Chapter 242: I

In the morning, Zhang Su had Tan Hua jun drive several technicians to Niuziquan Town to continue repairing the excavator, while he stayed at the camp to participate in various tasks.

Preparations for the Lianyi Society, sanitation duties across all camp zones, manufacturing defense equipment and weapons, harvesting crops, and feeding pigs and sheep (this requires a note: pigs are fed with old corn gathered from nearby villages; many rural households around Qincheng plant several mu of corn or sweet potatoes, dry them on their rooftops after harvest, eat little themselves, and mostly use them to feed livestock).

Each task had a designated person in charge; Zhang Su did not need to do manual labor himself, but instead made rounds to offer encouragement, ensuring everyone felt cared for and valued, giving off a distinct air of a leader conducting an inspection.

Whether it was the seemingly vital defense structures or the stinking chore of feeding pigs and sheep, the respect received was the same; under this atmosphere, everyone's mood changed noticeably.

Once-dull work now carried a sense of mission, making everyone clearly understand that every task they performed improved the camp and their own lives, allowing them to directly feel this transformation.

There would be no situation where some people enjoyed the benefits while others bore all the hardship.

"Brother Su, Teacher Yu, busy? Got a moment to talk?"

Zhang Su nodded, watched Yu Wen leave, then turned to Chen Hanzhou: "Still something else?"

Chen Hanzhou unfolded the paper with some difficulty and said: "I've long wanted to develop the use of my right hand and designed several weapon versions, none satisfactory. Then I settled on a design, but the camp's welder broke. Luckily, Brother Su brought back one from Xida Ying Village—Teacher Yu, could you help me build this?"

"It seems your change is related to being bitten by a zombie before. Don't rush—I'll take you to…"

"Just say it. Why hesitate?"

"Yes!" Chen Hanzhou nodded.

Chen Hanzhou stated firmly: "I'm certain this didn't happen before the snowfall, because my left hand was clumsy—I got injured several times recently. Look, the scars are still here!"

Zhang Su shook his head, troubled.

After discussing the mechanical prosthesis, Yu Wen noticed Chen Hanzhou hadn't left. As sharp-witted as he was, he could tell Chen had more to say to Zhang Su, so he said: "Mr. Zhang, I'll return to study the blueprints."

"Right." Yu Wen nodded. "Like the plan to settle the United Village—centered on Tianma Yu, radiating outward, establishing safe zones in nearby villages, each housing no more than a certain number of people, closely connected but avoiding mass concentration, minimizing the risk of… Xiao Chen?"

"So that's why Pei Lan was always clinging to you, drawing and writing all day—you were designing a cyberpunk arm for him!"

The design drawings were extremely detailed, inside and out, even including internal cross-sections.

Chen Hanzhou felt no joy at gaining this special ability; the unknown power filled him with quiet unease, fearing his transformation might end in zombification, given his unique experience!

"Do you think it's connected to being bitten by a zombie? Didn't you notice it before?"

"You'll have to ask Teacher Yu…" Zhang Su handed the blueprint to Yu Wen.

Yu Wen put on his reading glasses, studied it carefully, and said: "The rest isn't hard, but the joint mechanism may require very special materials—hard to find now. Let's build the other parts first, then figure out the joint later."

Zhang Su's gaze sharpened. "Did Xiao Shan treat you?"

Seeing this, Yu Wen prepared to leave so as not to interfere.

"This only happened after the snowfall!"

"No… it's me—I'm not right!"

Chen Hanzhou's face wore a strange expression. He stepped closer: "Yesterday, when we went out to hunt zombies, I cut my hand and twisted my ankle. I didn't pay attention then, but when I returned to camp to treat the wounds, the cuts were gone—and my ankle didn't hurt anymore!"

As they spoke, Guo Dachao's voice crackled through the walkie-talkie hanging at Zhang Su's waist.

The excavator was vital to them; it could not fail.

"Brother Su, Brother Su! The excavator's fixed—it started up successfully. We poured all the camp's diesel into it. It'll make it back without issue. The bucket has a problem, but we can fix it slowly—it doesn't affect driving. Should we bring it back now?"

"Good, thank you so much."

He took off the walkie-talkie and said: "Bring it back. Park it at Madian Zhuang. Good work."

"Brother Su, Teacher Yu."

The paper contained six or seven drawings. At a glance, they resembled equipment sketches from some online game, but closer inspection revealed they depicted a prosthetic weapon designed to fit over the arm.

"You two talk. There's a tree over there with good dimensions."

His first thought was that Zhong Xiao Shan had given Chen Hanzhou a zombie's cerebellum—but as soon as he asked, he realized it didn't make sense. That was a life-saving treatment; minor injuries wouldn't warrant it. He'd specifically instructed her not to use it lightly—she wouldn't break protocol.

After ending the call, Zhang Su pointed toward the camp and said: "Come on, I'll take you to Dr. Fu. Meanwhile, I'll assign a few people to meet Guo Dachao's team."

"The problem is our population is still too small—we can't spare hands for large-scale construction. But if population grows, I fear attracting large zombie hordes. It's hard to balance."

Without high-precision machinery, we rely on handcrafting. These aren't precision parts anyway—just need to be functional.

He extended his left hand. Indeed, it bore scars—not only linear cuts but also burn marks the size of coins. Losing his dominant hand, training the non-dominant one was a difficult process, leaving him covered in wounds.

Zhang Su swung his axe into the tree trunk, then pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

"No problem. I'll send people to escort them right away!"

"No." Chen Hanzhou shook his head. "It's incredible. I tested it again secretly—when I cut myself with a knife, a wound this long" (he gestured with his fingers) "healed in under ten minutes, no scar left. Brother Su, am I sick?"

The Qinglong Battalion will come to collect grain in a few days. There's nothing we can do now—better to hide it for now, then begin digging defense works after handling this.

"The farmland around nearby villages can support over a thousand people. With fuel, many farm machines can be used, greatly increasing efficiency. As long as we secure defenses, future food won't be a problem."

"Understood."

Zhang Su and Yu Wen were discussing future development plans when Chen Hanzhou approached, holding a sheet of paper, hesitating: "I have something I'd like to ask."

The sleeve length covered the entire arm, with armor-like elements at the joints allowing free movement. The head was designed with a threaded metal structure, enabling interchangeable operational heads for different scenarios: dagger, cleaver, hammer…

Attraction is no longer hypothetical. After a period of verification, it's now confirmed as a real phenomenon—though its pattern remains unclear. So far, it appears positively correlated with population size.

Chen Hanzhou quickly waved his hands. "Teacher Yu, wait—I mainly need your help."

Zhang Su smiled. He often monitored his team's condition; with his exceptional hearing, little escaped him. But since some topics weren't sensitive, he'd listen and then ignore them—otherwise, with so many voices, his head would explode.

"Oh? Let's hear it."

Zhang Su took the paper curiously and examined it with Yu Wen.

He handed the A4 sheet to them.

In the afternoon, Zhang Su was chopping wood with Yu Wen by a mountain stream. This area, cleared after some time, now offered a good space for training.

Chen Hanzhou scratched his head sheepishly. "Do you think it can be made?"

Zhang Su frowned.

"The farmland below the mountain can't stay idle forever—reclaiming it later will be harder. This winter's out of the question. We must plant come spring."

"Got it, no trouble at all. But Brother Su, the excavator's loud—I'm worried it'll attract zombies. Might need some brothers to meet us."

Yu Wen stopped, smiling, leaning on his axe.

"Sneaking around—did you get Pei Lan pregnant?" Zhang Su, seeing Chen Hanzhou's serious, hesitant expression, felt a chill.

Yu Wen paused his work, adjusted his glasses, and said: "Mr. Zhang, if you extend your earlier plan further, I believe it perfectly fits our development direction."

Chen Hanzhou was delighted. After losing his arm, he'd become even more optimistic—perhaps because he'd walked the edge of death and now saw things more clearly.

He assigned Lu Yu to lead a team of elite soldiers to meet them, then went with Chen Hanzhou to Cuileng Xuan.

"You mean the issue with nearby villages?" Zhang Su knew what Yu Wen meant.

"Aowu… aowu…"

In a guest room at Cuileng Xuan, the petrified-skin zombie still growled, though its voice had grown weaker and hoarse—apparently, even a zombie's throat couldn't withstand such prolonged screaming…

(End of Chapter)