Chapter 275: Are You Doubting Our Strength?

"Hehe, cooperation... no need to enter the village to talk—right here is fine!"

Zhang Su directly refused Lei Youliang's invitation; a strong dragon doesn't suppress the local snake—on the surface, they were stronger than the people of Kuanzhuang, but still, caution was paramount.

"Mr. Zhang is truly cautious and prudent—worthy of our learning."

Lei Youliang's gaze swept over the dozen or so men from Tianma Ridge, laden with implication—as if to say, how can so many of you still be so timid?

Zhang Su couldn't care less about what the other meant to convey and said coolly, "You're more capable, Village Chief Lei—not only using spies to probe our strength, but also framing others."

"Hehe... wasn't I caught in your sight anyway?" Lei Youliang showed no embarrassment; in this world, any method was normal for survival.

"Since your scheme has been exposed, let's talk about compensation!"

Zhang Su cut straight to the point.

Lei Youliang didn't hesitate and nodded. "Fair enough. Speak."

"One living little girl, in exchange for a thousand catties of rice, a thousand catties of flour, and another five hundred catties combined of meat, vegetables, and ready-to-eat food."

Su Xiaoya looked up at Zhang Su's fingers, her face sinking; she never imagined she'd one day be traded for grain.

"Uncle Huo, don't rush... if Xiaoya said it, it must be true! In my view, one vehicle drove ahead with its lights on as cover, and other vehicles followed behind, right?"

The people of Kuanzhuang were annoyed, but this was clearly their fault, and their own people were in the other side's hands—if they didn't want to break ties with Tianma Ridge, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and accept it. Fortunately, grain wasn't a major problem for them.

"Hmm... we've been watching the highway. Occasionally, lone vehicles pass by. More than an hour ago, a convoy of seven or eight vehicles sped past, heading south—no idea where they went. Could it have been the Blue Dragon Corps' convoy?"

"Fine. I'll go with your numbers."

"Uncle Lei, uh... the Blue Dragon Corps went to Tianma Ridge first, around three a. . today..."

"Who's your lookout? Do you want to lose your eyes?" Zhang Su curled his lip, squeezing Su Xiaoya's shoulder. "You tell him. Tell him everything."

"What?"

"The grain hasn't even been delivered yet—why the rush? There's another thing I need to tell you! Today is the Blue Dragon Corps' grain collection day. You didn't see any of their people show up. Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

Lei Youliang smiled and shook his head. "Can Xiaoya go back now? Her older sister's been waiting for her—she's mentioned it to me several times."

"Xiaoya, don't make things up. Is this man forcing you to say this?"

As Zhang Su spoke, he gestured with his fingers.

The Blue Dragon Corps first went south to Tianma Ridge, and now the leader of Tianma Ridge has come to Kuanzhuang with his men—this is highly suspicious!

"That doesn't make sense. This morning, the surveillance post only saw one vehicle pass. The Blue Dragon Corps wouldn't send out just one vehicle for grain collection, would they?"

Zhang Su didn't explain. He tilted his head toward Su Xiaoya, waiting for her to speak.

Zhang Su frowned slightly, thinking to himself that Su Xiaoya had an older sister. Without other relatives, such a pairing was extremely hard to survive in the apocalypse—she'd be an easy target for bullying. But that wasn't his concern. He waved his hand.

Before Su Xiaoya could elaborate, this single piece of news stunned the people of Kuanzhuang.

In the entire battle, Su Xiaoya remembered Zero Zero Three most vividly—and most people felt the same.

Lei Youliang asked Zhang Su.

A burly man frowned, his face flushed with excitement.

Seeing Zhang Su's gesture, Su Xiaoya hurried to add: "Not just one vehicle—many vehicles! I saw at least seven or eight. Everyone carried guns, and they brought a huge monster—a fat zombie, so big! One slash cut a man in half—it was terrifying!"

The man Lei Youliang called Uncle Huo frowned deeply, finding Su Xiaoya's words absurd.

Zhang Su sneered, too lazy to speak. He gazed into the distance, studying Kuanzhuang's defensive fortifications to see if anything was worth learning from.

Su Xiaoya shook her head vigorously: "No, no! I saw it all with my own eyes! The brothers, sisters, uncles, and aunts of Tianma Ridge are amazing! They pretended to surrender first, making the Blue Dragon Corps lower their guard, then suddenly—'Bong!'—three vehicles exploded in a chain! Then both sides started fighting, and before long, every last man of the Blue Dragon Corps was dead."

Though Su Xiaoya's description of the battle sounded dull, it didn't lessen the shock it caused among the people of Kuanzhuang!

Zhang Su didn't stop Su Xiaoya from recounting the battle—he knew Lei Youliang would find out eventually anyway.

"All dead?"

Lei Youliang looked at Zhang Su again, stunned, disbelief filling his heart. The Blue Dragon Corps went to Tianma Ridge and didn't come to Kuanzhuang—many things could be guessed. But to say Tianma Ridge annihilated the entire Blue Dragon Corps grain collection team? It was too unbelievable!

"Are you doubting Tianma Ridge's strength?"

Zhang Su looked at Lei Youliang coolly. He disliked this man—outwardly refined, but inwardly arrogant, cunning, and full of schemes. Unless he could be turned to their side, he must be eliminated cleanly.

"No, no! That's not what I meant! Mr. Zhang, don't misunderstand..."

Lei Youliang saw the cold, piercing stares from the other side—even the women holding guns weren't just for show. He realized this group was no ordinary bunch.

He had seen the Blue Dragon Corps' men. Compared to Tianma Ridge's, the so-called corps was clearly overblown.

"No more talk, Village Chief Lei. Settle the payment!"

Zhang Su extended his hand, as if demanding money.

"What payment?"

Lei Youliang looked confused, then turned to Su Xiaoya. "Didn't we already agree on the grain for the girl's ransom?"

"No, no, no—she's only one part!"

Zhang Su shook his head and pointed to the men beside him. "My men fought the Blue Dragon Corps to the death—some dead, some wounded, and we used up a lot of ammunition. Doesn't Kuanzhuang plan to compensate us? Are you really so comfortable taking it all?"

"You're..."

"Uncle Huo, hold on!" Lei Youliang raised his hand to stop his man, then said to Zhang Su, "Mr. Zhang makes sense. If not for you blocking the Blue Dragon Corps, Kuanzhuang would've suffered losses anyway. Tell me—how do you want to settle this?"

As the leader of a survivor camp, Lei Youliang had his own judgment. If he couldn't see through something this simple, he wouldn't deserve his position.

"I heard you found an arms depot?"

Zhang Su asked bluntly.

Lei Youliang frowned, glanced at Su Xiaoya with mild exasperation, then said, "Since Xiaoya told you, I won't hide it—yes, that's true."

"No, no, Uncle Lei, I didn't say that..." Su Xiaoya waved her hands frantically. "I just said you had some weapons..."

"It's fine. Same thing."

Lei Youliang didn't blame Su Xiaoya. Making her act as a spy was already too much—he couldn't demand more.

"I won't beat around the bush. Give me twenty rifles from what you're using now, four magazines per rifle, ten thousand rounds of ammunition, five anti-tank rocket launchers, and one hundred grenades."

Zhang Su named the figures he'd already prepared.

The people of Kuanzhuang all frowned. Lei Youliang looked troubled. "Rifles and ammo are fine... but one hundred grenades? We only have forty-some in stock!"

"That little?"

Zhang Su eyed Lei Youliang skeptically.

"Look at the rifles we're using—Type 81. That depot is ancient. It was probably meant to be destroyed, but for some reason, it was left behind. Year after year, even with our dry, low-rain climate, time has worn them down. Many are already ruined."

Lei Youliang explained patiently.

The Type 81 was the predecessor of the Type 95. Properly maintained, it could fire ten thousand rounds without issue. But if Lei Youliang's words were true—that the depot was ancient—then reliability was questionable.

(End of Chapter)