Mu Haiyang saw Ye Fan's plane appear from the back while on the plane.

He didn't need to look at anything else; just one glance at the shape of the plane was enough for him to totally abandon the idea of running away.

The fairy tale of the tortoise and the hare doesn't always play out. Even if he is the diligent tortoise, Ye Fan is not that brainless hare.

No, he isn't the tortoise either.

In short, running away far is not an option; a short-distance sprint might still give him a chance to survive.

Pushing the plane's speed to the maximum, his target was to return to the base.

It's only a little over thirty kilometers and he would arrive soon.

In a rush, he landed the plane and disregarded everyone, running all the way to the front of the vault.

With trembling hands, he pressed his fingerprint and opened the vault door.

Not allowing anyone to follow, he locked the door from the inside once he entered.

This sanctuary which he had reserved at the beginning, was finally proving useful.

The vault is built exceptionally strong and can't be blown open with explosives. He believed Ye Fan and his people couldn't open it either.

As long as he stayed here, Meng Liang from Quancheng would definitely send troops over.

Because the people Qu Lin led were killed here, Meng Liang likely wouldn't stand idly by. As long as he waited for the people from Quancheng, there might still be a slim chance of survival.

After entering the vault, he realized only then that he was drenched in sweat.

"Huff, huff… Ye Fan, you've really wronged me. I'll just hide here and not come out, let's see what you can do about it?"

********

After confirming that Mu Haiyang returned to the Shannan Vault, Ye Fan's troops began boarding vehicles, making their way leisurely to the base gate.

As the main force advanced towards the base, chaos erupted inside the base.

The news from the previous battle arrived, dividing the base into two factions.

One faction advocated for resisting relying on the base, while the other part agreed on surrendering.

When Ye Fan and his team arrived, a fight had even broken out inside.

The base's main gate was occupied by those loyal to Mu Haiyang, while those wanting to surrender attacked the main gate.

Seeing this situation, Ye Fan decisively waved his hand, signaling Tang Yafei to lift off in the combat helicopter.

Four mounted machine guns strafed back and forth, delivering a fatal blow to those diehards.

After circling in the sky three times, apart from those killed, only the kneeling ones remained on the ground.

Those who advocated surrender opened the base's main gate, welcoming Ye Fan's army into the city.

Lawson and Zhao Xiaoman were temporarily appointed by Ye Fan as base leaders, responsible for calming the populace and smoothly taking over the base.

Ye Fan, on the other hand, led his Red Alert Soldiers toward the base vault.

The reason why the diehard faction stayed to fight was because they saw Mu Haiyang had returned, perhaps still hoping he could create a miracle.

The group arrived in front of the base gate, the heavy iron door tightly shut; Ye Fan tried pushing it and found it incredibly heavy.

After looking around, the vault was well-sealed, only having two small vents for airflow.

If the vents were blocked, Mu Haiyang wouldn't be able to hold out for long, but Ye Fan didn't want to wait for that long.

He waved to the engineer behind him, "Come over here and see if you can extract Mu Haiyang's fingerprint?"

The reason for not shooting down Mu Haiyang's plane was that the vault had a fingerprint lock; Ye Fan hoped to extract the fingerprint and open the vault.

The engineer came over and had a look.

"Sir, the fingerprint is a bit blurred and not easy to extract. Restoration might take about a week or so."

This outcome was somewhat unexpected for Ye Fan.

Under regular circumstances, waiting a week wouldn't be a big deal, but Ye Fan was already planning to return north.

It was only a week until New Year's, and Ye Fan didn't want to stay here for the holiday. Moreover, he received a report from Dawn City yesterday that the snow had stopped and the temperature rose slightly.

With the snow stopped, Ye Fan believed that the zombie horde located in Crane City would not halt, and they might next attack Dawn City. He couldn't afford to delay here.

So they had to find another way to open the vault.

"Is there any other good method?"

The engineer thought for a moment, "This vault is extremely sturdy, with a wall thickness of four meters, making it hard to blow open. The only way is through the door; if there's a massive force to impact the door, the edges might not withstand it."

"Massive force…?"

Ye Fan thought about it and called over a tank.

The D-55G tank moved into the core area, with Ye Fan pointing to the vault door, "Fire a round first."

The tank's gun adjusted, firing a shot with a boom.

It hit the vault door directly, with sparks flying!

The iron door was hit with a major blackened patch; the metal surface became somewhat mottled, but the door didn't fall.

A voice came from inside the vault.

It was Mu Haiyang speaking through the loudspeaker inside.

The speaker was on the upper side of the door.

"Hahaha! Ye Fan, do you think this door is that easy to open? This vault is ten times more fortified than a bank vault. Even if you pile up a heap of explosives here, it won't blow open. I'll watch you and see how you meet your end!"

"Do you think killing the people of Quancheng is the end of it? Dream on! When Meng Liang dispatches the main forces, all your men will perish here...!"

Mu Haiyang screamed madly inside, utterly fearless. He had enough food to last a year and believed it wouldn't even take that long for something to change outside.

Ye Fan ignored Mu Haiyang and signaled the tank to rev its engines and crash into the door.

The tank began to accelerate, twisting the turret aside to avoid bending the gun barrel.

Crack, crack~~~!

The tracks spun!

Bang~~~!

A muffled sound echoed, and the iron door shook slightly but remained intact.

Inside, Mu Haiyang laughed even louder: "Finished? Out of options? Ye Fan, you could beg me; if you sincerely cry before me and kowtow, I might consider opening the door."

Shen Ruihui, standing next to Ye Fan, couldn't tolerate it any longer. He suggested to Ye Fan, "Sir, I think we can study the vault later. For now, let's release poison gas through the vent and smoke out the bastard inside first."

The angry voice from inside stopped abruptly.

"Uh...You're ruthless, but I have a gas mask here..."

"No one can wear a gas mask all the time. I don't believe you won't eat. If poison gas doesn't work, I could flood it with water. No, flooding it is too lenient. This vent can be used as a sewage channel, build a public toilet over it, and let the Heavy Truck Corps use it for convenience. Mu Leader, your future life will certainly be 'flavorful,' hahaha!"

Shen Ruihui spat as he spoke, clearly proud of his creative idea.

Inside, Mu Haiyang was a bit dumbfounded: "Ye Fan, you seem like someone with status, yet you have such a character beside you? Is this an idea thought up by a human? If you listen to him, I'll truly look down on you."

Ye Fan sneered: "Does it matter whether you look down on me or not? If you don't shut your foul mouth, I find his suggestion quite feasible."

Mu Haiyang muttered a few words inside, no longer daring to speak loudly.

Ye Fan pondered for a moment: "Looks like I'll have to use that method."

********

The Dawn Army stationed at the Heavy Truck Corps quickly began a lockdown inside the base.

Though they planned to return to the north, Ye Fan didn't intend to leave this place in limbo.

Golden City is an excellent location. If the zombies here can be cleared and a circle of mines built, Ye Fan will have a continuous stream of gold income in the future.

Ye Fan decided to keep this place under his control.

But with the imminent return to the north, Ye Fan needed to move his forces out, leaving the original inhabitants to guard temporarily.

The scattered Heavy Truck Corps troops were reassembled, nearly five thousand strong, still a formidable armed force.

The original rulers, none were able to remain in power, as they were never popular with the Heavy Truck Corps citizens. Removing them was a satisfying move.

As for those staying, Ye Fan consulted Lawson and Zhao Xiaoman, and Lawson agreed to stay.

After witnessing Ye Fan's power, both Lawson and Zhao Xiaoman expressed their willingness to join Ye Fan's forces and become part of Dawn City.

After testing their loyalty with military dogs, Ye Fan agreed to let Lawson temporarily take over Shannan Base.

From then on, Shannan Base became a branch of the Dawn Army.

During the rapid reorganization, the base's central area was under lockdown.

From the main gate to the core region by the vault, both sides were cordoned off, a line was drawn, blocking views and restraining anyone from approaching.

With Ye Fan controlling the base, no one dared question Ye Fan's intentions; if they were told not to approach, they stayed away.

However, many were curious how Ye Fan planned to open the vault's iron door.

This plan was disclosed to nobody, not even Lawson or Zhao Xiaoman.

During the base's reorganization, Ye Fan took off again in a combat helicopter, arriving at the train station, and began producing railroads.

The railway construction cost fifty gold per meter, totaling fifty thousand gold per kilometer.

Yet, Ye Fan's warehouse held ample construction materials; except for tracks, sand, cement, and similar materials were abundant, reducing the railway cost to ten gold per meter.

Ten thousand gold per kilometer, building from here to the base interior would cost three hundred and thirty thousand gold.

These railroads could be resold at half price later. Ye Fan, aiming to open the vault, didn't mind the expense.

Having decided yesterday, construction began, and today it was completed.

The engineer told him the placement route, and Ye Fan started laying down tracks.

Railroads were laid swiftly, reaching the entrance of Shannan Base.

Then, following the lockdown route, the railroad extended up to the vault's iron door.

Tightly against the iron door!

Ye Fan didn't believe a door a tank couldn't breach would withstand an armored train.

Even if an armored train derailed, he could produce more cranes to haul it back.

Damage in any area was no problem; engineers on multifunctional infantry vehicles could repair it!

The railway construction completed, by the time night fell the next day.

As the Heavy Truck Corps settled into sleep, at the train station a train engine detached from its carriages, embarking from the station.

Such trains could reach speeds of 220 kilometers per hour, with the carriage unloaded it bolted like lightning!

In the dark, a roar descended on Shannan!

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