Chapter 344: Someone!

"Luezi, how long can the drone fly on electric power?"

Zhang Su, sensing the drone's powerful propulsion, asked with some concern—just like an internal combustion engine, the more violently it unleashed power, the faster the fuel burned; for example, a Bugatti could only drive about nine minutes at its top speed of 420 kilometers per hour…

Wu Lue, carefully maneuvering the drone to land slowly, replied: "Under normal conditions, an hour's flight isn't a problem. But with temperatures this low… hmm… even fully charged, it should last thirty to forty minutes at best, I'd guess… and if we're carrying cargo, forget it!"

From the Qinglong Battalion, they found two drones total—one was a transport model capable of carrying twenty to thirty kilograms, while Wu Lue's was a reconnaissance model, with a maximum payload of no more than four kilograms.

Hearing it could fly for half an hour, Zhang Su nodded in relief and turned his attention to the screen, carefully observing the conditions inside the fertilizer plant.

The terrain was open, with no obstructions or interference; Wu Lue had no difficulty controlling the drone. Its speed might not be high, but it could move calmly and steadily through the agrochemical plant.

First came the production area—clearly, an explosion had occurred. The factory buildings had collapsed, the cooling towers and chimneys lay toppled on the ground, various chemicals spilled everywhere. After being washed by prior rain, everything was unrecognizable—reaction zones, grinding zones, drying zones—all blended into a single ruin.

"What a waste of so much raw material."

"Yeah, sigh… no matter how advanced modern manufacturing is, without human control, problems arise in seconds!"

"If this agrochemical plant could still operate, farming for us would be so much easier…"

The group stared at the devastated factory, deeply moved. Pesticides and fertilizers were vital to modern high-yield agriculture; without them, once the improved seeds ran out, what they grew in the future would only get worse and worse.

"Don't think so far ahead—just get through this winter first!"

Zhang Su was a blend of optimism and pessimism: when facing personal hardship, he stayed optimistic, but when considering matters from a collective perspective, he was always pessimistic, because he believed one thing: pessimists are always right; optimists keep moving forward!

"Nothing left to see. Let's go, let's go."

"Don't move!"

Just as Wu Lue was about to fly the drone out of the production area, Zhang Su stopped him and pointed at the screen: "That corner—yes, right, down, zoom in!"

Following Zhang Su's directions, a zombie suddenly appeared on the screen.

The unlucky zombie was trapped under a pile of steel frames. Hearing the drone's noise, it weakly lifted its eyes. The only movable part left was one hand, constantly clawing at the sky. It was clear it had never received blood sustenance—it was skin and bones. Yet due to solar energy replenishment, it still lived. How long it could survive before finally dying remained unknown.

"Hmm… can't tell if it's a Venom Zombie."

Wang Xin rubbed his chin and frowned.

The others also shook their heads.

Zhang Su squinted, but since the image came from the camera, he couldn't break through its limits. The zombie's clothing was still mostly intact, making identification impossible. He said: "Get closer—see if it shows any aggression. But don't get too close—don't let it spit a mouthful of phlegm and wreck the drone!"

Wu Lue nodded and carefully maneuvered the drone inch by inch toward the zombie. The camera was impressively advanced—it could even display distance within ten meters. When they reached three meters, he dared not go closer.

Zhang Su studied it carefully, then sneered: "Let's go. Just a regular one."

"Damn… this zombie must've been an original resident of the plant. Why didn't it mutate?"

Lu Yubo felt deeply frustrated—he held the Venom Original Liquid explosion in awe.

Zhang Su shrugged: "Who knows? Damn it, if we could mass-produce these mutated zombies, we'd have endless Venom Original Liquid!"

"Hah! If that were true, who would we ever fear? We'd make the entire Qincheng—no, the entire Jizhong Province—fall under Tianmayu's control!" Lu Yubo laughed heartily.

Chen Hanzhou's eyes lit up after hearing Zhang Su's words: "Brother Su, I think your idea has merit. Let's go back and discuss it with Dr. Fu!"

During this time, Chen Hanzhou often chatted with Fu Wei. Mostly, Fu Wei dragged him into long conversations, eager to learn more about being bitten by zombies. In these talks, Chen Hanzhou had been infected by Fu Wei's fanaticism—his curiosity and desire for exploration had grown stronger than before.

"I feel the trigger for mutation isn't that simple—otherwise, why didn't that zombie trapped in the plant mutate? But better to swing the rod three times even if there's no date. I'll talk to Deputy Fu when we get back. Hey, Luezi, careful—fly slower!"

As they talked, Zhang Su saw the screen flicker and tensed up, fearing something had gone wrong with the drone.

"Signal transmission is stable, Brother Su—don't worry."

Wu Lue was usually a bit sleazy, but when he picked up electronic devices—unless he was studying with his teacher—he transformed into someone completely different: confident and serious.

The drone hovered steadily inside the fertilizer plant, rising and lowering, and when its speed dropped to a certain level, the camera became extremely stable, revealing the plant's interior in great detail.

The group standing before the screen all marveled at the power of high technology. Even before the disaster, none of them had ever used such equipment. Even Wu Lue, the most interested in electronics, had only ever played with entry-level gadgets due to his poverty—this military-grade drone was leagues beyond anything he'd touched.

Yet no matter how clear the camera, failing to find what you're looking for still brings frustration. Over ten minutes passed; the ruined factory had been fully circled. If you were searching for a set of keys, you might miss them—but a zombie the size of a human? Easy to spot. Only three zombies total, all ordinary ones.

"Damn, why are Venom Zombies so rare? Like a legendary gold rarity…"

Wu Lue grumbled as he manipulated the joystick.

"Hah! If it really were a legendary gold rarity, its scarcity would make sense…"

Wang Xin chuckled at Wu Lue's remark.

"Legendary gold rarity… fine. Maybe the Venom Zombie Dr. Fu dissected was a one-off. Let's head back."

Zhang Su clicked his tongue, tossed his cigarette butt on the ground, and removed his gloves, preparing to get back in the vehicle and search nearby. But as he cast one final glance at the screen, his brow furrowed.

"Luezi, don't move!"

"You scared the hell out of me!"

Wu Lue jumped, and the screen shook slightly.

"Person! Brother Su—there's a person!"

This time, without Zhang Su's reminder, Lu Yubo had already spotted the anomaly on the screen!

As the drone rose to a certain height, the camera focused on the wasteland on the other side of the factory. Beside a thicket of weeds, a crouching figure appeared.

Since the disaster struck in early autumn, still not cold, zombies wore thin clothing. After all these days, many were ragged, some barely clinging to scraps of fabric. But the figure hiding beside the weeds clearly wore many layers—obviously human, not a zombie.

"Bad! Brother Su, this guy spotted the drone!"

"Luezi, can you stop saying stupid stuff? If he didn't spot the drone, why hide there watching? You should say he realized we spotted him!"

Zhang Su corrected Wu Lue with exasperation—he clearly saw the figure beside the weeds slowly stand up, tense and staring at the drone. The distance was roughly a hundred meters; logically, he shouldn't have seen the camera aimed at him, yet he was already on guard—his wariness was extreme.

"Brother Su, what do we do?"

Wu Lue didn't know what to do. They just stared at each other awkwardly.

"Zoom in."

"Got it!"

Wu Lue followed Zhang Su's instruction, magnifying the camera's focus. Soon, a clearer human figure appeared on screen.

"What the hell is this guy wearing… all messed up!"

Zhang Su said calmly: "This guy's probably a lone wolf—that's why he's in rags. Look at the four packs on him—he has no fixed camp. Hmm? Hah—he's still testing the drone."

As the group studied the mysterious figure, he moved back and forth along the field ridge, seemingly trying to see if the drone's camera would follow his motion.

"Luezi, tease him—see how he reacts!"

"Got it."

Wu Lue gently pushed the joystick, flying the drone farther away. In open areas, the drone could be controlled up to five kilometers away—currently only four or five hundred meters, no pressure at all.

Whir.

The drone's rotors spun, slicing through the air as it sped rapidly toward the mysterious figure, then executed a sharp brake and hovered motionless in midair—impressively stylish.

The mysterious figure was startled by the drone's sudden charge, but his reaction was lightning-fast—he instantly ducked behind a tree five meters away, clearly fearing the drone might carry weapons and attack him!

"This guy's got great reflexes!"

Through the camera, Zhang Su observed the man's movements—every motion was fluid, precise, no wasted motion. Despite his bulky clothing, his physique was agile. Only one explanation: he'd been trained—systematically and rigorously.

(End of Chapter)