Chapter 228: Visitors from the Alliance

According to the message from United Village, some of the zombies this time are special individuals with extremely high defense, making them very difficult to handle. We're now going to capture a petrified-skin zombie for research, and everyone must also undergo specialized training targeting this trait!

When Zhang Su finished speaking, many exchanged uneasy glances.

They had never heard of petrified-skin zombies; upon first hearing, it sounded absurd—but then again, if zombies had appeared at all, some unusual variants weren't entirely surprising.

The third matter was naturally capturing zombies; Zhang Su would lead this mission personally, and he planned to hide some weapons in United Village, which had already been overrun by zombies!

The final matter was devising a strategy to counter the Azure Dragon Corps; though they still had five days, they must prepare thoroughly.

When spreading the word, only five people were sent out—but that doesn't mean only five will be collecting grain when the time comes…

More than twenty people gradually left Tianma Island Safe Camp; those left behind didn't idle either, urgently upgrading and iterating their defensive fortifications to cope with stronger zombies!

While everyone was busy, a FJ Cruiser and a Tank 30, 00 slowly approached the Hahe Bridge heading west toward Xidaying Village; both vehicles were packed with people, appearing cramped.

"Hey! Boss Zhang, the bridge over Hahe is blocked ahead!"

In the driver's seat of the lead FJ Cruiser, a young man chewed bubble gum and turned to shout back.

"Blocked? Let Old Man see who's got the guts to block us!"

"Set up a zombie formation to keep zombies away?"

A man stepped down from the Tank 30, 00, grumbling, patted his chest where he held an uncleared weapon, strutting proudly.

"Enough noise!"

The man called Boss Zhang stepped out of the vehicle, holding a submachine gun, walked up to the barricade, and eyed the two villagers across: "Hurry up and move this, or if we have to do it ourselves, you'll regret it!"

Boss Zhang, who had been resting with his submachine gun propped beside him, lifted his eyelids at the report; a burn scar covered a large area of his chin, giving him a fearsome look.

"Hey! What's all this weird junk you've got on the bridge? Performing rituals?"

The two villagers guarding the bridge had spotted the approaching vehicles from afar and were already planning how to extort them—but now that they saw the well-equipped newcomers ready to fight at the slightest provocation, they clearly weren't to be trifled with, and immediately surrendered.

"Hahaha…"

The FJ Cruiser pulled up to the barricade; the bubble-gum-chewing man stuck his head out, pointed at the zombie corpses impaled on the barricades, and sneered.

"Hey, I'm asking you—since yesterday morning, has anyone else passed through here?"

Boss Zhang lit a cigarette, leaned against the bridge railing, and asked.

"What a bunch of idiots."

"Oh, oh, we'll move it right away, gentlemen, don't get worked up—let's talk this out…"

Many in the two vehicles laughed, finding Xidaying Village's actions foolish.

"The bridge at Shuikou Village was blown up, and now you've blocked the main road north—this is just for tolls, right? Your villagers are real bastards!"

"No one today. As for yesterday… we don't know. We weren't on duty yesterday."

"Oh my, gentlemen, where are you headed?"

A middle-aged man in a military cotton cap stood straight to answer.

"Our village is poor—we had no choice…"

Ma Changshou had received word that a group had arrived at the bridge; seeing them pull out guns from afar, he hurried over with men, fearing a clash between the bridge guards and the newcomers.

As he spoke, he fired a few rounds toward the riverbank; the silenced submachine gun made little noise, but that didn't mean its lethality was weak—in fact, its high rate of fire and stability gave it firepower nearly equal to a rifle at close range.

He was shrewd—he knew some things couldn't be avoided; only proactive resolution brought good results.

Boss Zhang saw five or six villagers approaching, smiled slightly at their leader, and asked: "Judging by your appearance, you're in charge here—what's this place, and what's your name?"

"Call me Old Ma, heh—heh. This is Xidaying Village. I'm the village chief. What's your surname, boss?"

Ma Changshou kept his posture humble; they had guns too, but the other side carried submachine guns—clearly high-end gear. No conflict could be allowed.

"Zhang."

"Zhang…" Ma Changshou's mind instantly flashed the image of another Zhang boss—he blinked, dazed: "Oh, oh, Boss Zhang, Boss Zhang, all you bosses are welcome! Lao Ba, hurry up and move it—don't keep the bosses waiting!"

"No rush!" Boss Zhang waved his hand, tossed half a pack of cigarettes across, then raised his arm and pointed to the inside of his forearm: "Do you know what this symbol means?"

Ma Changshou bent down to pick up the dropped cigarette, stared blankly at the two red wings on the man's sleeve, and shook his head: "I don't understand. Please enlighten me, Boss Zhang."

"Remember this symbol—it's the emblem of the Survivors' Alliance!"

As he spoke, the ten men who had stepped down from the two vehicles all raised their arms, revealing the same pair of flying wings on their inner forearms.

Ma Changshou and his men exchanged glances—they hadn't expected these men to be from the famed Survivors' Alliance of Qincheng. Their organized discipline and decent gear made them unmistakably genuine.

Were they planning to plant their flag up north?

Ma Changshou couldn't help but ponder…

"So you're the Survivors' Alliance bosses! No wonder you all carry such an air of distinction—hahaha, honored to meet you!"

"Stop sucking up. If you really honored us, why didn't you bring your people to join our Alliance? Stuck in this dump of a village—what future is there?"

The man who stepped down from the Tank 30, 00 looked down his nose at Xidaying Village.

"Boss…" Ma Changshou turned to the man, whose face was even more cruel than the scarred captain's, and forced a smile: "We're just farmers with no combat experience—how could we possibly trek all the way to Qincheng? That'd be suicide."

"Enough with the chatter! I'll ask you: since yesterday morning, has a Jinbei minivan passed through here?"

Boss Zhang crushed out his cigarette and flicked it into the river.

Ma Changshou's mind spun—he answered instantly: "Yes!"

"You idiot, you didn't even think before answering? Then tell me—what color was the car? Who was inside? Say one wrong thing and I'll blow your head off!"

The cruel man grew angry at Ma Changshou's cooperation with Boss Zhang.

It seemed like a threat, but Ma Changshou, a seasoned survivor, had already sensed something from the man's tone. He smiled calmly: "These questions don't stump me. The car wasn't the usual gray-and-white; it was pure white—a Jinbei minivan. There were only two people: a tall, muscular man with a scarred, bearded face, and another who never got out of the car—later we learned he was a cripple!"

"Boss Zhang, it's confirmed—it's Dr. Fu and that traitor!"

"Damn it! When we catch them, we'll kill them for making us run all over looking!"

"Are you crazy? The leader repeatedly ordered us to bring Dr. Fu back alive…"

"Oh right, right—kill the traitor!"

The Survivors' Alliance members erupted in excitement, faces lit with joy and malice.

Boss Zhang's lips curled into a smile. He pushed aside the last row of barricades, stepped up to Ma Changshou, and said: "Village Chief Ma, you heard us. Those two are exactly who we're after. Tell us everything you know—hey, they didn't hide in your village, did they?"

Ma Changshou shook his head rapidly: "No, no—we've never sheltered any passing survivors. You never know a man's heart—how could we risk it?"

"By the way, when those two passed through, what did you take from them?"

Boss Zhang, like an old friend, draped his arm over Ma Changshou's shoulder, wearing that smile that promised violence at any moment.

Several villagers beside Ma Changshou glared but dared not speak. They had once imagined the Survivors' Alliance as a utopia for survivors—but now they saw how vile its members were. Clearly, the organization itself couldn't be good!

"Heh heh heh… To be honest, that tall, burly guy bowed and begged, and our people checked the vehicle—nothing worth taking. In the end, we took one box of supplies as a token. I don't know what's inside—it was sent straight to the warehouse. Should I call the warehouse keeper to ask?"

The villagers showed no surprise at Ma Changshou's blatant lie—they all understood the village's precarious situation and knew exactly why he said it.

Whether it was the Survivors' Alliance of Qincheng, the Azure Dragon Corps of Qingxian, or Zhang Su's group somewhere up north—they were all forces beyond their reach. Now that they'd chosen to join the Azure Dragon Corps, before relocating, they had to survive safely in the gap between them.

If Xidaying Village got dragged into a fight between the Survivors' Alliance and Zhang Su's team, they'd likely become a sacrifice!

"No need!" Boss Zhang shook his head, then added: "All I want to know now is where they went."

Ma Changshou pointed north: "After crossing the bridge, they headed north. Where exactly? I truly don't know. Honestly, I didn't care—I didn't ask."

"Oh? Really? Old Ma, I've got a feeling you're not being honest. Come on, boys—let's pay a visit to the village and ask others!"

Boss Zhang patted Ma Changshou's shoulder, then waved to the men on the other side of the barricade.

"Hahaha! Honored guests have arrived! Come, gentlemen, please!" Ma Changshou's heart dropped, but he immediately forced a smile and gestured them forward.

No matter how smooth he was, he couldn't outwit the Survivors' Alliance's suspicion—but this act had to continue, or disaster would strike!

Several villagers cast worried glances, which Boss Zhang noticed. He laughed heartily: "Fellow villagers, don't be nervous—we're only after the escaped traitor. We won't touch your village one bit—we're just gathering information!"

(End of Chapter)