At the agricultural market, the armed forces were carousing all night until dawn, when most of them were passed out drunk, snoring loudly.
One of them who couldn't hold his liquor well didn't drink much last night and woke up early to relieve himself.
Standing on the second floor, he peed straight out the window.
"Pssssss~!"
"Life might be a little tough, but damn it feels so good to do whatever you want."
"As long as we don't provoke the major powers, no one can stop us. Today, let's hit that survivor base over there. There are a few pretty ladies I want to bring back with us. Heh heh."
As he gloated, a foul stench suddenly wafted over.
"Huh? Who's there?"
"I'm taking a leak here. Who's the one taking a dump nearby? Didn't we say no crapping within 30 meters of the building? Damn it!"
"Wait, no way a dump could smell this bad. Oh shit, did I just step into a cesspit?"
He rubbed his bleary, hungover eyes and looked into the distance.
"Oh my god!"
He cut off his stream mid-pee and held it in.
"What is that? What...what is that...? Are those zombies?"
In the far horizon, a massive horde of zombies was spreading out like a black, endless wave.
The survivor froze in terror for a long while before letting out a blood-curdling scream.
"Zombies! So many zombies!"
Some people inside the building were jolted awake, but still in a daze.
Others slept like the dead, not stirring at all.
The man frantically ran around with his pants down, trying to wake everyone up and warn them about the impending danger.
To him, the zombie horde seemed to be moving slowly, still a kilometer away. If they acted quickly, they could get away in time.
But he underestimated how drunk his comrades were and how fast the zombies could move.
While the main zombie force advanced slowly, there were many nimble undead among them.
Li Nanfeng had spotted the humans and knew they had been detected.
Not wanting to let them escape, with a wave of his claw, a swarm of agile zombies surged forward!
These level 3 zombies could each outrun the world's fastest human sprinters, rushing forth like a gust of wind towards the agricultural market!
By the time the man had roused most of his companions, the agile zombies had already reached the ground floor.
As one armed man poked his head out the window, a nimble zombie leapt up and sank its black claws into his head, killing him instantly!
Another man by the window managed to draw his gun and open fire on the zombie, but their enhanced durability made them impervious to regular gunfire unless headshot.
The zombie's razor-sharp claws stabbed straight through the man's heart like a knife!
Psshhh!
The gunman fell dead on the spot.
In a flash, the first and second floors were overrun.
The third floor fared no better, as some of the more evolved agile zombies could jump up to reach it.
In close-quarters combat indoors, the armed survivors' guns were less useful than fire pokers. One agile zombie getting in spelled disaster, let alone a whole horde.
Sporadic gunshots rang out briefly, only to fall silent.
Replaced by the dying screams of the humans and splattering of fresh blood.
By the time Li Nanfeng and his main force arrived, everyone at the outpost was already dead, their bodies half-devoured.
This was Li Nanfeng's first time occupying a human settlement, and he had seized it completely.
But it was only the first step in his conquest. Next, he would amass more zombies in the area to bolster his forces.
He could sense his mind's capacity to control the undead was far from its limit with the mere sixty or seventy thousand he currently commanded.
Once he reached that limit, he would march on Yanshantown.
He knew Xiao Fan's forces there were formidable. He had to ensure his victory was absolute.
Once Xiao Fan was eliminated, his personal vendetta would be complete.
Then he would gradually make the entire world kneel before him!
********
At dawn.
Xiao Fan awoke to the gentle voice of his lover Xue Ninger as she roused him from slumber.
This was one of the perks of having a female soldier as a security detail - at least you'd start each day in a good mood.
After getting up, Xiao Fan strolled down the streets within the base's inner city district.
Yes, actual streets.
The infrastructure in the inner city was now complete, while the outer city district was mostly finished, lacking only buildings but with sturdy foundations laid.
Moreover, the main tunnel leading out from the south district to the wilderness beyond was essentially done.
Xiao Fan had personally inspected the tunnel's exit yesterday - it was located in a secluded valley about ten kilometers south, surrounded by a grove of trees providing concealment.
Few would venture to that desolate area, and even if they did, the tunnel opening was camouflaged to blend into the terrain when not in use.
Current work involved paving the interior tunnel, extending the roads south of the outer city, and finishing touches on key areas within the city itself.
Another tunnel project behind his official residence remained unfinished - the one intended to reach the Xing'an Mountain Range.
Today, Shen Ruihui was not by his side, providing a reprieve from the man's constant chatter.
After recovering the supply crate, Xiao Fan had promoted Shen and sent him to lead a team deep into the Xing'an mountains to search for gold mines.
Xiao Fan remembered hearing rumors as a child about gold veins in those mountains that had drawn prospectors to the area.
While he couldn't confirm the truth of those tales, Shen's capabilities in recovering crates from a river suggested finding mines would be trivial for the elite soldier.
Shen had eagerly set off several days ago without any word since.
Xiao Fan considered checking in on Little Eight, the giant reptile that had claimed the newly expanded water reservoir as his personal lair to laze about in all day.
But before he could head over, Platoon Leader Xu Qiang rushed up with a report.
"Sir, vehicles that appear to belong to the Survivor Alliance have been spotted twenty kilometers out and are heading this way."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Fan realized the Tax Officer of the Alliance was coming to collect their dues.