Chapter 280: The Impact of Temperature

"Teacher Yu, although the Green Dragon Corps has been overrun by the zombies, there must still be plenty of valuable supplies left in the camp. I plan to take the men for a quick sweep—what do you think?"

As they walked toward the area where the zombies were held, Zhang Su casually brought up the topic of the Green Dragon Corps.

"Good morning, Brother Su, Teacher Yu."

"Good morning, Uncle Zhang, Grandpa Yu."

Inside the camp, everyone was busy, dressed in bulky thermal clothing, warmly greeting Zhang Su and Yu Wen.

"Morning."

Yu Wen smiled in reply while adjusting his cold metal frames and said to Zhang Su: "Supplies and weapons are one thing, but I think... no matter how vicious the zombies are, the Green Dragon Corps shouldn't have been completely wiped out. Some survivors likely remain. If we extend aid during their crisis, we can easily win them over as allies—but..."

Zhang Su raised an eyebrow slightly at Yu Wen's opening words, since they matched his own thoughts perfectly, but he didn't see where the hesitation lay, so he asked: "What's your concern? That some untrustworthy types might be hiding among the survivors? Or that our growing numbers might draw the attention of a massive horde, like what happened to the Green Dragon Corps?"

"Untrustworthy types are easy to handle. As for the zombie threat, I'm sure Mr. Zhang already has a plan—no need for me to elaborate. My worry is... someone else might be eyeing this prize."

Zhang Su nodded seriously, recognizing that Yu Wen's point was worth serious consideration, but to decide the next step, he needed to first observe how temperature affected the zombies.

Dozens of zombies crowded the temple courtyard. No waiting was needed—within one or two minutes, a dumb-looking zombie appeared near the small gate.

"Let's go check on the zombies first!"

The habit of never underestimating anyone had gradually weakened, replaced by disdain toward smaller factions—this was unacceptable.

Noticing this shift, Zhang Su quickly adjusted his mindset.

Yu Wen nodded and said: "According to my estimation, there shouldn't be many survivors west or north of Qing County. Even if there are, they've either fled to Qing County itself or gone north to Kuancheng County under Cheng City's jurisdiction. The east is what we must watch closely. The terrain there is flat, with lush grass and water—many villages are scattered across it. Survivors' settlements should exist there."

A dense crowd of zombies shuffled shoulder to shoulder, moving slowly like broken robots, their heads twitching slightly, bodies jerking faintly. Ordinary zombies mixed with petrified-skin zombies, indistinguishable from their usual appearance.

Testing zombie abilities couldn't be done outside the holding yard—it would be like setting fire to oneself.

Zhang Su and Yu Wen pushed the zombie out of the scenic area and reached the parking lot before finally exhaling a long breath.

Zhang Su halted in his steps—he had completely forgotten about other survivor camps. Yu Wen's reminder jolted him awake.

"I didn't notice any obvious change in it..."

As Zhang Su and Yu Wen passed through the scenic area's ticket booth, they fell into a silent understanding, tiptoeing toward the temple courtyard.

"I never even considered other survivor camps... Since coming south from Qing County, we're the only ones left besides Kuangzhuang. Poor Xida Ying Village—they'd barely joined the Green Dragon Corps before this happened. Terrible luck. And as for the camps to the east, north, and west? We know nothing!"

Life since arriving at Tianmayu hadn't been flawless, but it had been comfortable enough. Problems that arose were always resolved, and without realizing it, his mindset had changed.

Before the zombies noticed him, Zhang Su descended the ladder and returned to the gate, grabbing the specially made riot fork leaning against the wall. He carefully opened one small door in the large courtyard gate and waited for the zombie to wander out.

"The Green Dragon Corps made quite a commotion—someone else might've noticed. We need to be careful."

A wooden ladder leaned against the courtyard wall. Zhang Su climbed up silently, peering over the top to glance inside.

Yu Wen spoke thoughtfully.

Their coordination flowed like water—no words needed, not even eye contact—pure, unspoken harmony.

The poor petrified-skin zombie, its body tinged gray-blue, never even had time to roar before its neck was locked. It opened its mouth but emitted no sound—somehow, it looked almost pitiful...

"The Green Dragon Corps dominated Qing County and, before this, acted with arrogance and brutality. According to the prisoners' accounts, they looked down on every other survivor camp in Qing County. Now that they've been utterly destroyed, if other camps haven't heard the news, fine—but if they have, they'll likely have the same goal as us!"

Zhang Su, bold and skilled, seized the riot fork and slipped the loop around the zombie's neck. He yanked the handle—the steel ring tightened, crushing the zombie's throat—and yanked it out through the gate. Yu Wen, already waiting nearby, quietly closed the small door.

Zhang Su strained with both arms to control the mutated zombie, his face grim.

"Hey, Brother Su, are you... taking zombies out for morning exercise?"

"You've got a wild imagination. I bet Brother Su's testing how temperature affects the zombies."

Just then, Lu Yu and Wang Xin walked into the parking lot, saw Zhang Su controlling the zombie, and came closer to watch.

"Morning exercise? You've got to be kidding... Xiao Wang's right—temperature drop affects us... damn, this thing's still strong!"

"Brother Su, let me help!"

Lu Yu stepped forward to assist in controlling the riot fork.

"Minus twenty degrees—we're freezing, but this zombie doesn't seem affected at all?"

Zhang Su frowned and asked.

Yu Wen pushed his glasses up and frowned: "Still just as active. You two barely manage to control it, and its strength is still high. But I feel... isn't its skin color a bit darker than before? Or am I imagining it?"

"No, Mr. Yu—you're not wrong."

Just then, Duan Wu pushed Fu Wei's wheelchair over.

Fu Wei, seated in the wheelchair, wore a Lei Feng hat, a thick scarf, and cotton gloves—only his eyes exposed. His warmth gear was thorough, yet his lips were still blue, clearly still freezing.

"After the temperature dropped, the petrified-skin zombies' skin activity increased—meaning their defense has improved further!"

Fu Wei's lab contained many processed petrified-skin zombie samples—he understood these better than anyone.

"Defense improved again? So cooling down makes zombies stronger?"

Zhang Su's face twisted in frustration. He didn't want zombies affected too much—turning into ice statues would give trapped survivors in the Green Dragon Corps an opening. But if they kept getting stronger, that was worse.

"Not necessarily," Fu Wei slowly shook his head. "We can only confirm that petrified-skin defense has increased. Other aspects remain unverified."

Zombie strength has multiple dimensions. Defense is only one. And ordinary zombies don't even have petrified skin. If their strength, speed, or reaction time has declined, that's still a good sign.

"Then let's test it!"

No matter how rich the theory, practice was final.

"Brother Su, I'm wearing protective gear—let me fight it!"

Lu Yu unzipped his down jacket to reveal a custom protective suit underneath, his arms wrapped in reinforced guards—well-protected.

Seeing Lu Yu's eagerness, Zhang Su didn't stop him: "Be careful. Go to that open area. Duan, Yu—be ready to shoot if needed."

"Got it!"

"Oh, I didn't bring my gun..."

Duan Wu immediately raised his rifle. Yu Wen awkwardly scratched his head—he rarely carried firearms in the camp unless necessary.

"I'll do it! I'll do it!"

Qi Xiaoshuai ran over with a gun, eager to join the spectacle.

Soon, Zhang Su reached the open area, pulled the riot fork's release mechanism—the steel collar loosened, and the petrified-skin zombie instantly regained freedom!

Aaauuugh!

The freed zombie let out a triumphant roar. Seeing the living flesh before it, it felt like a mouse dropped into a rice bin—too many choices, couldn't decide whom to attack first.

"Hey, brat, come on! Fight your grandpa!"

Lu Yu immediately switched to taunt mode.

Aa... aa...

The zombie's stiff neck turned toward the sound, lifted its leg, and shuffled toward Lu Yu. Its arms rose mechanically—every motion was sluggish, like a robot with its gear resistance turned up tenfold.

?!?!

Zhang Su and the others exchanged stunned glances.

"Damn, are the zombies frozen stiff?"

Zhang Su, watching the zombie move like a cheap puppet, couldn't help making a face.

(End of Chapter)