Chapter 286: Victory Is Within Reach

"Over a hundred…"

When Meng Changwei heard Zhang Su's words, his eyelid twitched involuntarily; every sentence from the man reeked of "blowing smoke."

Not very credible, but couldn't be entirely dismissed—just call it a gamble.

"Relax, our experience is just as rich. Just attracting zombies? No problem at all—ninety-nine percent sure."

Neither side wanted to lose the battle of boasting, but who cared what was real?

"Good. Since both sides agree there's no issue, let's discuss how to lure the zombies. Even with tens of thousands, with so many of us, we can act in batches—pull three to five thousand at a time, ten or eight rounds will do it. The key is planning the route."

Zhang Su agreed to the cooperation proposal—it was the best option for now—but when both sides laid out maps to study routes, disagreements arose…

Neither side wanted to lure zombies toward their own camp—that's only natural—but since they were cooperating, they had to sacrifice immediate gain for greater gain; compromise was essential.

The final agreement was simple: Tianma Island lay southwest of the Qinglong Battalion, and Daqiaopao Township lay southeast of the camp; both sides would try to lure zombies northeast and northwest. Distribution of zombie numbers was easy too: both sides would take turns sending people and vehicles—Zhang Su would lead toward the northwest, Meng Changwei's men toward the northeast.

"Since the task assignment is settled, let's discuss the division of supplies."

Zhang Su was satisfied with the prior negotiations—Daqiaopao's group was clearly smaller, yet they still agreed to shoulder half the burden. This revealed something about Meng Changwei's approach and attitude, and Zhang Su began formulating longer-term plans—but everything had to start with simple cooperation.

Zhang Su laid out his division plan bluntly: Tianma Island no longer cared about food; many surrounding villages remained uncultivated, and with weapons, all the stored grain in those villages belonged to them. So they were only interested in weapons and people.

Meng Changwei winced, gritting his teeth—he'd come for the tanks too. That kind of heavy weapon, once placed in camp, would make even other survivor factions think twice—even real military units would hesitate!

Grain was good, but tanks were better.

"Exactly."

Only those who'd seen the battalion's condition knew just how hellish it was.

"This is really troublesome…"

"What if there are still survivors in the battalion?"

"If we hoard grain but not guns, Daqiaopao Township will become someone else's granary. This… ha, Master Zhang, isn't that a bad idea?"

"Since you're so certain, if there are survivors, I'll take them! And no weapons division—we don't want your grain!"

Meng Changwei gave an awkward laugh.

"I know you're after the tanks in the battalion. Let me be straight—I came for them too. The Qinglong Battalion defectors said there are only two tanks. Sorry, I'm taking both."

It was almost comical: he took the weapons, they hauled the grain—load up the trucks, then just gun them down, saving them the effort entirely…

"If we split it fifty-fifty… Master Zhang won't agree," Meng Changwei said, drawing a deep breath to test the waters: "How about weapons split three-seven, and other supplies four-six? You get the bigger share—okay?"

Considering the disparity in strength, Meng Changwei offered what he believed was a fair division.

Zhang Su didn't argue over supplies first—he asked about something else.

Zhang Su wouldn't budge on this—grain was easy to find, but tanks couldn't be manufactured.

The man in the blue down jacket nodded: "Based on our observations, unless someone hid early on, no one could've survived. It's too hard."

Just as both sides were deadlocked, they spotted over a dozen zombies appearing at the northern end of the road—the road leading to the battalion.

"No!" Meng Changwei waved his hand casually: "These days are dangerous—we need strong weapons to arm our brothers."

"Hmm… so you mean weapons and survivors are yours, and grain is ours?"

Zhang Su spread his hands: "Are you worried I'll turn traitor and steal everything?"

"Survivors?" Meng Changwei shook his head, confused: "Probably none left."

Zhang Su noticed first—his peripheral vision caught movement. He turned sharply and said solemnly: "Something's wrong—zombies are coming out of the battalion!"

At those words, everyone turned to the road's end.

A large dark mass slowly moved southward; more zombies emerged behind it. Almost all zombies within several kilometers had gathered at the battalion—no guesswork needed to know what was happening!

"Fuck, this… Master Zhang, let's get to work. We'll sort out the split after we're done—deal?"

Meng Changwei, his single eye tense, opened the car door.

"Alright, let's get to work!"

Zhang Su didn't hesitate—he waved his hand, signaling everyone to get in the vehicles.

Everyone knew arguing was over now—the common enemy had arrived; they had to unite against it.

"We have ten vehicles—let's send out three as the vanguard!"

Zhang Su got into the driver's seat and spoke to Meng Changwei.

"Understood. We'll make sure to relay properly. But Master Zhang, don't lower your guard—be ready to support at any moment!"

Meng Changwei nodded firmly, then picked up the radio to assign tasks.

No time for delay—all vehicles started up, and the first batch began moving slowly forward.

No matter the method—cars, drones—there's always a limit to how many zombies can be lured. One vehicle can generate enough noise on the highway to attract at most three to five thousand zombies; beyond that, stragglers appear.

To ensure no mistakes, when zombies fall behind, someone must step in to relay!

Zhang Su's team were battle-hardened veterans—unfazed in actual combat.

Each vehicle had two people: one focused solely on driving, the other on making noise to attract zombies and tracking the horde's movement. If any zombie lagged or got distracted, they had to immediately alert the driver—ensuring the horde never broke apart, or the lure failed.

To ensure a strong start, Lu Yubo led the first leg, with Zheng Xinyu and Tan Huajun responsible for noise and observation. Both were seasoned veterans—they efficiently drew a large horde, driving at a steady pace that kept the zombies tightly following.

"Boss, these guys have some skill."

Daqiaopao's men, hiding nearby to relay, watched the vehicles lead the horde in orderly fashion and nodded in approval.

Meng Changwei nodded deeply: "No one dares wade into this mess without skill. Watch closely, learn well—our turn's coming soon!"

Daqiaopao's people weren't amateurs—surviving and uniting survivors to control a territory meant they had real ability. When they saw the horde's cohesion with Lu Yubo's vehicle weaken, they immediately stepped in—first circling rapidly on the road to compress the horde's formation, then steering toward the preset direction. Overall, they performed excellently too, though they lured slightly fewer zombies.

After multiple cycles, both groups worked from dawn until high noon, nearly four hours total—finally, no more zombies emerged from the battalion. Only a few hundred remained, wandering sparsely along the roads leading to it.

This number posed no threat to Zhang Su's or Daqiaopao's groups.

"Victory is within reach—let's go!"

After a brief rest, both groups pulled out cold weapons and stepped onto the streets to begin the final cleanup.

No one wanted zombies lurking behind them while hauling loot.

"Why not use guns?"

In the crowd, Wu Lue whispered to Lu Yubo beside him.

"Are you stupid? Using guns will bring back the zombies we just lured away!" Lu Yubo looked at Wu Lue with the exasperated gaze of a teacher correcting a fool—finally, he got to scold someone!

During the fighting, both sides subtly competed.

Since they used cold weapons, teamwork became especially vital. Though danger was low, if someone fought alone and got surrounded, the risk was still huge!

When blades clashed, the results of daily training became clear.

The people of Tianma Island moved with clean, decisive efficiency—their coordination seamless, an unspoken understanding binding them into a single unit, seemingly loose in appearance but utterly unified in action.

Of course, the three captives—Xin Qi and others—didn't count. They joined the fight but clearly lingered on the fringes, never finding a chance to coordinate.

Daqiaopao's group wasn't weak either—their strikes were sharp, individual skill strong, but their overall coordination lagged slightly, likely due to different training systems.

Over thirty fighters, each formidable, faced over a hundred zombies—and they slaughtered them with vigor, the sounds of grunts and shouts mixing with the wet thuds of blades piercing flesh. Then, suddenly, a piercing scream rang out.

(End of Chapter)