Chapter 253: C Plan

"Be careful on the way!"

At two a. ., Zheng Xinyu, on duty in the monitoring room, slipped away and stood in the parking lot, adjusting Zhang Su's windproof cap and checking his weapons and gear.

"Relax."

Zhang Su didn't refuse; he let Zheng Xinyu arrange everything for him.

"Hey? How come… why are you bringing all this?"

As she checked, Zheng Xinyu discovered Zhang Su had brought explosives and hand grenades!

"What's so weird about that? I always carry them. Alright, alright, get some rest after your shift and keep the radio open at all times!"

"Damn, he really didn't turn on his lights?"

Logically, cargo boxes can hold people, but given the convoy's situation, none of the cabins were full—there's little chance they'd hide people inside the cargo, or where would they put the grain?

"Has Mr. Zhang departed?"

On the night road, Zhang Su looked around and felt a deep sense of sorrow.

After the power went out, the nights in the suburbs and the city had become indistinguishable—the sky was clear with moon and stars, and if not for the biting cold wind, speeding down the road on a bike would've been exhilarating.

Zhang Su didn't want to dwell on this—further thought would expose his special ability. He rode his electric scooter swiftly onto the provincial highway, heading north.

Plan B would be slightly more moderate: at least begin with "friendly" negotiations; whether talks succeeded or failed, action would follow—suitable when the grain-collecting team is strong enough that direct confrontation might cause casualties.

"What a shattered world."

Leading the convoy was a sleek cruiser motorcycle, riding under the cargo truck's headlights without its own lights on, serving as a scout.

Zheng Xinyu jumped in surprise and nodded. "Teacher Yu, aren't you asleep?"

His night vision let him clearly see the surroundings—zombies standing like scarecrows in the moonlight, frozen and vacant; rows of village houses lay utterly silent; with the temperature dropping, even insect chirps had vanished, occasionally pierced by distant zombie growls.

Zheng Xinyu dashed back to the monitoring room and opened the screen facing the self-built road—but saw nothing…

He kept glancing left and right, muttering under his breath.

"This… damn, I guessed right—they're definitely collecting grain from south to north!"

"Mm."

Rebuilding industry and civilization under current conditions is extremely difficult; it must be done before this generation dies out, or the next will lose cultural knowledge and scientific skills entirely, making recovery far harder.

Zhang Su clearly saw through gaps in the obstacles—not just one vehicle, but only one with lights on, preceded by a large motorcycle and followed by a scattered string of others. Only the Green Dragon Corps could muster such a formation!

If not for his night vision, he never would've seen the vehicles behind—he'd have been completely fooled.

His world glowed bright; he unconsciously assumed the others could see him too, so he crouched behind a tree, peering out with just his eyes fixed on the highway.

"Turn here, then head that way… yes, that's right!"

Behind it came a bread van, a rugged SUV, a sedan, then another cargo truck, then another cargo truck…

"Damn these bastards really pulled a trick!"

From the main road, he turned onto a side path; Zhang Su estimated another one or two kilometers would bring him to Kuangzhuang—he planned to find a hidden spot far off and lie in wait.

"Huh?"

A night ambush was meant to catch other factions off guard!

Zhang Su felt profound emotion—he thought this all seemed fated. If not for Su Xiaoya's appearance, he never would've left early and never would've witnessed this.

Zhang Su frowned, pushed his electric scooter behind a large tree, and decided to observe the situation clearly before reporting it to camp.

"Can't sleep," Yu Wen shook his head, pulling his coat tighter. "I'll check the perimeter again. You go back inside."

He estimated the world's population had already dropped to the level of around A. . 200…

"Why think so far ahead? Damn, even a tiny Qing County is split apart… At the end of the Eastern Han, the land divided into three kingdoms, war never ceased… Hmm, I already passed through Niuziquan Town—should be no more than three kilometers left… Use deception, strategy, open or covert means…"

"Wanting to return to the old days? What a dream."

The side road was full of potholes; Zhang Su was slowly pushing his scooter forward when suddenly a glimmer caught his peripheral vision!

He stopped instantly, turned toward the north side of the highway—and saw faint flashes of headlights.

Zhang Su felt as if he'd returned to the days before the disaster, delivering goods to nearby shops—except then there were streetlights; now, only moonlight accompanied him.

Zhang Su was about to push his scooter onward toward Kuangzhuang, but the convoy showed no sign of turning. According to the map, another major road led from the north to Kuangzhuang—but the convoy didn't turn. Instead, it drove straight south!

Zhang Su's heart tightened; he stopped and waited by the roadside.

Before the convoy had fully passed him, he pulled out his radio: "Hello, hello, everyone—Green Dragon Corps spotted! Moving south, estimated arrival at Tianmayu in ten minutes! Repeat, Green Dragon Corps spotted…"

After giving the alert, he rode his scooter away from Tianmayu.

Zhang Su didn't remember where he'd read a science article stating that global population around A. . 1 was roughly 130 million, and by A. . 200 it had fallen to about 90 million due to various factors.

He guessed the Green Dragon Corps wouldn't show up unprepared to collect grain—these days, conflict was normal; smooth dealings were the exception.

"So thoughtful—save me from freezing. Let's see how Kuangzhuang handles this wave."

"Could it be the Green Dragon Corps?"

"Thirty people total!"

The massive convoy had ten vehicles, half of them cargo trucks—coming to collect grain, they'd need that space, or it'd be ridiculous.

Zhang Su was about two hundred meters from the convoy; whether the vehicles had lights on or not, to him they might as well have passed just twenty or thirty meters away. He couldn't make out every face, but every piece of gear on those men was visible.

Zhang Su had been considering this since spotting the convoy; after a few seconds of thought, he said: "Based on what I've observed… Plan C!"

Soon, Zhang Su received a reply: Yu Wen said, "Received, Mr. Zhang. Which plan?"

Yu Wen stepped out of the courtyard, watching Zhang Su's departing direction, and asked.

Here, Zhang Su turned his radio's volume down to one bar, avoiding sudden loud noises that might expose him—he could still hear fine.

Then came cargo trucks labeled with moving company logos…

She'd thought Zhang Su was joking, but after waiting a long time and seeing no sign of his scooter, she confirmed he truly hadn't turned on his lights—she couldn't fathom how he navigated.

From the convoy's discipline, these people clearly weren't doing this for the first time—clearly divided roles, highly practiced.

Thinking of A. . 200 and the current world order, Zhang Su unconsciously hummed a tune as he rode swiftly, like a ghost.

The headlights didn't seem to shine far, but in truth they were distant—it took two or three full minutes before the vehicles finally appeared in view, enough time for them to have traveled four or five kilometers.

From Plan A to D, four plans existed for different scenarios: Plan A was the most aggressive—no negotiation, immediate action—suitable when the Green Dragon Corps' grain-collecting team was weak.

Plan C was an upgraded version of Plan B: after "friendly" negotiations failed, feigning reluctant compromise, then striking unprepared—suitable for the current situation, where the grain-collecting team was heavily armed and posed a serious threat.

Plan D, the final option, was used only when victory was impossible: total surrender, showing zero resistance, trading grain for safety.

(End of chapter)