Chapter 290: Did They Get There First?

In moments, both convoys arrived at the southern gate of the Green Dragon Battalion camp.

The main gate faced north; the southern side had a five-meter-wide iron gate, normally fine for trucks, but now it was a mess.

The iron fence gate had torn off its hinges and lay tossed aside, beneath it crushed several unrecognizable zombie corpses, and two human bodies lay dead beneath the wall, their torsos reduced to half, impossible to identify without prior knowledge.

The walls were riddled with white bullet holes, the ground scarred by explosions and burn marks; along the perimeter, perhaps because this wasn't the main battlefield, the corpses weren't numerous, but nearby, a section of wall had collapsed, bricks and stones scattered everywhere, hiding fragments of limbs within.

Overall, the scene before them could pass for a WWII battlefield!

"Fuck, this place is too damn big to defend!"

Zhao Dezhu stared at the carnage, shaking his head repeatedly, once again impressed by Zhang Su's choice of location.

Tianma Yu was remote and inconvenient for entry and exit, lacked vast farmland, but its steep, narrow mountain paths made defense easy—even ten thousand zombies would be bottlenecked by the terrain.

Built against the mountain, with only one path up, there was no risk of zombies flanking from other directions—unlike this camp, which could be attacked from all sides; when zombies surrounded it, no one would hear your cries for help.

"The Green Dragon Battalion simply had too few people!"

Xin Qi sighed.

Yet before anyone could spot the hidden danger, as the vehicles turned past a dormitory building and were about to enter the parade ground, they suddenly spotted several cars parked outside a warehouse, engines still running, exhausts puffing white mist!

Meng Changwei pulled his vehicle up beside the FJ Cruiser and spoke with a gloomy expression.

At the same time, a dozen zombies emerged from an unknown building, swaying toward the convoy.

"Master Zhang, people are coming!"

Zhang Su shook his head with a strange expression: "Whether you have many or few, each has advantages. The Green Dragon Battalion was wiped out because they chose the wrong place—this isn't suitable as a headquarters! They thought ruling the county seat made them mighty, unaware that the moment they chose this spot, they planted the seed of their own doom!"

Zhang Su stopped and honked, his gaze sharpening as he pointed toward the warehouse.

The convoy moved forward, not lingering at the gate, while Zhang Su honked again.

Zhao Dezhu immediately exploded—he and the Daqiao Fortress villagers had risked their lives luring and killing zombies, and now these people sneaked in to loot? They didn't even treat them as human beings!

"Fuck, who dares cut in? Kill them!"

Before the vehicles reached the warehouse entrance, over a dozen figures emerged one by one, each holding standard-issue rifles, some even shouldering rocket launchers, strutting with arrogant confidence.

Fewer people meant they couldn't even cover the long walls; if a horde attacked, they'd flee in panic. More people also failed: according to the verified attraction hypothesis, population growth draws larger zombie hordes—the Green Dragon Battalion's destruction added further proof.

"I see it—deal with the zombies first!"

This move startled the Daqiao Fortress villagers, but they quickly understood: the others were using sound to lure hidden zombies and clear potential threats, so they did the same.

With this camp's open, exposed geography, neither few nor many people could hold off a horde of that scale.

Soon, distant howls rose, along with thuds against wooden boards—unnaturally loud in the silent camp.

Meng Changwei's group discussed similar matters; their own location wasn't flat land either, but a deserted village halfway up a mountain.

"Someone got here first!"

Zhang Su's expression didn't improve—he jumped out first, had his people clear the zombies, then got back in the vehicle and drove toward the warehouse.

Aowu!

Bang, bang…

Unless you're strong enough to withstand every zombie in the region—which would require immense military backing—the Green Dragon Battalion clearly wasn't, and setting up camp here doomed them from the start!

"Lei Youliang!"

Zhang Su instantly spotted the man in leather among the crowd.

Even after the Great Cold Snap dropped temperatures to minus twenty degrees, Lei Youliang still wore a perfectly tailored leather jacket—his image management was impeccable, though his reddened, frostbitten nose looked absurd.

Beside him now stood seventeen or eighteen people—not just those who'd negotiated with Kuanzhuang for Su Xiaoya's ransom, but also unfamiliar faces; likely, Kuanzhuang had sent everyone.

"Mr. Zhang, it's been two days—how have you been?"

Lei Youliang dressed like a GPU salesman, except his hands held an automatic rifle instead of a B200—but his smile was just as confident, just like a GPU vendor's.

Meng Changwei and the Daqiao Fortress villagers stood aside, their expressions unreadable.

In the apocalypse, anyone who rose to lead was a shrewd operator—he could clearly sense tension between Zhang Su and these opportunists, and chose to watch quietly.

Whether to intervene? He'd decide later—but he'd already prepared for battle, because what they took wasn't just Zhang Su's—it was also his people's share.

When only Tianma Yu and Daqiao Fortress existed, things were simple—but now Kuanzhuang had suddenly appeared, and everything grew complicated.

Zhang Su's face showed no emotion. "Since the apocalypse, I've never admired anyone—but now I can say, Chief Lei, I admire you. You have courage, ambition, and initiative!"

"No wonder you refused my request back then—you were waiting for me? So you don't care if Su Xiaoya lives?"

Behind Zhang Su, his men stood in a line—some alert, some watching Kuanzhuang—unfazed by the weapons in the other group's hands.

So what if they had guns?

Do we not?

The atmosphere was tense.

Lei Youliang seemed oblivious to the tension, smiling: "Why would I not want Xiao Ya's life? I simply have better leverage now, don't I?"

As he spoke, he gestured toward the warehouse behind him—the message was clear: everything inside is mine, and I can negotiate with you.

Zhang Su appeared not to grasp Lei Youliang's intent, asking instead: "Where did you come from?"

"I saw you and your men busy earlier. I figured I couldn't help, so I took a detour from the north."

"Fuck, you shameless bastards—we risked our lives luring zombies over there, and you sneak in to steal? Are you even human?"

Zhao Dezhu couldn't hold back his curse.

On past missions, he'd always been injured—finally, he got to join a major operation, and now he had to deal with these bastards? His temper flared.

"This guy is talking absolute bullshit!"

Lei Youliang's face darkened: "Does your luring zombies have anything to do with us taking supplies from the camp? Do you think just because you drew the zombies away, we can't come here? That wouldn't hold even before the apocalypse—let alone now!"

"You fucking—"

"Quiet, Zhu." Zhang Su blocked Zhao Dezhu—words were useless now.

He looked up at Lei Youliang: "Chief Lei, I'm speaking to you reasonably. Do you think I'm easy to push around? Leave—now. I'll pretend this never happened."

"Zhang Su, you're still as confident—or arrogant—as ever… but this isn't the past. Don't be childish, okay?"

As the two sides negotiated, a woman's voice suddenly rang out from Kuanzhuang's group.

Zhang Su frowned—he recognized the voice, faintly familiar. He looked closer and saw a tall woman stepping forward from behind the crowd, her once-familiar features now unfamiliar.

"Su Lei?" Zhang Su stared at the sudden appearance.

Not just Daqiao Fortress villagers, but even Tianma Yu's people wore strange, gossiping expressions—Kuanzhuang's group was stunned.

Only Lei Youliang's lips curled with a barely noticeable smile—everything was as planned. Yet he quickly switched to an expression of shock, turning to the tall woman with exaggerated surprise.

"Su Lei… you know him?"

Su Lei glanced at Lei Youliang with a strange look. She hadn't expected such coincidence—many questions filled her mind, but now wasn't the time. She spoke softly: "I dated Zhang Su for a while. We met last year, together for over two months."

Speaking of it, Su Lei's expression grew distant—part nostalgia, part anger.

"I didn't know you two had history!"

Lei Youliang's expression changed—he sighed with feigned regret: "Had I known you two were involved, I never would've asked you to come. This is so awkward."

He shook his head repeatedly, as if berating himself for mishandling the situation.

"I see…" Zhang Su paid no attention to Lei Youliang's act—he realized: "That's why Su Xiaoya looked familiar—she's your sister?"

"Correct!" Su Lei raised her eyebrows and nodded. "I'm Su Xiaoya's older sister."

"So… you're here to plead for something?"

After his initial shock, Zhang Su's expression quickly returned to calm.

If they'd met under different circumstances, perhaps sparks might've reignited—but here, now, only bullets could fly between them.

(End of Chapter)