Chapter 468: Urban Situation

Everyone inside the Lucky Little Homestay kept their heads tilted at a forty-five-degree angle, staring up at the speaker on the second floor, listening intently.

It wasn't the kind of feverish, adrenaline-fueled excitement—because what Zhang Su described wasn't some distant fantasy, but a tangible reality that could be achieved if everyone simply put in effort.

Li Zongkai, Liu Yao, and Yang Xinqi exchanged glances across the crowd; each had their own thoughts, but they all shared one idea: their horizons weren't nearly as broad as Zhang Su's.

All three merely wanted to guard their own little patch of land, never dreaming of expanding further, and their future plans were a mess—Li Zongkai had at most a few scattered ideas, nothing systematic.

In truth, it was simply because they lacked ability; never mind their subordinates, as the saying goes, a weak general produces a weak army—the leader's vision sets the upper limit of a faction's potential, while the members' capabilities define its lower bound.

If you only want to cling to a corner, in the end you'll be swallowed whole.

Being peacefully absorbed by a stronger faction is already a very good outcome.

"So… do we still need to bring people over?"

Yang Xinqi raised the core question.

Zhang Su took a deep breath and said solemnly: "Given the current situation, this requires careful consideration. Everyone stay overnight tonight to discuss the details of our future plans. As for housing for all these brothers, I'll arrange it."

"For the rest of the day, feel free to roam around—just avoid Cuileng Pavilion and the scenic area. Explore anywhere else like you're on vacation at Tianma Island."

Tianma Island, capable of housing over two hundred people, was especially lively; shadows moved between the homestay buildings, and many gathered around the tank, helping clean debris from the tracks.

Some approached members of the Yama Army to chat up, deepening the atmosphere of interpersonal connection in the city; representatives from several factions all knew how to flatter, keeping the mood vibrant.

Others, more industrious, drove down the mountain to haul away zombie corpses—anything to stay busy, to impress and gain familiarity before officially joining Tianma Island, hoping for a better position later.

After the four thieves had literally played themselves to death, everyone became extremely well-behaved; those who'd wanted to flirt with Tianma Island's young women had all calmed down—women were everywhere, why risk it inside Yama's Palace?

Lunch came late, finishing close to three in the afternoon; dinner was simple, distinctly northern: big grain porridge, steaming in huge barrels, served with pickled vegetables, sour cabbage, and spicy napa cabbage—plentiful and filling.

Night fell, and the zombie generators supplied electricity; lights blazed across Tianma Island. Everyone couldn't hide their joy—this was the most peaceful night since the collapse. People wandered freely around the camp, their sense of safety calming their minds; even sitting under the moonlight, smoking a cigarette and staring into space, felt like a luxury.

Inside Liao Youzhi's legacy—a mighty, imposing Cadillac—seven seats were fully occupied.

The camp was too noisy everywhere, so Zhang Su called everyone into the car for a meeting, bringing along Yu Wen and Ju Wuying; the Chinese teacher had deeper insights in certain areas, and Ju Wuying's role was purely to detect others' emotions.

Aside from Yu Wen, no one understood why that stern-looking woman had come along to the meeting; Zhang Su didn't introduce her specially, but she sat quietly in the corner of the last row, causing no trouble…

"Lord Yama, I'm a rough man, but I can tell—you don't seem to want all of us to move to Tianma Island?"

Liu Yao, sitting in the front passenger seat, turned around to look back.

Zhang Su reclined slightly in the second-row seat and nodded: "Correct. This consideration stems from three factors. First, the simplest: attracting zombies. It's not that we can't hold off the horde—it's that, under current conditions, concentrating together does more harm than good.

Second, resources. You've operated in the city for a while, but I'm sure you haven't fully scoured the surrounding residential compounds. Bringing everyone here eases food pressure in the short term, but other supplies won't—like toilet paper and other industrial goods you mentioned earlier. Third—and most critical—we must guard against survivors from other regions. I kept you here today to learn about Qin City's situation and its surroundings. If you're friends, we maintain ties. If you're enemies… we must watch closely."

In today's world, small camps dot the land like scattered nations, some with informal agreements, others with formal pacts, dividing territories—but conflicts with neighboring factions are inevitable.

Since we're bringing other factions into Tianma Island, Tianma Island naturally bears the duty to protect their safety—who would follow a weak leader? "Let me start with the situation around the barracks."

Li Zongkai tapped the steering wheel, then continued: "Heading east along Wenhua Road, between Qin City and Shanhai District, there's only one small faction—likely a merger of villages, about forty to fifty people. We've had almost no contact; they prefer linking up with Shanhai District. From what I know, Shanhai District has gathered many survivors.

To the south, a vast stretch of the city is abandoned until you reach Dao Nan, where there's a safe camp called 'Final Line.' Two months ago, we met them at the old fruit wholesale market and agreed to draw a border along Qin City Street, non-aggression. They prefer dealing with the group near the coast. North of the bridge is cut off, but a group still holds a village on the northern side. We once traded some crops with them, but they're opportunistic, and trading's too inconvenient—we've had no contact since."

Li Zongkai's information was comprehensive, delivered clearly and logically. After he finished, no one rushed to speak—they were all digesting the details.

"Qin City is busier than I imagined. Look at our area—over months, we've slowly retreated, leaving only Tianma Island. Beyond the mountain, there's another faction—you'd have to detour far north to Qingxian or cross the mountains to reach them…"

Zhang Su casually mentioned his own situation.

"The city's the same. In the past two or three months, the population's dropped by about thirty percent. Small and large factions are gradually merging. Since I joined the Survivor Alliance, I've absorbed at least seven or eight different survivor teams—the smallest had only three people left. Pathetic."

Zhang Xin, sitting in the back row, spoke with a touch of gloom. As a small businessman who'd run fruit sales for over a decade, he was highly sensitive to population density—when population fell, business never recovered.

Zhang Su nodded, then asked: "What about your groups? What's the situation around you? Introduce any good relationships—and be clear about bad ones."

"My situation's simple—I'm sandwiched between the Survivor Alliance and the Qitian Gang. No one to the north, the south is fully occupied by the Survivor Alliance. I just lead my men around a dozen nearby residential compounds—plenty to eat and drink!"

Liu Yao was satisfied with the status quo: small territory, few people, and relatively ample supplies in the camp.

His vision was too narrow; anyone looking even slightly ahead could predict the inevitable end of the Little Eagle Gang—it would be swallowed by the Survivor Alliance.

"The Little Eagle Gang's search area includes the neighborhood where we used to live…"

Zhang Xin added.

"Oh?"

Zhang Su was surprised.

Liu Yao's face stiffened, then he forced a wry smile: "I don't know which compound Lord Yama used to live in… Phoenix International? Urban Homestead? Or Shengtai New Garden?"

"Phoenix International…" Hearing the familiar name, Zhang Su's mind flashed with memories. He smiled: "Captain Zhang lived in Phoenix International. I lived in Shengqin Home."

"Ah, Shengqin Home—I know that one… tsk tsk," Liu Yao clicked his tongue, his expression strange: "That compound was brutal. A huge stretch of the wall collapsed, entire buildings burned down, multiple fire sites. Cleaning it up took enormous effort—two buildings still haven't been fully cleared."

"Haha, the one that burned was mine. If not for that fire, I'd have escaped the compound a few days later—and everything after that would've been different…"

Zhang Su sighed slightly.

"I lived in Phoenix Huafu. Have you ever been there? What's it like now?"

Yu Wen rarely spoke up, but now asked about his home.

"Phoenix Huafu…"

Liu Yao tilted his head, thinking: "You'd have to ask Captain Zhang. That compound was cleared by the Survivor Alliance."

District boundaries in the city were strictly enforced. Phoenix International and Phoenix Huafu were developed by the same company, separated only by a street—but each compound held enormous resources. Anything worth taking would never be handed over lightly.

Zhang Xin spread his hands: "I lived in Phoenix International. I know Phoenix Huafu—I used to do business there often. But I'm with the Vanguard Team; I don't handle searches. After the disaster, I never went back. If you want details, Teacher Yu, ask Zhou Le—he's with the Search Team. He definitely went there."

Yu Wen nodded with a smile, saying it was just a casual question, but his thoughts had drifted to Phoenix Huafu—his wife had died there, and he'd spent the past ten years there, leaving behind countless memories.

(End of Chapter)