Chapter 48: Chapter 48: The Birth of the Fake Mercenary Unit
Ye Fan finally confirmed what was on Smith’s mind through observation and probing.
His attempt to contact the Ice City Consulate was also explained.
This guy actually sought aid from his country’s consulate, possibly hoping that people from his country would come to save him.
However, Ye Fan is from Ice City, and it’s safe to say that the situation there is far worse than here—the big cities have become ghost towns, and the number of survivors continues to decrease, making rescue impossible.
Now it’s easy for Ye Fan to take out Smith and his group, but he can’t take risks. If Smith gets desperate and starts killing hostages, it would be trouble.
He doesn’t want his sister to face any danger, so he needs to change his strategy.
Moreover, regarding this matter, Ye Fan had a rough idea in mind from the very beginning.
"Nana, I remember when I produced soldiers for the first time, you mentioned the issue of race. Can I set the soldier’s race?"
"That’s right, Commander. At that time, the default soldier race was Qin Han locals; would you like to modify this?"
"If I produce soldiers of other races, what’s the difference compared to locals?"
"Apart from appearance, there are no significant differences. Regardless of the race, they are your Red Alert soldiers. However, you can only change the soldier’s race and modify their clothing and weapon appearance; their actual combat power remains the same."
Nana paused for a moment and provided a detailed explanation.
"For example, if you want to change Conscripts to another race, their Model 36 Submachine Gun appearance will change to AK-47 because the two gun models are basically the same. If you wish to change Army Soldiers to foreign troops, their rifle appearance will change to M16, but essentially it remains a semi-automatic rifle with no difference in performance."
"If I change the race once, can I switch it back later?"
"Yes, this is within your rights as the highest commander."
Ye Fan nodded, seemingly understanding.
However, he currently didn’t have enough Money to produce, and 1000 System Money was not enough. Producing just a few soldiers might not suffice for controlling the situation.
Ye Fan recalled what Lan Lili had mentioned about her friend’s family.
Her friend’s home was nearby in Zijin Garden District, and Ye Fan remembered that address.
From here, it’s just across the street to Zijin Garden District.
Such a distance would make a large troop conspicuous, so Ye Fan ordered Xu Haoran to lead two Three-star Army Soldiers and two military dogs to the location.
Xu Haoran received the orders and immediately headed towards Zijin Garden District with his team.
Ye Fan patiently waited here, observing the situation at the swimming pool.
Meanwhile, the soldiers below were gathering for a meal, but now the standard of food had improved significantly. With the logistics support team, each person was equipped with a lunch box containing rice and two dishes.
Currently, Ye Fan has limited resources and can’t afford lavish meals. After this matter is settled, when he returns to Chengguan Town, he plans to sweep away the zombies there, gather resources, and prepare to establish a base.
He wondered about the amount of jewelry Lan Lili had mentioned; would it be enough for him to build a Tank Factory?
The Tank Factory was a building Ye Fan had been longing for. When it first appeared in the game, there were only mining vehicles, Grizzly tanks, and a terrifying spider-like robot. Now that the system has improved, it should be different from before.
Firstly, without a mine, the mining vehicle probably can’t be built, and Ye Fan particularly disliked that terrifying robot because its main function was to ambush enemy tanks. He also found this aspect unreasonable.
No advanced tanks have been produced, yet these robots can be deployed on the battlefield. The order of technological development seems a bit backward.
The system’s improvements are obviously more logical, and Ye Fan has no clue what might appear in the Tank Factory now.
While he was daydreaming, Xu Haoran returned.
"Commander, the mission is complete. This is all the materials found at the residence you mentioned!"
As he spoke, he handed Ye Fan a black tote bag. Holding it felt neither too heavy nor too light, around ten pounds.
Ye Fan immediately opened the tote and took a glance inside.
At first, Ye Fan thought they would move the entire gold shop, but now it seemed naïve. The tote contained larger gold items like gold bracelets and gold necklaces, etc.
Definitely not reaching a jewelry store’s capacity, but certainly not a small amount.
It felt like it might compare to the size of an exhibit stand at the zoo.
All the gold was gathered together, and Nana immediately transmitted a prompt.
"Commander, rare metals detected. Would you like to convert them into System Money?"
"Convert immediately, all of it!"
"Congratulations, Commander, you’ve acquired 9000 Money!"
Ye Fan paused, noticing his current amount of System Money had reached exactly ten thousand.
If it weren’t for the current situation, Ye Fan would have undoubtedly built a Tank Factory without hesitation.
Having soldiers without tanks is somewhat impractical; now, aside from Ye Fan’s Fierce Dragon Off-road Vehicle, all other vehicles are civilian and not very useful.
But given the current circumstances, Ye Fan had no choice. The situation needed to be resolved first.
No matter how reluctant, the construction of the Tank Factory had to be postponed.
He looked at the video footage Xu Haoran took; the video showed roughly twenty foreign instructors scattered among the crowd, most of them wielding weapons.
In this way, to control the situation, at least twenty soldiers are needed.
Ye Fan decided to produce twenty-five soldiers.
Among them, twenty-one Conscripts, three United States soldiers, and one Scout.
This composition forms a platoon, with Conscripts as regular soldiers, soldiers as squad leaders, and the Scout serving as the platoon leader.
"Commander, confirm to produce twenty-five soldiers?"
"Confirmed, make sure they are White Soldiers."
"Understood, I must remind the Commander that producing soldiers of other races means they can’t be incorporated into your current regiment because they’re not the same race. Soldiers of different races can’t serve in the same unit."
Ye Fan hadn’t thought of this before, but Nana’s reminder was valid.
You can’t mix Black, White, and Asian soldiers in one unit; this isn’t the World United Army.
However, these twenty-plus people have to be produced; the current action requires their execution.
"Go ahead and produce them then."
"Confirm production: twenty-five White Soldiers, total cost of 3200 Gold!"
Ye Fan’s Money changed to 6800, and production began.
About half an hour later, a squadron of White Soldiers emerged from the classroom behind him.
The leading Scout saluted first: "Scout John reporting to the Commander!"
The soldiers and Conscripts behind him also saluted Ye Fan, looking no different from other Red Alert soldiers, and speaking fluent Chinese.
The only difference was their military uniforms, they wore foreign garments and carried guns not manufactured domestically.
Yet, these were merely cosmetic differences; inside, they were all the same.
Ye Fan addressed John: "You all speak Chinese?"
"Yes, Commander. Because you are Qin Han, and set us as White, we are fluent in both Chinese and English."
"Excellent, you can communicate smoothly with those foreign instructors."
"Yes, communication will be without obstacles."
After speaking, John asked, "Commander, these soldiers can’t be incorporated into your regular troop composition. Please provide us with a distinct identity."
Ye Fan considered: "Your identities are Guards who escaped from the Ice City Consulate. It’s estimated that it’s destroyed now, so externally you’re mercenaries. Without my orders, don’t reveal your identities because there might be some secret missions for you to undertake in the future."
"Rest assured, Commander, your will is the reason for our existence!"
John was appointed as the temporary platoon leader, while the three soldiers became squad leaders, and all the Conscripts were regular soldiers.
A temporary combat platoon was set up, but it hasn’t reached Ye Fan’s desired platoon configuration without Snipers, military dogs, or medics.
Currently, Ye Fan is tight on funds. When he has more money, he definitely plans to arm this platoon effectively.
In the post-apocalyptic world, many actions shouldn’t be rigid, but Ye Fan doesn’t want his troop’s image tarnished.
If there’s anything less than honorable, this fake mercenary group can handle it perfectly.
If any blame arises, let foreigners bear it.
Watching the squad of White soldiers as they circled out, heading towards the side entrance, these were Ye Fan’s thoughts.