Chapter 343: A Ruin

Let's go, set out, get back to our own business!

Zhang Su waved his hand, signaling for the others to get out of the vehicle.

The appearance of the Zhengdao Society is undoubtedly good news from a human perspective—rebuilding civilization requires people, and sustaining it requires far more!

To prevent genetic degeneration, meaning to avoid inbreeding, you need at least five thousand people, and that's just the bare minimum; to sustain or even rebuild civilization, the population must be ten or a hundred times that number!

Whether five thousand, fifty thousand, or five hundred thousand, all are astronomical figures to today's survivors—most survivor camps have fewer than ten people; reaching three digits within a city is rare, let alone four digits, which by pre-collapse provincial standards would be utterly exceptional!

The two vehicles set off again, soon entering Qingxian County's urban area. On both sides of the road stretched identical, ruined streets, clearly bearing signs of looting and destruction; the only reassuring thing was the absence of zombies.

This small county town had been swept over and over by the Qinglong Army, leaving behind almost no usable resources—it held little value for exploration. Zhang Su made no stop, heading straight for the fertilizer plant Xin Qi had told him about.

Leaving the urban area and entering the northwest suburbs, the open view revealed distant factory walls—but whether it was the fertilizer plant was uncertain. Zombies now appeared—this was precisely where they had lured the military camp zombies before.

The horde wandered aimlessly deep in the wilderness, unknown how long before they'd sense a human settlement again and begin moving in clusters. The Qinglong Army had omitted one parameter during their zombie experiments: distance!

Xie Yan had mentioned this before—without distance as a variable, they couldn't determine the relationship between trigger time and distance for zombie detection, but one thing was certain: the farther away, the longer the delay.

The horde was too massive for vehicles to approach without provoking a frenzy—this was when Zhang Su's super vision came into play.

The two vehicles pulled over to the roadside. Zhang Su gazed into the distance; even with his exceptional eyesight, he struggled to identify the venom zombies amid the horde—their features were too subtle. But with binoculars, the zombie swarm hundreds of meters away appeared as clear as if within arm's reach.

Su Xiaoya sat beside him, watching Zhang Su intensely focus on the distance. She dared not interrupt, feeling deeply confused.

The four men on the Big Dog vehicle were also using binoculars, but their efficiency was far lower—each time they had to stare at a single lens area for a long while before shifting their gaze.

Let's go, nothing there!

After about twenty minutes, Zhang Su picked up the radio to announce, then set down the binoculars with little enthusiasm. Thousands of shambling zombies in the distance weren't all ordinary types—among them were two or three petrified-skin zombies, though he had no idea where they'd wandered in from.

While petrified skin was valuable, it wasn't worth disturbing a horde of at least three or four thousand zombies!

May I ask… what exactly are you looking for? Is there anything I can help with?

As Zhang Su restarted the vehicle, Su Xiaoya finally couldn't hold back her curiosity.

A type of zombie.

Zhang Su didn't hide it—he spoke plainly: "A special zombie with faint purple patches on its skin. Normally invisible, but when it attacks, the patches become strikingly obvious!"

What's so special about that kind of zombie that you'd go out of your way to find it?

Su Xiaoya pursed her lips. From her observations on Tianma Isle, she knew zombies could be burned as fuel—but if he was specifically searching for one type, there must be something unusual about it.

Why does a brat need to know so much? Just keep watching through the binoculars and tell me if you spot anything odd!

Zhang Su didn't bother answering Su Xiaoya's question; recalling Xin Qi's directions, he drove toward the fertilizer plant.

The road was clear, and soon the two vehicles arrived outside the fertilizer plant's gate.

Nongxing Fertilizer Plant?

Ten meters from the gate, Zhang Su stopped the car, staring at the sign, then peered into the compound—his lips curled in distaste.

The fertilizer plant wasn't large, and from its architecture and equipment, it clearly looked outdated—not a modern facility built in recent years, but one with considerable age. But that wasn't the key issue.

Inside the compound, warehouses had collapsed, chimneys lay toppled, and the ground was stained in multicolored chemical patches. Even from dozens of meters away, a faint but pungent odor reached the nose.

There's no way we can go in there!

Zhang Su frowned, exhaled a heavy breath, and picked up the radio: "Let's go, leave this place—it's making me cry, and it might be toxic!"

The two vehicles finally stopped two hundred meters upwind.

Zombies are coming!

Just as Zhang Su was about to open his door, Su Xiaoya pointed frantically at the wasteland beside the road—three shambling zombies were lumbering toward the vehicle, clearly drawn by the noise.

So what? What's the big deal? Here, stab them in the head!

Zhang Su handed Su Xiaoya the steel rod beside his seat, then opened the door and stepped out without caring about her stunned expression.

The four men on the Big Dog vehicle had already exited and prepared to engage the zombies—before they could move, Zhang Su spoke.

Leave the zombie with the white cloth strip for Su Xiaoya!

Ah… okay!

Understood!

Lu Yubo and the others paused briefly, nodded, then charged forward.

Su Xiaoya slowly got out of the car, watching the big brothers dispatch two zombies in seconds—her fear began to fade.

Go ahead, the cold weather has slowed the zombies down—perfect for you, a beginner, to practice!

Zhang Su gave Su Xiaoya a shove and exchanged a glance with Chen Hanzhou.

He intended to train Su Xiaoya, but wouldn't let her come to harm.

Got it!

Su Xiaoya felt reluctant, but seeing five capable men behind her, she wasn't overly afraid. Mimicking Lu Yubo's earlier method of killing zombies with a grain sampler, she gripped the steel rod and charged forward.

Ah!

With a sharp cry, the steel rod was heavy—she couldn't thrust with one hand, so she gripped it with both and swung it at the zombie's face. But the expected head explosion didn't happen; instead, she missed her aim and stumbled forward, her hair standing on end as the zombie lunged toward her face.

Thud!

Chen Hanzhou kicked out, sending the zombie stumbling backward five steps before it collapsed.

Having the courage to strike is your first step—watch closely!

Zhang Su took the steel rod from the still-shaken Su Xiaoya, stepped forward, and planted his foot on the zombie's chest: "When you can't guarantee a killing blow, the best approach is to knock the zombie down first—then…"

Pfft.

The steel rod plunged into the zombie's gaping mouth. Zhang Su pressed down with his body weight—the rod pierced straight through the skull. The writhing body went still.

Got it?

Psshh, Zhang Su pulled the rod free and wiped it along the zombie's body.

Got it! Su Xiaoya nodded seriously, then turned to Chen Hanzhou: "Thank you, brother, thank you."

Chen Hanzhou raised his mechanical prosthetic and waved it dismissively—meaning, no need to thank me.

Lue, did you bring a drone?

Zhang Su handed the steel rod back to Su Xiaoya and turned to Wu Lue.

Yes!

Wu Lue ran to the back of the Big Dog vehicle, opened the trunk, and pulled out a large box, grinning: "Recon drone—full set, fully charged!"

Good, search the plant thoroughly—especially the collapsed warehouses. Some zombies might be trapped there, increasing the chance of mutation!

Zhang Su gestured for Wu Lue to hurry.

Got it, watch me!

Wu Lue wiped his nose, suddenly energized—he rarely got a chance to show off, and now was finally his moment!

He found a flat patch of ground, set up the stand, turned on the screen, and launched the drone—gently nudging the remote control joystick…

Whirr…

The drone's precision propellers spun rapidly, lifting smoothly into the air, then shot straight toward the fertilizer plant like an arrow released from a bow—its speed was astonishing.

This acceleration from zero to a hundred kph is insane… incredible!

In the blink of an eye—no more than three seconds—the drone was already circling above the fertilizer plant, and the screen displayed the compound's interior.

(End of Chapter)