(Starting from here, I will change the protagonist's second-person perspective to third-person, referring to the protagonist as Lin Xuan or "he" instead of "you". Please understand.)
"Kid, what are you looking around for?" The veteran squad leader suddenly slapped Zhang Wei on the back of the head.
Zhang Wei immediately put on a terrified expression, shrinking his neck and offering an apologetic smile. "Uh, sorry, sir. It's my first time seeing such an awesome base. These defenses, this grandeur—it's even safer than the old government buildings!"
"Hahaha, that's right, that's right!" The veteran squad leader was thoroughly pleased by this flattery, a look of pride appearing on his face. "Our City Lord Lei is a true strategist. This little setup is nothing! This 'Hope City' was built to wartime fortress standards. Even if the monsters outside doubled in number, they couldn't crack it!"
Seizing the moment, Zhang Wei leaned in with a look of admiration. "City Lord Lei? Sounds so impressive! Sir, besides City Lord Lei, are there other big shots here? I should know who to avoid while working, so I don't offend anyone important."
The veteran squad leader glanced at him, seeming to think this kid was quite sensible, and said casually, "Smart of you to ask. Remember, City Lord Lei's name is Lei the Tiger—he's our sky. But he also has a younger brother named Chai Hu. Everyone respectfully calls him 'Brother Hu'. That guy has a fiery temper. If you piss him off, it's like dancing the tango in front of the King of Hell—you're asking for death. As for others, you're just a new laborer; you won't get to see them. Just work hard and move bricks."
"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you for the advice, sir! I'll definitely work honestly!" Zhang Wei nodded and bowed repeatedly, but in his mind, he was quickly filing away the key information: leader Lei the Tiger, second-in-command Chai Hu, base name "Hope City"—a typical family-style dictatorship.
After a tedious physical examination process—mainly being roughly checked by a few barefoot doctors in white coats for bite marks and signs of infection—Zhang Wei was handed over to the labor camp overseer, beginning his undercover career as a "coolie."
...
Perspective shift: Hope City core district, top floor of the administration building.
Inside the spacious office, Lei the Tiger sat behind a massive redwood desk. He was burly, with a face full of rough flesh, wearing an ill-fitting camouflage uniform adorned with two self-appointed golden stars on the shoulders.
At that moment, he was staring sternly at a young man kneeling on the floor—Xu Boda.
"Who told you to come seek refuge with me?" Lei the Tiger's voice boomed like a bell.
Kneeling on the floor, Xu Boda held out a crumpled map with trembling hands. "I am Xu Zhen's nephew... He... before he died, he told me to bring this Arsenal map to offer to you..."
"Son of a bitch!"
Lei the Tiger suddenly grabbed a rubber baton from beside him and slammed it hard onto Xu Boda's forehead.
*Thud!* A dull sound.
"Ow!" Xu Boda cried out in pain, clutching his head, grimacing, tears nearly spurting out.
Lei the Tiger scolded him with a straight face. "No initiative at all! Don't you have any spontaneity?"
Xu Boda curled up like a wronged child, not daring to make a sound.
"Say it again!" Lei the Tiger demanded.
Xu Boda sniffled and hurriedly changed his tune. "It... it was my own idea to seek refuge with you! My admiration for City Lord Lei is like a mighty river, flowing endlessly..."
*Thud!* Another baton strike.
"Son of a bitch!" This time, Lei the Tiger hit even harder, wearing an expression of exasperation. "No respect for your elders at all! Acting on your own!"
"Say it again!"
Xu Boda was completely bewildered, clutching his head which now sported two large bumps. "Huh?"
Lei the Tiger looked at his stupid expression, sighed, tossed the baton onto the desk, and adopted a magnanimous posture. "Forget it. Considering your uncle and I had some history, I won't hold it against you. I'll take the map."
He paused, sizing up Xu Boda's body, seemingly drained by debauchery, then waved a dismissive hand. "I originally thought about giving you an official position, but with a brain like yours, you probably can't even count. Report to the Logistics Department. You can stay here and clean. We just happen to need a 'director' for the toilets."
"Th-thank you, City Lord Lei!" Xu Boda felt as if granted a pardon, scrambling out on hands and knees, terrified of receiving a third strike.
The next morning, the air in Hope City was thick with a restless tension. "Peregrine Falcon" Zhang Wei, undercover in the labor camp, was mechanically hauling heavy construction materials. Out of the corner of his eye, he keenly noticed Hope City's proud Veteran Motorcade assembling on a large scale.
Dozens of pickup trucks modified with steel plates and crash bars started their engines one after another, the roar deafening. Lei the Tiger's burly figure appeared at the entrance of the city lord's mansion, waving his rubber baton triumphantly.
"Hah! I'm deploying seventy percent of our forces this time. That Arsenal is as good as mine!" Lei the Tiger announced loudly, as if the weapons were already in his pocket.
Standing beside him, Chai Hu, though also excited, cautiously asked, "Brother, what if that dead fatty's map is fake?"
Lei the Tiger sneered, a flash of cruelty in his eyes. "What do you think, little brother? If he dares trick me, he won't like the consequences. I'll personally render his fat into lamp oil!"
As the convoy rumbled out the main gate, Hope City's internal defenses instantly dropped to their lowest point. The surrounding survivors whispered among themselves—some praying the city lord would bring back more food, others worried about the weakened city defenses.
However, half an hour later, a sudden change occurred.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Several violent explosions erupted from within the city lord's mansion, flames shooting into the sky. The previously quiet Hope City instantly descended into chaos, the shrill wail of air raid sirens piercing the air.
"Zombies are inside the city! Run!" someone shouted. Thousands of survivors scattered like headless flies.
Peregrine Falcon dropped the brick in his hands, frowning as he stared toward the city lord's mansion. He noticed that although the soldiers inside the city were frantically rushing back, their movements were chaotic and disorganized, clearly indicating a breakdown in the command system.
Meanwhile, on the top floor of the city lord's mansion.
Lei the Tiger, his face covered in blood, slumped to the floor. He stared in shock at the man standing before him—a man who should have been dead—Xu Zhen.
Xu Zhen, now dressed in a sharp suit and holding an elegant Browning pistol, stood there. Behind him, the previously meek Xu Boda wore a sinister smile.
"Xu Zhen... you're not dead? You old fox, you faked your death?!" Lei the Tiger roared through gritted teeth. "And you, Xu Boda, you little bastard dared to deceive me, Lei the Tiger!"
"Deceive you? You were too greedy, too reckless." Xu Zhen elegantly pulled the trigger, the bullet striking the floor near Lei the Tiger's foot. "Did you really think I'd give an Arsenal to a brute like you who only knows how to swing a baton?"
Xu Boda stepped forward, stomping on Lei the Tiger's wound, shouting arrogantly, "Screw you! You hit me twice yesterday. Today, I'll take your life! Let's see how you get out of here today!"
Before the city soldiers could storm the building, Xu Zhen's men had completely secured control. Lei the Tiger and Chai Hu were bound tightly and then, like two sacks of garbage, thrown off the rooftop in full view of everyone.
*Thud! Thud!*
Two dull impacts, and the once-overbearing lord of Hope City was reduced to two pulpy messes.
Xu Zhen walked to the edge of the balcony, raising a megaphone to address the bewildered soldiers below. After a mix of threats, inducements, and promises of benefits, the leaderless soldiers ultimately chose to switch sides. Hope City had changed hands within a single hour.
...
F City University, Command Center.
Lin Xuan sat before a massive surveillance screen, coldly watching the live feed transmitted by Peregrine Falcon. When the image froze on Xu Boda's face, twisted with maniacal laughter, Lin Xuan's pupils contracted slightly, and the hand holding his coffee cup paused mid-air.
"So he's still alive?"
Lin Xuan let out an emotionless laugh. This face was all too familiar—Xu Boda, the rich kid who, minutes before the apocalypse broke out, had driven off in a supercar right in front of him, taking his ex-girlfriend Su Qing.
"Since Xu Boda is here, where would that bitch Su Qing be?" Lin Xuan set down his coffee cup, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes.
He turned and issued new orders to the surrounding Intelligence Department. "Notify Peregrine Falcon. I want every architectural detail of the Hope City lord's mansion, down to every brick and tile. Also, keep a tight watch on Xu Zhen and Xu Boda. I want to know when they take a shit and when they step outside. Since they're 'old friends,' I need to send them a proper gift."
"Yes, sir. Should we arrange an assassination?" Lin Jianqing asked coolly.