Chapter 471: The Pace of Development Is a Bit Too Fast

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about Li Zongkai anymore. Any other developments?"

Zhang Su instantly understood—it was probably a side effect of the 【Loyalty Imprint】, jealousy toward those around him? Probably. But it didn't matter.

Ju Wuying nodded and said, "Also, Yang Xin has feelings for me, Zhang Xin has a faint hostility toward me, and Liu Yao is a little afraid of me."

"Yang Xin has feelings for you? Hah..."

Zhang Su couldn't help laughing and teased, "You handle these messy matters yourself—I'm not getting involved. I trust you can sort it all out."

Ju Wuying nodded, stood up, and opened the car door. "That's right. I can handle it perfectly."

With that, she left the car to find Zhong Xiaoshan for wine.

Once everyone had left, Zhang Su spoke to Yu Wen: "Teacher Yu, don't you think our camp's development speed is a bit too fast?"

"It is a bit..."

Yu Wen adjusted his glasses and said slowly, "Ideally, defense construction and population growth should be proportional. But under current circumstances... it's actually not bad!"

"The barracks, LeGou Mall, kindergarten, and Auto City can all serve as our outposts. Once communication infrastructure is complete, the entire area will function as an integrated defense system—support flows from all sides when one point is threatened. The front line will be unbreakable!"

"Of course, before that, we must clean up the internal environment—not just screening personnel, but also clearing zombies. Connecting five outposts means a vast internal zone!"

Zhang Su nodded. "Yang Xin sent someone to infiltrate the Absolute Justice district. We can't rule out that the other four families haven't been infiltrated either. The more people we have, the more opportunists appear. Even if communication is flawless, we still need trusted people stationed there—selection is critical!"

"There are plenty of qualified people—Little Wang, Old Wang, Little Guo, Little Qi. If you're willing, you could even train Little Lu. But I strongly advise against sending Zhao Dezhù. You might think I'm biased, that I'm worried about personal danger—but compared to individual risk, losing control of the situation endangers far more people!"

Yu Wen spoke with serious conviction.

Zhang Su paused, then laughed. "I admit Wang Xin and Wang Longzhong are both capable. But come on, Old Yu, why do you look down on your son-in-law? Zhu has improved lately!"

"He has improved, and he treats Qingqing well. But if you put him in charge of a group, I strongly oppose it. Right now, his absolute limit is leading three to five people on zombie-clearing missions—that's it."

Yu Wen rubbed his temple and shook his head gently. Everyone has their strengths. Zhao Dezhù's advantage is raw combat power—he's utterly unsuited for management. I can confirm with 100% certainty his greatest strength is initiative.

With someone directing him, Zhao Dezhù can perform at 120%. But without direction, he'll waste 80% of his effort on the wrong things and make a complete mess.

"We don't need to rush this selection. Let's wait until all the families are fully integrated. We should probably expand the Yama Legion too."

As Zhang Su spoke, he glanced toward the homestay zone. If the Yama Legion was recruiting new members, they'd definitely be housed on Tianmayu.

Yu Wen suggested, "Originally, we only had two combat tiers. In the future, we can develop three: the Yama Legion as the elite within elites, the core team as the backbone, and the reserve force as the first step for ordinary survivors to pick up weapons. Today's reserve force performance surprised me—those women and middle-aged ladies must have trained seriously. Their growth rate..."

The two sat inside the car. Since it was parked right next to the fire-spewing zombie's cargo truck, they didn't feel cold. Talking about camp development made them lose track of time. Only when they stepped out did they realize it was already past nine—over an hour had passed.

When they'd gotten in for the meeting, the camp was bustling. Now, when they stepped out again, it was quiet—only a few people moved about.

In any safe camp without internet, sleep schedules are roughly the same. Especially after today's big battle with zombies—most were exhausted. Earlier, adrenaline kept them going; now that the excitement had faded, fatigue swept over them. Many had already crawled into bed and fallen asleep.

"Boss Zhang, Dr. Fu came by twice earlier. Since you were in meetings the whole time, he asked me to tell you he wants to apply to study the fire-spewing zombie."

Qi Xiaoshuai was on duty beside the cargo truck. The job was comfortable—the fire-spewing zombie provided heat, warmer than being indoors. Seeing Zhang Su and Yu Wen step out, he stood up to report.

Zhang Su rubbed his forehead, helplessly saying, "The fire-spewing zombie's danger level is too high. Arrange shift rotations carefully—no mistakes allowed. Put up several 'Do Not Approach' signs to prevent burns. No one, not even Dr. Fu, is allowed to touch it!"

"Oh, got it!"

Qi Xiaoshuai answered with serious focus—he knew this wasn't a joke.

"We'll find a way to properly house the fire-spewing zombie soon. Until then, everyone will have to bear the burden of rotating guard duty."

Zhang Su patted Qi Xiaoshuai on the shoulder.

"No problem. We've got to keep this treasure safe, Boss Zhang. I've got a suggestion—since it's so cool and hot, what if we move it near the pigpen and vegetable greenhouse? Wouldn't that make the pigs and vegetables grow faster?"

Qi Xiaoshuai cautiously touched the cargo box—the metal was scorching hot, impossible to even place his hand on.

"Heat is energy. Using it purely as a weapon is wasteful. There are too many potential applications. We'll study it properly when we have time. Here, take this—I'm off."

With that, Zhang Su pulled out the half-pack of cigarettes still in his pocket and shoved them into Qi Xiaoshuai's hand, then walked with Yu Wen toward the homestay zone.

So much had happened in one day—he expected to be exhausted. But after using a reserve energy slot during the afternoon's ten-pushup test, he still had 89% left, and felt remarkably alert.

Now there was a contradiction: he hadn't slept well last night, had been on edge since morning, and his subconscious knew he was tired—but he felt no sleepiness at all. It troubled him.

After parting with Yu Wen, Zhang Su stood at the door, listening to the sounds inside. Zheng Xinyu, who was on night watch in the surveillance room, was already asleep like a kitten. He turned and walked downstairs, strolling through the camp, reminding night patrols to be extra cautious. Then he stood outside the homestays housing the other families, smoking and listening.

It turned out his worries were unfounded—almost everyone was asleep. Though Tianmayu held many people, it was unusually peaceful and serene.

Back at his quarters, the room wasn't pitch black—Zheng Xinyu had left a lamp on for him. He slipped quietly into bed, turned off the light, and replayed today's events in his mind, finally drifting off just before one a. .

That night, far more than Zhang Su was sleepless—but they weren't on Tianmayu! (End of Chapter)