Chapter 262: I Ask, You Answer

"I never expected Tianma Yu to gather such a ruthless group of survivors..."

The vehicle slowly rolled forward as Gong Chengming turned to look back at the mountain, struck by a sudden thought.

Everyone in the car fell silent; they belonged to the Elite Squad of the Survivor Alliance, yet now they could not utter a single word of scorn or mockery—the brutal battle had occurred just moments ago, the explosive roars still ringing in their ears, and the sheer number of corpses allowed them to infer the capability of the Tianma Yu survivor team.

Gong Chengming turned back, shifting the topic with a smile: "Still, that kid who just did the work seemed a bit dense—not very smart."

"Boss, did you slip something into the cigarette you gave him?"

One of the squad members asked curiously.

Gong Chengming gave a mysterious smile and shook his head: "There's nothing in the cigarette. But that guy had a good relationship with their leader. Building rapport with a clueless fool who has connections—if we get a chance to recruit them, he could be our opening."

The cigarette itself was fine, but the act of giving it carried meaning—too bad Lu Yu never realized it. If Gong Chengming knew his kindness had been mistaken for stupidity, he'd probably be deeply annoyed.

"Are you thinking of bringing them into the Alliance?"

"Brother Zhang..." Zhao Xue spotted Zhang Su, walked up to him, and pointed to a distant building: "There's some movement from Su Xiaoya's side—she seems terrified. Should we talk to her?"

Another member asked in astonishment.

After returning to the Alliance last time, he'd thought long and hard. Life inside the Survivor Alliance was comfortable—warmth, softness, food, drink—but his status was low, just a cannon-fodder leader, and the feeling of walking on thin ice was unbearable.

The driver asked in confusion: "Aren't we chasing after Dr. Fu and the others?"

At Tianma Yu, Zhang Su didn't know Gong Chengming's or Zhang Xin's many thoughts—he just needed to get rid of the Survivor Alliance. He picked up his submachine gun and headed toward the courtyard holding the prisoners, where he met Zhao Xue hurrying by.

Zhang Xin didn't mention the mission—he just dangled a carrot in front of his men.

No need for Zhang Xin to answer; someone immediately explained for him.

Gong Chengming ordered them to turn left toward Qincheng.

"Once we return, our squad will be reorganized. Do any of you have friends in other squads or logistics? Get in touch fast and try to get pulled into our unit. If you follow me, I'll make sure you live comfortably from now on!"

Zhang Xin slumped back weakly, eyes rolling upward. This trip had crushed him psychologically—he'd been ready to fight at any moment, but not against Zhang Su. He'd been ready to fight Gong Chengming's squad!

"Are you stupid? Boss Gong's taking the heat—what's it got to do with us?"

"Team Leader, you think the boss will still give us trouble after we get back?"

With the high command's orders given, the rest of the members relaxed—after all, they didn't have to bear the brunt from the boss.

Just encountering one random group of survivors out here was terrifying—who knows what we'd face if we kept chasing? The outside world isn't like the Qincheng base—we should get back as soon as possible!

"Finally... that's over..."

"Not yet. Let's head back first!"

In the vehicle carrying Zhang Xin, the four men followed the lead vehicle toward Qincheng. They exchanged glances and all let out heavy sighs of relief.

If there was ever a real chance, he planned to join Zhang Su's side—maybe dull, but his life would be far safer.

"After all this time, if the roads were clear, they'd have reached Cheng City already. Let it go."

The others in the car wore solemn expressions.

Survival in the apocalypse is brutal. Though they'd never fought the Tianma Yu group, they dared not underestimate them. Regardless of whether they'd join the Alliance, bringing such a pack of wolves and tigers into the organization—what would become of their elite squad?

Su Xiaoya had been locked in a single room, but she could see the battle in the parking lot through the window—and that was precisely why her face had turned green. People were falling like cut wheat, and Lingling Three was slashing living humans with his blade!

She'd never seen such sights. Cowering in the pitch-black room, trembling, terrified she'd be killed next second, her lips bitten bloody, she deeply regretted agreeing to the village chief's request to become a spy.

Zhang Su wiped the bloodstain on Zhao Xue's lip with his hand: "Why are you still running around? You need rest for your internal injuries!"

The intimate gesture made Zhao Xue flinch slightly, turning her head away with an awkward smile: "It's not that bad. I've got a lot to do—let me help."

Zhang Su looked toward the guest room holding Su Xiaoya: "What's there to talk about with a girl? If you want to talk, speak to Kuan Zhuang's boss. I'm going to question the prisoners. You go rest—you're wounded, act like it."

"Mm... okay."

Zhao Xue tilted her head, said nothing more, watched Zhang Su's retreating back, and let a faint smile curl at her lips.

Zhang Su arrived at the courtyard holding the prisoners and found Chen Hanzhou guarding the door.

"Huh? Still fine like this?"

Zhang Su walked up to Chen Hanzhou and pointed at his stomach in surprise.

In the chaos earlier, he hadn't noticed closely, but now, up close, Zhang Su saw bullet holes in Chen Hanzhou's abdominal clothing—he'd clearly been shot, yet he was hopping around as if nothing happened. His special ability must have kicked in!

Chen Hanzhou patted his belly. He'd had bad luck—the bullet hit right where his petrified skin covered his abdomen, near his navel...

He pulled off the fisherman's hat made of petrified skin, his face twisted in a strange yet excited expression: "It hurt, Brother Zhang—so much! But the healing speed is insane—it's almost like a T-1000!"

Zhang Su rubbed his nose. He wasn't as excited as Chen Hanzhou—he suspected such rapid healing likely came with side effects.

He asked Guanqie ly: "Any unusual sensations?"

"Just my body feels hot, especially around the wound. Nothing else—it doesn't interfere with anything. Actually, it's free heating, hehe. But it'll pass soon." Chen Hanzhou honestly described his experience to Zhang Su.

Zhang Su nodded. When Chen Hanzhou had regained consciousness after losing his arm, he'd also had a fever—this was probably how the zombie machine operated inside the human body.

He patted Chen Hanzhou's shoulder: "This ability's pretty damn cool, but still be careful. Avoid injuries if you can—we don't know what side effects might come. Also, that hat of yours is seriously ugly..."

With that, Zhang Su pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Three prisoners were stripped down to their underwear, bound in every way, dumped in the corner—no way they could escape.

Seeing Zhang Su enter with a submachine gun, all three eyes widened in terror. Their mouths were taped shut, so they could only whimper "Wu... wu... wu," twisting desperately toward the corner, looking utterly miserable.

"Stop whining. I'm asking questions now—who wants to answer?"

"Wu... wu..."

"Wu wu!"

"Ah... wu..."

All three frantically nodded, jumping with excitement—this was their chance to live, and they'd grab it with both hands.

Zhang Su looked at the youngest one, walked up, and ripped the tape off his mouth with a sharp "ssss"—"You. Answer."

"Wu... ow ow ow! Okay, I'll answer—I'll answer well, please be lenient!"

The tape had ripped off skin along with it—he winced in pain, the area around his mouth red and raw.

"Wu wu..."

The other two turned red-eyed with jealousy—their only chance snatched away. They squealed and groaned, pounding their heads against the floor, begging desperately.

"Shut up. One more sound and I'll kill you."

Zhang Su remained unmoved by their behavior.

No violence needed—they remembered how coldly this man had slaughtered lives moments ago. They immediately clammed up, slumping against the wall, motionless.

"What's your name?" Zhang Su asked the boy.

"Big Brother, I'm Xin Qi. Xin as in 'hard work,' Qi as in 'strange.'"

The boy looked no older than twenty-four or twenty-five, with a messy crew cut—probably just shaved a few days ago. He sat cross-legged on the floor, meek and obedient.

"That's a weird name..." Zhang Su muttered, then continued: "Alright, tell me about your group's structure. If you get something wrong, the other two can chime in—got it?"

Zhang Su glanced at the two in the corner.

They heard this and lit up—this was their chance! They nodded vigorously, understanding.

"B-Big Brother, I'll answer properly... but... what exactly do you want to know?"

"Start with your group's personnel structure." Zhang Su sat down nearby, calmly watching Xin Qi.

Xin Qi licked his dry lips, thinking: "Uh... let me see... The group is divided into four main departments: Combat, Logistics, Administration, and Science. Plus there are some unassigned members—people who joined but haven't been placed yet. They're temporarily managed by the Administration department."

Zhang Su nodded silently. Large survivor bases always developed detailed divisions of labor. His own group still had only basic organization—fine with few people, but as the camp grew, a clearer system would be essential.

"Tell me about the Combat department. By the way, how many people are in your group total?"

"Total?" Xin Qi tilted his head, thought, glanced at his two companions, then hesitated: "Two hundred? No, more—three or four hundred? I'm not sure. But I know the Combat department has ten squads, one hundred men total!"

Zhang Su understood. The Qinglong Group's combat structure matched the Survivor Alliance's—organized in ten-man units. This size allowed basic tactical coordination without demanding high command skill.

"From what your captain said earlier, each squad has different roles?"

"Yes, exactly."

Xin Qi nodded: "Squads One and Two are the core elite—best skills and gear. Squads Three through Six are the backbone. Squads Seven and Eight are weaker, mostly handle scavenging and patrols. Squads Nine and Ten are reserves—responsible for perimeter patrols and camp security."

(End of Chapter)