Chapter 112: Can

“Hey, help! Save us!”

“Kind soul, please take us with you!”

As the convoy turned a corner, a cry for help suddenly rang out.

Zhang Su turned his head and saw a man and two women leaning out from the second floor of an English tutoring center beside the road, frantically waving at him.

The three people in the vehicle remained silent; the car continued forward at a steady pace.

The H6 and Prado behind them showed no intention of stopping either.

“Cold-blooded beasts, you’ll suffer for this!”

“Are you even human? Worse than pigs and dogs…”

Poisonous curses rose from behind.

On the Prado, Yu Qing slightly pursed her lips and said, “Xiao Bo, I don’t think they’re bad people—aren’t you going to help them?”

“These decisions are up to Brother Su. If he doesn’t stop, it means he doesn’t want to save them. Even if it were up to me, I wouldn’t save them!”

Lu Yubo shrugged, his stance unmistakable.

“From what I can tell, those people are definitely worse off than us—haha, otherwise why would they let just the three of us join the convoy? Right, Qingqing?”

Zhao Dezhu grinned as he looked toward Yu Qing.

“Zhao Dezhu, can you stop acting so cynical?”

Yu Qing gave Zhao Dezhu a weary glance. She didn’t regret agreeing to marry this fishmonger, but there was a gap in their understanding—she hoped to change him, or perhaps reshape this crude husband of hers.

“The sages said saving one life surpasses building seven tiers of pagodas. But Qingqing, you must consider your ability!”

Yu Wen now stood with Lu Yubo and Zhao Dezhu.

“Dad… how can you say that? You didn’t teach me this way before.” Yu Qing looked at her father, puzzled.

“One must have a good heart, but without the power to act, you’ll only make mistakes! When you’re powerful, help the world; when you’re poor, cultivate yourself!” Yu Wen looked at Yu Qing seriously. “I taught you to hold kindness in your heart—not to cut your own flesh to feed eagles. Do you understand?”

Yu Qing’s face showed confusion and inner conflict. Since the apocalypse, she had been ill for a long time, dazed and numb—only yesterday had she begun to recover, and only now had she the energy to think about the problems before her.

Facing these tests of human nature, she had begun to doubt her former beliefs and ideals. But when she saw her father’s firm gaze, she seemed to understand something.

“Dad, I get it!”

Did she get it?

Yu Qing clearly understood what Yu Wen meant—but whether she would act on it was another matter. Lu Yubo and Zhao Dezhu exchanged glances, their faces full of confusion; they had no idea what Yu Wen had just said.

After driving a while longer, the vehicle reached the main street—and the scene before them changed instantly!

If the side streets’ chaos was like knocking over a table inside a room, the main street was like a house after an eighth-degree earthquake.

Cars burned to shells were piled up; zombies wandered and shuffled among the wrecked vehicles; crawling zombies moved slowly on the ground; green belts had been torn open, streetlights smashed, traffic lights overturned…

Bloodstained schoolbags, legs still in shoes, disemboweled corpses—such sights were everywhere. Fortunately, the cold temperature kept the stench faint; otherwise, the reek of the corpses alone would have knocked people unconscious.

“It’s been half a month, Xinyu, Xiaoshan—do you still believe rescue is coming?”

Zhang Su looked at the ruined scene before him and asked the two beside him in a low voice.

“It’s hopeless…” Zhong Xiaoshan shook her head.

Zheng Xinyu sighed. “So will we have to spend every day killing zombies from now on?”

Zhang Su shook his head. “Of course I want to return to the stable life we had before. But until we reach our goal, it’ll probably be just as you said—every day killing zombies. Not just that—we’ll also have to watch out for backstabbers…”

The main road was clogged with vehicles. Though traffic wasn’t completely blocked, progress was difficult. After driving a short distance, Zhang Su had no choice but to turn onto the sidewalk of the side road.

But as the van turned onto the side road, Zhang Su noticed something strange in his rearview mirror!

“Damn, when did another car start following us?”

The discovery stunned the three of them.

Earlier, they’d been weaving through streets and dodging zombie attacks, completely unaware of what was behind. Now, as they turned, they saw a black Pajero trailing behind the Prado.

“We don’t know when it started following us…”

Zhong Xiaoshan frowned at the battered SUV in the rearview mirror.

“We need some walkie-talkies—otherwise communication between vehicles is too inconvenient!”

Zhang Su felt the lack of communication was unbearable.

“First, find out what the Pajero wants!”

Zhang Su slowly slowed the car.

The H6 and Prado behind immediately understood and also reduced speed. The people in both vehicles noticed the Pajero trailing behind and wondered what its occupants intended.

Zhang Su’s plan was: if the Pajero was merely coincidentally traveling the same route, it should now accelerate and pass. But from the rearview mirror, he saw the Pajero had also slowed down, still following calmly behind.

“Annoying pest! Grab your weapons!”

Zhang Su frowned, glanced around, slammed on the brakes, grabbed his crossbow from behind his seat, loaded an arrow, and pushed open the door.

Lu Yubo, seeing Zhang Su open his door, snatched his weapon and jumped out swiftly, muttering, “Let me see what kind of bastards you are!”

As the last vehicle in the convoy, Lu Yubo was the first to spot the Pajero’s appearance.

In the old world, a car tailing you meant nothing. But in this desperate, tense apocalypse, caution was essential—especially after the recent vehicle theft. Everyone was on edge.

“Xinyu, Xiaoshan, Chen Hanzhou, Zhu, handle the zombies approaching us and keep watch around. Everyone else, follow me!”

As he gave orders, Zhang Su leveled his crossbow at the few people stepping out of the Pajero. “Stop! Don’t move!”

Tan Huajun’s appearance mirrored Zhang Su’s: a giant caliper stuck vertically on his back, its long handle resembling an antenna. He advanced with a crossbow aimed.

“Don’t be alarmed, gentlemen. We mean no harm!”

Three people stepped out of the Pajero: the driver, a man in a baseball cap; the front passenger, a woman holding a shovel; and the rear passenger, a man with glasses who looked refined—except for the bloodstains on his coat.

“We’re not armed. Don’t worry—we truly mean no harm!”

The baseball cap man was startled when he saw two crossbows pointed at him, but then his face brightened. He quickly raised both hands, clearly showing he carried no weapons.

“Why are you following us?”

Zhang Su didn’t lower his guard. Just over half an hour ago, a vehicle had been stolen—he was even more cautious now.

“Allow me to introduce myself first. We’re a small team from a safe base, out gathering supplies. We happened to encounter you—it’s pure coincidence. I’ve been following you because I’d like to invite you to join our safe base.”

The leader in the baseball cap spoke slowly: “Our base has basic supply distribution, some living space, and best of all—hot water. Real hot water for showers!”

After speaking, the baseball cap man waited calmly, expecting cheers of joy. But the reaction was the opposite of what he expected.

Zhang Su and the others wore strange expressions—like people trying not to laugh at a fool.

Was this the best trick they could come up with? Couldn’t they try something new?

“Gentlemen, don’t you believe me? I know this sounds hard to believe, but once you reach our base, you’ll see I’m telling the truth!”

The baseball cap man spoke with sincere eyes.

Zhang Su stepped onto the Prado’s running board, his crossbow resting on his thigh as he kept it aimed at them. He sneered, “I bet your next line is: if you want to join our base, you must surrender all your supplies, right?”

“Hahahaha… damn, these guys all use the same trick! Brother Su, it seems scamming’s a great business. Why don’t we just stop looking for supplies and start stealing and robbing instead? It’s much faster!”

Lu Yubo grinned. These guys were identical to Liang Dacheng’s trio from yesterday—even the vehicle was the same SUV. The only difference was the crew: Liang Dacheng had three men; this group had two men and one woman.

“No, no, no.” To their surprise, the baseball cap man waved his hand. “Joining our base doesn’t require surrendering supplies! Weapons aren’t allowed inside the base—only issued when you go out to scavenge.”

Zhang Su and the others rolled their eyes. He smiled. “Thanks for the invitation, but we have no interest in joining your base. The road is wide—let’s go our separate ways. Please leave.”

The baseball cap man hadn’t expected such a swift refusal. He pursed his lips. “I can see you’re the leader of this group. As a competent leader, shouldn’t you consider your subordinates’ opinions?”

“Tsk…” Zhang Su made a strange face and turned to the others. “See? This is exactly the kind of ‘democracy’ Song Yijun liked. Too bad he was too impulsive—he left yesterday. Otherwise, he’d have found his perfect home today.”

Everyone smiled faintly.

“Let us into your base, hand over our weapons—that’s even greedier than the group we encountered yesterday. You want our weapons and our supplies, while minimizing your own risk. Clever trick. I’ve learned something.”

Zhang Su nodded seriously.

In the apocalypse, weapons rank highest in priority. Forget firearms—even a weak woman with a dagger could take down a burly man or carve a path through zombies. Without weapons, you’re nothing.

“No wonder you’re hostile toward us. You must’ve had a similar experience yesterday. I’m truly sorry. With order collapsed, bad people will surely take advantage—but don’t condemn all good people because of a few!”

The baseball cap man pleaded earnestly.

“Stop preaching…”

“Huh? Nurse Zhong?”

Zhang Su was about to speak when the glasses-wearing man behind the baseball cap suddenly exclaimed in shock, took two steps forward, his face filled with disbelief.

Instantly, two crossbows aimed at the glasses man—he held a bloodstained crowbar.

“Stop! Don’t move! You said you had no weapons—then what’s that in your hand? That blood is zombie blood, isn’t it?”

Zhang Su said sternly.

Everyone tensed. Could a weapon stained with zombie blood transmit the virus?

No one knew—but no one dared risk it.

“What a cruel group.”

“You call this a safe base? Pfft!”

The glasses man nervously shook his hand; the crowbar clattered to the ground. “I just grabbed it from the car—no ill intent! I know… I know that lady.”

“Xiaoshan, do you know this man?”

Zhang Su asked Zhong Xiaoshan, who was on guard nearby.

Zhong Xiaoshan looked at the glasses man and nodded. “Yes. He’s an associate chief physician in internal medicine. His surname is Chen.”

“Oh, so you’re Dr. Chen. Pleased to meet you. Step back!” Zhang Su first spoke politely, then barked sharply.

Dr. Chen awkwardly stepped back, beaming at Zhong Xiaoshan. “Nurse Zhong, it’s been so long I almost didn’t recognize you! Who’d have thought we’d meet here—it’s such a coincidence!”

“Hmm, yes, quite a coincidence.”

Zhong Xiaoshan showed no interest in catching up. She simply nodded and turned back to her post. But the man wouldn’t let it go.

“Nurse Zhong, our meeting again is fate! Tell your leader to join our base—I’ll protect you personally. I swear I won’t let you get hurt!”

Deputy Chen spoke with great emotion.

As soon as he finished speaking, nearly everyone on Zhang Su’s side changed expression.

Even the taciturn Chen Hanzhou knew Zhong Xiaoshan was Zhang Su’s woman—this was tantamount to open provocation, utterly despicable.

In the past, this would likely have sparked a one-on-one duel; now, it could easily turn into a bloody incident!

In an instant, all eyes turned to Zhang Su’s face, except Tan Huajun, who still kept her aim locked on the opposite side.

“Fuck your mom, pretty boy—who the hell do you think you are to protect Nurse Zhong? Do you think I won’t kill you right now?”

Lu Yubo exploded first—how dare someone try to steal his boss’s woman?

Zheng Xinyu pointed her baseball bat forward: “Deputy Chen, you’d better go wash your face and go to sleep. Zhong Xiao is already taken—stop pretending to be helpful and trying to cozy up!”

Zhong Xiao’s face turned pale as she waved her hands frantically: “Brother Su, don’t misunderstand—I have nothing to do with him!”

“I can see that,” Zhang Su said with a cryptic smile. “Even if he did have feelings for you before, you wouldn’t have given a second thought to a deputy director, right?”

“Exactly, exactly!” Zhong Xiao thought Zhang Su was a genius—he had perfectly captured how she’d felt back in the hospital.

Doctors below the director level weren’t even worth a glance; you needed overseas training at minimum. Age didn’t matter—what counted was profound knowledge, talent, and a generous salary.

Deputy Chen was caught off guard—he’d planned to use a familiar face as a go-between, but instead he’d walked straight into a landmine. He’d assumed Zhong Xiao was on the periphery because she’d been sent out to deal with zombies and stood guard nearby—but he never imagined she was at the very core.

This completely overturned his years of workplace experience in reading people’s expressions.

“Cough… Sir, you mustn’t misunderstand. My concern for Nurse Zhong is purely collegial—absolutely nothing to do with romantic feelings. Haha.”

Zhang Su grinned. “Deputy Chen, I totally believe you—you’re clearly one of those upright gentlemen who only prescribe expensive drugs outside of medical insurance, right?”

“Deputy Chen, I’m embarrassed for you—let me speak instead…”

The baseball cap man tugged Deputy Chen’s arm and smiled: “Whether you believe us or not, our safe base already has over twenty people. If you’re in trouble, go to Building 3 of Jintai Garden Community—we’ve got a lookout post there!”

“We won’t disturb you further—we’re leaving now.”

With that, the baseball cap man turned to get in the car.

“Wait!”

Zhang Su called out to the man.

All three turned to Zhang Su, thinking he’d changed his mind.

“You’ve been tailing us for ages, scared the hell out of us—made us think we were being ambushed—and wasted our time. Don’t you think you owe us compensation for mental distress and lost time?”

Zhang Su held out his hand—the meaning was clear: hand over something!

Lu Yubo immediately chimed in: “Absolutely right, Boss! When that Pajero pulled up behind us, I nearly pissed myself—I even scratched the paint when I jerked the wheel. Back then, that’d cost at least ten or twelve thousand; now? At least three or five boxes of instant noodles!”

“More than that!” Zhao Dezhu jumped in like a sidekick: “When you bumped into me just now, you banged my hand—damn it, Nurse Zhong just stitched me up, and now the thread’s snapped! Ouch, it hurts so bad I wanna scream for Mom!”

If not for Yu Wen holding her back, Yu Qing would’ve smashed Zhao Dezhu’s skull a hundred times—that lie was so pathetic she couldn’t believe he’d say it.

(End of Chapter)