Chapter 305: Challenge Completed!

After hearing the supply report, Zhang Su noticed they were all standard weapons and asked in confusion, "That night I clearly saw drones—where are they?"

Those things were unexpectedly effective against zombies; properly used, they could eliminate entire hordes without a single soldier lost—high-tech gear Zhang Su desperately coveted, capable of boosting the camp's defense to a very high level.

"There weren't many drones; all were deployed in battle, but we should still be able to find some. I remember we retrieved them after spraying pheromones—they should be in the equipment crates. The zombies had no interest in them, and the operators didn't have time to clean up…"

Pan Guoliang pointed toward the western wall, where the fighting had been most brutal.

"Come on, follow me and let's look for them."

Zhang Su personally led a few men running toward the western wall.

Blood and flesh sprayed everywhere—words couldn't describe the horror. Fires from zombie hordes had turned many corpses into grotesque, charred shapes, once again testing everyone's limits.

For these well-trained individuals, adaptation came easily; soon they focused entirely on searching for drones. They found one easily in a corner—a black box over half a person's height, similar to a rifle transport crate. Sheltered in the corner, it remained intact, just dirty.

"Boss Zhang, can we open it?"

"Alright."

"You talked a lot, but you didn't answer the two things I most want to know—what's the remote control range and flight time?"

"How'd you know? There's no brand name on it."

"Flight time…" Wu Lue found the battery specs and said, "Based on this battery capacity, theoretical flight time is three hours, but realistically, we'd have to cut that in half—maybe one and a half hours if we're just flying without filming."

As he spoke, Wu Lue carefully removed the drone from the box, unfolding its wings as gently as tending to skin—an alien spider-like drone appeared in his hands.

"Of course. If you know how to use it, you can operate it from now on."

Click-click, Wu Lue opened the latches and carefully lifted the lid—his eyes brightened as he saw the contents inside.

Zhang Su didn't expect to use drones in direct combat; their main value was reconnaissance and luring zombies, so these two parameters were most critical.

"Ten kilometers?"

"Ten kilometers is more than enough. What about flight time?"

"Haha, Boss Zhang, this is an absolute gem. You know that domestic brand that keeps insisting it never makes military drones? This is their top-tier product—not the standard version, but a civilian upgrade…"

"Hehe." Wu Lue smiled mysteriously. "Writing a brand name would ruin it, but these component models can't be faked. Some parts were deliberately reinforced, yet they match those used in several top-end products—even if not independently made by them, they were co-developed with some military unit!"

Zhang Su frowned slightly, recalling the map model stored in his mind. A ten-kilometer straight-line range would be enough to lure the horde to the United Village quarry or the river ditch beside West Camp Village.

Theoretical performance was like testing fuel consumption with a car lifted on a hoist and wheels spinning—only vaguely useful.

Wu Lue studied the drone in his hands like a priceless treasure.

Zhao Dezhhu rarely heard Wu Lue speak so confidently, and he couldn't help but believe him a little.

Zhang Su also wanted to see it—he'd once thought of buying a drone for fun, but after asking around, he learned many places in Qincheng banned flight, and his interest vanished instantly.

"Civilian version can carry three kilograms; military version at least doubles that. Climb rate, flight time, wind resistance—all hard specs would improve accordingly. Haha, it even comes with a loudspeaker. Damn, it's got a thirty-times zoom lens and thermal imaging? This is insane."

Wu Lue fondled the black box with glowing eyes, not repulsed by the dried blood and slime on it—he had no resistance to two things: electronic devices and flavorful teachers.

"The remote range depends on environment—huge variation. Without special interference, if buildings block the signal, I'd guess max one kilometer, maybe less… Neither military nor civilian models can break this physical limit. But if you launch it from the edge of Tianmayu Mountain, ten kilometers is no problem!"

Zhao Dezhhu beside him was puzzled—the drone had no brand markings at all.

Zhang Su, hearing it was measured in hours, didn't bother calculating further. He waved his hand. "Given the zombies' current running speed, this flight time is more than enough. With this, any horde under ten thousand poses no threat to us."

To completely wipe out ten thousand zombies—even with Tianmayu's terrain advantage and superior weapons—would be a brutal battle, risking lives if mishandled. Now, just one person operating this drone could lure away a ten-thousand-strong horde. The power of technology…

"Hey, Boss Zhang, what were the Qinglong Army thinking? With gear like this, why fight the hordes head-on?"

Wu Lue asked, puzzled, gently stroking the drone's delicate blades, unwilling to let go.

Zhang Su looked around at the horrific scene and sighed deeply. "They had too much to lose and didn't want to leave—plus, overconfidence. When the horde was five kilometers out, they must've known. Hey, Lao Pan, why didn't you lure away part of the horde back then?"

He turned to Pan Guoliang, recalling the oddity. Given Qinglong Army's strength, even if they chose to stand their ground, they could've diverted part of the horde to reduce pressure. But from what they'd observed, no traces of zombies appeared elsewhere.

Judging by the size of the attacking horde, if ten to fifteen vehicles had rotated luring duties, plus some operating drones, they might've redirected the entire horde before it even reached the camp—true victory without fighting.

Pan Guoliang shrugged helplessly. "I had no authority to join tactical discussions, but whoever made this stupid decision must've had a reason. I think it's tied to factional infighting—between the commander and deputy commander."

"Damn. They played power games until the whole camp was wiped out?"

Zhang Su was stunned. From the squad leaders he'd interrogated, he'd learned Qinglong Army had internal factional struggles—but he'd assumed, regardless of internal strife, they'd unite against external threats…

If Pan Guoliang was right, Qinglong Army's destruction was entirely deserved. This also served as a warning to Zhang Su: internal unity was vital. Fortunately, he had superhuman hearing—forming factions under his nose was impossible!

"Forget them. Hey, everyone, search nearby—look for more drone boxes. Even broken ones—take them all!"

Zhang Su no longer cared about Qinglong Army's mess—it was history. He only needed to learn from it. Now, in northern Qincheng, Tianmayu was clearly the dominant force.

"Come on, let me study this hunk of iron!"

Zhang Su led the group toward Pan Guoliang's hidden tank. Without a word, he opened the hatch and climbed inside. He might not get to pilot it during battle as commander, but he still wanted to feel it.

Thud—he jumped into the cramped cockpit. Before he could look around, text appeared in his mind.

【Conquer sixty percent of Qinglong Army members within one month, Difficulty: A, Completed】

【Reward: Spare Energy Slot ×2】

"??"

Zhang Su was used to the sudden text, but this reward left him unsure of its exact function.

"What's an energy slot?"

No sooner had he spoken than three progress bars appeared beside 【Insight Tag 10/20】 in his mind—these must be the energy slots. The first was blue, at 45% full; the other two were gray, labeled "Inactive."

"Oh? So 'energy' means my stamina? Or condition? Vitality? But why only 45%? I don't feel tired at all…"

Zhang Su scratched his head. Today had been full: luring zombies, killing zombies, wiping out Lei Youliang's squad, then explosions and modified zombies. Yet he didn't feel exhausted—even staying awake another night wouldn't be a problem.

"Forget it. I'll treat it as stamina. Three slots mean my endurance is off the charts?"

In the pitch-black tank cockpit, Zhang Su's face broke into a strange smile.

"Can I activate a spare energy slot before my current one runs out?"

He thought it—and instantly, the "Inactive" label vanished from the second slot. It shifted upward, merging with his own energy bar. The original position left a faint afterimage; the merged bar flashed brightly, jumping from 45% to 100%, glowing a vivid blue, radiating fullness.

"Huh?"

Zhang Su's eyes lit up. He could clearly feel his mind instantly clear, his muscles brimming with vitality, strength flooding his body, his breath smooth, his heartbeat strong.

He hadn't felt this good in so long—he couldn't even remember the last time!

That feeling—after a full day of training, muscles aching, soaking in a sauna, getting a massage, then waking up naturally the next day.

In short: crystal clear.

"Is this just filling energy—or does it enhance me too? No… maybe this is my true perfect state. It seems I've never woken up with full energy before!"

Zhang Su marveled—his full-energy self felt like reborn.

The direct sensation was obvious, but there were other benefits he hadn't yet experienced—for example, as long as energy stayed above 80%, immunity surged, letting him resist ordinary viruses and rarely get sick.

Except zombie-machine invasions…

(End of Chapter)