Chapter 311: Triumphant Return

The convoy returned to Tianma Island, and nearly everyone in the camp stood along both sides of the Shanmen, welcoming them in line.

Every time companions left the camp to gather supplies was a gamble, like ancient warriors setting out for battle—returning safely was always worth celebrating.

"Mr. Zhang, this mission was extremely dangerous; seeing you return in triumph, I'm finally at ease!"

Yu Wen's face still bore traces of tension; since Jia Shiqin returned wounded, he had been restless, yet he had to maintain a calm exterior—if even he panicked, the others in the camp would surely follow suit.

"We're all blessed souls—fortune turns misfortune into luck, haha!"

Zhang Su clapped Yu Wen on the shoulder, then called for everyone to disembark.

When those who had stayed behind saw the villagers from Xidaying Village slowly getting off the vehicles and learned the full story, they couldn't help but marvel at how fate, amid its capriciousness, seemed guided by unseen hands…

"From now on, the villagers of Xidaying Village are also members of Tianma Island—welcome them all!"

Zhang Su stepped down and introduced them to the crowd.

They weren't strangers, so greetings came naturally.

"These five!"

After introducing the Xidaying villagers, Zhang Su pulled Pan Guoliang and the others forward and said, "The Qinglong Battalion was nearly wiped out; excluding Xin Qi and the other two, these two are the only survivors we found. Pan Guoliang and Xie Yanshan—like the Xidaying villagers, they've joined us."

"Xie Yanshan, Mr. Xie, was a core scientific member of the Qinglong Battalion, and this man, Pan Guoliang, was once an elite among elites. I'm certain both will continue to shine in our camp—let's welcome them!"

Another round of enthusiastic welcome erupted.

"We've got time—talk later. Right now, hurry and unload everything. Sort and store all recovered supplies. If space is short, open more rooms as storage—organize everything properly, don't cut corners!"

"Mr. Zhang…" Xie Yanshan walked up to Zhang Su and said, "The grain-collecting team took Zero-03 out with them—I wonder how you've handled that modified zombie?"

"Alive. Locked in that vehicle over there, controlled by electric current."

Zhang Su pointed to a distant cargo truck.

Xie Yanshan, in bright light, was somewhat better off; in dim light, he was nearly blind. He chuckled: "Yes, yes—electric current for control. Good, good."

"Our research is limited. Later, we'll… still need your help, Mr. Xie. I'll take my leave now—any issues, speak to anyone. They'll assist. If they can't solve it, they'll pass it on to me."

As Zhang Su spoke, he noticed Fu Weijun sitting in a wheelchair farther off, watching him—clearly waiting. That wasn't unusual, but Fu Weijun's appearance seemed… off…

After giving his instructions, Zhang Su headed toward Fu Weijun.

"Tony told me this mission was especially dangerous. Can you try to go out less often? Let others handle it."

Zhong Xiaoshanyi walked up to Zhang Su from the crowd, concerned.

Earlier that day, she had been on duty in the monitoring room—everything was fine—until a vehicle sped back in. Her heart clenched. Sure enough, something had happened: Lu Leiyang returned with Jia Shiqin, bloody and battered. Learning of the clash with Kuangzhuang's group, her mood turned anxious.

Zhang Su turned his head. Everyone was joyfully hauling supplies. He glanced at Zhong Xiaoshanyi and smiled: "Let others handle it? Guess why everyone listens to me?"

Zhong Xiaoshanyi froze. She wasn't foolish—she just worried too much. Zhang Su's words made her realize: Zhang Su dared to charge ahead, brave and cunning, with near-perfect judgment and impeccable timing—that's why he was their leader.

If he ever handed everything off to others and sat safely in command, it wouldn't take long before someone turned against him, destabilizing the camp—and the outcome would be disastrous.

People's minds were no longer shaped by feudal monarchy or imperial rule.

"You're working too hard."

"Heh, then tonight, you'd better give me a proper relaxation session!"

Zhang Su slapped Zhong Xiaoshanyi's butt—too thickly clothed, no sensation at all.

"Seriously… Commander, mind your image—everyone's watching!"

Zhong Xiaoshanyi shook her head, expression odd, then suddenly remembered: "By the way, does Su Xiaoya know about Kuangzhuang?"

"How would she know…?"

Zhang Su glanced at the room where Su Xiaoya was held. The dark window showed a small slit in the curtain—a pair of eyes peering out.

"The girl's pitiful. Xinyu said her older sister… you know. You okay?"

"What's wrong with me?" Zhang Su grinned. "Xinyu must've told you Su Xiaoya's sister was my ex, right? Don't worry—I've had at least a dozen exes. Compared to survival, I know what matters."

It sounded easy, but when Zhang Su threw the grenade today, he'd felt a faint pang inside. After all, they'd once been together. In another circumstance, it wouldn't have ended this way—but back then, there was no time to hesitate.

"Hmm, good you're okay. Should I tell Su Xiaoya? She'll find it hard to accept…"

Zhong Xiaoshanyi was already headachy over this.

"She'll accept it. Everyone from Kuangzhuang accepted it. If she can't understand, send her to another camp—or let her wander off."

Zhang Su waved his hand. Killing Su Lei was unavoidable—he was willing to talk to Su Xiaoya properly.

Seeing Zhang Su was truly fine, Zhong Xiaoshanyi stopped pressing. She looked ahead and spotted someone sitting nearby. "Dr. Fu's waiting for you? Go talk to him quickly—he nearly died, I've got to get back to work!"

"Huh? What do you mean?!"

Zhang Su was stunned before he could react—Zhong Xiaoshanyi had already turned and sprinted toward the vehicles. She had to log the supplies—she couldn't miss it.

"Damn, Dr. Fu, what happened to you?"

Zhang Su hadn't been paying close attention to Fu Weijun until Zhong Xiaoshanyi's words made him look. Fu Weijun, sitting in his wheelchair nearby, looked utterly disheveled—his face smudged with soot, his hair wild and tangled, like he'd just survived a bad American punk haircut!

Fu Weijun pushed his wheelchair forward a few steps, face alight with excitement: "A small mishap during an experiment—nothing serious… Can we find a quiet place to talk? It's about the corpse you sent back."

"Oh?" Zhang Su's eyes lit up. He walked behind the wheelchair and began pushing it. "Progress already? By the way, we brought back another corpse with high research value!"

"Another mutated zombie?"

Fu Weijun stopped the wheelchair, his gaze fixed eagerly on Zhang Su. In the dim light, his eyes gleamed brightly—rare brilliance for a man in his twenties…

"This one isn't mutated… how to put it? A human injected with modification drugs during the transformation into a zombie—resulted in some changes."

"Modified zombie? Ha! This is a major discovery! Where is it? Can I see it?" Fu Weijun was thrilled.

"Don't rush. They're unloading now—wait till it's done. First, tell me about your findings on the venom zombie."

The two hurried back to Little Luck, heading toward the dining hall. Zhang Su glanced up at the room where Fu Weijun and Duan Wuhu lived and asked, startled: "Dr. Fu, your room… caught fire?"

"Yeah, a small accident. Nothing. Old Duan's cleaning up."

Fu Weijun waved his hand impatiently, urging them to get to the dining hall.

Zhang Su also wanted to know about the venom zombie, so he didn't press it—he could hear Duan Wuhu bustling inside.

They sat down in the dining hall. Zhang Su lit a cigarette. Before he could speak, Fu Weijun spoke first.

"Mr. Zhang, if we could capture more zombies like today's, our combat strength would leap dramatically. If we could get live ones for study, even better!"

As he spoke, he carefully pulled a delicate glass container from his small bag—it looked like a nail polish bottle.

"Live ones?" Zhang Su gave a strange look and shook his head. "Those venom zombies are deadly—one spit can kill. Other zombies attack up close, but this thing? Long-range damage. Today, thank god we didn't run into one—those guys lost three in a single exchange. If we had, we'd have lost people too!"

Not to mention whether we could even find more venom zombies—just their insane lethality makes capturing live ones nearly impossible. Who could stand being sprayed with that stuff?

(End of Chapter)