Chapter 227: Things Must Be Done One at a Time

Back in the room, Zhang Su saw Zhong Xiaoshanjian teaching Zheng Xinyu some wound-care techniques and teased, "Everyone's so driven, it makes me look like I'm just loafing around, haha."

All work and training were scheduled for daytime; every night was rest time, but many used it to recharge—either extra practice or learning survival skills they didn't know, though occasionally some relaxed, dated, or watched TV.

"If I don't learn, I've got nothing to do anyway—I can't go fight chickens…"

Zheng Xinyu made a silly face.

"Boring, huh? Here, I've got something good for you!"

Zhang Su sat on the bed and pulled out a vacuum-sealed package from Fu Wei and handed it to the two.

Zheng Xinyu took the bag first, glanced at it, then passed it to Zhong Xiaoshanjian, puzzled: "What is this? Pebbles?"

"Don't rush to reveal the answer—let Xiaoshan guess first."

Zhang Su's expression was oddly peculiar.

Then Zhang Su recounted Fu Weijun's demonstration step by step—he had no intention of demonstrating it himself…

"Such miraculous effects?"

"Dr. Fu didn't explore further—he only tested it on skin and muscle wounds. If we get the chance later, we can try using it on internal injuries, bone fractures, and so on."

As Zhang Su spoke, he tore open the vacuum seal and said, "Xiaoshan, bring me a clean small medicine box—I'll keep one as backup, and you keep the other three."

"How much do we use each time? Any specific amount?"

"Hmm…"

The two women stared at the dull gray thalamus with completely different eyes, awestruck.

"Heh…" Zhang Su took the plastic-wrapped package from Zhong Xiaoshanjian and said, "Don't be shocked—this is a zombie's thalamus."

"Exactly!"

Zhong Xiaoshanjian made a disgusted face with a strange expression: "The thalamus is just an organ inside the brain, part of the diencephalon!"

"A miracle healing drug!"

"Let me guess?" Zhong Xiaoshanjian pouted, looked it over, pinched it—it was a bit hard, but not unyielding, with slight elasticity.

"Thalamus? What part is that…"

Zheng Xinyu was confused, didn't understand.

This miracle healing drug naturally belonged to the camp's medics.

This unique texture made her frown: "Brother Su, this… feels like biological tissue!"

Zhang Su smiled: "Don't underestimate this thing—it's weird to think about its origin, but it has a use you'd never expect."

She was indeed immune to bloody, gruesome scenes, but playing with an organ in her hands still felt deeply strange.

Zhong Xiaoshanjian looked at Zhang Su, waiting for the answer.

Zheng Xinyu rolled her eyes and made a vomiting gesture: "Brother Su, where did you get this thing? Did Dr. Fu give it to you?"

"Ahh!" Zheng Xinyu jumped back, her expression exaggerated: "Don't joke like that!"

Zhong Xiaoshanjian handed Zhang Su a medicine box the size of a mahjong tile, then took the three thalami from him and placed them in the medical kit.

Zhang Su shook his head: "You'll have to figure out the dosage—I just saw Fu Weijun cut off a sliver as thin as a fingernail. Use that amount."

To the three of them, this had already become a medicine.

"Then… this medicine is too important—can we give it to everyone?"

Zhong Xiaoshanjian asked cautiously.

Zhang Su looked at her in confusion: "Why not? I gave it to you precisely so everyone can use it. Don't use it unless necessary—we still don't know the side effects."

"I mean, if others find out we have something this valuable, won't they cause trouble?" Zhong Xiaoshanjian's face turned serious.

"Pfft…" Zhang Su chuckled at her solemn expression: "Just make up any excuse—say it's something we brought from the city. Let them believe it or not! Don't worry about leaks among our own—things aren't like before. When people have something good, they grow closer, and they won't want outsiders to know. We're playing an information gap. Eventually, others will discover this too—it won't be special anymore."

"Mm-hmm, got it!"

Later, the group discussed the thalamus further, even speculating about other organs—but without evidence, it remained pure guesswork, not even a hypothesis…

Tonight, many would find sleep impossible—like the villagers of the United Village who barely escaped death, or those newly assigned to night watch.

The sudden arrival of over ten new people unsettled Zhang Su; the United Village survivors were traumatized, emotionally unstable, and hard to trust not to act recklessly.

The night passed. Dawn broke. Nothing happened.

The sudden upheaval in the United Village disrupted Zhang Su's plans. Now, four tasks lay before him.

First, the United Village's supplies—any chance to retrieve them must be seized. Don't just abandon them.

Second, reclaiming wasteland!

"After I negotiated with Old Wang about your village merging into Tianma Yu, I found you a good spot—Madian Zhuang, southeast, the closest village to Tianma Yu. We'll clear it for you to live in, and you'll farm and raise livestock nearby."

Zhang Su told the United Village people: "I've been there. Some greenhouses nearby weren't damaged. With your skills, you can replant crops quickly."

"Brother Zhang, you saved our lives—we'll follow your orders. Whatever you say, we'll do!"

Wang Longzhong spoke for the remaining dozen or so villagers.

The United Village villagers nodded vigorously. The horrors of last night were fresh in their minds. After escaping, they'd talked among themselves. Now alive, they owed everything to these people's help. Grateful beyond words, they knew their fate was now tied together—if they wanted continued protection, they had to work hard.

"Lu Yu, Wang Xin, Zhang Ya!"

Zhang Su called out three names, and the three stepped forward from behind him.

"See these three? Today they'll lead you to Madian Zhuang to clear zombies. Later, everyone go to Teacher Yu for weapons. But remember—today isn't just a simple zombie cleanup!"

At his words, every member of the United Village turned to Zhang Su.

"This is for your new home—no slacking. Each of you must kill at least ten zombies. Understood? Those under ten get no dinner tonight. Those who kill over twenty get a down jacket as a reward! Wang Xin Gui, you count!"

"This… alright, fine."

Wang Xin Gui thought this was a thankless job, but at his uncle's glance, he quickly agreed.

After finishing with the United Village, Zhang Su pulled Lu Yu and the other two aside for a quiet word. No one heard what was said, but Lu Yu and the others wore stunned expressions.

"Brother Su, you're not joking, right? Ten zombie heads—alive?"

Lu Yu thought he'd misheard.

"Correct. Yesterday's new recruit, Dr. Fu, needs zombie brains for experiments—and they must be alive. I thought, since we only need the brain, there's no point dragging back the whole corpse—it's too dangerous. Just cut off the head, bring it back in a sack. Be careful, but it's not risky."

Zhang Su remembered the miraculous effect of the zombie thalamus. If he relied only on zombies wandering into camp daily, the supply wouldn't be enough—because, according to Fu Weijun, extracting the thalamus had a failure rate.

"Then lend me your dog-leg knife—other weapons can't cut through necks!"

Lu Yu eyed Zhang Su's waist sheath greedily.

"Damn it, you're still thinking about that? Isn't the fire axe good enough?" Zhang Su didn't waste time—he unhooked his waist sheath and handed it over: "You'll return it. Don't break it, got it?"

"Heh, got it, got it!"

Lu Yu treated it like a treasure—even with an automatic rifle in hand, he still had a fetish for cold weapons.

"What about you two? Want one? You can borrow from Zhu Zhu and Xiao Chen."

Zhang Su looked at Zhang Ya and Wang Xin. The dog-leg knife's material and sharpness were unmatched among all cold weapons in camp—truly effective.

"I can't—I'm no good with it. I'll use a long weapon to assist the two of them…"

Zhang Ya waved her hand. Decapitation was too much for her.

Wang Xin patted the fire axe on his back: "This thing's great for chopping heads."

"Alright, the tough job's yours. Be careful—don't tell me you got bit, or had your face gnawed off. No stupid mistakes!"

Zhang Su warned.

"Understood, Brother Su!"

The three nodded solemnly—even Lu Yu, usually joking, was serious. This wasn't a time for jokes.

"Right!" Zhang Su called out to the three as they prepared to leave, lowering his voice: "Pay attention—see who among them has good combat potential. Worth training."

Lu Yu and the others understood—they knew Zhang Su wanted to expand the combat team—and nodded.

Soon, the three led the United Village group to collect weapons and departed. Since the distance was short, the two three-wheeled carts from last night were perfect.

(End of chapter)