Chapter 140: Don't Throw Away the Chance

The sight of the little zombie devouring flesh made many around Zhang Su turn away, unable to bear watching.

"Wu wu wu…"

Zhong Xiaoshanjian suddenly choked on a sob, flinging herself into Zhang Su's arms. "Brother Su, I lied to Sister Pan—if it weren't for me, she wouldn't be dead."

"Pan Guihua could never let go of her daughter; this outcome was inevitable. We merely hastened it. You lied to her for all of us—don't carry such a heavy burden. We're all accomplices in this."

Zhang Su patted Zhong Xiaoshanjian's shoulder. His stance remained unchanged: being a good person was fine as long as it didn't harm his own interests, but if it meant real loss for himself or those around him, then sorry.

Guilt and remorse were acceptable; survival could not be compromised.

Upon hearing Zhang Su's words, others also comforted Zhong Xiaoshanjian, saying her role as the villain had secured them a relatively safe shelter.

"Aowu."

After about seven or eight minutes, Pan Guihua, who had been gently stroking the little zombie, stopped moving. Her neck stiffly turned, and a beast-like growl emerged from her throat as she spun around and began fighting her daughter for the bloody flesh on the ground.

The transformation happened quickly; no one knew why—perhaps due to blood ties, perhaps because of the bitten area…

"I'll see them off."

Lu Yu stepped forward with a food sampling device, but Zhang Su blocked him.

"Zhang Ya, you go."

Zhang Su turned his head toward Zhang Ya, whose eyes were red in the crowd.

This order surprised everyone. Since joining the team, Zhang Ya had always been quiet, rarely spoke up, like an invisible person—no one understood why Zhang Su had called her name.

Zhang Ya stepped forward with a complex expression. "Brother Su, must it really be me?"

"Yes. You'll see Sister Pan and her daughter off, then I'll talk with you."

Zhang Su uttered words that left others baffled.

"Alright, I'll go."

Others were confused, but Zhang Ya wasn't. She trembled slightly, lowered her head, and walked toward Pan Guihua and her daughter.

The zombie, engrossed in feeding, remained calm and paid little attention to approaching figures.

Zhang Ya crept quietly behind Pan Guihua and her daughter, raised her hiking pole, hesitated briefly, then struck hard—driving it into the back of the neck.

*Plos, plos…*

Killing defenseless zombies posed no difficulty for Zhang Ya. Within a few strikes, Pan Guihua and her daughter fell still, slumped motionless over the bloody, mangled corpses.

To be safe, she also struck the mangled man on the ground several more times!

"Liu Tianji, Wang Xin, Zhou Litao."

Zhang Su called out the trio from the observation team.

"Brother Su, what's your order?"

Liu Tianji was the first to leap forward.

"Go dig a grave over there and bury Pan Guihua and her daughter."

Zhang Su pointed to a muddy, barren patch beside the road.

"This… what's the point?" Zhou Litao immediately protested, thinking it pointless.

"I'll do it, Brother Su!"

"I'll help too."

Zhong Xiaoshanjian, Tan Hua, and Yu Qing stepped forward.

"No need for you," Zhang Su said. "This task is for them three alone."

"It's just a small thing! Brother Su, I didn't say I wouldn't do it—he did!"

After his initial shock, Liu Tianji snapped to attention, sprinting toward the factory. "I'll get the shovel—don't you dare take it from me, I'm doing this!"

"I'll get tools too, Brother Su! Liu Tianji and I are more than enough!"

Wang Xin glanced at Zhou Litao as he spoke, then hurried after Liu Tianji toward the glass factory.

Zhang Su turned to Zhou Litao, whose face was flushed with embarrassment, and said coldly: "I can see you've never liked our team, never accepted me as leader, and even refuse to call me by name."

"Your bag's over there. You can leave now. We don't want you here."

Zhang Su pointed to the bag beside the woman's corpse—the same one prepared earlier for Pan Guihua. To prevent this resentful man from causing trouble, expelling him now was the better choice.

"You!" Zhou Litao hadn't expected this turn. His expression twisted; he stiffened his neck. "I'll dig! Why kick me out? You're too tyrannical!"

"You've lost your chance to prove yourself. Now you only have one chance left: leave. Don't waste it."

Zhang Su waved his hand to the others, signaling they could return to their tasks.

Zhou Litao was furious. He saw his two colleagues running out with shovels. "If anyone leaves, we all leave—I won't go alone!"

"Fine. Ask them what they think."

Zhang Su spread his hands.

"Brother Su, what's going on…?"

Liu Tianji, panting, arrived nearby. He sensed the tension, his eyes darting between Zhang Su and Zhou Litao.

"Liu, they don't want us—they're kicking us out! After all that effort, this is the reward? Let's go together!"

Zhou Litao ignored Zhang Su standing right there and twisted the truth completely.

Zhang Su said nothing, using the moment to observe Liu Tianji and Wang Xin.

The two froze upon hearing Zhou Litao's words. They glanced at him, then at Zhang Su. Both were sharp—they instantly guessed the truth.

Wang Xin chuckled coldly. "Zhou Litao, I think Brother Su only wants you gone. You've always been a liar at the company, and you still haven't changed."

"Exactly. Brother Su entrusted Liu Tianji and me with such a sacred task—why would he let us go? It's you who misses being a manager, craving control. I advise you: if you can't lead, just shut up and obey!"

Liu Tianji wore the expression of a boss scolding an employee—clearly copying Zhou Litao's old manner.

Zhang Su's expression was amused. "You're right. I only want him gone. He claims he wants you to leave with him. Decide for yourselves."

"What's there to decide? Brother Su, you're righteous—you're a true leader. I'm sticking with you!"

Liu Tianji slammed his shovel into the ground, speaking passionately.

Wang Xin nodded vigorously. "Right, Brother Su. From the moment you drove back alone to find us, I decided to follow you. Trust us—we're good!"

"Enough talk! Brother Su, we're digging!" Liu Tianji gave Wang Xin a look and dashed off.

Zhang Su noticed Zhong Xiaoshanjian following Liu Tianji and Wang Xin. He didn't stop her—he knew she needed to do something, or she'd feel guilty.

He turned to Zhou Litao, whose face was tense, then glanced at the bag lying far away. The message was clear.

Zhou Litao looked at his colleagues digging in the distance, turned his head sharply, walked to the bag, picked it up, slung it over his shoulder, and headed toward the city.

In this apocalypse, there were too many like Zhou Litao—transient figures. Zhang Su had no time to track them all. His gaze settled on Zhang Ya, standing beside the road.

Compared to Zhou Litao, whose ambition outstripped his ability, Zhang Su valued Zhang Ya—strong, quiet, and unassuming.

With Zhou Litao gone, it was time to resolve Zhang Ya's issue.

"Come."

Zhang Su gestured for Zhang Ya to follow him toward the factory. On the way, he said: "Don't you have anything to say to me?"

"Huh?" Zhang Ya looked puzzled. "Brother Su, isn't it you who wanted to talk to me?"

"If you keep pretending ignorance, your fate will be Zhou Litao's. Think carefully." Zhang Su spoke calmly, without strong emotion.

Zhang Ya lowered her head, lips tightly pressed in conflict.

Once inside the glass factory, she glanced around. Everyone was busy far away. She reached into her bag and pulled out a white bottle, offering it to Zhang Su.

Zhang Su studied the white plastic bottle in her hand. "What's this?"

"You must've figured it out already. Yes—I'm a spy sent by Liang Xiao."

Zhang Ya whispered, shaking the bottle. "This contains fluorescent tracking powder. Liang Xiao ordered me to scatter it along the way so he could follow and find a chance to kill you."

"But I need to clarify something…"

Zhang Ya rushed on: "At the time, I was hiding with Liang Xiao and a few others across from a car repair shop, in a cosmetic clinic. He said he wanted revenge on you. Everyone offered ideas—I suggested I infiltrate your team and create an opening for him."

"But the truth is, I proposed that just to escape Liang Xiao. Brother Su, you have to believe me!"

Zhang Su took the bottle, opened it, peered inside. Even in daylight, nothing was visible. He capped it. "Why escape Liang Xiao? And why join my team?"

Zhang Ya glanced at Zhang Su, embarrassed, then lowered her head again. "I'll be honest—don't get upset…"

"You've already played double agent. What's left to fear?" Zhang Su chuckled. "Speak."

"Honestly, I never intended to join your team—I just wanted to get away from Liang Xiao's group. But after staying with you, I grew to love the team's atmosphere. Everyone's kind, and you're good too…"

"As for why I left Liang Xiao—he's insane. Mentally unstable. When Liang Dacheng was alive, he kept Liang Xiao in check. But after Liang Dacheng died, Liang Xiao went completely off the rails. Staying with him meant certain death. I had to think of myself!"

Zhang Su closed his eyes, then opened them again. Three bubbles appeared above Zhang Ya's head.

【Alert】【Resilient】【Arrogant】

Alertness and resilience were basic survival traits in this apocalypse, but for the 【Insight Tag】 to highlight them so clearly meant they were exceptionally strong in her. The last one—arrogance—surprised Zhang Su.

Since she joined, he'd quietly observed her. He'd seen no signs of arrogance. Perhaps her routine behavior hadn't revealed it, or perhaps the team had too many stronger members for her to feel entitled to it…

(End of Chapter)