Chapter 437: The Four Gourds

Zhang Su stood behind the bread van and immediately spotted the crimson zombie across the way—the heat energy surging beneath its skin warped the air around its body, turning the iron chains binding it red-hot; one could only imagine how scorching its temperature must be!

This clearly differed from what Wu Baokang had described, so the answer wasn't hard to find: later researchers must have experimented on the mutated zombie, enhancing its abilities.

A miniature nuclear reactor!

That was Zhang Su's first thought—what difference was there between this constantly emitting flame and heat, and a miniature nuclear reactor? There was one: nuclear reactors emit radiation; this thing emitted only heat.

If any faction could possess such a zombie, heat and electricity would no longer be problems; using it solely as a weapon would be a gross waste! This was a living, mutated zombie capable of countless applications! If the Venom Zombie back then had been captured alive, it likely could have opened up many possibilities too…

Before he could continue imagining, he saw the cargo box on the truck begin to rotate, aligning its opening toward the roadside shop. Once the people in that direction had cleared out, a dragon of flame erupted from the box's mouth—the entire cargo box had transformed into a giant flamethrower.

"Fuck your fucking Hu Lu Si Wa!"

As the flame-spewing scene came into view, Zhao De's expression was priceless, his eyes bulging wider than longans! He'd seen the Venom Zombie's spitting display before; apart from the difference in lethality between venom and flame, in sheer intimidation alone, the Venom Zombie was utterly defeated. Its range was less than a piss, but this flame was more extreme than professional flamethrowers—anyone unaware might think they'd stepped back onto a WWII battlefield! Whoosh whoosh whoosh.

The inferno shot twenty meters from the cargo opening to the shop, slamming into reinforced concrete with tremendous force, instantly exploding into a flower of fire that swallowed the three-story shop, rapidly incinerating flammable materials, cracking and peeling the cement structure, and causing low-melting-point metals to begin liquefying! Liu Yao and Yang Xin, standing close by, felt the zombie's power firsthand and exchanged a glance—rarely, they felt no hostility toward each other, for the Survivors' Alliance's strength had surpassed their expectations!

Unless this flamethrower zombie was as fragile as a regular zombie, vulnerable to a single bullet, its threat was simply too great! Li Zongkai stared blankly as the zombie spewed flame and burned the shop—the stronger the Survivors' Alliance became, the worse it was for him. Before absolute power, all tricks appeared pale and powerless.

Unfortunately, he could do little now but wait and see.

Gong Chengming's expression remained calm. As second-in-command of the Survivors' Alliance, he naturally knew about the flame zombie—his room stayed warm every day thanks to it. Unlike Liu Yao and others, he didn't fear the flamethrower zombie, for it was a weapon he could use!

"Good, stop!"

As the shop's sign was reduced to charred ruin, Liao Youzhi gave the order.

Puff.

No one knew what had happened inside the cargo box—the flame suddenly cut off, just as mysteriously as it had started.

"Liao Youzhi, you come to my territory to show off your muscles? I think you're showing off your IQ! Watch this!"

Zhao De didn't linger in awe of the flamethrower zombie; he delivered his planned, bold and humorous line.

As his words ended, a thunderous boom erupted from the west of Beidong Town—at almost the exact same moment…

Boom!

A three-story shop not far from the Survivors' Alliance members instantly exploded, dust and debris flying, rocks piercing the air, shards flung across the road—the earth-shattering power stunned everyone from the four factions.

"Tank!"

Someone from an unknown faction suddenly shouted: "It's a tank shell! A tank is hiding nearby!"

Tanks—only the Civilization Protectors among the Beicheng Four Tigers were rumored to possess one, yet even they looked shocked now; they likely didn't have one…

The true power of a tank was undeniable—ordinary buildings crumbled before its shells.

One could imagine the effect if a shell landed right where they were gathered.

Many swallowed hard, glancing at the Civilization Protectors' hostages and Li Zongkai—would the shell have already been fired if not for their presence as hostages? Perhaps the flamethrower zombie hadn't been deployed either, because the other side held hostages too—but even so, the flamethrower zombie seemed at a disadvantage, its range shorter than the tank's…

Mutual deterrence rested on both sides possessing devastating weapons! Some worried nearby zombies might be drawn by the noise, but then they recalled this place was near Tianmayu—the zombies had likely been cleared out, and even if any remained, there wouldn't be many. With five factions' top fighters gathered here, even a ten-thousand-strong horde could be easily slaughtered!

Liu Yao's expression was deeply strange; he recalled how just recently he had planned to bring his men to Tianmayu to provoke a fight—now, it seemed no different from suicide. He had brought dozens of men, believing his Hawk Clan could dominate the region, unaware that true powers now possessed actual war weapons.

What would he think if he knew a bomb-carrying drone was ready to launch, and a dog, equally stealthy and capable of planting explosives, was hiding among the spectators? What if he knew the bumpy road beneath their feet was rigged with enough explosives to send them all to heaven? Yang Xin felt his throat dry—he, like Liu Yao, recalled last night's banquet, when he'd suggested storming Tianmayu outright, looking down on these rural survivors as hillbillies. Now, comparing himself to them, he felt like the real hillbilly.

Gong Chengming and Xiao Xuejian exchanged a silent glance—they both knew Tianmayu had a tank, but had doubted its combat readiness. Now, the answer was clear.

"Good, everyone's shown their weapons. Should we move to the hostage exchange now?"

Zhao De's loud voice echoed down the street.

"Naturally!"

Liao Youzhi tore his gaze from the half-collapsed building and replied to Zhao De. He wasn't frightened by the other side's heavy weapons—his own trump card hadn't been revealed yet.

He also believed Zhang Su wouldn't show his true hand either—everyone was pretending ignorance.

Just as Zhang Su had anticipated, neither he nor the other leaders wished for a large-scale bloodbath. Those who reached leadership positions thought differently—they all understood the value of population and cherished their own reputations.

Even their armed subordinates cherished their lives, knowing once war began, it would spiral out of control. No one wanted to fire the first shot.

"Then bring the hostages over."

As he spoke, Zhao De raised his hand forward, signaling Ju Wuying to bring the hostages forward.

"Wait!" Liao Youzhi's voice rang out. "I need to verify their identities. With their heads covered, how do I know they're our men?"

Anyone who rose to lead a survivor group wasn't stupid—they had to consider whether the other side was substituting random corpses for their own, or whether enemy agents were hidden among the hostages, ready to strike.

Zhao De didn't argue—it was a necessary procedure—and ordered the hostages' hoods removed.

Huh-huh-puff…

One by one, the hoods came off, revealing weary faces under the sunlight. After prolonged darkness, their eyes couldn't open, their mouths bound with ropes—two words described them: miserable.

Liao Youzhi, face grim, raised his binoculars and swiftly confirmed five members of the Elite Guard, including Wu Baokang. He then bowed slightly and handed the binoculars to Yang Xin, standing beside the truck bed.

After Yang Xin confirmed their identities, Liao Youzhi was about to speak when Liu Yao spoke up.

"Leader Liao, ask him—where are the bodies of my Hawk Clan's men?"

Liao Youzhi inwardly frowned, thinking this unnecessary, but understood Liu Yao was performing for the Hawk Clan's others. He picked up the microphone: "Identities confirmed. But Zhang Su, where are the bodies of your three Hawk Clan men?"

"Don't push your luck. I've returned the living—that's more than enough. The bodies are left lying in the camp. If you dare, go get them yourself!"

Zhao De replied impatiently.

While this argument raged, the ten hostages had their hoods replaced—and right under the other side's eyes, a switch was made.

(End of Chapter)