Chapter 274: Kuan Zhuang

"Dā dā dā, dā dā dā dā—the gunshots were like firecrackers, scared the hell out of me last night. I didn't dare look at what was happening. When I finally opened my eyes, I saw bodies lying everywhere!"

"Oh my god, Uncle, you guys are amazing! You killed all those guys from the Green Dragon Corps—so cool! And that giant zombie, it was as big as a car! I thought I was done for, but you actually took it down—awesome!"

"Hey, Uncle, what did you use to blow up the car? Boom—the windows shook!"

"And how did you guys wipe out the Green Dragon Corps so fast? Did you kill them all? So incredible!"

In the car, Su Xiaoya seemed like a different person, chattering nonstop, showering Tianma Yu's group with relentless, 360-degree praise for their formidable combat strength.

"Lao Tan, is your daughter always this talkative?"

Zhang Su frowned, rubbed his ear, and sat lazily in the passenger seat.

Tan Huajun shook her head with a smile and said, "I don't spend much time with Lanlan. We don't have much in common—she chats with her classmates on WeChat…"

"Auntie, you were so brave last night—standing up to fight that giant zombie alone. I want to learn from you!"

Su Xiaoya, hearing Tan Huajun speak, immediately delivered a flattering remark.

Su Xiaoya felt somewhat unfamiliar with Lu Yubo.

Lu Yubo, unwilling to be ignored behind the wheel, quickly said, "Hey hey, what about me? Am I not awesome?"

"Give directions—where do we turn ahead?"

Lu Yubo slammed on the brakes, and everyone in the car lurched forward.

"Hey… little girl, your village folks are pretty vicious!" Lu Yubo stopped the car, took a closer look, and his expression twisted instantly.

Su Xiaoya's cheek smashed against the front seat, her nose hitting hard with a sharp sting—tears streamed down instantly.

"Huh? Who are you again…?"

Zhang Su was pondering when the zombie horde in Qingxian would leave, when suddenly he called out.

Fortunately, the vehicles behind were moving slowly—otherwise, the sudden brake would've triggered a chain of rear-end collisions.

Lu Yubo's face darkened instantly. If it weren't for Mo Qianlan's mother—possibly his future mother-in-law—sitting in the car, he would've cursed loudly!

This made the others nearly burst out laughing.

"Ouch…"

Puff…

The reason so many survived is probably because they hid somewhere unknown, avoiding the disaster—or maybe they escaped from some hidden corner of the military camp!

"Stop the car!"

Thud.

The headlights illuminated the road into the village. A barrier pole, meant to block traffic at the railway crossing, stood dozens of meters ahead. On the ground were triangular spike nails designed specifically to puncture tires—uniquely shaped so that no matter how they were laid, sharp points always faced upward, and when a tire rolled over them, they wouldn't slide away but easily pierced in!

With this unique design, just one spike per tire was enough to ruin it instantly—unless it was a special reinforced solid tire!

To avoid drawing attention, the triangular spike nails had special patterns etched on them; unless you looked closely, they were nearly invisible under the car lights at night.

Excluding the three captives still held at Tianma Yu, the Green Dragon Corps had eighty-nine members left. Zhang Su didn't believe they'd defeated the horde after losing over two hundred lives.

Departing from Tianma Yu and driving in darkness, it took about twenty minutes for the FJ Land Cruiser to bring the convoy to a pitch-black village. Policies across this region were roughly the same, so rural layouts were nearly identical—only someone familiar could tell them apart.

During the drive, Zhang Su had constantly monitored the population count of the Green Dragon Corps in his mind. The last drop occurred about ten minutes ago—the number settled at ninety-two and stopped.

Because when they left Qingxian, they'd already foreseen the Green Dragon Corps's inevitable defeat.

Fortunately, Zhang Su's vision was extraordinary—otherwise, the convoy's tires would've been ruined.

"I… I don't know. What's wrong?"

Su Xiaoya looked at Lu Yubo, who was smirking at her, utterly confused.

"How do you notify your village to send someone? Behave! You're a hostage now—shape up!"

Zhang Su didn't bother dwelling on this—he could tell Su Xiaoya genuinely didn't know. Otherwise, she would've warned them; there was no reason to ignore her own safety.

"Just honk twice short, then one long—that's it. Everyone's so harsh…"

Su Xiaoya replied weakly, muttering under her breath.

But before Lu Yubo could honk, a flashlight beam appeared at the end of the road—not just one, but several. Soon, over a dozen people emerged behind the barrier, peering toward them.

"That guy on the left in the leather jacket—he's our current village chief, Lei Youliang, Uncle Lei!"

Seeing the approaching figures, Su Xiaoya instantly became excited, pointing them out to Zhang Su.

The others couldn't see clearly from forty meters away, but Zhang Su could—each of the ten men emerging carried rifles. Their equipment was indeed formidable. Only a survivor settlement with such strength would dare challenge the Green Dragon Corps.

Zhang Su focused his gaze on Lei Youliang. He looked about twenty-six or twenty-seven—slightly younger than him. He wore a leather jacket, jeans, and black-rimmed glasses, giving off an impression of quiet competence beneath his scholarly demeanor.

"You—get out!"

Zhang Su patted Su Xiaoya's shoulder, then opened the door and stepped out.

Immediately, all the doors of the vehicles behind opened, and armed men appeared on either side.

"Friends from the Green Dragon Corps?"

Lei Youliang, seeing the convoy's display, instinctively assumed they were a grain-collecting squad from the Green Dragon Corps—they'd been waiting all day!

"Green Dragon Corps? There's no Green Dragon Corps! We're from Tianma Yu. Do you recognize this girl?"

Zhang Su grabbed Su Xiaoya by the door and pulled her to his side.

"What?"

"Xiaoya—it's Xiaoya!"

"They're really from Tianma Yu!"

The people of Kuan Zhuang erupted in commotion once they recognized the girl Zhang Su controlled.

"Brother, I'm Lei Youliang of Kuan Zhuang. Welcome, friends from Tianma Yu!"

Leather-jacketed Lei Youliang was stunned inside but kept his composure, waving to Zhang Su's group while signaling villagers to immediately clear the barrier.

The triangular spike nails on the ground weren't randomly scattered—they were connected by nearly invisible fishing lines. Pull them from the ground, and the road cleared instantly; repositioning them was equally easy. They looked crude but were highly practical.

"Now you know why I didn't want to set up a safe base in the village—look at Kuan Zhuang. West Camp struggled and joined the Green Dragon Corps. United Village was destroyed by the horde. Kuan Zhuang has plenty of gear, yet even at night, they still have to lay traps all around. Defending every direction is too hard!"

Zhang Su watched Kuan Zhuang's people bustling about, muttering to his companions.

"Sigh…," Su Xiaoya said. "Uncle Lei wanted to lead everyone north into the mountains, but some disagreed—they didn't want to leave the village. Especially Aunt Yun. We couldn't argue them out of it, so we just stayed and built up here."

"Couldn't argue with a grandmother?" Zhang Su smirked coldly. "She's lived most of her life—she's had her fill. Spouting opinions that ruin young people's chances for better survival—what's her motive?"

"I can't make decisions. How was I supposed to know?" Su Xiaoya pouted, as if criticizing elders outright was improper.

Soon, Kuan Zhuang's people restored the road to passable condition.

"Leave the driver to guard the vehicles—the rest, follow me!"

Zhang Su waved his hand, and over a dozen men behind him, rifles in hand, marched toward Kuan Zhuang with imposing presence.

His arm rested on Su Xiaoya's shoulder. Those who knew understood she was his hostage; those who didn't might think they were siblings—or a couple with a large age gap.

"Chief Lei, I've brought you the girl!" Zhang Su said as Kuan Zhuang's group approached.

He didn't say "returned" or "brought back"—he said "brought," as if delivering an unpaid good.

Lei Youliang and his group stared at the dozen men across from them, faces solemn, hearts weighed down.

"Uncle Lei, I got exposed as soon as I arrived at Tianma Yu…"

Seeing her family, Su Xiaoya's lips trembled, her eyes reddening with grievance. She tried to move, but Zhang Su's grip on her shoulder was like an iron band—she couldn't budge.

"It's fine—you're still young. More experience will help." Lei Youliang comforted Su Xiaoya, then extended his hand toward Zhang Su: "Thank you, brother. May I ask your name?"

Zhang Su smiled at him but didn't respond—he was holding Su Xiaoya's shoulder with his left hand, keeping his right hand free for any situation, including this formal handshake. He hadn't expected the man to play games—deliberately extending his left hand.

Was he planning to snatch her the instant Zhang Su loosened his grip?

That would not happen.

"Zhang… Zhang Su."

Zhang Su didn't follow the man's trick—he simply extended his right hand and shook Lei Youliang's left. It looked awkward.

Everyone present noticed the detail—but no one spoke.

"Hahaha." Lei Youliang chuckled. His small trick had been spotted, but he wasn't embarrassed. He gestured toward the village. "Friends from Tianma Yu have traveled far—why not come inside for a rest? We can discuss future cooperation."

(End of Chapter)