Chapter 141

"What if I hadn't accepted you into the team back then? What would you have done?"

Zhang Su pulled out a cigarette pack, found it empty, tossed it aside, and said: "You should know that every surviving group is extremely cautious about taking in new members!"

Zhang Ya rolled her eyes: "If I really can't go with you, I'll leave alone—I'll never stick with a lunatic. After the disaster, I survived on my own for a long time. Even alone, I can keep living."

"Definitely a conceited woman." Zhang Su nodded, voicing his thoughts.

Zhang Ya tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and poked the soil in a crack of the cement road with her trekking pole: "Whether it's confidence or arrogance, I just want to survive. Brother Su, since joining everyone, I've never done anything to harm the team's interests, right?"

"You still want to do things that harm the group? Do you know how many eyes are watching you in the shadows?"

Zhang Su exaggerated.

Zhang Ya's face twisted into an exaggerated "Ah?" then she chuckled: "Brother Su, you're right—I really am conceited. I thought I hid it well, but in your eyes, everything's just an act."

"Then why didn't you expose me?"

Zhang Ya asked, puzzled.

Zhang Su glanced toward Qincheng and said: "Because I hope you'll actually lure that guy Liang Xiao out!"

He wasn't afraid of direct confrontation, but he dreaded someone scheming behind his back. The zombie threat had already worn everyone down—if traitors added their own sabotage, it would be unbearable.

Zhang Ya spread her hands: "Sorry, I really didn't do anything Liang Xiao asked me to. I can't guarantee we won't be found—I'm just leaving it to luck. Alright…"

She hunched her shoulders tightly, then let out a relieved smile: "I've said everything I needed to. No more mental burden. Brother Su, whether I stay or go—it's your call."

"Since you haven't done anything against the group, stay. Welcome aboard."

Zhang Su looked into Zhang Ya's eyes seriously. A wise bird chooses its tree to perch on—any normal person wants to follow a strong leader, not a mentally unstable lunatic.

Zhang Ya's abilities are solid; in combat, she ranks among the upper-mid tier of the entire team!

"Yay!"

Zhang Ya happily kicked her leg up, bounced over, and hugged Zhang Su, whispering in his ear: "Brother Su, you're so hot."

Then she quickly let go and sprinted toward the factory.

Zhang Su's lips curled into a faint smile—but it froze instantly when he noticed two sneaky eyes peering from behind the Fokner Mobil window: Korgi Good Luck and Zheng Xinyu!

"Hey, you two, stop spying! Why aren't you watching Chen Hanzhou?"

Zhang Su climbed onto the RV.

Zheng Xinyu held up an electronic thermometer: "Things might be bad—I noticed his face is flushed, his forehead's burning hot. I took his temperature—look…"

She placed the thermometer in front of Zhang Su. The small screen showed 39. °C, beside it a simple cartoon figure with a pained expression.

Zhang Su glanced out the window—everyone was busy. He sat on the sofa, frowning: "Before Qiu Shuo turned, he also complained of severe fever."

He could never forget that not-quite-close friend—the first infected person he'd personally sent off after the collapse.

Zheng Xinyu remembered the gas station incident too, leaning gently against Zhang Su.

"Give me the gun."

Zhang Su took a deep breath and reached for the USP from Zheng Xinyu's hand.

But she pulled her hand back, shaking her head: "You can't always be the one to do this!"

Zhang Su was about to speak when he heard a faint, hoarse voice.

"Brother Su… what are you and sister-in-law doing?"

Zhang Su and Zheng Xinyu froze. Good Luck, who had been lying nearby, shot up instantly, leapt onto the coffee table, and stared fixedly at Chen Hanzhou, whose eyes were half-open.

"Brother Su, Huanhuan's fine! He's better!"

Zheng Xinyu was the first to react—seeing Chen Hanzhou's eyes normal, not red, she jumped up happily.

Zhang Su wasn't slow—he was carefully observing. Seeing Chen Hanzhou clearly hadn't turned, he asked: "Little Chen, how do you feel?"

"I was… fine, but sister-in-law calling me 'Huanhuan'—it's so awkward, my wounds hurt…"

"Damn it, Brother Su—he's already joking! He's definitely fine!"

Zheng Xinyu put one hand on her hip and pointed at Chen Hanzhou.

Woof!

Good Luck nodded vigorously, confirming Chen Hanzhou's condition.

Zhang Su stepped closer, still uneasy, and pressed the thermometer to Chen Hanzhou's forehead—it read 36. °C, back to normal!

"How do you feel? Anything different?"

"Can I have some water first?"

Chen Hanzhou pointed to his throat with his good left hand—his mouth was parched.

A bottled water sat nearby. Zhang Su unscrewed it and handed it to Chen Hanzhou, helping him sit up halfway.

Glug glug glug. Chen Hanzhou drank a few sips, his eyes brightening slightly as he smiled faintly: "Felt like a dream—I wandered around the gates of the underworld, but the King of Hell found me annoying and kicked me right back!"

"I see…"

Zhang Su felt a flicker of disappointment—he'd hoped Chen Hanzhou's survival might bring some kind of boon. Apparently not.

"Xinyu."

Zhang Su extended his hand toward Zheng Xinyu.

Zheng Xinyu understood, handing him the USP with a sense of relief, sticking out her tongue: "Chen Hanzhou, look who you entrusted—while you were asleep, he handed the gun to me and told me to watch you. I was so tense!"

"There's so much to do—I'm busy! This was just giving you a break!" Zhang Su turned to Chen Hanzhou: "I promised you—if you made it through, this is yours. I'll teach you how to use it."

Zhang Su demonstrated the basic operation of the USP, then placed it in Chen Hanzhou's hands.

Chen Hanzhou gripped the gun awkwardly with his left hand, gave a half-hearted mock-swing, and chuckled bitterly: "Guess I've got to practice using my left hand."

"I've got no doubt—you'll be our one-armed war god from now on!"

Zhang Su patted Chen Hanzhou's shoulder helplessly: "Rest well. I'll go check how things are going over there—it's time to eat. I'll send someone to look after you."

"No no no, Brother Su, I'm fine! Don't need anyone watching me—that'd be so awkward!"

Chen Hanzhou waved the gun frantically.

"Alright, if you need anything, call us!"

Zhang Su and Zheng Xinyu, with Good Luck, stepped down from the RV. He immediately told everyone Chen Hanzhou had survived.

The news was incredibly uplifting—if Zhang Su hadn't stopped them, everyone would've rushed over to see the man who'd been bitten by zombies and still hadn't turned.

"Don't go bothering him! Little Chen's still weak—he's resting. Get back to work!"

With many hands, the fire burns bright. More than ten people worked together and quickly cleared a clean area inside the factory—plenty of space for meals or sleeping.

"Brother Su, have you found a good watchtower spot yet?"

Wu Lue and Zhao Xue walked up to Zhang Su.

Zhang Su shook his head: "No. Why?"

Wu Lue pointed to the back door of the factory: "Xue-jie and I found a Z-shaped ladder leading to the roof from behind. It's a bit broken though…"

"Roof? Let's go check!"

Zhang Su's eyes lit up—open sightlines were the top priority for a watchtower; the roof was perfect. They hadn't even had time to circle around before Pan Guihua got robbed.

The three walked to the back of the factory. Beyond a single wall lay barren, uncultivated land. As Wu Lue said, a Z-shaped ladder wound upward to the factory's roof, over ten meters high.

"This…" Zhang Su's lip twitched as he pointed at the broken planks: "You call this 'a bit broken'? Luezi, your 'a bit' and my 'a bit' are worlds apart!"

The ladder, made of iron and wood, stood outside the factory. Though shaded from sunlight, years of wind and rain had rotted it nearly to dust—hardly a single intact step remained; it was probably brittle as dry straw.

"Just a tiny bit, hehe." Wu Lue looked embarrassed.

Zhao Xue said: "Brother Su, we might struggle to climb it—but someone definitely won't have a problem."

"Huh?" Zhang Su looked at Zhao Xue, realization dawning: "Right—Old Pang, that sneaky bastard, can definitely do it!"

"Who's talking bad about me?"

As soon as Zhang Su spoke, Pang Dakun appeared from around the corner, looking annoyed: "Uncle, why are you talking behind my back?"

"Calling you a sneaky bastard is a compliment—it means you're skilled! Anyway, where were you? Any developments over there?"

Zhang Su gestured.

"Hehe, occupational habit—I was scouting escape routes. Outside that wall, there's a path leading to Pangezhuang. Looks pretty passable."

Pang Dakun scratched his head sheepishly.

Zhang Su didn't reply, just pointed at the crumbling ladder: "Can you get to the roof?"

Pang Dakun glanced at the ladder, then gave a strange grin: "Uncle, are you insulting me? There's a ladder right there—you're asking if I can climb it? Of course I can!"

Zhang Su saw the smug look on Pang Dakun's face: "Don't act tough. Climbing up's easy—getting down's hard. If we need to evacuate fast, can you get down in time?"

"Alright alright, you don't trust me? Fine—I'll show you!"

Pang Dakun rolled up his sleeves, gripped the still-damp iron railing, and turned to Zhang Su and the others: "If I can climb up and down, is there a reward?"

"I won't let you work for free. What do you want?"

Zhang Su didn't argue with Pang Dakun.

"Hehe, let me watch five—no, ten episodes of cartoons!" Pang Dakun grinned brightly.

Woof!

But it wasn't Zhang Su who answered—Korgi Good Luck had somehow slipped to the back of the factory. She raised a paw, pointed at the ladder, barked once, then licked her lips.

"Brother Su, what's she saying?"

Wu Lue asked curiously.

"She says she can climb it too—and she only wants one can of meat." Zhang Su translated.

Woof.

Good Luck stuck out her tongue, grinning—Zhang Su was right.

"Damn it, why's she stealing my job?" Pang Dakun grumbled, glaring at the dog.

"Steal your job? You're still getting your cartoons! Alright, both of you—showtime!"

Zhang Su raised his hand to signal.

"Watch closely!"

Pang Dakun didn't hesitate; after a quick assessment from the building's base, he pushed off with his feet, grabbed hold, and scrambled up a good distance—taking no ordinary path.

But Good Luck merely gave him a dismissive glance, then trotted up the stairs with tiny steps—didi-didi—climbing as if walking on flat ground.

"Damn… she's too light, stairs don't bother her. Brother Su, we've been fooled!"

Wu Lue stared blankly at Good Luck, who was climbing proudly, occasionally dodging small puddles.

"Little Pang, don't pay attention to Good Luck—she won't die if she falls, but you've got no safety rope, so watch your step, don't break your leg!" Zhang Su noticed Pang Dakun watching Good Luck and quickly warned him.

"Got it!"

Pang Dakun steadied his focus and climbed again, seriously.

From a human perspective, he had indeed reached the roof without much effort. He poked his head out to check on the others below, then slowly descended the stairs—the entire time barely slower than a normal person going up and down, perfectly acceptable.

"How's that, Uncle? Let me practice a few more times—I'll get even faster!" Pang Dakun beamed with pride.

"Fine, Little Pang. After dinner, go to sleep. You're on night watch tonight!" Zhang Su gave Pang Dakun's shoulder a satisfied pat.

"Huh?" Pang Dakun's face fell.

Zhang Su glanced sideways at him. "You think climbing up and down proves your ability, so you get to watch ten episodes of cartoons? That's pure fantasy…"

"Understood, Uncle."

Now it was Pang Dakun's turn to sulk. He trudged toward the factory, head drooping, listless—until he remembered he'd get to watch cartoons, and instantly perked up.

Zhang Su watched Pang Dakun's back, then crouched down to Good Luck. "You go rest too. Tonight, keep watch on him—if he dozes off, bite him."

Woof.

Good Luck nodded eagerly, full of spirit.

Just then, a figure stepped out the back door of the factory, holding two items and waving them excitedly at Zhang Su. "Big Brother, look! Found something good in those bastards' bags!"

"Walkie-talkies?"

Zhang Su's eyes lit up as he saw Zhao Dechu holding two devices shaped like old-style brick phones.

"That's right, haha! Didn't expect it—found them in the bag of the guy killed by Pan Guihua's daughter. That group had plenty of wilderness survival gear!"

(End of Chapter)