Chapter 340: To Return a Gift Is Proper Etiquette

Xiao Xuejian smiled awkwardly, scratching his head, unsure how to handle the situation; facing the leader's questioning, a faint bead of cold sweat trickled down his temple.

"You think I seem reasonable, but I'm actually very domineering—I accepted the gifts your Team Leader Gong sent, but whether I can help or not, I make no promises. Don't try tricking me again—I hate it!"

With that, Zhang Su took the walkie-talkie from the man's hand.

Xiao Xuejian was stunned by the reply but sighed in relief: "I have no right to speculate about matters among leaders like you; I'll just follow Team Leader Gong's orders."

"Good. I've received your message. To return a gift is proper etiquette—we went out yesterday and found some decent items; I'll send some back to your Team Leader."

Zhang Su called out loudly, gesturing for Xiao Xuejian to step out from behind the tank and return to the group. He turned to Lu Yubo: "Bozi, go to the warehouse and ask your sister-in-law to pick out three raccoon dog pelts and bring them here!"

"Got it!"

Lu Yubo knew that since they were returning gifts, all these fine items now belonged to Tianma Isle—he felt delighted inside.

Perhaps Gong Chengming had given prior instructions; Xiao Xuejian made no objection when Zhang Su prepared to return the gift and simply stood aside, waiting quietly.

"Xiao Captain, when we left Qincheng earlier, we stopped by the military camp at the eastern end of Wenming Road. There seems to be a group there—have you had contact with them?"

As they waited, Zhang Su took the chance to ask about what he wanted to know.

"You mean the Civilization Protectors? Their leader's surname is Li—I encountered them outside before; they came to our place for trade, but they didn't trade with our Alliance."

After a moment's thought, Xiao Xuejian replied; as captain of an elite squad, he knew far more than Wang Xin.

Zhang Su's heart stirred—he recalled Old Li's hypocritical, solemn demeanor, and with the absurd name "Civilization Protectors," he was almost certain it was them. Better to have a lead than nothing at all; at least it was a mark of loyalty.

He asked casually: "Civilization Protectors? What an odd name. We had brief contact with them before—they had no name then, just seven or eight people, pathetically under-equipped. Do you know their current situation?"

"No official structure—every survivor camp started from just a few people, haha. I don't know the details of the Civilization Protectors. They're very low-key. Publicly, their headquarters is the military camp, well-equipped, and their traders always appear disciplined—probably not weak."

Xiao Xuejian answered cooperatively.

"Publicly? So they have a secret headquarters too?"

Zhang Su caught the implication in Xiao Xuejian's words.

"Yes," Xiao Xuejian nodded with a smile. "Earlier, when our squad swept east, we accidentally spotted Civilization Protectors entering and leaving a furniture factory. It had a strong sense of daily life—about a kilometer from the military camp. That's probably their real headquarters."

One public, one secret—disciplined. Zhang Su nodded inwardly. Everything matched Old Li's style. From Xiao Xuejian's account, the Civilization Protectors were doing reasonably well. He didn't press further—too much probing would seem suspicious.

Soon, Lu Yubo returned to the tank, carrying three raccoon dog pelts.

"Xiao Captain, these are raccoon dog pelts we found in a village during a supply run."

Zhang Su handed the pelts to Xiao Xuejian.

"Warm clothing is extremely scarce in the city right now—haha! Zhang Leader, if you took these three pelts to the Alliance, most factions wouldn't even have the money to bid!"

Xiao Xuejian felt the pelts' softness and whistled in admiration.

Zhang Su watched him with a faint, knowing smile, but internally sneered—the man was clearly trying to show off how valuable his gift was, but he overdid it.

In villages and the wild, such warm gear might be rare—but in the city, forget the malls; just clear out any decent residential complex and rifle through the wardrobes of middle-class families—you'd find piles of fur!

"I hope Team Leader Gong likes them. Three pelts—enough for his wives to share?"

Zhang Su pretended not to notice the man's poor acting, asking playfully.

Xiao Xuejian placed the pelts in the cargo compartment and shook his head with a smile: "You don't know, Zhang Leader—Team Leader Gong is a bachelor. Right now, plenty of women in the Alliance are chasing him, but he's not interested in any of them, haha."

Hearing this, Zhang Su grew wary inside. In this utterly chaotic world, many had unleashed their desires—but Gong Chengming stood alone. Such a man was terrifying: he controlled his own desires and had no attachments, no weaknesses.

Perhaps…

Zhang Su pondered—Gong Chengming's desire might lie in the Survivor Alliance itself, not in women.

"Then good—he can enjoy it himself!"

"It's getting late. I won't keep you any longer—I'm leaving!"

Xiao Xuejian bowed politely to everyone.

"Alright, we've got our own supply mission today. No need to keep you, Xiao Captain—go ahead."

"Until we meet again!"

Xiao Xuejian jumped into his vehicle, started it up, and slowly drove away from Tianma Isle.

Zhang Su's group stood at the Shanmen, watching the Dodge Durango vanish from sight, its white exhaust plume slowly fading around the bend.

"Boss, should we send someone to follow him?"

Lu Yubo suggested.

Zhang Su shook his head slightly: "No need. They won't cause trouble themselves—at least not now. Gong Chengming won't stir up unnecessary conflict."

He added silently in his mind: unless Xiao Xuejian isn't Gong Chengming's man, but sent by Liao Youzhi to frame us—but he thought that possibility extremely slim.

Wu Lue couldn't help asking: "Boss, we don't even know Gong Chengming. What's his real intent?"

The others nearby also wanted to know; seeing someone ask, they turned to Zhang Su.

Zhang Su smirked: "He calls it making friends, but really he's recruiting allies—hoping we'll lend a hand when it matters."

"Lend a hand?" Lu Yubo scratched his head, still confused: "We're dozens of kilometers from the city—how could we get there in time?"

"Boss doesn't mean helping against zombies!"

Wang Xin gave Lu Yubo a strange smile.

"Not against zombies… then against people? So Boss, he wants us to…"

"Enough. Take the goods to the warehouse. Eat quickly—we're heading to the agrochemical plant to hunt zombies."

Zhang Su cut off Lu Yubo's question. No matter what the Survivor Alliance planned, strength was the foundation of survival.

Tianma Isle's operations didn't change because of Xiao Xuejian's visit—those who needed to move, moved; those who needed to clear land, cleared it; everyone carried on their tasks in orderly fashion.

Xiao Xuejian drove back to Qincheng. After crossing the Hedaqiao Bridge, once guarded by the former Xidaying Village, he paused briefly, circled the field paths a few times, then turned west at the northern second ring road of Qincheng, drove three or four kilometers, and finally entered a vermicelli processing factory.

"Captain's back!"

"Was anyone following you?"

As Xiao Xuejian's vehicle stopped, Gong Chengming and several other members of Vanguard Team One stepped out of the factory building.

(End of Chapter)