Chapter 449

Zhang Su's somewhat uncomfortable cheering and shouting were met with widespread praise from others.

As for the Yanluojuntuan members, their faces glowed with joy, their smiles harder to suppress than an AK's recoil; in the apocalypse, having food, drink, and shelter, receiving admiration and respect from the protected, and instilling fear in enemies—materially and spiritually, they reaped double harvests, Jianzhibuyaotaishuang! Zhang Xin drove the car, rolled down the window, and heard the crowd's unified shouts; a strange sense of exhilaration welled up inside him, reminding him of past events in the Survivor Alliance—when they had once repelled a zombie horde and enjoyed similar treatment, but never again after that.

Yang Xinqi of the Tianqi Group, seeing the rear ranks of the Yanluojuntuan and the personnel from Tianmayu's logistics department, nodded inwardly; though their total numbers didn't match his Tianqi Group, their spirit and morale were nearly worlds apart.

In reality, within the city's survivor settlement, only combatants and high-ranking members lived relatively comfortably; ordinary members struggled greatly. Though food wasn't critically scarce—everyone could still eat their fill—other needs were hard to satisfy.

Yang Xinqi thought of how Zhang Su had inexplicably taken control of the fire-spewing zombie, then swiftly eliminated Liao Youzhi and Gong Chengming's factions with Leitingzhishi, ending the battle in record time; thinking of himself, both being leaders of survivor factions, the gap felt too vast—he felt a pang of discouragement.

Liu Yao, sitting in the car with aching arms and searing internal pain, heard the praises outside and sighed: What an invincible warrior…

The power of that single kick during the duel had, without exaggeration, shattered all his arrogance; reason instantly seized the high ground, and he resolved that if he got the chance, he'd ask Zhang Su how one could truly grow stronger.

"Xiao Shuai, Xiao Shuai, it's done—come back!"

As Zhang Su turned the car onto the self-built road, he pulled out the walkie-talkie to contact Qi Xiaoshuai, who was still gathering supplies in Xidaying Village.

The massive convoy headed toward Tianmayu, ushering in its most bustling moment ever—even during peak tourist season, it had never hosted so many vehicles and people at once.

Vehicles entered the Shanmen one after another; previously, everyone had parked haphazardly, but this time, each car lined up neatly along the marked parking lines, as if returning to the old days.

After getting out, many were drawn to the running zombie generators; only a few present had ever enjoyed the convenience of electricity, and they couldn't help but marvel—this wasn't some backwater, it was a land of plenty!

"Haha! Dr. Fu!"

As soon as Zhang Xin stepped out, he saw Fu Weijun pushing a wheelchair toward the parking lot and sprinted over excitedly.

Fu Weijun looked awkwardly at the enthusiastic Zhang Xin, not recognizing him at all, and politely smiled: "Hello, hello, I'm with Tianmayu's research…"

"I knew you wouldn't get far—here you are! By the way, who's that guy pushing your wheelchair? And where's your former partner—the traitor… uh, Brother Duan?"

Zhang Xin noticed the man pushing Fu Weijun's wheelchair was a stranger.

"I'm right here!"

Duan Wu stepped out from the crowd, removed the mask hiding his scar, and regarded his former companion with a wry smile.

"Holy shit, Duan, you…"

"Haha, you little brat, you've been here all along!"

"You hid it well—we never spotted you before!"

Suddenly, many members of the Survivor Alliance stepped forward to chat with Duan Wu and Fu Weijun.

Everyone could see that Duan Wu, once branded a traitor by Liao Youzhi, was now a prominent member of the Yanluojuntuan at Tianmayu—befriending him now would be advantageous. Duan Wu, however, didn't put on airs; he'd had no grudges against these people back in the Survivor Alliance. He'd fled with Fu Weijun only because Liao Youzhi used living people for zombie experiments. Now that Liao Youzhi was reduced to smoke, Duan Wu chatted easily with his old comrades.

Zhang Su stepped out of the car, about to call out and gather the leaders for a meeting, when he heard the sound of a wheelchair rolling beside him.

"The Yanluojuntuan is invincible, the Yanluowang is unstoppable—this battle has yielded tremendous results, Mr. Zhang, is there a mutated zombie in that vehicle?" After a torrent of effusive flattery, Fu Weijun's eyes ignored the nearly a hundred strangers around him, fixed directly on the cargo truck containing the fire-spewing zombie.

"Damn… Dr. Fu, you smelled it out already? Your nose is too sharp—you've got serious luck! But how the hell did you know?"

Zhang Su was unsettled—he was certain the fire-spewing zombie's existence hadn't been reported back. The cargo truck could contain anything: weapons, equipment, other supplies—why would he be so sure it was a mutated zombie?

Fu Weijun declared confidently: "No other vehicles had guards, but this one—several men rushed over the moment they got out, proving it held something vital. Also, the air around the cargo box is slightly distorted, indicating extremely high internal temperatures!"

"On a combat mission, you wouldn't carry a furnace or stove—and even if you did, it wouldn't warrant guarding. Weapons are possible, but I don't know of any weapon that continuously generates massive heat. So I guessed it was a mutated zombie—and it seems I'm right?"

Fu Weijun analyzed with logic and growing excitement, nearly standing up! Zhang Su rubbed his nose and waved his hand: "To be honest, yes—it's a mutated zombie with fire affinity. I call it the fire-spewing zombie. You can't study it or even touch it—it's too dangerous. That metal box can roast meat! Wait until everyone disperses and we settle down."

Fu Weijun heard the firmness in Zhang Su's tone and glanced at the noisy, chaotic surroundings; he nodded silently and said: "Alright, I understand. You guys get busy—I'll head back to Cuileng Pavilion."

After seeing Fu Weijun off, Zhang Su greeted those nearby and headed toward the public restroom in the guesthouse area—he needed to relieve himself after the battle.

Except for the lowest-tier Qingfeng Xiaoyuan, all guesthouses at Tianmayu had private bathrooms, but unless it was late at night, everyone preferred the public toilet—simply because it opened directly onto the cliffside, allowing waste to fly freely without cleanup.

As Zhang Su entered the restroom and stepped toward the stall, he felt time flicker—his mind displayed a line of text. The long-absent sensation tightened his expression.

【How to handle the Four Tiger Families of Beicheng: A. Divide and expel, B. Absorb and recruit, C. Exterminate completely】

【00: 4: 9】

"Huh?"

Before Zhang Su could finish reading the first line, his attention shifted to the timer—he noticed the thinking time had increased dramatically, from the previous stingy one and a half minutes to a generous five minutes. A massive improvement!

He refocused on the challenge itself and immediately eliminated C. But Zhang Su didn't understand why A—divide and expel—was listed first; in his view, A was easy, while his planned option B—absorb and recruit—would be harder.

Perhaps it was a difference in perception… or…

"Sigh… they're deliberately blocking my reward, aren't they…"

Zhang Su rubbed his nose, feeling frustrated. Judging from current developments, absorbing and recruiting was clearly the best choice—even if it was difficult, for long-term gains, he had to choose it.

Simply because the survivors in Qincheng were dwindling…

Zhang Su hadn't forgotten his own grand vision, sparked by a flash of insight: one hundred thousand! Based on current conditions, even if he counted every survivor in Qincheng city and all its districts and counties, he'd barely reach ten thousand. Scarce. People were desperately scarce.

Without prolonged deliberation, with over two minutes remaining, Zhang Su mentally responded: "B. I choose B!"

【Successful recruitment of several factions (success requires over 80% recruitment; killing opponents does not increase the ratio): A. Four factions, B. Three factions, C. Two factions】

"Haha…"

Zhang Su laughed aloud at the line "killing opponents does not increase the ratio"—clearly a correction and supplement to the previous challenge with the Qinglong Militia. It seemed exploiting the bug was no longer possible.

(End of Chapter)