RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT~
The rifles spat crimson flames as bullets pierced the zombies’ skulls one after another. The charging undead fell like wheat before a scythe.
Blow them up if they gathered, mow them down if they didn’t.
Following behind were twenty men with an ammunition truck, dedicated to resupplying the shooters. With around twenty semi-automatic rifles, they had the common zombies so pinned down they couldn’t even lift their heads.
After the gunfire died down, the melee squad moved in to clean up.
Yu Dong knocked on the main gate of the chicken farm.
The moment the gate opened, a giant husky pounced on Yu Dong, giving him a bear hug.
Its fluffy face sniffed all over him.
"Kaka~! Don’t be so friendly! Get back here."
A girl with sparkling eyes and a bright smile ran over and forcibly dragged the overeager husky away.
While struggling to hold the husky down, Tang Yixin said sheepishly, "I hope he didn’t scare you. Kaka’s a bit reckless..."
Yu Dong gestured to the ground littered with zombie corpses outside, a look of utter confusion on his face.
’This dog... is supposed to be scarier than the zombies?’
’These people are nuts!’
Yu Dong peered inside. Lin Zhixue and her group of women all had heavy, dark circles under their eyes. They looked completely exhausted, as if they hadn’t slept well the previous night.
Sensing Yu Dong’s scrutinizing and suspicious gaze,
Lin Zhixue forced herself to muster some energy. "Excellent! You’ve completed our team’s commission! You helped us deal with some zombies... I can provide you with appropriate compensation."
She then clapped her hands. A female worker with a resentful look on her face drove over one of those small carts used for transporting eggs around the complex. It was loaded with tray after tray of fresh eggs—a quick glance suggested there were probably several thousand.
It was a pretty shocking amount to see all at once.
Seeing the confused looks on Yu Dong’s group, Lin Zhixue continued:
"Right now, this is likely the only large, operational chicken farm in all of Yanhai City. My eggs will become a rare fresh food source in this post-apocalyptic world."
"I’m offering you eggs in exchange for your team’s protection. You come by once a day to pick up eggs, and in the process, you help us clear out the surrounding zombies."
"I believe this is a very good deal for both of us. In the future, we can also trade pork, rabbit meat, and vegetables."
"Oh, and as a special thank you for getting us out of this jam today, I can also give you some dogs. If you like them, you can take them all."
Zhao Youcai glanced at the chicken farm and the women inside, then back at the gun in his hand.
"What’s she rambling on about? Dongzi, why are they occupying our Salvation Army’s chicken farm?"
Yu Dong: "..."
He almost lost his composure.
Yu Dong couldn’t help but ask, "Hold on, Lin Zhixue, you spent all this time preparing... but you didn’t prepare for how to actually kill zombies? How do you plan to deal with them?"
"Aren’t I using economic means to solve the problem?"
"Sick."
The corner of Yu Dong’s mouth twitched. This time, he really couldn’t keep a straight face.
Still, looking at the massive chicken farm and the adjacent pig farm, at least their walls and gates were reinforced and raised. The zombies wouldn’t be able to break through anytime soon.
It was, at least, relatively safe.
"Sigh... Fine. You just focus on running these farms. We’ll take care of the zombies in the area. As for a protection fee, I want a fifty-percent cut of the profits from all your facilities."
"You might as well just rob us!" Lin Zhixue exclaimed.
"I am."
Lin Zhixue: "???"
And so, on the second day of the apocalypse, the all-female team’s "luxury goods" industry had fifty percent of its production capacity seized.
Yu Dong led his men on a patrol around the perimeter, clearing out all the zombies.
Just as they were about to leave, Tang Yixin ran out after them.
"Hey! Um... handsome! Could you maybe take some of the dogs with you? They’re really cute!"
"What would I do with a dog? Do I look like a dog person to you? They’re loud and annoying. Give them to whoever you want, but there’s no way I’m taking one."
"Just one~! Please, just one is fine~! The old lady is so mean, she said she’ll eat them if they keep barking..."
Tang Yixin looked at Yu Dong with a pitiful expression, her eyes as clear as water, possessing a sort of natural, dorky charm.
Yu Dong sighed, giving a slight, exasperated smirk as he turned his head away.
"Which one’s the smartest?"
PHEW~~~
Yu Dong and his men left with case after case of eggs and two Border Collies.
Lin Zhixue might have been a bit cringe, but at least she had established three "protein factories" and some even larger vegetable greenhouses.
This time around, they wouldn’t face the protein shortages that had plagued them in his past life.
Lv Sheng held his tongue the entire way back, but he couldn’t help but speak up as they arrived at the industrial park:
"But... if they were really worried about their base’s security... shouldn’t they have offered to buy some of our guns?"
...
After Yu Dong left, Lin Zhixue looked at the warehouse still full of dogs and started worrying again.
"How are we going to give them all away?"
Just then, Fu Yuanyuan pulled out her phone. "Don’t worry, Sister Xue. I already made a post on Xiaohongshu yesterday. Anyone nearby who wants a dog can come here and get one for free. I also put out a call for single gals to come live at our base!"
"Did anyone reply?"
"Yeah, tons of locals replied! My post was trending locally last night. Everyone’s asking for our location. There are lots of other girls out there just like us!"
"Oh... Well, that’s pretty good."
Lin Zhixue figured that at least this way, their team could expand a little.
But... she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
....
「On the second day of the apocalypse.」
Yu Dong consolidated his forces. He rescued many trapped military veterans in the vicinity, significantly boosting their combat power, and began training the members of the Salvation Army.
That day, they also cleared the roads, linking the routes between their three bases—the farm, the industrial park, and the shipyard—so that vehicles could pass through unobstructed.
They also cleared a section of Binhai Avenue leading to the Urban Area and secured a foothold.
A large food-processing plant.
This would serve as their starting point for the assault on the Urban Area the next day. It would also be their fallback point, a stronghold to cover their retreat if they were overpowered.
After all was said and done, everyone was physically and mentally exhausted.
Everyone went to rest early that night; no one had the strength to move. Huang was already dead to the world, buried in a pair of E-cups and snoring his head off.
Later that night, as Yu Dong was taking stock of the day’s events, he felt like something was missing.
He called Qiao Yunliang.
"Qiao, has Deng and his unit arrived yet?"
Qiao Yunliang sighed softly. "Deng... he’s not coming."
"??? What?"
"Deng’s superiors found out the Daqin Railway was secure. They ordered him to take his Wilderness Battle Corps to Kyoto to rescue some VIPs... He’s already on his way."