This time, a greater number of units were produced, and the process took two hours. However, Ye Fan wasn't one to wait idly in the office.
Soon, the cooking team downstairs announced the readiness of dinner.
Ye Fan left the office and descended to partake in the meal.
On the table lay mutated animal meat—zebra meat, to be precise.
Ordinarily, horse meat might not be particularly fragrant, but this mutated beast's meat was an exception. While Ye Fan was engrossed in production upstairs, he found himself overcome with greed, saliva involuntarily pooling in his mouth.
Chengguan Town's police station had numerous tables, providing ample space for Ye Fan's more than 100 soldiers for the time being.
As Ye Fan moved through the rooms, soldiers stood up and saluted in acknowledgment.
"Okay, let's have dinner."
Ye Fan eyed the mutated beast meat on the table and, after a brief consideration, summoned Huang Jian, the cooking squad leader.
"Send someone to deliver five kilograms of mutated beast meat to my parents, sister, and Su Xing Su Chang. But I recall that it was only for them, no one else."
"Understood! Let's go now!"
Huang Jian personally carried the mutated beast meat to the restaurant.
The enticing aroma made the survivors salivate along the way.
Ye Fan was lenient with them. They were free to utilize the rice, flour, grains, and vegetables they collected, but meat held greater value in these dire times.
Meat had a relatively short storage life, making it challenging to distribute to everyone.
The savory scent induced stomach growls in many.
"Sir, what kind of meat is this? It's so fragrant."
"This is what our commander gave to his parents."
Huang Jian responded, reaching the upstairs of the restaurant.
In a single room, the Su sisters had prepared meals for Ye Jianguo and his family. According to Ye Fan's rules, the Su sisters could dine with their parents.
Huang Jian knocked on the door, carrying the meat inside.
"Our chief asked me to send it."
Having conveyed the message, he left after saluting.
Four women and one old man, they usually couldn't indulge much in meat. Yet, as they tasted this delicacy, their eyes lit up.
"This meat is so delicious!"
"Yes, it feels warm in the stomach and incredibly comforting."
"I feel like I've become stronger after eating this."
"I've never encountered such delicious meat in this restaurant. Where did Brother Ye get it?"
Ye Jianguo took a few bites, then glanced outside.
Ye Luo, understanding her father well, knew he was likely contemplating sharing the meat with relatives and friends outside. She decisively stood up, closing the door to block outsiders' views.
"Dad, if my brother gives you such a good thing, don't be a pushover. If you don't fancy it, just give it to your daughter. I'm growing, and I'm not afraid of becoming a bit plump."
Xu Lizhen, usually more submissive, also spoke up: "Old man, we were busy grinding tofu a few days ago, making it in black and white, and no one helped us. Now, your son has become successful. Look at the faces of some relatives—they want to stick close to you, trying to get more supplies and find good jobs. Don't be overly generous and cause trouble for your son."
Ye Jianguo's face reddened as his wife and children spoke: "I didn't think so either..."
"Forget it, I know you too well. Do you think they are targeting you? They are all targeting the son. It's true; the son is an officer now. I see soldiers coming to join him these days. Doesn't he have a superior? If you want your son to make mistakes, then just agree to whatever others say."
At this remark, Ye Jianguo's expression turned serious.
Living in society made people sophisticated, and Ye Jianguo was no exception. He had limits, and letting his son make the slightest mistake was one of them.
As an old father, he harbored a bias toward his son, placing most of his hopes on him.
Everything else could be negotiated, but allowing his son to make errors was unacceptable.
"Ignore them; let's enjoy our meal!"
While Ye Jianguo's resolve strengthened, he still shared the meat generously with his wife and children. The Su sisters consumed more than him.
Ultimately, he wanted Ye Luo to go to the police station to have a look, but Ye Fan had already given them all the prime meat, leaving him with none.
However, Ye Luo's words pushed him back.
"Dad, don't worry too much. My brother isn't adept at finding a girlfriend. The five of us sharing food would be futile when it comes to impressing someone. He's probably struggling now."
Understanding his son better than anyone, Ye Jianguo thought for a moment. "This is true."
But this time, they misjudged Ye Fan. Having just consumed three kilograms of meat, he was forced to leave the table because the production troops had arrived.
This time, Ye Fan had them come in an armored vehicle, driving from a distance.
Standing at the door of the police station, Ye Fan felt invigorated. This mutated animal meat was undoubtedly a boon; he sensed newfound strength.
As per the Red Alert soldiers' reactions, they described the food as not only comfortable but also invigorating. Hence, Ye Fan decided to refrain from selling this delicacy to the outside world as much as possible.
It appeared that after conquering Chengguan Town, their next destination would be Lingshui to deal with the zoo.
While contemplating, the rumble of wheels reached his ears—the assault armored vehicle had arrived.
Numerous people leaned out of the restaurant windows, their faint cheers signaling the arrival of more troops defecting to Commander Ye Fan, ensuring increased safety.
The armored vehicle pulled up in front of the police station, and soldiers began disembarking.
Four from the cooking squad, four medical soldiers, and one female soldier among them.
At present, only one female soldier, Xiao Jing, was available, leading to some loneliness and inconvenience. The two female soldiers were now companions.
One sniper and three engineers.
An armored vehicle driver and an armored vehicle heavy machine gunner.
Two additional bazooka warriors joined the ranks. As they alighted, cheers erupted in the restaurant.
The soldiers disembarked, forming a row quickly. Strangely, a female soldier who cost only 200 gold took the forefront.
A lively and spirited girl with short hair and large, lively eyes.
Sporting a sour yet heroic appearance, she stood at attention and saluted.
"Female medical soldier He Xiaoting reports to the commander! We've received the commander's command, and more troops are arriving one after another!"
This was Ye Fan's instruction to lay the groundwork for the arrival of additional troops. Predictably, lively discussions ensued among the survivors.
Ye Fan responded in agreement, his gaze focusing on the two bazooka warriors and three engineers.
Speaking in a hushed voice, only audible to those nearby, Ye Fan addressed them.
"Are you guys worth the cost? Why are you standing back?"
The soldiers exchanged glances, a hint of grievance in their expressions.
One engineer bravely spoke up: "Sir, we're following your wishes..."
"Okay, okay, let
's not discuss this now; just sign up."
"Engineer Wang Shun reports to the commander!"
"Engineer Han Jing reports to the commander!"
"Engineer Luo Jiaxin reports to the commander!"
"Sniper Zhao Ming reports to the commander!"
"Bazooka warrior Qin Yu reports to the commander!"
"Armored vehicle driver Han Haoyu reports to the commander!"
"Armored vehicle heavy machine gunner Zhang Xiaoyu reports to the commander..."
All units signed up, and Ye Fan promptly invited them in for dinner.
He himself climbed into the armored vehicle.
Machine gunner Zhang Xiaoyu and armored vehicle driver Han Haoyu provided Ye Fan with an introduction to the vehicle.
Weighing eighteen tons, the vehicle featured composite armor and was armed with a domestically produced 12.7mm caliber heavy machine gun.
It could accommodate up to sixteen passengers and had four tires on each side of the body.
The heavy machine gun carried 3,000 rounds of ammunition, surpassing the initial armed mining vehicles.
Ye Fan's Xiaolong vehicle was also bulletproof, but its protective effect couldn't compare to this armored vehicle. After all, this was a mobile fortress.
If it weren't too late that day, Ye Fan would have been eager to use this vehicle to eliminate zombies. Unfortunately, they would have to wait until the next morning.
Initially planning to retire for the night, Gao Dongliang hurriedly approached.
"Ye Fan, I can't handle it anymore."
"Why?"
"I contacted the survivors, offering to exchange supplies for gold, silver, and jewelry. They called me stupid, asking where I was from. They rushed to trade with me and inquired about the leader and his origins. What should I tell them?"
Gao Dongliang seemed defeated. "Ye Fan, I'm embarrassed for you. Why do you want those damn gold and silver jewels? Couldn't you have been born into a wealthy family?"