Chapter 307: Selfish Interests (Tomorrow is 520—Don

"You're too excited—there's a problem!"

Zheng Xinyu stared at Zhang Su.

Zhang Su's lips twitched slightly; he glanced at Zheng Xinyu and said, "Finding that many weapons and you won't even let someone get excited? How cold-hearted you are…"

"Oh… alright then."

Zheng Xinyu thought for a moment, deciding Zhang Su's explanation made sense; she turned to look at the back seat, where Chen Hanzhou and Wu Lue were studying a drone remote, and since all five in the car were core members, she asked, "Husband, are you really planning to absorb the people from Kuan Zhuang?"

"That's right…"

Zhang Su slowed the car slightly and said, "Our camp currently has labor surplus but insufficient combat strength. My original plan was to merge with Kuan Zhuang and expand our combat units—but I never expected Lei Youliang to be so ambitious; he beat me to it, seized the Qinglong Battalion's equipment, and then challenged me…"

Here he sighed faintly, still regretting the combat personnel lost from Kuan Zhuang—even though he himself had caused it.

"Fuck, that guy Lei is totally insane—he thinks just grabbing the weapons from the barracks gives him some power, and he dares to rally other factions against us? His brain's clearly fried—he doesn't even know what matters most. A shark's arm."

Zhao Dezhu gave a contemptuous rant.

"Actually, I can sense some in their group didn't want to go along—but by then there was no chance for negotiation. Forget it; even if we pulled them in, they'd be useless. As long as Lei Youliang lives, he'll cause trouble. But if they find out I killed him, they'll harbor resentment—it's too hard to manage…"

Zhang Su shook his head and added, "The remaining people from Kuan Zhuang are much easier to handle—just expose Lei Youliang's ambitions, and they'll see the truth."

"I still feel uneasy… will the remaining people from Kuan Zhuang really understand?"

Zheng Xinyu had no confidence in Zhang Su's plan.

"I think Brother Su's arrangement is logical and well-reasoned."

Chen Hanzhou, who had been studying the drone, looked up and said, "Lei Youliang's poor decisions led to the complete annihilation of our combat force. Thank goodness this didn't happen in Kuan Zhuang—if it had, it might have dragged the whole village down with it! But do those villagers, or even some of Kuan Zhuang's combatants, truly want to be our enemies?"

"I don't think so!"

Zhao Dezhu nodded vigorously, fully agreeing with Chen Hanzhou's analysis.

"Exactly—that's what I mean. Forget Kuan Zhuang for now… hey, what do you think of the people from Daqiao Bao Township?"

As Zhang Su spoke, he turned the car heater up to 22 degrees.

"I think Meng Changwei is a decent guy, and his team is just like him. Hey, big brother, you're not seriously thinking of absorbing them, are you? I checked—the distance is huge. Even by main road it's over seventy kilometers, and the back roads mean climbing mountains—way too much trouble!"

Zhao Dezhu pulled out cigarettes and generously passed them around—he'd found plenty in the Qinglong Battalion and was feeling generous today.

Zhang Su tilted his head so Zheng Xinyu could light his cigarette and said, "I think the people from Daqiao Bao Township are worth considering—I do want to bring them in, but I don't know their exact situation yet. The north can be turned into a solid block. If spring comes next year—if it comes—we can fully develop Tianma Yu!"

The design blueprint is already being drawn up; the land is available—only manpower and materials need preparation, and once the climate permits, construction can begin.

"Will it work? Look how Can the Qinglong Battalion turned out—more people will attract massive zombie hordes. Can we control that ratio? Has Dr. Fu got reliable data on this?"

Zheng Xinyu shook her head repeatedly, convinced more people in the camp wasn't a good thing—the Qinglong Battalion was a living example.

Zhang Su smiled, exhaled smoke through a crack in the window, and said, "I never said everyone lives together. Tianma Yu is only for our own people—true insiders. Then, with Tianma Yu as the core, we build satellite villages around it—like the nearest Madian Zhuang, assign thirty people there. The village south of Madian Zhuang, Tushan Village, can also be cleared out. Use the Qiba nearby villages—four or five hundred people can easily be housed, far more dispersed than Qinglong Battalion's population!"

"Exactly! Big brother's idea is brilliant—population isn't concentrated, so big zombie hordes can't find us, and we can still support each other quickly. Damn, the more I think about it, the better it sounds, haha."

Zhao Dezhu clapped his hands in approval.

"It's really good—eventually it'll grow into a whole new kind of town, hehe."

Zheng Xinyu mentally modeled Zhang Su's concept and found it feasible. "Don't think so far ahead yet—here, give this to the others—we're heading straight to Kuan Zhuang to absorb the survivors!"

Zhang Su handed Zheng Xinyu a walkie-talkie.

Night had fallen; the FJ Land Cruiser turned on its headlights and took a fork in the road toward Kuan Zhuang.

Meanwhile, in the area where Kuan Zhuang's villagers lived, gloom hung thick—almost everyone had gathered in the courtyard where Lei Youliang used to summon combatants for meetings.

Sitting in the center now was not the self-destructed Lei Youliang, but the bearded Yang Liehuo.

Because he opposed Lei Youliang's decision, Yang Liehuo did not join this operation. As Kuan Zhuang's strongest combatant, his absence from the critical mission annoyed Lei Youliang—but considering all factors, Lei said little; after all, keeping a capable man in the village was useful.

"Liehuo… it's so late—why haven't Youliang and the others returned? Could something have happened?"

An old woman leaning on a cane asked Yang Liehuo, her face filled with worry.

Around her sat mostly elders, women, or children with runny noses; two coal stoves burned charcoal, their chimneys glowing red-hot—the room was not cold.

Yang Liehuo was the only adult male in the room—and even "adult" wasn't precise; he was over fifty, technically middle-aged or elderly.

Hearing the elder's question, Yang Liehuo nervously rubbed his hair and said, "Aunt Yun, conditions outside are extremely complex now—no longer like before, where everyone came home on schedule. Even small problems delay things. Don't rush, don't panic."

"Fire Brother."

At that moment, a woman around thirty stood up and said, "I think we can't keep going like this. We all have hands and feet—why are we barred from training? Why did Lei Youliang specially allow Su Lei to join the mission? We need training too—we can go out to gather supplies. At the very least, once we can use guns, we can protect ourselves in this environment!"

"That's right—Sister Xia's words are correct. We've already discussed this while working." Another villager woman stood up and said, "Fire Brother, I remember you once proposed that all women join training—why wasn't it ever implemented?"

Yang Liehuo looked at the woman and spread his hands. "I'm not the village leader. I did suggest it—but Youliang disagreed. What's the point of asking me?"

More than a month ago, Yang Liehuo had discussed this with others in the village. Like nearly all survivor camps, Kuan Zhuang suffered from a shortage of combatants, so he advocated for universal conscription.

He assumed even the women agreed, and the leaders wouldn't object—but Lei Youliang rejected Yang Liehuo's proposal, citing insufficient equipment and the importance of logistics.

"Besides, do you really not know why Su Lei went on this mission? It's because of her sister…"

Yang Liehuo scanned the room, feeling irritated—having to deal with all these women was exhausting.

"Fine, let's not talk about Xiao Lei! I remember Youliang said our weapons were insufficient, so training more people was pointless and would consume more food to maintain fitness. But now weapons are plentiful, food reserves are ample—why hasn't this been reconsidered?"

Another woman, who hadn't spoken before, spoke up.

"I really don't want to keep living like this—when the men go out, we're like frightened chicks hiding in the village. Teach us to use guns—we can contribute in combat, and the men won't have to worry about home, right?"

"Tell Youliang not to worry about logistics—we women aren't useless!"

"Men can hold guns—why can't we? The old era is over—don't look down on women."

Like the broken window effect, once this topic was raised, everyone had something to say—it was clear the women of Kuan Zhuang had high awareness, more eager for power than the women of Lianhe Village or Xida Camp.

It's not that hardworking women are bad—only in the apocalypse, everyone must learn to protect themselves!

Unfortunately, they had no idea what Lei Youliang truly thought—even Yang Liehuo couldn't see it. If everyone gained self-defense capability, then when the leader made a mistake or faced questioning, he could be overthrown.

That was not what Lei Youliang wanted. To secure his position, he spent great effort winning hearts—but it was all for his own selfish ends.

If Zhang Su had known this earlier, he wouldn't have wasted so much time negotiating with Lei Youliang. Too bad Su Xiaoya didn't understand any of this—even if she did, she wouldn't tell him…

(End of Chapter)