Chapter 131: Winning Hearts Through Virtue

"Xinyu, take a few people and keep watch at the barricade—don't let the zombies break out!"

Zhang Su held his gun steady, giving orders.

"No, don't kill me, please… don't…"

"I was forced to come here! I'm sorry! Don't kill me!"

Of the ten, six immediately dropped to their knees or squatted, hands raised, weeping uncontrollably, terrified beyond words.

In close-quarters combat, especially when your side holds the advantage, blood inevitably surges with courage and fearlessness—but when the other side reveals firearms, that heat instantly turns to ice.

They aren't zombies; they don't have that "I don't care if I die" attitude.

Still, there were always a few hot-headed fools who weren't afraid of death.

"If you've got guts, fight me fair and square! Using a gun? What kind of dog scum are you?" A man in a yellow-and-black padded jacket gripped a sharpened engineer's shovel, glaring venomously at Zhang Su.

"You?" Lu Yubo couldn't stand being challenged—he raised his short dagger in his left hand and a grain sampler in his right, stepping forward—when a sharp *bang* echoed beside his ear, rattling his eardrums and jolting him stiff.

No one expected it: Zhang Su didn't waste a single word—he fired immediately.

"You don't even have the virtue of martial honor!"

The man who had shouted for a duel clutched his chest; blood seeped between his fingers. He gasped out the last words, then felt his strength vanish rapidly—he dropped the shovel, and collapsed with a thud.

"Virtue of martial honor? This is virtue of martial honor." Zhang Su shook his USP, raised the gun, and asked the remaining nine: "Who else wants to feel some martial virtue?"

The three still standing instantly dropped to the ground—wise men don't provoke immediate danger; further defiance meant certain death. They weren't afraid of dying, but they didn't want to die pointlessly—even in death, they wanted to tear off a piece of their enemy's flesh.

Moments later, all nine were bound hand and foot and thrown into the fertilizer shop, battered and humiliated; some of the timid ones had turned ashen.

Click. Click. Click.

Zhang Su reloaded his magazine, glanced toward the direction where Da Tie's group had come from—no one had approached from the gunfire—then turned to the group and asked: "What do we do with the remaining nine?"

It was a troublesome matter—handle it poorly, and some in the team would feel uneasy, creating internal rifts.

"I don't know. Whatever you decide."

Zheng Xinyu returned after dealing with the zombies attacking the barricade—she was always the first to voice her opinion, staunchly defending Zhang Su.

Zhong Xiaoshan nodded in agreement: "Brother Su, you decide."

Immediately after, Lu Yubo, Wu Lue, Tan Huajun, Zhao Xue, Chen Hanzhou, and Pei Lan all voiced their support: let Zhang Su decide.

"Huh?" Zhang Ya noticed Zhang Su looking at her, and smiled awkwardly: "I'm new here—do I even have the right to speak up? Then I have no opinion. Whatever you decide."

"Cough…" Yu Qing cleared his throat, glanced at Yu Wen, then offered a faint smile: "Brother Su, you must have your own judgment—but I think, since they no longer pose a threat, there's no need to kill them, right?"

"Threats aren't only those right in front of you." Zhang Su turned to Zhao Decol and Yu Wen, waiting to hear their thoughts.

Zhao Decol glanced helplessly at Yu Qing's back and said: "Brother, I trust your judgment!"

"Yes, Mr. Zhang, you decide. My daughter's words show poor foresight."

Yu Wen's words immediately upset Yu Qing—he shot him several icy glares.

"Xiao Pang?" Zhang Su looked at Pang Dakun, who stood silently to the side: "You're from Shuikou Village—you know them better. What's your view?"

Pang Dakun met Zhang Su's gaze and gritted his teeth: "I think we shouldn't spare them—they'll find a way to retaliate!"

Zhang Su nodded: "Exactly. Xiao Pang's view matches mine. These men came today to fight for food—and now that they've spilled blood, they'll become even more reckless. If we let them go, they'll twist the truth, smear us, and even if it's not exaggerated, every survivor in this region might come to hate us."

"We cannot allow this to happen!"

As he spoke, Zhang Su glanced at Yu Qing—he saw her biting her lip, silent. He knew she wasn't unaware of what was right—she simply couldn't bear the cruelty.

"In this world, no effective contract can restrain people's behavior—otherwise, I wouldn't choose this path!"

Zhang Su rubbed his head and looked around at those beside him.

Zheng Xinyu looked up at Zhang Su: "This isn't your decision alone—it's ours. You don't have to carry this burden alone!"

She knew Zhang Su hated needless killing, and knew he did this for the team's safety—she wouldn't let all the pressure fall on him.

Zhong Xiaoshan nodded silently, drew her short dagger, and stood beside Zhang Su—indicating she was ready to eliminate the threat.

"Sister's right!" Lu Yubo stood up: "Thinking back on how they charged at us with weapons, it still gives me chills. Brother Su, you should've already loaded your pistol—today, someone *has* to die!"

"Brother, I won't let you shoulder this alone. In this world, we don't eat people—but if others want to eat us, we must kill them first. I'll take two!"

Zhao Decol pulled out his dog-leg knife, identical to Zhang Su's, his face dark with menace.

"We don't need to dirty our hands. Since they love fighting among their own kind, let them fight to the death!"

With that, Zhang Su nodded to the ground: "Bozi, pick up their weapons—come with me."

Moments later, Zhang Su and Lu Yubo entered the fertilizer shop. The nine survivors from Shuikou Village sat against the wall—some glared with venomous hatred, quickly masking it; others begged incessantly, pleading for a chance to live.

Zhang Su ignored their emotions, stared at the shop's ceiling, and asked: "Do you want to live?"

"Yes, yes!"

"Of course we do! Brother, spare me—my wife's waiting for me in Beiliang Village!"

"Brother, we were tricked by Da Tie—we shouldn't have come after you. We were wrong."

Hearing Zhang Su's words and seeing Lu Yubo holding their weapons, the villagers began speculating wildly—suddenly, hope flickered in their eyes.

"Tricked?" Zhang Su shook his head: "Earlier, you looked nothing like you were tricked. Your goal wasn't the food—it was to kill us and take everything we had. Isn't that right?"

Silence.

The villagers' faces twisted unnaturally; after four or five seconds, someone spoke: "How could that be, Brother? We only came to ask for food!"

Zhang Su didn't know—but the villagers all knew: the man who spoke was the one who had suggested seizing Zhang Su's supplies…

"None of that matters now." Zhang Su gestured to Lu Yubo.

Rustle. Rustle. Rustle.

The confiscated weapons were dumped before the villagers.

"Only one of you gets to walk out alive. Fight for it. Fifteen minutes."

With that, Zhang Su left the fertilizer shop.

Lu Yubo grinned at the bewildered villagers: "You're tough, right? You love fighting your own kind? Here's your chance—fight each other. Only one survives. Here are your weapons. Go! Fifteen minutes!"

After speaking, Lu Yubo left the fertilizer store, and as he stepped out the door, he added, "Don't even think about playing tricks—we'll be coming back to finish you off!"

After hearing Zhang Su and Lu Yubo's words, the villagers' minds raced—they were still bound, but there was no time to waste.

"Fuck it! Let's fight them! Grab the weapons!"

"You're the worst one here!"

"Get off me, don't fight me for it!"

As they rose and lunged for the weapons, a brutal, bloody slaughter was inevitable—primitive, violent, gory!

Through the window, Zhang Su's group stood at a distance, watching the fertilizer shop.

"Brother Su, if they've got this fighting spirit, why won't they fight zombies?"

Zheng Xinyu asked, baffled.

Zhang Su smirked: "In the past, some people trembled at a dog's growl, too scared to fight back—but when they got into a verbal fight with another person, they'd brawl without hesitation. Why? Because a punch can be healed, but rabies kills you. Same principle."

Yu Qing sighed, adjusted his glasses: "There are deep psychological issues here—cognitive, cultural, interest-based, and volitional biases all cause them to fear zombies but prefer fighting humans."

"Aren't you a Chinese teacher? Do you teach psychology? Is this even psychology?" Zhang Su was uncertain. "Philosophy?"

Yu Qing spread his hands: "It touches on all of these. I studied it myself—crude, really. Don't laugh, Mr. Zhang."

"Oh…" Zhang Su gave Yu Qing a thumbs-up, then asked: "If we were in their place, what would we do? Not all of us—just one of us in that death arena. Have you thought about it?"

"This…"

"Then just die…"

"What would you do?"

Clearly, no one had considered Zhang Su's question. Everyone fell silent—thinking: if one day they faced such a dire situation, how could they escape?

"I'd kill the nearest person first—no weapon needed. Even if my hands and feet are bound, I'll bite him to death!"

Lu Yubo bared his yellow teeth, clacking them: *clack-clack*.

"I think you should grab a weapon first…" Tan Huajun said, waving his caliper.

Zheng Xinyu's furrowed brow suddenly relaxed. She raised a finger: "Based on my experience playing 'Don't Starve'—when a group rushes to the same spot, you should hide in a quiet corner. If you can get a weapon, great. If not, just observe. And since you have no weapon, you're less threatening—you might not become someone's primary target!"

The others exchanged glances—none expected this sweet, usually bumbling girl to lay out such a logical plan.

Zhang Su looked at Zheng Xinyu with a strange expression: "Not bad. Turns out gaming isn't a waste. Your plan matches mine—right now, if everyone's rushing for weapons, I'd hide to the side. Whether I can untie the zip-ties or not, I'd wait for a chance to crack someone in the back of the head with a brick!"

Yu Qing nodded: "Leaving aside other factors, Miss Zheng's point about minimizing threat and avoiding attention is crucial—feign weakness, wait for opportunity, strike when unprepared. Brilliant!"

Growth doesn't require firsthand combat—observation and analysis are also growth.

A locked-room brawl tests more than just combat strength.

Zhang Su gave the villagers fifteen minutes—but the fight lasted half an hour. During that time, the group didn't watch like cruel tyrants enjoying a spectacle—they treated it as an invaluable lesson, analyzing and explaining.

Creak… creak…

When the last man pushed open the broken door of the fertilizer shop, he stumbled forward and collapsed into a pool of blood—his final breath slipped away, the crimson slowly spreading.

In the end, no one survived.

Their hearts grew heavy—but they all knew this conflict was irreconcilable, and this wouldn't be the last time.

The joy of filling their bags with food and well water faded. Zhang Su had originally planned to rest overnight in Shuikou Village—but after the villagers' attack, he decided to depart immediately, detouring westward.

"Xiao Pang, now you've seen the outside world. Do you regret joining us? Do you miss the peace of climbing rooftops and living quietly in your village?"

As he drove out of the village, Zhang Su asked.

Pang Dakun stared through the window at the stone monument marked "Shuikou Village," his expression complex: "Uncle, I don't regret it. My grandfather always hoped I'd leave the countryside and see the world. This counts as leaving, right?"

"Hah! Foolish kid, this isn't leaving the countryside!" Zhao Decol laughed. "Our destination is a resort or a farmstay in the mountains—you've just moved from one village to another. Hahahaha!"

Pang Dakun shook his head vigorously: "Still counts as leaving the countryside. As long as I'm out of Shuikou Village, I've fulfilled my grandfather's wish!"

"Yes!" Zhang Su shot Zhao Decol a look to silence him. "Xiao Pang, you're right—you've left the countryside. The outside world is vast—there's space for you to shine!"

"Yes! Uncle, I'll follow you and work hard!" Pang Dakun turned away from the village gate, his eyes slightly red—he was slow-witted, but he knew: once they left, he might never return.

Before the four vehicles reached the provincial road, they saw a car parked beside the broken bridge, with someone jumping up and down cursing.

The Mercedes and the Ford Motor Company vehicles were too massive, drawing immediate attention; the three men beside the broken bridge soon noticed Zhang Su's group.

"Hello, are you from one of the nearby villages?"

Three unfamiliar men stood at the intersection of the self-built road and the provincial road, wildly waving their arms, their faces lit with looks of relief.

Seeing the men were polite and unarmed, Zhang Su rolled down his window and said, "We're from the city. The locals blew up the bridge, and we're just heading back."

(End of Chapter)