60: Dawn Base 2.0

The group sat in the vehicle, revving the engine, and headed straight for Dawn Base.

Along the way, Cheng Xiao held Pan Han tightly, neither speaking nor letting go, as if afraid he would suddenly disappear.

Wei Monk floored the accelerator, and the off-road vehicle sped at 400 kilometers per hour.

Occasionally, they encountered stray zombies or mutated beasts on the road, but they tried to bypass them, avoiding entanglement, and aimed to return to the base as quickly as possible.

Besides holding Cheng Xiao, Pan Han also had to grip the handrail with his other hand. He still couldn't adapt to such speed and was very nervous.

"Lord Pan, why does your hair smell like shampoo? I don't remember you washing your hair this morning?"

Cheng Xiao had been resting in his arms for half an hour before gradually calming down.

Her sensitive nose caught a faint scent, and after confirming, she realized it was coming from Pan Han's hair.

"Well, let's not talk about this for now. We can discuss it when we get back. You can continue resting," Pan Han said evasively.

"Lord Pan, this time, I, Qin Zhong, am utterly impressed by you. You truly are courageous and resourceful!"

"Me too!" Wei Monk echoed.

"Not at all, I just got lucky. It was a coincidence I wasn't blown to bits."

Qin Zhong listened, revealing a meaningful smile, but did not press further.

"Cheng Xiao, ask about Old Wu's situation."

"Yes, Lord Pan!" Cheng Xiao picked up the walkie-talkie.

"Calling Second Sister, calling Second Sister!"

"Received, Seventh Sister!"

"Where are you now?"

"About 100 kilometers more. Old Wu has a wound, so we're driving steadily, afraid of bumps."

"Second Sister, drive slowly. We should catch up with you soon, and then we'll return to the base together."

"Received!"

...

Old Liu, who was guarding the base, had been standing on the gate tower since morning without leaving. At this moment, he received news that the operation was successful, and everyone would arrive at the base in 30 minutes.

He cheered, raising his arms high, and turned to tell the accompanying slaves to quickly prepare food, as they were going to celebrate!

A plume of dust rose from the distant horizon, and Old Liu saw it clearly through his binoculars—it was Pan Han’s vehicle.

"Haha! Lord Pan is awesome!" Old Liu couldn't help but shout, then picked up his machine gun and fired a burst into the sky.

"Old Liu, we're almost there. Did you miss us?" Pan Han spoke to Old Liu over the walkie-talkie.

"Lord Pan, you're finally back. How is Fifth Brother?"

"Your Fifth Brother is as steady as an old dog!" Second Sister shouted over the channel.

"Old Liu, don't worry, I'm fine, just need a few days of rest!"

"Sixth Brother, is the celebration feast ready? Our operation was very successful, the Iron Gang has been annihilated!"

"Yes, yes, yes! As long as everyone is back, there's everything! I finally won't starve to death! Hahaha!"

A burly man danced on the city tower.

Finally, the convoy arrived at the base.

The members of Dawn Squad gathered in a circle, touching their foreheads together, and only separated after a long time. This was their unique ritual.

Wei Monk and the other slaves also breathed a sigh of relief.

Pan Han lit a cigarette and sat alone on the hood of the off-road vehicle, happily watching everyone.

He enjoyed such scenes, everyone united in solving problems.

"It's a pity about Xiang Xiu. He wasn't exactly evil; he just wanted to survive," Pan Han thought to himself.

However, since they were doing it, they had to go all the way, otherwise, if they grew stronger in the future, Dawn Base would have an even harder time. A powerful neighbor is always a threat.

After a few pleasantries, Second Sister helped Old Wu go back to rest first, while the others all looked towards Pan Han.

"Attention!" Qin Zhong gave the command.

Even Wei Monk and the other slaves stood ramrod straight, their eyes gleaming as they stared at Pan Han.

"Dawn Base, the mission to annihilate the Iron Gang is complete. Please give your instructions, Lord Pan."

"Old Qin, you're doing this again! So much formalism. What instructions am I going to give? Let's eat first! We can talk after eating."

Pan Han seemed to be influenced by Old Liu's revolutionary optimism and did not give instructions on the spot, but instead quickly urged everyone to eat.

"Long live Lord Pan!" Everyone cheered enthusiastically.

Old Liu even carried Lord Pan on his shoulders, making sure he was comfortable, and carried him all the way to the villa hall.

Qin Zhong and Cheng Xiao were covered in mud and blood, so they went to wash up first.

Pan Han chatted with Wei Monk for a few moments, then let him take the other slaves to eat first.

Old Liu leaned closer to Pan Han and asked what the Iron Gang's leader looked like after the explosion.

"You scoundrel, are you afraid he didn't die thoroughly enough!" Pan Han gave him a light punch!

"Ouch, that hurts! Lord Pan, you don't know, that damned leader had been coveting our Qin Laoda for a long time. He tried to coerce and tempt him many times before. It would be great if he could die completely this time!" Old Liu said with a chuckle.

"I think only half a pair of his feet were left on the ground; the rest of him was gone," Pan Han described, pointing at the floor.

"Oh my! That power is incredible. So, Lord Pan, how did you escape?"

"I used the 'bathroom escape' trick and hid in the toilet. After everything exploded, Qin Laoda and the others found me."

"Lord Pan is so resourceful!"

Just then, the food was served.

Everyone didn't stand on ceremony; after being out for most of the day, driving and searching, they were all starving.

Although Old Wu had a shoulder injury, he made the most of his other hand, moving it swiftly and efficiently.

Cheng Xiao and Second Sister, not letting men outdo them, ate with great vigor, emphasizing the importance of using both hands effectively.

Speaking of eating, it's always more delicious with more people! Pan Han also couldn't resist and ate seven or eight self-heating hotpots before he felt satisfied.

After eating and drinking their fill, the table was cleared.

"Lord Pan, let's have a brief summary meeting," This was Qin Zhong's fixed activity; after every operation, he would summarize it as quickly as possible.

"Alright," Pan Han naturally had no objections.

"Okay, then I'll start. This operation was very successful. Old Wu was brought back, and he's fine. The Iron Gang was completely wiped out. Lord Pan is unharmed. I can say that since I, Old Qin, have been leading teams, I've never seen such a brilliant operation. This time, it was all thanks to our Lord Pan. Applause!"

Clap, clap, clap! Everyone applauded enthusiastically.

"Lord Pan, please give your instructions!"

"Ahem, since you want me to speak, I'll say a few words." Pan Han pulled out a cigarette, lit them for everyone, and put one in his own mouth, ready to begin.

"Everyone is fine, which is great. However, we lost a lot of supplies, used up a lot of explosives, and lost one truck. We need to replenish these as soon as possible."

"But these are minor matters. What I value more is that the team has been tempered, and the threat from the Iron Gang has been eliminated."

"Next, we definitely won't be able to hide! Larger forces will certainly set their sights on us. Therefore, Dawn Base must upgrade to 2.0! And it must upgrade quickly!" At this point, Pan Han looked around, his expression serious.

"2.0?" Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but feel a little confused.

"That's right! We need to expand to 500 people in a short period!" Pan Han tapped the table, setting a goal!