Chapter 397: Survivor Alliance Headquarters

It must have been someone deliberately luring them to North Second Ring Road; earlier, while searching for supplies in the village, Xiao Lin heard car engines.

Someone pointed at Xiao Lin.

Xiao Lin's hearing's always been sharp—he definitely heard the cars. Damn it, who the hell did this?

Zhang Xin frowned; he disliked this news, because clearing the horde would inevitably fall to the Vanguard Corps.

"Hmm… Brother Xin, we suspect it was someone from the north. Hey, when we were chasing the traitor, didn't your Team Three go north?"

Zhou Le suddenly remembered something and asked tentatively.

Mentioning the north, Zhang Xin's brow twitched almost imperceptibly; he nodded without expression: "Right. I and Old Yan led our men north that time. Damn, I'll never forget that mission."

The underground parking lot fell silent, for everyone knew that on that mission, Team Three of the Vanguard Corps lost their deputy commander and several members, forcing even the Alliance's deputy leader to deploy the Vanguard Commander Gong Cheng himself with elite troops from Vanguard Team One.

"Brother Xin, what's really going on up north? Tell us."

Zhou Le seemed especially interested in the area north of North Second Ring Road; seeing Zhang Xin lost in memory, he quickly pulled out a cigarette and offered it.

In the past, Zhang Xin would've pinched it between two fingers and started boasting with a smirk—but this time he shook his head seriously, pushed the cigarette away, and said: "That mission was a total disaster. What's there to talk about? Go report to the leader. I'm taking my men out."

"Huh? Oh, alright… alright…"

Zhou Le froze, then stepped aside as Zhang Xin and his men got into the car.

In the rigidly hierarchical Survivor Alliance, fawning upward and bullying downward had become a custom.

Vroom… Zhang Xin drove his RX toward the parking exit, another vehicle following close behind.

The Vanguard Corps usually had only two vehicles, since they didn't handle supply searches—only operations—and two cars meant exactly ten men, saving fuel…

Only after the vehicles left the underground parking lot did the search team dare speak.

"Leader Zhou, what's wrong with Brother Xin?"

"Yeah, he's always the biggest braggart—why's he so quiet today?"

Team Three of the Vanguard Corps was the tail end of the unit; as captain, Zhang Xin never acted superior to the search team, and they all knew his personality well.

Zhou Le grimaced and clicked his tongue: "Looks like the north isn't simple. Alright, hurry and haul the supplies to the warehouse. I'll report to the leader. Xiao Lin, come with me."

With that, Zhou Le and Xiao Lin headed for the stairs.

Zhang Xin's RX pulled out of the parking lot onto the street; in the passenger seat, sharp-eyed Xiao Hu's eyes darted around—he was the same young man Zhang Xin had once introduced to Zhang Su for the assault rifle model.

Xiao Hu studied Zhang Xin's profile, saw his brooding expression, and said: "Brother Zhang, do you think it might've been Brother Su's people?"

Hearing Xiao Hu's words, Zhang Xin glanced through the center rearview mirror at the backseat—three other men, his absolute confidants, comrades who'd gone north with him. He exhaled and said: "Yeah, I suspect it was my brother Zhang's people. If it was… that's bad news."

"Could it be Xida Ying Village? They're south of Tianmayu—easier for them to lure the horde to North Second Ring Road."

Xiao Hu still remembered the power distribution in the north, but his intel was outdated.

Zhang Xin had already heard rumors through special channels: the entire stretch from Qincheng to Qingxian along Provincial Road S52 had been consolidated by Tianmayu!

"It's not that simple… Don't forget, just a week ago, someone claimed they saw a horde on North Second Ring Road—but it wasn't widely reported, and Team One handled it."

The men in the car froze; some hadn't even known such an incident had occurred before.

"Damn, Brother Zhang, if Tianmayu keeps pulling this crap, the leader won't let it slide!" One of the men in the backseat spoke nervously—they all knew Liao Youzhi's temperament.

"That's exactly what I'm worried about. Damn, I wish I could contact Brother Zhang!"

Zhang Xin let out a long breath, unconsciously glancing northward.

"Brother Zhang, I say we just ditch this place. The city's getting tenser—there's bound to be a fight soon. Let's go join Brother Su. He's got green hills and clear water—so much nicer."

One of the men in the backseat spoke up.

"We'll go, definitely—but not yet. First, finish what's on our plate. Stay ready…"

Zhang Xin had more information than the rookie—he felt the storm gathering, restless and uneasy.

LeGou Mall had four floors above ground, but at the southern end of the top floor was a fifth-floor mezzanine, once a wildly popular all-you-can-eat barbecue restaurant, now converted into the private residence of the Survivor Alliance's core leadership.

Zhou Le and Xiao Lin, having come up from the underground parking lot, didn't pause—climbing the emergency stairs, they rushed upward.

The first floor, serving as a buffer against zombies and external threats, was unoccupied, filled only with defensive installations and guard posts.

From the second floor upward began the residential zones; former clothing stores had been converted into living quarters, dim lights revealing shadowy figures moving about.

The second floor housed the Alliance's lowest-ranking members, the most densely populated level. Yet "dense" was relative—the mall was vast, and only a hundred or so people lived here, so per capita space was still generous, larger than many had rented before the collapse.

But facilities were inadequate: poor lighting, bad ventilation, no running water or heating. Even with temperatures consistently below freezing, foul odors lingered throughout the floors, making people nauseated; coughs echoed intermittently, along with children's cries.

On the third floor, conditions improved drastically. This level housed full-fledged team members—Vanguard Corps, Search Team—and the population dropped sharply from over a hundred to just over fifty.

With windows allowing natural light, people could open them despite the cold. Oddly, the temperature was slightly higher than on the second floor—just above freezing—so water left on the third floor wouldn't freeze.

Fewer people lived here, but living space hadn't increased, because the Alliance's entertainment venues occupied the third and fourth floors…

Fire doors completely separated the entertainment zones from the residential areas, since the entertainment venues weren't restricted to Alliance members—survivors from all directions could come here to play.

Looking up from the third floor to the fourth, one could glimpse flickering, intoxicating lights behind curtains—men's paradise. The team captains living on the fourth floor had first access.

The Survivor Alliance's own exchange market wasn't located in the headquarters; instead, it was set up elsewhere along the mall's pedestrian street, mainly because fights broke out easily—and fighting inside one's own home was unacceptable. Up on the fourth floor—the mall's former food court—the environment was already decent, with a perceived temperature of eight to nine degrees. Not warm, but at least not lethal.

This floor housed team captains and special personnel—scientists, engineers, medics—clean and sanitary, almost no trash on the ground, only faint odors drifting up from below. Overall, it was quite comfortable.

"Brother Jiang, Brother Peng, hey—we've got something urgent to report to the leader. Mind letting us through?"

Zhou Le and Xiao Lin reached the fourth floor, blocked at the stairwell by two men.

These weren't low-level guards like Xiao Shen outside; besides the three main armed teams of the Alliance, there was a special unit: the Leader's Personal Guard, directly under Liao Youzhi. The guards on the fifth floor were members of this unit.

Jiang Lei stood up, glanced at the bowing Zhou Le, and asked: "What's it about?"

As a Personal Guard member, his status was exceptional—even captains of Vanguard Teams Two and Three treated him with respect; only the commander and deputy commander of Team One could stand equal to him.

"Well… this is important. We found a horde on North Second Ring Road—suspect someone deliberately lured it there."

Zhou Le briefly explained the situation.

Jiang Lei and Chen Guangpeng exchanged glances, then nodded toward the upper floor: "The leader was in a meeting with the deputy leader. Go up and see."

(End of Chapter)