Open the door, the community is here to bring you some warmth!

"A reward, you say?" Nie Xiaoyue’s cheeks flushed instantly.

"Exactly! This is a major discovery. Shouldn't we make a request to Brother Xue Feng?" Nie Xiaoxing asked, her face full of anticipation. She even subconsciously licked her lips, excited by the prospect of the coming reward—a compensation for all their hard work.

"A request? We don't have the right to make requests! Our lives were saved by Xue Feng; we should serve him with all our hearts," Nie Xiaue replied, shaking her head.

Hearing this, Nie Xiaoxing realized she had spoken out of turn. "Mhm, I still remember when Brother Xue Feng came to save me. I was just about to be bullied." As she spoke, her eyes turned red. It wasn't that recalling those days caused her pain, but rather that she was deeply moved by the memory of Xue Feng’s kindness. After all, they had no prior relationship with him, yet he had still been willing to rescue them.

Especially when she thought of the classmates who had followed her back, now forced to do grueling labor to contribute to the base, she felt a sense of superiority. Every time those classmates saw her, their eyes were filled with envy. She didn't have to do heavy manual labor; she only needed to help her sister with experiments. Compared to the ones who stayed behind, her classmates were fortunate—at least they were alive and had a steady supply of food. The truly miserable ones who stayed behind were likely either starved to death or had become food for the zombies.

Thinking of this, tears streamed down Nie Xiaoxing’s face. She wasn't sad for those people; she was simply grateful for her own circumstances. In this apocalypse, those who were too naive could not survive.

"So, by working hard, we are repaying Xue Feng. We shouldn't ask for anything more," Nie Xiaoyue said, stepping forward to wipe away her sister’s tears.

"Mhm," Nie Xiaoxing nodded. Being able to avoid hunger and sleep soundly was already more than enough.

Listening from the shadows, Xue Feng nodded to himself. He was quite satisfied with the sisters' attitude. They were not ungrateful ingrates; even in their private conversations, they expressed no dissatisfaction.

"If you have any requests, you can state them now," Xue Feng said, stepping out with a faint smile.

"Ah!" Both sisters exclaimed, clearly not expecting anyone to be there. Once they realized it was Xue Feng, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Did you hear everything we just said, Brother Xue Feng?" Nie Xiaoxing asked, blushing in embarrassment. After all, it had been a private conversation.

"I heard it all. What is it that you want?" Xue Feng nodded, not denying it.

"Really?" Nie Xiaoyue looked expectant.

"Of course."

"Then get ready, I want this position..." Nie Xiaoyue swayed her body, slowly undoing her clothes. She pulled her skirt up to her waist, sat gracefully onto Xue Feng’s lap, and began to move. Seeing this, Nie Xiaoxing subconsciously reached out to touch them as well. Xue Feng didn't leave her idle, gesturing for her to join in.

...

The next morning, Xue Feng began his plan to clear out the zombies. Before that, however, he needed the other survivors in Jiangcheng to submit to his command. He wanted them to know that the entire city was now his territory. To this end, he had named his initiative the "Homeland Project"—to build a home of his own.

Xue Feng did not act alone; he selected nine people to accompany him: Hao Yifei, An Xiaowei, You Haoyun, Wang Xinyu, Tang Qiqiang, Qin Fengshan, Liu Jun, and two other male survivors. With a mix of men and women, he also brought along his faithful dog, Black Panther. Xue Feng did this to show other survivors the makeup of his base, demonstrating that both men and women enjoyed high-level treatment under his leadership.

An Xiaowei and the others rode in the Doomsday Chariot, while Tang Qiqiang and Liu Jun drove two other armored vehicles. Everyone, except for Xue Feng, wore body armor and ballistic helmets. With this equipment, his team held an absolute advantage in any potential conflict with other survivors. In battle, having armor made all the difference.

His first target for persuasion was a faction entrenched in a local vegetable market, as it was the closest. According to intelligence from Qin Fengshan, there were signs of human activity there. When they arrived near the market, they found the streets blocked by a pile of iron dumpsters, with a few scattered zombies wandering nearby.

These zombies were fast and strong, capable of sprinting, but they lacked the terrifying ferocity of the horde from the last encounter. It seemed those previous ones had been influenced by a fourth-tier mutant. Tang Qiqiang and his group used specialized weapons to crush the zombies' skulls—a one-meter-long wooden pole with an iron block the size of a fist tied to the end. While many post-apocalyptic films depicted survivors using baseball bats or steel pipes, those were actually heavy and exhausted the user's stamina. They only looked good on screen. The weapon Tang Qiqiang used was much more practical, similar to the copper maces used by generals in historical novels. In reality, those maces were only the size of an egg, allowing for swift strikes that could shatter skulls or ribs upon impact.

After clearing the zombies, Xue Feng and the others exited their vehicles. He produced a megaphone his subordinates had found while scavenging. "Listen up, those inside! We are from the community here to bring you some warmth! Come out quickly!"

Tang Qiqiang and the others felt a wave of awkwardness. A community? Did such things even exist anymore? Hadn't they all collapsed long ago?

"Come out quickly! We have rice, flour, and oil to give away!" Xue Feng continued.

"Rice, flour, and oil?" Tang Qiqiang and his team were stunned. No one would believe that. Sure enough, there was no movement inside, leaving them wondering if there were any survivors at all.

"Since these people don't appreciate a warm gesture," Xue Feng said calmly, "we'll just have to force our way in."