Chapter 160: Loyalty Brand

"Brother Zhang, I truly hope you'll stay—have you considered it at all?"

At parting, Old Li pleaded once more, valuing Zhang Su's group's strength and grieving the loss of so many weapons and supplies—modern arms were industrial products; without restored industry, every bullet fired was one less forever.

Zhang Su glanced at the sinking sun and shook his head. "Everyone has their own path—I won't take your position as Director Li."

Hearing this, Old Li froze, understanding the implication: in any team, there could only be one leader.

"Hahaha, Brother Zhang, you say that well… Alright then. Our cooperation had its bumps, but overall it was pleasant and complete. We'll build here now—if you ever get the chance, I hope you'll come visit!"

Then Old Li leaned close to Zhang Su's ear. "Don't sneak away the supplies you gave us!"

After hearing Old Li's words, Zhang Su looked behind him and saw Xiao Liu and Gangzi standing firmly by his side—no surprise, given their earlier loyalty—and the others were even more clearly devoted.

Old Li was undoubtedly a leader of talent; though his team was small, they were elite soldiers, backed by a military camp and armed to the teeth—they'd carve out a future in this apocalypse.

Thinking this, Zhang Su's mind shifted, and a 【Loyalty Brand】 slipped silently onto Old Li.

No one saw it—the golden mark crossed temporal barriers and instantly seared onto Old Li's forehead.

"Oh!"

"Director Li, watch out!"

"Don't worry, Brother Zhang—we'll slowly bring the eastern district under control!"

Humans are like this: when they can't understand something, they invent the outcome they want.

"Your group has so many talented people—I believe together we'll build a better future!"

Old Li shook his head, his face twisted in inner struggle—as if two thoughts clashed fiercely in his mind.

Or rather, it made the branded person rationalize their loyalty as natural.

Zhang Su suddenly understood why Old Li had felt dizzy moments ago—probably a mental storm.

"Cough…" Zhang Su chuckled at Zheng Xinyu's teasing and cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment.

He pulled out a walkie-talkie and handed it to Old Li. "Old Li, build well here—the farmland outside can feed many. I've set the frequency—keep it safe. We'll meet again."

The others had been reluctant to help, but they were stunned to see Director Li himself take action, so they quickly joined in, gradually coming to see his actions as doing good and accumulating fortune.

He'd thought the 【Loyalty Brand】 merely forced obedience and prevented betrayal—but now he saw it was more: it made the behavior feel justified.

Old Li stood with his hands behind his back, looking as if he'd just uttered profound wisdom.

The guns weren't heavy—barely under three hundred jin—but the bullets were: two thousand rounds per box weighed sixty jin, fifteen boxes total!

Zhang Su was stunned—he'd completely underestimated the 【Loyalty Brand】's power.

Those behind him didn't understand why Director Li had changed his tone, but they only felt puzzled, never questioning—he had their trust in his judgment.

After a moment, his expression softened. When he looked at Zhang Su again, his eyes had changed. "Brother Zhang, I've been the one inviting you—why don't you invite me?"

"No problem, no problem…"

Zhang Su raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Old Li's reaction. "With you in charge here, development's secure. Would you leave with me and wander the world?"

Zheng Xinyu frowned, stealing glances at Old Li, tiptoeing to Zhang Su's side. "Brother Su, is this guy up to something?"

"Alright, it's getting late—come on, everyone, help carry the boxes."

Zhang Su watched Old Li expectantly—he'd used the 【Loyalty Brand】 for the first time and didn't know its effect—when Old Li staggered, clutching his forehead, nearly falling, saved only by Wu Daqiang's quick grab.

Zhang Su hadn't planned to set up a base yet, but having a branch already wasn't bad.

All the gear weighed over a thousand jin; even with fourteen people, hauling it all back would be exhausting.

He valued Old Li's team but didn't want to absorb them outright—their ideologies clashed too deeply. Controlling their leader was enough—a long-term investment.

Old Li accepted the walkie-talkie solemnly, as if holding not a device but a sacred mission.

By the time Zhang Su's group trudged back through the wasteland to the street where their vehicles waited, dusk had fallen. Old Li's men delivered the promised five rations and returned to the camp.

Watching Old Li's group fade into the distance, Zhang Su realized their greatest gain might not be the guns—but this small, still-growing team.

…

"Holy shit, real guns! Those are automatic rifles—awesome!"

"Damn it, with this arsenal, we own all of Qincheng…"

As brand-new automatic rifles were displayed, everyone felt it wasn't real.

While the group buzzed with excitement, Zhang Su pulled Pang Dakun aside. "What were you rummaging for in the barracks?"

"Hehe!" Pang Dakun grinned slyly and started pulling things from his body.

Magazines, tactical belts, military knives—he revealed several canteens strapped to his back. But that wasn't the main event. When he opened his backpack with Zhang Su, that's when the real treasure appeared.

"You son of a bitch—you stole a sack of grenades!"

Zhang Su stared at the grenades inside, dizzy with dread. Thankfully, modern grenades were stable enough not to detonate from impact—but the thought still made his scalp tingle.

"Hehe, no big deal—I've got a few hundred more rounds too…" Pang Dakun thought Zhang Su was just impressed by his skills and scratched his head, grinning.

"Alright, alright—every day you'll get cartoons until you finish Tom and Jerry, plus extra meat cans!"

Though Old Li's group was now his covert force, and taking their gear felt like taking his own, Zhang Su knew Xiao Liu and Gangzi were hiding things—there had to be more weapons hidden in the camp. So it didn't matter.

"Alright, enough—pack up, let's eat!"

Zhang Su gave them no time to revel—he ordered them to eat, then immediately set out, with no intention to camp overnight, only assigning the task of loading ammunition: over two hundred magazines, all filled.

The vehicles headed west, planning to stop for the night once past the city limits.

"Brother, with this arsenal, our squad's strength rivals the authorities now, haha!"

Zhao Dezhu was ecstatic all the way, eagerly anticipating weapon distribution.

"Zhu, a whole regiment's camp has only a few survivors left, and a director personally leads them—still hoping for the authorities? That group back there was the authorities…"

Zhang Su shook his head, a rare weariness in his brow—not just physical fatigue, but psychological pressure.

He still hoped for official forces—tanks rolling through, sweeping away the chaos, restoring life as it was—but that dream was gone.

The future must be carved by their own hands.

Those who heard him fell silent, then slowly accepted the cruel truth.

If the authorities were acting, radio broadcasts would carry news—but every day, the radios only picked up two settlement camps, nothing else.

"No authorities? Fine—we'll be the strongest survivor group, haha!"

Zhao Dezhu was optimistic—he changed his mind in seconds, still smiling.

Three vehicles rolled through empty streets, smashing through scattered zombies, veering around large hordes, occasionally spotting survivors waving from nearby buildings—but only Zhang Su noticed.

Zhang Su didn't stop. Soon, they left Wenhua Road and turned onto the quieter Beierhuan Road—a stretch that had long left the city, officially a national highway, rarely used, yet littered with abandoned wrecked cars.

Darkness crept in. Though not fully night, ordinary eyes could no longer see far—but Zhang Su saw clearly: the horrific scenes of village after village.

Some roads blocked with debris, others swarming with zombies, others utterly scorched—houses reduced to blackened ruins.

He checked the time, scanned the surroundings, then pulled out the walkie-talkie. "Ahead, turn right—there's a gas station."

He kept one walkie-talkie for Old Li and switched the team to a new frequency.

"Received."

"Got it!"

Two voices replied—communication was now effortless.

The vehicles turned into the gas station. Several wrecked cars were twisted atop the fuel pumps. The convenience store's glass doors and walls lay shattered, the interior stripped bare—clearly looted multiple times.

Aowuowu.

A dozen zombies swarmed from all sides, swiftly dispatched by the group in unison.

"It's better with more people… Back then, facing this many zombies, we'd just run."

Liu Tianji sighed.

"Alright, everyone, clean this place up. I'll scout the perimeter—wear gloves if you have them, watch for cuts!"

Zhang Su gave the order, walked toward the highway, pretending to clip a flashlight to his chest pocket while gripping his weapon.

He checked the surroundings—nothing exceptional, but no major threats.

When he returned to the convenience store, ten minutes had passed—the team had cleared a clean space.

"No villages nearby, no towns—just watch for passing survivors. After all these days, likely none left. Good spot to rest. Zhu, organize cooking. Tan, check the fuel tanks—see if there's any oil left, pump it up. Wang Xin, Pei Lan, the barber—come with me!"

"Brother, my name is Lu Leiyang."

The barber Lu Leiyang strode forward with a flair far more flamboyant than Pei Lan's, introducing himself again.

Others might not notice, but Zhang Su saw clearly Lu Leiyang's exaggerated hip sway—he coughed. "Fine, Lu Leiyang—come here. I'll assign watch positions."

Though the gas station was remote—even by day, nearby villages were invisible—it still demanded vigilance. Zhang Su posted sentries at three positions, eliminating all blind spots.

"Whoa, what the—?" Zhang Su was returning from assigning sentries when he saw Haoyun sprinting back from the wasteland, a wild rabbit clamped in its jaws.

Pah.

Moments later, Haoyun dropped the dead rabbit at Zhang Su's feet, tail wagging, clearly expecting a reward.

"Already picky? Fine—you get two meat cans tonight!"

Zhang Su picked up the rabbit—it was plump, at least five or six jin.

Back on the RV, he handed the rabbit to Zhao Dezhu—they couldn't eat it tonight, not until the next meal.

(End of Chapter)