Chapter 322: Is This Extortion?

"Where's Su Ge taking the little girl?"

Watching Zhang Su and Su Xiaoya walk away, Wu Lue walked over to Zheng Xinyu and asked curiously.

Zheng Xinyu pouted and said, "He's definitely taking her to see where those people from Kuanzhuang are buried. Come on, come on, let's get to work."

Yesterday, Zhang Su had learned from Ma Changshou where those people from Kuanzhuang were buried; stepping out of the camp through a broken wall, he saw more than a dozen mounded earth mounds, looking desolate against the vast open field.

Among these people, only three or four were truly loyal to Lei Youliang; the rest were forced into it. If there was a chance to talk, we'd only need to deal with a few of them.

"They're all here."

Zhang Su lit a cigarette and stood aside, saying, "We had no grudges against each other—we could've been good brothers. It's just that evil men meddled, so I had them buried."

"Which one is Lei Youliang?"

Su Xiaoya asked coldly.

Zhang Su shrugged and exhaled a smoke ring: "I don't know. I didn't take part in this."

"Hmm…"

Su Xiaoya stared at each mound, lost in thought, not stepping forward, not crying—perhaps her tears had already run dry. She stood frozen, staring blankly.

Zhang Su didn't disturb her, scanning the surroundings to assess the area.

After about one or two minutes, Su Xiaoya sniffled, turned to Zhang Su, and said, "I've figured everything out. I don't hate you, and I don't hate your uncles and aunts from Tianma Yu. I don't want to pay respects, because Lei Youliang is here too!"

"Good that you've figured it out. Let's go. Since you're out now, let's work together. The dead are gone; the living must keep living."

Zhang Su nodded and patted Su Xiaoya's shoulder.

The heavy pat made Su Xiaoya shudder. She followed Zhang Su back toward the camp and whispered, "Was my sister really your girlfriend?"

"Yeah. More than a year ago."

"So you're my former brother-in-law, right?"

??

Zhang Su stopped in his tracks, staring at Su Xiaoya in disbelief: "Is there even such a thing as 'former'? Listen, don't go fabricating relationships—are you trying to scam me?"

Su Xiaoya nodded seriously: "You're my former brother-in-law, period. I'm sticking with you from now on."

Zhang Su was speechless. He hadn't expected this little girl to switch attitudes so fast—she'd already scammed him in the blink of an eye?

"Fine, you can follow me. Don't all the other aunts and older sisters from Kuanzhuang follow me already? But 'former brother-in-law'? Skip that. Right now, I can't give you any special treatment—everyone's treated the same. Don't you see I'm working too?"

Su Xiaoya lifted her eyes, her face mostly hidden under a wool scarf, and puffed out her chest: "I don't need special treatment. I just need you to acknowledge the 'former brother-in-law' title—that's enough to keep others from bullying me in camp!"

"Wait, who's gonna bully who? Did you get bullied in Kuanzhuang?"

Zhang Su had no idea where this concern of hers came from.

Su Xiaoya sneered, tugging at her scarf: "Isn't every little girl bullied everywhere? Only my sister and Fire Grandpa helped me…"

"Then you can relax. As long as you don't slack off, I guarantee no one will bully you. You and the others from Kuanzhuang won't be living with us. Remember what I said about Weixing Village? Tomorrow, we'll send people to take your aunts and older sisters to clean up the village and settle them near Tianma Yu."

"Oh… good. Anyway, you're my former brother-in-law—if I get bullied, I'm coming to you for help!"

Su Xiaoya emphasized it again—clearly, she'd scammed him.

"To hell with your 'former'…"

Zhang Su's ear twitched—he heard a vehicle returning. He knew it was the team sent to scout for zombies. He had no patience to keep arguing with Su Xiaoya and waved his hand: "Do as you like. I still say: if you work hard, no one can bully you!"

As he spoke, he turned and saw Lu Yubo driving toward them.

"Su Ge, I went to the factory where the zombies are locked up. No problems there. I checked the outside of the buildings—didn't spot any toxin zombies, but I can't guarantee it. It was too chaotic."

Lu Yubo rolled down his window as he pulled up beside Zhang Su.

"Alright. We'll go check after we finish here."

Zhang Su didn't have high hopes for Lu Yubo—this tough guy wasn't cut out for reconnaissance. Just getting a rough idea was already a win.

He pinned his hopes more on Tan Huajun, hoping she'd bring back some good news.

"What should I do?"

Following Zhang Su to the warehouse's exterior, Su Xiaoya saw everyone bustling with activity and wanted to join in.

"You said you'd killed how many zombies before?"

Zhang Su stood with one hand on his hip and asked.

"Killed zombies? I never said I killed any… I haven't killed a single one."

Su Xiaoya's eyes dimmed instantly. Kuanzhuang didn't require women to kill zombies, let alone a girl of fifteen or sixteen.

But it was also her own fault for lacking awareness. Mo Qianlan, after being rescued, trained hard in combat. Now, even if suddenly confronted by one zombie, she could handle it without much trouble—even two, she could calmly use cover to kill them. More than that, she'd be overwhelmed.

"Oh, since that's the case… go over there and collect gear."

Zhang Su's face twisted slightly upon hearing Su Xiaoya had never killed a zombie. He pulled a large bag from the vehicle, shoved it into her hands, and pointed toward the wall: "See those corpses? Go through their pockets. Collect anything useful—mostly cigarettes and phones. Stay safe."

Su Xiaoya stood dazed, clutching the bag. Was this her first task after joining Tianma Yu?

She didn't question or resist. Weakly nodding, she walked toward the ground littered with corpses. She knew the days of her sister's protection were over—now she had to fight for her own future.

There was no tender care here. After assigning Su Xiaoya her task, Zhang Su himself carried bucket after bucket of diesel to the tank and began heating it.

After more than half an hour, with help from two companions, they finally filled the tank's fuel tank. Just as he was about to climb into the tank and start it, Tan Huajun returned.

She had gone to the dried-up riverbed to the north. With no obstructions blocking her view and relatively safe conditions, she carefully scanned the riverbank multiple times—but still found no toxin zombies.

"Su Ge, my eyes are sore. I didn't spot any, but I can't guarantee they're not there. Those zombies probably won't come out anytime soon—keep an eye on them."

Tan Huajun rubbed her eyes with a bitter smile. Staring at the dense crowd of corpses for half an hour was torture.

Zhang Su, standing atop the tank, smiled: "Got it. Thanks for your effort."

Only Qi Xiaoshuai hadn't returned yet. Whether he'd bring good news depended on him.

"Master Zhang, are you about to start the tank?"

As Zhang Su was about to climb into the tank's cockpit, Meng Changwei arrived with several men.

"What brings you over to gawk at me?"

Zhang Su sat on the edge of the hatch and asked.

"I've nearly finished my work. I've never seen a tank in real life, so I thought I'd come take a look. Haha."

Meng Changwei gazed at the tank with envy. A fifty-ton iron lump, hailed as the King of the Land, its intimidation and combat power were unmatched. Against zombies, it didn't even need to fire—just crush them flat. The only downside: its heavy reliance on fuel.

"Then you'd better keep your distance—I've only got five minutes of tank-driving experience!"

"Su Ge, we'll stay far away then…"

Lu Yubo and the others laughed and scattered to the side.

"A bunch of bastards…"

Zhang Su, seeing everyone scatter, cursed under his breath and slipped into the cockpit.

Fuel in place, the tank started smoothly.

"Ha!"

Sitting in the cramped cockpit, Zhang Su felt the slight vibration and began fiddling with the controls step by step, gently pushing the tank forward.

A metallic clang rang out—the massive machine lurched forward ten centimeters, then its tracks rolled smoothly, advancing steadily along the camp's cement road.

(End of Chapter)