Chapter 102: Good Luck to You (Second Update in a Few Minutes)

“Here, your favorite chocolate bread!”

Zheng Xinyu handed Zhang Su a bulging plastic-wrapped package.

“Good boy.”

Zhang Su loved chocolate bread and often bought it from a bakery in Wanda Mall, but clearly, those days were gone—having this mass-produced item was already rare. He smiled and pinched Zheng Xinyu’s cheek.

A group entered the dilapidated ramen shop; underfoot, broken glass crunched everywhere. Tables and chairs lay overturned, the refrigerator lay open on the floor, several soda bottles shattered on the ground. Through the window, the kitchen was visible—more chaotic than the dining area, with only a moldy dough lump left on the counter!

“Damn, I thought we’d get some braised beef.”

Lu Yu walked into the kitchen and poked around with a grain sampler, finding only scattered cilantro and green onions.

“Braised beef? Why don’t you just die of happiness!” Zhang Su teased, then turned to the seated group: “I’m sure you’re all curious about this skinny guy. Let me introduce him—my employee, Wu Lue. Yes, you didn’t know—I run a convenience store, not far from here!”

A few sentences carried heavy weight; the group took a long moment to process it.

“Oh my god, Zhang Su, so even the convenience store is yours? No wonder you always push weird stuff on me!”

Zheng Xinyu stood with one hand on her hip, cheeks puffed out, her face smudged with dust—no longer beautiful, but her eyes still bright. She glanced sideways at Zhang Su, recalling the past year, wondering how much she’d been cheated out of by this heartless bastard.

Tan Huajun joked: “So I and Xiao Wu are colleagues? Brother Su, you’ve been hiding this well—even your two sisters-in-law didn’t know you had other businesses?”

“Hmph! Maybe not just us—does Wu Lue even know?” Zheng Xinyu looked at Wu Lue.

Wu Lue blinked in surprise: “Whoa, sister-in-law, you’re amazing! I really didn’t know… how did you find out?”

“How did I—”

“Enough, no need to explain!”

Zhang Su cut them off, shooting Zheng Xinyu a glare—his little scheme was fully exposed!

He turned again to the group: “Wu Lue was hiding with another female employee at the convenience store, but a few days ago, a group stormed in, kicked him out, and imprisoned my other female employee!”

“What do we do now, damn it—we have to rescue her right away!”

Zhao Dezhu immediately panicked upon hearing Zhang Su, then realized his reaction was too strong and glanced shyly at Yu Qing.

Yu Qing didn’t even look up; after taking her medicine, she was drowsy, but they couldn’t just leave her alone in the car.

“That’s right—I do need to rescue her, but this…”

“Brother Su, aren’t you being reckless with the team’s safety? Don’t hold me back, let me speak—”

Before Zhang Su could finish, Song Yijun, sitting in the corner, couldn’t hold back: “Rescuing Wu Lue was already risky—now you want to drag us all into another danger?”

“Shut the hell up!” Kuang Miao hadn’t even tried to stop Song Yijun, and now he awkwardly apologized to Zhang Su: “Brother Su… sorry…”

The atmosphere inside the ramen shop turned heavy.

Zhang Su’s veteran members glared angrily at Song Yijun—not questioning whether the rescue was reasonable, but wondering what the hell he meant by openly defying the team leader.

Yu Wen pretended to care for his daughter Yu Qing, but watched Song Yijun with an odd expression.

Zhang Su set down the bread, licked his dry lips, and let out a light laugh as he walked toward Song Yijun.

“Brother Su, don’t—don’t do this! Chen Hanzhou and I will talk to him, please don’t—”

Kuang Miao rushed forward, pleading—he truly feared Zhang Su would draw his blade and cut Song Yijun down.

Zhang Su patted Kuang Miao’s shoulder, stepped before Song Yijun, and said: “I can see you have serious issues with me. Here’s your chance—leave the team. Go find your own vast world.”

Zhang Su’s words didn’t surprise anyone.

A team needs unity—especially in the apocalypse, where survival demands absolute cohesion.

Sometimes a leader’s decisions aren’t perfect, but everyone must unite to carry them out. This is survival, not a lab experiment—constant questioning and second-guessing won’t yield results.

“I agree!”

An unexpected scene unfolded.

The first to stand and support Zhang Su was Chen Hanzhou—the very classmate who’d escaped school with Song Yijun!

“Ever since the zombie-attracting mission, Song Yijun has been complaining nonstop about Brother Su’s decisions. I think he’s lost his mind—this isn’t about the decisions, it’s personal. He rejects every single suggestion Brother Su makes. Kuang Miao and Sister Tan can confirm what I’m saying!”

Chen Hanzhou’s face was unusually serious—ever since he killed one of Liang Dacheng’s men at the gas station, he’d been like this.

“You, Chen Hanzhou—what the hell are you even on? How can you turn against your own classmate?!”

Song Yijun was furious—he’d considered Chen Hanzhou a friend.

“Yes, Xiao Chen is right!” Tan Huajun had planned to speak privately to Zhang Su, but now that it was out, she no longer held back—she laid out every conversation she’d overheard on the vehicle.

Aaaoooh.

Perhaps their voices were too loud—a zombie appeared at the door, quickly dispatched by Zhong Xiaoshanjian and Lu Yu together.

All eyes returned to Song Yijun and Zhang Su.

“You like democracy? Fine—go form your own democratic team. Meanwhile, I’ll use this chance to reorganize. Anyone else who likes democracy? Walk out with Song Yijun!”

Zhang Su turned to the group, pointing outside: “You can take rations. If more than three of you leave, I’ll even give you a car!”

He’d never considered using the [Loyalty Brand] on Song Yijun—he didn’t deserve it.

Despite such generous terms, everyone shook their heads vigorously—democracy? Most of them had no ideas at all—they just wanted someone to lead them to survive.

“I never said I was leaving! I just voiced an opinion—you don’t have to accept it. I’m not going anywhere!”

Song Yijun’s face flushed red and pale. Seeing the zombie kicked by Lu Yu tumble down the stairs, a wave of panic surged in him—outside was terrifying. Could he really survive alone?

He asked himself honestly—the answer was no…

His complaints and rebuttals were just momentary outbursts—he didn’t want to leave the team.

“No. Your presence is severely damaging team cohesion. You must leave today. If you don’t go willingly, don’t blame me.”

Zhang Su rested his hand on his waist sheath—the message was clear: earlier, he lacked sufficient reason to act; now, he had more than enough.

After a day of sunlight, the temperature had warmed slightly—around ten degrees—but everyone felt the ramen shop’s air plummet to freezing.

Before the disaster, someone might’ve thought Zhang Su was just bluffing. Now, no one doubted him—he meant every word.

“Don’t, Brother Su—he’s got a screw loose, don’t take it personally!”

Kuang Miao pleaded urgently.

He disliked Song Yijun’s behavior, but they were classmates, lived in adjacent dorms, had known each other for years—his relationship with Song was decent.

Zhang Su shook his head: “This matter must be settled today. He’ll create dangerous setbacks at critical moments. He must leave!”

Different opinions in a team are normal—Kuang Miao offered suggestions too, as did Zheng Xinyu, Lu Yu, and Yu Wen. But Song Yijun? He only opposed—deliberately provoking, poisoning team cohesion. That was terrifying!

“Brother Su—”

Pei Lan opened her mouth, but Lu Yu pulled her back. She bit her lip and stayed silent.

Song Yijun hadn’t expected things to escalate this far. His face darkened, fists clenched, teeth gritted: “Fine, I’m leaving. Give me my stuff!”

“I said what I meant. Xinyu, pack him a full backpack of supplies!” Zhang Su was swift—those supplies weren’t his anyway; just deduct them from the students’ stock.

“Hey, don’t be so impulsive!”

Kuang Miao grabbed Song Yijun’s arm—he was truly panicked, glancing between Chen Hanzhou, who glared coldly, hoping Song would leave, and Pei Lan, who avoided his gaze.

“Brother Su, if you force Song Yijun out, I’m going with him!”

Kuang Miao’s words stunned everyone.

Song Yijun was stunned—he stared at Kuang Miao, feeling moved, guilty, and even deeper hatred toward Zhang Su.

Zhang Su frowned at Kuang Miao—then, less than three seconds later, smiled: “Fine. Xinyu, pack another backpack for them!”

A child’s tantrum couldn’t force Zhang Su to compromise—he never cared about the students tagging along. They’d insisted on joining, then caused trouble.

“You love playing the good guy!”

Chen Hanzhou glared at Kuang Miao in disgust, snorted, and turned away—he thought this emotional rebellion was utterly stupid.

“Brother!”

Song Yijun gripped Kuang Miao’s arm, cheeks flushed with excitement, and turned to the group: “Anyone else want to come? Three people can share a car—Brother Su said so himself!”

But Song Yijun received only silence. The group stared at him like he was an idiot.

“Trying to mimic adult arguments—walk out, and you might die. Poor kid…”

Yu Wen shook his head, muttering—today’s college students were so immature.

Song Yijun didn’t care—he declared proudly: “Youth without recklessness is wasted youth! Since we’re young, we must be wild! Fish-Killer, Teachers—join us! We’re democratic—vote on everything, no dictatorship!”

Zhao Dezhu gave a strange, awkward grin and shook his head, saying nothing.

Yu Wen smiled faintly, nodding—his expression said: May you soar far.

Soon, Zheng Xinyu brought two fully packed backpacks—bulging, no tricks, so as not to undermine Zhang Su’s authority.

Zhang Su took them from her and placed them on the table: “Stop your speech. Good luck.”

“Thank you,” Song Yijun said coldly, hefting the pack—its weight stirred regret, but the bow was drawn, no turning back.

“Brother Su, even though I’ve been with you a short time, I’ve learned a lot. Thank you sincerely,” Kuang Miao said earnestly—he truly didn’t want to leave, but couldn’t abandon his friend.

Song Yijun and Kuang Miao slung their packs and walked out of the ramen shop. Knowing a horde of zombies wandered down JianShe Road to the left, they headed right.

“Such childishness—thinking this is like throwing a tantrum at home… sigh.”

Tan Huajun’s daughter was a few years younger—she viewed them like her own kids, just like when her daughter once threw a fit over not getting a phone, refused to eat, starved herself, sneaked into the kitchen to cook noodles, and burned her hand.

Zhang Su waved his hand and tapped his fingers on the table: “You know why I refuse to take in more survivors? If more inexperienced fools like Song Yijun show up, the team will just fall apart.”

Zhao Dezhu rubbed his head, his expression odd: “That kid reminded me of a new guy in the supermarket produce section—same damn attitude. Boss says anything, he’s all ‘I’m not buying it.’ Ask him for suggestions? He stammers for minutes, can’t spit out a single idea. No brains, just temper. You gonna respect him?”

The group chuckled at Zhao Dezhu’s comical gestures.

“Chen Hanzhou, Pei Lan—any thoughts?”

Zhang Su asked the two remaining students.

Chen Hanzhou shook his head: “Brother Su, I was going to talk to you about Song Yijun anyway—now I don’t have to gossip behind his back. But I never expected Kuang Miao to go crazy with him!”

Pei Lan tugged at her sleeve, softly: “I think staying with everyone is fine. I don’t get Song Yijun’s thinking—maybe he was used to being a little leader at school.”

“You’re right—he just wants to be boss but has no ability. A loudmouth donkey,” Lu Yu cut in sharply.

“Enough, don’t mention him again!” Zhang Su didn’t want to dwell on Song Yijun—he turned to the group: “Eat quickly. I’ll clear the next room. We’ll rest at the dry cleaner soon.”

“I’m going with you!” Zheng Xinyu hurried after Zhang Su.

Zhong Xiaoshanyi, who rose a moment later, hesitated slightly but followed anyway.

“Sigh… I’m so envious of Brother Su—flanked by two sisters, and they don’t even fight or argue! How awesome…”

As Lu Yu and the other three left, they muttered with deep emotion, their eyes constantly flicking toward Pei Lan—but she merely kept her head down, ignoring them.

“Why go all the way to the dry cleaner to rest? Isn’t the ramen shop good enough?”

As they stepped out of the shop, Zheng Xinyu asked curiously.

“The ramen shop is at least a restaurant—survivors passing by are likely to go in and scavenge. The dry cleaner? Just dirty clothes. Not useless, sure, but survivors who made it out usually aren’t short on clothes, so it’s less likely to be visited. That makes it a good place to rest.”

As he spoke, Zhang Su glanced around and saw no sign of Kuang Miao or Song Yijun. He crouched and slipped through the shattered glass door into the dry cleaner, warning Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshanyi to be careful not to cut themselves!

At the same time, Liang Dacheng’s younger brother, whom Zhang Su had let go from the gas station, rode his bicycle to the entrance of a morning agricultural market.

The market was sizable, but many storefronts outside remained vacant, as if newly built.

“Xiao Wu?”

Before the younger brother could knock, a puzzled voice came from inside the market’s large iron gate.

Xiao Wu was Liang Dacheng’s younger brother. At the sound, he immediately shouted: “Brother Quan, open up! Quick, open up!”

Click.

A small door opened. Xiao Wu pushed his bicycle inside.

Inside the market, a ring of storefronts surrounded two rows of back-to-back shops, totaling seventy or eighty units—but occupancy was dismal. Only about twenty had signs, mostly vegetable and fruit stalls, with a few small takeout kitchens.

“Why are you back alone? Where are Boss and Xiao Geng?”

The gatekeeper’s face grew grim—he sensed something was wrong.

Xiao Wu’s tense expression finally cracked. He threw his bicycle aside and burst into tears, grabbing the gatekeeper’s arm: “They’re dead—Boss and Xiao Geng are both dead…”

“Shit, dead? Second Boss will go insane. Come on, get inside and tell us everything!”

The gatekeeper led Xiao Wu into a shop specializing in takeout fried chicken.

With no electricity, the shop was dim. Two candles burned stubbornly. Around a table sat four people: three were playing Landlord, while the lone woman sat quietly, staring blankly.

“Xiao Wu’s back? How’d your trip with Brother go? Get much stuff? For Six…”

A man, cigarette in mouth, tossed down two cards after speaking to Xiao Wu.

“Eight pair! Over!”

“Stop playing—Boss and Xiao Geng didn’t come back…”

The gatekeeper’s words froze the room.

Liang Xiao, who had been squatting on a stool, leapt to his feet and yanked Xiao Wu’s collar forward, the cigarette ember nearly touching his nose.

“Where’s my brother?”

Xiao Wu, face twisted in grief, sobbed: “He was killed—Boss was murdered! Second Brother, you have to avenge him!”

“This…”

“What?!”

Liang Xiao’s hair stood on end. He had assumed his brother died at the hands of zombies—never imagined he’d been killed by humans. His rage threatened to burst his lungs.

“My brother wasn’t weak. You and Xiao Geng were with him. How could you be killed? Who? Tell me—who did it?!”

Liang Xiao nearly exploded, shoving Xiao Wu to the ground and lunging to kick him—his companions pulled him back.

Someone quickly shut the plastic steel door to keep the noise from drawing zombies nearby.

Haha, the clinic’s service was great—I said two days and they immediately refunded my third day’s medicine fee. Excellent. Ten-thousand-word update, let’s go.

(End of Chapter)