Chapter 118: I Have a Secret (Wishing Everyone a Happy New Year!)

"Car keys can be cards? Wow, definitely a million-dollar luxury car—so advanced!"

Zheng Xinyu's expression was exaggerated, utterly stunned.

"Card keys aren't rare—any car these days can be upgraded to card keys, even wristwatch keys, and it's cheap! But if the car's too cheap, installing these high-end keys feels a bit embarrassing."

As he spoke, Zhang Su patted the Corgi's head and smiled: "I'll give you some meat stew later—remember to come ask me for it."

The Corgi happily rubbed against Zhang Su's palm, its cute, innocent demeanor charming.

Zheng Xinyu watched from the side, envious, and pouted: "Ungrateful dog…"

The Corgi surely didn't understand the idiom, but it sensed Zheng Xinyu's mood and quickly nuzzled against her feet to show friendliness.

"Let's go!"

Zhang Su packed his things and stood up to leave.

As he stepped out the office door, he saw the middle-aged woman Qin Huamei standing nervously to the side, tear tracks on her face—she must have already learned her husband was dealt with.

Zhang Su frowned inwardly; he'd been so focused on searching for things, he'd forgotten she was still here.

"Um… Sister Qin, what are your plans? Are you leaving to find another livelihood, or staying here?"

"I…"

Qin Huamei nervously rubbed her hands together.

"Sister Qin, don't be nervous. If you plan to leave, I'll give you a bag of supplies—enough for about a week's food and drink. If you stay, even better—we won't take everything. Don't worry."

Zhang Su reassured Qin Huamei, but he had no intention of taking her along.

Unexpectedly, Qin Huamei had no intention of leaving either. After hesitating, she gathered courage and said: "I want to go to Jingcheng to find my son, Boss. Could you…"

"Stop! No!"

Zhang Su's scalp prickled at Qin Huamei's words—Jingcheng?

Only someone with a completely insane mind would think of such a thing.

He turned to Zheng Xinyu: "Didn't you tell her about the outside situation?"

Zheng Xinyu shrugged innocently: "I did. I explained it clearly."

"Alright…" Zhang Su said nothing more: "Alright, prepare a car for Sister Qin, and pack ten days' worth of supplies. Should be enough?"

"More than enough! I can drive. It won't take ten days to get to Jingcheng—half a day's enough. Thank you so much, Boss! You're such a good person!"

Qin Huamei thanked him repeatedly.

Zhang Su waved helplessly, seeing clearly this woman had no grasp of the outside world, and said coldly: "Take your things and go…"

He didn't bother to persuade further—just like Wang Guangjun before her, widowed, with only her child as her sole hope. If she couldn't find her child, she might as well be dead.

Zheng Xinyu saw Qin Huamei cheerfully packing her things and wanted to say something, but seeing Zhang Su shake his head slightly, she stayed silent.

"Brother Su, I really don't mind the cold—just let me ride the motorcycle, please!"

"Too dangerous. I'm saying it again—it's too dangerous. No!"

Zhang Su's group headed toward the back door, while Lu Yubo kept pestering him, begging to take the Harley Cruiser motorcycle displayed in the shop window—he'd even found the keys.

"It's not dangerous—I'm awesome… Huh? Brother Su, look at Tan Hua!"

When they reached the parking yard, Lu Yubo immediately saw Tan Hua standing on top of the Mercedes G-Class, talking to someone outside the fence.

"Miss, I understand what you're saying, but this team isn't under my command—you talking to me won't help… Here, our team leader's coming—talk to him."

Tan Hua felt voices behind her, turned, saw everyone emerging, and quickly climbed down from the car: "Brother Su, this girl's a nearby survivor. She wants to join us—what do you think?"

"Big brother! Big brother!"

Before Tan Hua could finish introducing her, the woman outside the fence waved her arms, her dirty face lit with an excited smile.

Zhang Su glanced at the woman outside the fence—her face was dirty, making her look older, probably in her early twenties, carrying a large backpack, holding what looked like a hiking pole. Probably because of the cold, she'd worn whatever she could find—clothes and pants mismatched, but she had a hat, gloves, elbow pads, and knee pads.

An experienced survivor.

That was the woman's first impression on Zhang Su.

"Xinyu, here are the keys to the Mercedes G-Class. Take the supplies from the H6 and transfer them to the G-Class. Leave ten days' worth of supplies—the H6 goes to Sister Qin."

Zhang Su didn't immediately speak to the woman outside the fence—he first instructed his people to get to work, then turned to Qin Huamei: "Sister Qin, this car's been refueled and hasn't gone far—it can easily handle another four or five hundred kilometers. If everything goes well, it'll get you to Jingcheng."

"Oh yes, thank you so much, Boss! You're such a good person—if I ever get the chance, I'll repay you!"

Qin Huamei thanked him profusely.

"Alright, go help them with the loading. Wishing you a safe journey."

After handling Qin Huamei's affairs, Zhang Su turned to the woman waiting outside the fence: "What's your name?"

"I'm Zhang Ya. Brother, hello."

The girl tightened her backpack straps and waved at Zhang Su in greeting.

"Ha! Brother Su, you've got a namesake!"

Lu Yubo hadn't gone to help load the car—he was still pestering Zhang Su about the motorcycle and stayed nearby.

"Namesakes aren't rare—there are nearly a hundred million people surnamed Zhang. It's the third most common surname, you know? One in fifteen people. Why aren't you helping? Don't mention the motorcycle again, or I'll kick you!"

"Alright…"

Lu Yubo trudged off, sullen-faced, but hadn't given up—he was using his limited brain to devise endless schemes.

"Zhang Ya, right? You've been alone all this time?"

Zhang Su didn't immediately refuse Zhang Ya—her attire suggested some competence. If she was trustworthy, bringing her into the team wouldn't be a problem.

Zhang Ya nodded: "I worked at that cosmetic surgery hospital over there. After the disaster, I've been living there, occasionally going out to scavenge. When I saw you arrive at the auto shop, I thought I'd come ask—Brother, can I join you?"

Zhang Su narrowed his eyes at Zhang Ya, a sneer curling his lips: "Sis, your lying skills are terrible—full of holes. You're not being honest. Go away."

"I…" Zhang Ya panicked as Zhang Su turned to leave, grabbing the fence: "Brother, I'm not lying! Tell me where the holes are—I'll explain! I swear I'm not lying!"

"You think because I'm a guy, I don't know how cosmetic clinics operate?"

Zhang Su retorted—he'd once had a girlfriend who was a nurse at a cosmetic clinic; he didn't know every detail, but he knew enough.

"That clinic's tiny—what were you doing there at night? Stealing hyaluronic acid? Cultivating botulinum bacteria? Don't tell me you only came here after the disaster—that's even more ridiculous!"

"Also, you don't even know what we're doing, yet you want to follow us? Why not ask first what our goal is?"

Zhang Ya shook her head firmly: "Brother, everything I said is true. The night before the disaster, a client had an emergency—we had a surgical team stay to handle it. I was just an assistant. After finishing, I stayed to clean up and ended up sleeping there."

"You know, cosmetic clinics aren't like top-tier hospitals—they don't have deaths, so no fear of ghosts or spirits. But the next morning, my colleagues who'd stayed overnight turned into zombies worse than ghosts. I barely managed to kill them…"

"As for your goal… I don't know what you're aiming for, but you're a group. There's safety in numbers. Sticking with you is better than being alone!"

Zhang Su frowned slightly—her story couldn't be verified, but the second part sounded plausible. He asked: "You say you killed your colleagues and scavenged nearby—so you've killed quite a few zombies, right?"

"Of course I have! Brother, I can tell your team doesn't tolerate freeloaders—don't worry, I'm not useless. I've killed at least eight or ten zombies. I can run too—I was on the track team in high school, I won't slow you down!"

Zhang Ya spoke confidently, waving her hiking pole.

Only then did Zhang Su notice—the hiking pole wasn't ordinary. Its tip had been sharpened, stained dark red. From the way she held it, it was clearly used as a weapon, not a cane.

"One question—answer honestly. If you have to kill someone to save a companion, and that person is innocent—can you do it?"

Zhang Ya fell silent. A flicker of conflict passed over her brow. She opened her mouth to speak, but he interrupted.

"You hesitated. Your answer won't be pure. Go. You were fine alone before—you can be fine alone again."

Zhang Su turned and walked toward the Mercedes motorhome.

"I… Brother, I have a secret—you'll definitely want to hear it!"

As she spoke, Zhang Ya began climbing the fence.

"Stop! Or I won't hold back!"

Tan Hua swiftly raised her crossbow, her face tense and conflicted—she didn't want to kill this young girl, but if the girl actually climbed over, she'd fire without hesitation—enough to disable, not kill.

"Secret—just listen! If you're not interested, I'll leave on my own. Brother, give me a chance!"

Zhang Ya sat awkwardly atop the fence, caught between advance and retreat.

"Fine. You said it—if I'm not interested, you leave. If you don't leave, I'll tie you up here. Understood?"

Zhang Su was genuinely intrigued by Zhang Ya's so-called secret—though whether the secret itself would interest him remained to be seen.

Hearing this, Zhang Ya beamed. She swiftly climbed over the fence, and as she passed Tan Hua, she obediently handed over her hiking pole before approaching Zhang Su.

"Brother, I think your team has such a warm atmosphere—and the puppy! It's like a loving family."

"Come on, are you from the praise squad? Get to the point—what's the secret?"

Zhang Su glanced sideways at Zhang Ya—he was eager to get to the motorhome for gear, but this Zhang Ya was dragging her feet.

Zhang Ya feigned nonchalance, speaking casually: "Some people are lurking in the shadows, plotting against you."

"Hmm?"

At this, Zhang Su's brow furrowed as he scrutinized Zhang Ya.

Zhang Ya understood his look and nodded firmly: "True! I overheard it while hiding in the cosmetic clinic!"

The New Year continues without pause—firecrackers boom, drums roll—ha! Wishing all readers a Happy New Year, family joy, good health, and endless wealth!

Thank you to Daowu Huaxia for 2000 coins, Mingyuanmingshu for 2000 coins, BookFriend20211128234536493 for 233 coins, Jiu Ge for 100 coins, and PaiDuiQuHuoxing for 100 coins.

(End of chapter)