn't far from the base. We only came to collect the supply crate. There's no need to be so tense. You can go back now."
As Shen Ruihui was about to return to the vehicle, he suddenly noticed the supply crate floating in the water.
A flash of insight struck him – his chance had arrived!
The supply crate was in the water, which meant someone had to go in and retrieve it.
But who?
The commander was the leader, so it wouldn't be appropriate for him to enter the water.
Xue Ninger was a young woman, so it wouldn't be proper for her to undress and go into the water either.
Crucially, the commander was indifferent to beautiful women!
Therefore, this task had to fall to Shen, the squad leader.
Eager for a promotion, Shen seized the opportunity without hesitation. "Commander, let me do it. This is a small matter; I can handle it."
He tossed his military uniform and gun to a soldier behind him, wearing only a vest and baggy pants. With a leap, he plunged into the water.
After splashing around, he reached the supply crate, hauling the wooden box out of the water.
Dripping wet, he climbed ashore and handed the crate to Xiao Fan.
"Commander, the supply crate."
Xiao Fan felt his molars grinding as he patted Shen Ruihui's shoulder with a blank expression.
"Squad Leader Shen, good progress."
"Heheh, the commander praises me too much," Shen Ruihui gloated, beaming with pride.
Xiao Fan ignored him and accepted the supply crate.
If his guess was correct, this should be an underwater unit.
"Open it."
The supply crate opened.
A loud splash erupted from the water, sending waves splashing everywhere!
A massive dark shadow plunged from the sky, crashing directly into the Haoyuan River.
Then, an enormous head slowly emerged from the water's surface.
When described as enormous, it wasn't an exaggeration – the head's diameter exceeded five meters!
Floating on the water, it resembled a massive mound of earth.
Its two saucer-sized eyes rolled around, spraying bubbles when they spotted Xiao Fan.
"Gurgle gurgle~~!"
Xiao Fan approached the water's edge and extended his hand towards the massive creature.
With a whoosh, eight gigantic tentacles, each tens of meters long, emerged from the water, vying to shake Xiao Fan's hand in a display of friendliness.
Xiao Fan exhaled a long breath, not expecting this particular being.
It was the Giant Squid from the Red Alert game series.
In the Red Alert shipyard, unlocking the Battle Lab would introduce a sea monster – the Giant Squid.
The Giant Squid's primary role was to counter naval vessels, capable of capsizing any warship, including aircraft carriers, in the game.
Although there would undoubtedly be differences from the game in reality, this Giant Squid's prowess was undoubtedly formidable.
Stroking the squid's wet, massive tentacles, Xiao Fan said, "With your eight big arms, we'll call you 'Little Eight' from now on."
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
