Chapter 268: Click and Receive

From sunrise to sunset, the day passed in busy activity on Tianmayu.

The setting sun lit the hills and forests; no warmth remained—only a faint chill breeze made people instinctively pull their coats tighter.

The modified zombie unit 003 had been reloaded onto the vehicle; five vehicles from the Qinglong Battalion had arrived, fully prepared for departure—three had exploded, and two had sustained varying degrees of damage from stray bullets and needed repairs before use, but there was no time to attend to them now.

Lu Yu's most prized cruiser motorcycle had also had its circuit board destroyed in battle and could not start; otherwise, even if he froze solid, he'd have ridden it out.

"Tea instead of wine, big bites of meat—cheers to us overthrowing the Qinglong Battalion tonight!"

Inside the dining hall, Zhang Su raised his cup, giving a pre-battle pep talk.

"Overthrow the Qinglong Battalion!"

Everyone raised their cups and drained them in one gulp.

The dining hall was filled with the scent of tea; the tea in the cups was especially strong—serving as both wine substitute and a deterrent against drowsiness, a two-in-one solution.

"Good! Click and receive! Haha, come on, eat up, then we ride out!"

"No no, Brother Su, I'm still hoping to redeem myself and earn your mercy—how would I dare speak recklessly?"

The prediction was exaggerated, but no one took it seriously; it was still a nice psychological comfort.

Some who had later joined the camp were deeply curious, treating it as a playful jest between Zhang Su and his sister-in-law, meant to ease the tension before departure.

Zhang Su couldn't help thinking to himself, fell silent, and focused on the road; according to Xin Qi's account, the Qinglong Battalion had set up two guard posts along the route to Qingxian, plus one at the military camp gate—three posts total!

??

Zhang Su's heart leapt—he didn't need to guess; Xin Qi's mindset had shifted, turning zero into one. He marveled at how this challenge was truly monstrous, capable of real-time monitoring of surroundings—even human hearts couldn't escape it!

"Looks like this challenge isn't so hard after all!"

Imitating the Qinglong Battalion's driving pattern, only the lead vehicle had its lights on; all others remained pitch black. Zhang Su, who needed no lights himself, had to slow to around forty kilometers per hour to match the speed of the vehicles behind.

【1/342】

The farthest post was five kilometers away in the southeast, the second at roughly one kilometer—ignoring internal factional struggles, their vigilance was remarkably thorough.

"You're saying there's a guard post five kilometers from Qingxian? Don't be pulling our legs!"

"I'll perform well, believe me!"

As soon as these words left her mouth, the room fell silent. The veterans who had followed Zhang Su from Qincheng grew tense—they had witnessed Zheng Xinyu's luck, which, to be fair, was truly extraordinary, so they desperately hoped she'd say something auspicious to boost morale.

Leading the convoy was Zhang Su driving the FJ Cruiser, with Xin Qi in the passenger seat, a gun pressed against his waist; the other two captives were also in the group, but placed in other vehicles.

After everyone set down their cups, Zhang Su looked at Zheng Xinyu, who was smacking her lips, and smiled: "Xinyu, your luck has always been good—predict tonight's journey. Can we win outright?"

"That depends on your performance!"

"Over there… that way—there's a survivor village called Kuan Zhuang!"

As the sun sank below the horizon and stars dotted the night sky, vehicles departed Tianmayu. The stirring words had already been spoken in the dining hall; no further motivational speeches were needed. Those left behind sent firm, hopeful glances after them.

Zheng Xinyu paused, unsure of her own ability to predict, so she replied on instinct: "We're this powerful—of course it'll be a smooth ride, bloodless victory! In game terms—click and receive!"

On the road, Zhang Su smoked as he questioned Xin Qi in the passenger seat.

Zhang Su set down his cup and sat; everyone picked up their chopsticks.

Xin Qi spoke with a forced smile.

Heading north, Xin Qi suddenly pointed to a distant spot on the western side of the road.

"Hmm… Kuan Zhuang seems to be around here."

Zhang Su gave a vague reply—he knew exactly where Kuan Zhuang was, having just been there at dawn.

He could tell Xin Qi was providing accurate information, but that didn't justify lowering his guard.

"About seven or eight kilometers further north is the guard post—there's a lavender field cultivated by locals right beside the road, several acres wide, and a completely white church; the guard post is set up in the church's attic!"

Xin Qi said seriously.

"Lavender field, church…" Zhang Su smirked, puzzled: "Why set up stuff like this in Qingxian? The climate here won't let flowers survive long!"

"Hmm… precisely because the climate's unsuitable, every blooming season, lots of engaged couples come here for wedding photos, and video creators come too—it's expensive. The church is used for shooting too; the owner makes money only during that season. He's quite a character—he even dresses up as a priest for the photos, and charges extra for it."

"Damn, priest? I'm the ghost mother—what the hell…" Zhao Dezhao muttered from the back seat.

Zhang Su chuckled, then suddenly realized something: "How do you know all this?"

Xin Qi blinked: "I'm a local—my family lives near Caopo Township. I used to work during peak season, scattering petals and holding reflectors for wedding photo shoots. On good days, I made two or three hundred—pretty decent money!"

Talking of these past lives, everyone fell heavy-hearted.

Zhang Su sighed softly and said nothing. If not for this damned apocalypse, he'd have been a comfortable little boss, and Xin Qi just a bright young man fresh out of college, still unemployed at home—everyone moving steadily along their own life paths, living ordinary lives.

No more idle chatter. Zhang Su stared into the distance—and soon, a church spire appeared ahead!

He slowed the vehicle, then, amid the others' puzzled glances, lifted his binoculars…

"Bro, stargazing?"

Zhao Dezhao stared out the window—pitch black. Binoculars weren't night vision—what could he possibly see…?

Zhang Su had no time to bicker with Zhao Dezhao. He fixed his gaze on the window at the church's spire—through the glass, he could faintly make out a small space, but no one inside.

He lowered his view—the entire church was dark; no vehicles were parked in the surrounding lavender field. All signs suggested it was empty?

"Xin Qi, you're sure the guard post is manned twenty-four hours?"

Zhang Su lowered his binoculars and asked, puzzled.

"Each post operates on three shifts—never unattended, but someone might slack off…" Xin Qi shrugged.

Zhang Su and Zhao Dezhao exchanged glances, then said: "How bold—they dare slack off on such a critical job?"

"Cars passing by are noticed by sound—no problem. But if someone sneaks past, they can't be seen from afar, so night shifts usually bring snacks and drinks to rest in the tower. The outermost posts are the easiest—pretty much a cushy assignment!"

"Hmph, you Qinglong Battalion really think you rule Qingxian? Tonight, you'll find out why the flowers are so red!"

Zhao Dezhao couldn't take it anymore, shaking his head in disgust.

"It's them, not me… I'm no longer part of the Qinglong Battalion. Hehe…" Xin Qi replied with a stiff smile.

Zhang Su was speechless. With more people, management inevitably gets harder—such slackers might appear in his own group too; he'd need to plan countermeasures in advance.

"If the guard on duty hears a vehicle approaching, what do they do? Report immediately or verify first?"

Xin Qi replied decisively: "Usually they report directly to headquarters. But headquarters knows we left yesterday—so the southern post will check the situation first. I'll handle it, big brother, don't worry!"

The main goal of this mission was to deceive the guard post personnel—Xin Qi had already prepared.

"Kid's got some sense. Fine—if you redeem yourself, I'll spare your life!"

Zhang Su thought Xin Qi was genuinely reliable. Earlier, their factions had been enemies, but after brief contact, he saw Xin Qi was just a big kid—only three or four years younger than him, but with far less life experience, not shrewd or cunning.

Since he'd chosen to turn from darkness to light, no more words were needed—just a light warning would suffice.

Zhang Su believed many in the Qinglong Battalion were like Xin Qi. Psychopaths like Liu Lei, who took pleasure in torture and killing, were rare—most were just drinkers or womanizers, with minor flaws tolerable enough.

The convoy neared the church; Xin Qi muttered to himself, rehearsing how to calm the guards.

"No need for all that. Just get him to stick his head out—we'll handle the rest!"

Zhang Su patted the visibly nervous Xin Qi—he'd already instructed Tan Huajun: if anyone showed their head, kill them. The dead wouldn't count toward conquest numbers, but one or two didn't matter.

Soon, the convoy reached the lavender field; the church stood just over ten meters from the road, connected by a narrow wooden path leading to the entrance—built to look authentic for photo shoots.

(End of Chapter)