Chapter 309: The Consequences of a Slip of the Tongue (To All Leaders Who Received Gifts, Please Show Them)

"Impossible!"

The old woman leaning on her cane shook her head in disbelief. "Lei Youliang isn't the kind of person you say he is. I watched him grow up—he's honest and kind. How could he possibly do the things you claim? This is a malicious frame-up!"

But this time, before anyone could object, Yang Liehuo placed a hand on the old woman's shoulder and shook his head. "Aunt Yun, the Lei Youliang you know couldn't do such things—but the Lei Youliang I know is perfectly capable of everything he's done."

After Yang Liehuo spoke, the crowd fell utterly silent.

Whether it was the people of Tianma Yu, the villagers of Xidaying, or even the women of Kuanzhuang, all were stunned.

"Liehuo, you… you can't side with outsiders like this! They're murderers—they killed Youliang! You're his comrade, his uncle, his elder! How can you…?"

"I'm siding with justice!"

Yang Liehuo suddenly widened his eyes at the old woman and roared: "Do you know why I didn't go with Youliang and the others to the barracks today? Because I already knew their plan—they intended to seize the weapons from the barracks and fight Tianma Yu! I opposed it! I spoke out against it then!"

As he spoke, everyone's gaze toward Yang Liehuo changed. No one expected someone so clear on right and wrong to still exist in the apocalypse!

Is such a quality truly good in the apocalypse?

Not necessarily.

But undeniably, many people hope to meet those who understand justice and discern right from wrong…

"Exactly!" Zhang Su picked up Yang Liehuo's thread. "It was indeed Lei Youliang's idea—he made his intentions perfectly clear today, and dozens here heard him. But I can tell not everyone beside him shared that mindset. Some probably didn't want to fight us."

It was the truth. Thanks to his exceptional eyesight, Zhang Su had seen hesitation, helplessness, and inner conflict on many faces in Kuanzhuang.

"Then why kill them all?" the old woman demanded angrily.

Zhang Su spread his hands. "Because they all drew weapons—guns and cannons pointed at us. What they thought matters, but what they did matters more."

They had a sense of right and wrong, but were bound by loyalty, tangled and confused.

"Sigh…" Yang Liehuo sighed deeply. "Youliang and the others were wrong. I warned him—he wouldn't listen. I always knew this outcome was coming. I just hoped we'd never reach this point."

The people of Kuanzhuang had no reply. They had no idea how fierce resource struggles outside could be—they thought it was just about killing zombies.

"As I said before, I came here without guilt. Many innocent people were caught in this battle—those forced by Lei Youliang to pick up weapons against us, those left without shelter like you. I couldn't save them, but I will take responsibility for you."

Hearing this, the women of Kuanzhuang froze. They'd assumed the outsiders had come only to boast, extort a ransom, and leave. They never expected anyone to take responsibility. "Hmph, you bastard would actually…?"

Swish.

In a flash, Zhang Su snatched the baseball bat from Zheng Xinyu's hands and, before anyone could react, swung it at the old woman in full view of all.

A silver flash gleamed under the car headlights.

Whoosh… Thud!

"No…"

"Don't move!"

"Don't interfere!"

Thud, thud, thud! Zhang Su was genuinely too lazy to argue with an old woman—he simply made her shut up forever. How many people could withstand the force of Zhang Su's baseball bat?

This was the very bat Zheng Xinyu had used to smash zombie skulls all the way here—crunching skulls with satisfying ease. It worked just as well on human heads. Yang Liehuo tried to step forward to stop him, but Lu Yubo, Chen Hanzhou, and others held him firmly in place. His rifle was even taken from his back.

The other women were already terrified by the bloody scene before them, staring at Zhang Su with pure dread…

"Damn it, I came here to save people, not listen to your insults! Fuck! Drag her away!"

After dealing with the old woman, Zhang Su returned the bloodied baseball bat to Zheng Xinyu and gestured with his head toward Xin Qi and the others.

Zhang Su didn't know the old woman he'd just killed was the same elder Su Xiaoya had mentioned—someone who refused to move.

"Oh! Got it!"

Xin Qi and the others hurried over to the corpse. Pan Guoliang, once deputy squad leader, now had no airs—he helped carry the body and even winked at Zhang Su, as if to say, Brother, you're a good man.

Strangely, the people of Kuanzhuang showed little reaction to the old woman's death.

Zhang Su watched Xin Qi and the others walk away, then turned his gaze to the crowd before him. "Lei Youliang's mistakes shouldn't be blamed on you innocent people. I'm willing to accept those who lost the battle—but I won't tolerate insults. Her foul mouth will drag you all to death. Who wants to die with her?"

The meaning was clear: if she keeps insulting us, we'll slaughter everyone.

Few could grasp this truth at this moment. Most survivors of Kuanzhuang were still mentally numb.

Too bad Yu Wen wasn't here—if he were, he'd have spoken up now…

But Yu Wen wasn't here—someone else stepped forward! Ma Changshou strode to the front of the car lights, waved to the people of Kuanzhuang, and spoke with gentle humility: "Hello, fellow villagers of Kuanzhuang!"

Such a simple phrase, yet he delivered it with the authority of a county official addressing a consolation conference.

"I'm Ma Changshou, village chief of Xidaying on the west bank of Hahe River. I'd like to speak some heartfelt words to you…"

"I don't deny that war breeds hatred—but think clearly: who is your real enemy? Is it this young man with great righteousness? When we in Xidaying were all locked in the barracks warehouse, we were held captive by your village chief Lei—you all witnessed the entire battle!"

"I don't judge who was right or wrong in this conflict. I only want to say: Boss Zhang is willing to lay down his hatred and treat you kindly. He must have struggled deeply inside before choosing mercy over vengeance—because he could've easily blamed you for Lei's crimes. Look at these strong warriors…"

Ma Changshou stepped forward and gestured toward the Tianma Yu crowd. "With Tianma Yu's combat strength, wiping out Kuanzhuang would take a single flick of the wrist. Everything you have could be taken effortlessly. But Boss Zhang didn't do it. Why?"

Exactly—why? Zhang Su seized Ma Changshou's opening without hesitation and declared loudly: "Because we're all human. Our true enemy is the zombie. I'm tired of internal fighting. Let's all build together. You know I'm telling the truth—otherwise, when we discovered Su Xiaoya was a spy, we'd have wiped you all out!"

Hearing this, more and more people in Kuanzhuang saw the reality clearly. They turned their eyes to Yang Liehuo, silently urging him to decide.

Yang Liehuo knew he must now take the lead. The dead were gone; the living must keep walking. He steadied himself and gestured toward a nearby courtyard. "Young Brother Zhang, why not sit down and talk? No need to stand out here."

Zhang Su waved off the offer. "On the way here, I already decided: we'll clear safe villages around Tianma Yu for you to settle in. You'll farm and raise livestock nearby, acting as satellite villages to defend Tianma Yu. We'll support each other, forming a complete defense system—advantageous against both zombies and human enemies."

After Zhang Su finished, Yang Liehuo naturally asked: "What do we need to do?"

Zhang Su raised an eyebrow—he hadn't expected this big brother to be such a good foil. He turned to the people of Kuanzhuang. "If you're willing to settle in Tianma Yu's satellite villages, you'll become members of Tianma Yu. You'll share in our prosperity—and our hardships. Your lives and movements will be regulated. Food, weapons, and supplies will be centrally allocated. But I guarantee: as long as I'm not hungry, no one in Tianma Yu will starve."

Before the Kuanzhuang villagers could react, the people of Xidaying were already stirred—because from now on, they too were part of Tianma Yu. This big pie now included them.

Some in Xidaying secretly blamed Ma Changshou, resenting his choice for leading them to this point—if only he'd joined Tianma Yu earlier, the whole village of fifty or sixty could've thrived.

But others held the opposite view, quietly admiring Ma Changshou's foresight. He'd avoided breaking with Zhang Su multiple times precisely to keep a backdoor open—and now, that backdoor had saved them.

(End of Chapter)