Chapter 474: Things Are Not Things, People Are Not People

"Xie Ge, Duan Ge, why not… arrange for Ms. Qiu's transfer as soon as possible?"

Fu Wei saw Zhang Su and Duan Wu return and hurriedly urged them; he knew the matter they discussed had nothing to do with Qiu Hui, and he had no curiosity at all—his focus was solely on his own affairs.

"We know, we know—you're the most impatient!"

Duan Wu scowled and called out to Xie Yan to help prepare the equipment for the transfer.

When the two entered the courtyard, Fu Wei turned to Zhang Su and whispered, "Mr. Zhang, the fire-spitting zombie…"

"I'm taking the fire-spitting zombie with me today. You've seen the camp's current state—too many eyes. We'll study it later once things settle down… Don't worry, there'll definitely be tasks requiring your effort."

Zhang Su knew exactly what Fu Wei wanted to say and answered his question directly.

As daylight fully broke, the group returned to Tianma Yu and drove straight into Cuileng Pavilion, delivering Qiu Hui to the lab without informing anyone else.

"Big brother, what were you rushing out for so early?"

Xiao Xingyun's kitchen was already cooking; Zhao De saw Zhang Su walking back lost in thought, grabbed his large ladle, and ran up to ask.

"There's some situation over at Village Two—professionals have taken over. Anyway, when's lunch? Today we're finishing off the Survivor Alliance, the Little Eagle Society, and the Apocalypse Group—time is tight!"

Zhang Su glanced at the kitchen and asked.

"Just steamed buns and porridge this morning—it'll be ready soon; we can start serving in shifts!"

Zhao De swung his ladle, wore an apron and was a master chef; picked up a weapon and he was a fierce general.

At eight a. ., vehicles slowly rolled out of Tianma Yu; Zhang Su drove the cargo truck carrying the fire-spitting zombie himself, while Lingling Three remained at camp, and only ten members of the Yanluo Corps accompanied them—the main base needed sufficient defensive strength.

The convoy headed south; when passing Beidong Town, everyone saw the scar across the street and couldn't help but sigh—if they'd known yesterday what today would bring, Liao Youzhi would have died rather than insist on expanding north.

There was no antidote for regret; Liao Youzhi and Gong Chengming's factions vanished like distant scenery in the rearview mirror, finally disappearing from sight.

The scenery on both sides of the road remained unchanged; the high-speed train stalled on the railway bridge still sat motionless—through the windows, zombie shadows could be seen, perfectly still as if frozen. If no one opened the doors, it might remain sealed for years.

"Ah, it's been months since I've been downtown—I'm so excited… Hey, honey, where should we go first today?"

In the cargo truck, Zheng Xinyu rocked back and forth, gripping her seatbelt; wherever she was, even the heaviest atmosphere lightened. She knew today's mission: to deliver the news that the Four Tigers of Beicheng had all joined Tianma Yu and recruit their remaining personnel.

"First go to…"

Zhang Su had been hesitating—should they head first to the crowded Leigou Mall or the farthest west, the Auto City? He still hadn't decided; hearing Zheng Xinyu's question, he had a sudden idea.

"Xinyu, if it were you, would you find it easier to tackle tasks from easiest to hardest, or hardest to easiest?"

"If it were me…"

Zheng Xinyu thought seriously and said, "I'd pour all my energy into the hardest part first. Once I get past it, the rest is just harvesting—easy and comfortable. What do you think?"

"I think you're right!"

Zhang Su was happy to follow Zheng Xinyu's advice—this kind of thing had no logic, only practicality and personal preference. Since the Lucky Star spoke, they'd follow her plan!

Unfortunately, Zhang Su overlooked a fundamental issue: he asked Zheng Xinyu whether to go from hard to easy or easy to hard—but how was "hard" or "easy" even defined? The vehicle quickly crossed Haihe Bridge, then took the North Second Ring Road, turned east, drove a stretch, then turned south toward Leigou Mall.

In Zhang Su's mind, the hardest target was the Survivor Alliance—not because of anything else, but because there were too many people; more people meant more variables, and he worried his own judgment might be wrong.

The main road was clear; occasional zombie shadows flashed past the sides, too slow to react to the vehicles' noise before losing their targets. As the convoy sped forward, another convoy on Qincheng's West Second Ring departed from the Development Zone—Zhang Su's group headed south, while theirs headed north, their destination: Tongrui Auto City! Yang Xin would never have guessed that while he was planting spies in Absolute Justice, Absolute Justice had done the same—yesterday, word had already reached them that he'd led his knights into battle!

The cargo truck offered no driving sensation, but Zhang Su didn't care—heat rolling from behind was more comfortable than air conditioning; he only needed a thermal shirt to drive, a feeling he hadn't had in ages. In the blink of an eye, downtown skyscrapers appeared.

The ruined buildings lining the streets felt like another lifetime—who could have imagined that just over four months ago, this place was thriving, people living peacefully? Now, the city stood empty; its remaining population equaled that of a single residential compound.

It wasn't "things remain, people change"—it was "things are not even things, people are not even people…"

"If only we could go back… I'd rather endure a lifetime of exploitation by my slumlord…"

Zheng Xinyu sighed softly.

"See? I knew you had a masochistic streak."

Zhang Su teased with a smile.

"Shut up…" Zheng Xinyu puffed her cheeks, then forced a smile: "I really miss the old days."

"That world's gone forever—focus on the future. Hey, the Survivor Alliance's not bad—they set up their checkpoint this far out."

Zhang Su braked and stopped the cargo truck before the roadblock; the following vehicles slowed and halted one after another. They hadn't even fully entered the city—just reached the North Ring—and this roadblock was clearly the Survivor Alliance's outer outpost.

The entire road was completely blocked; both sides of the road were piled with random debris; the highway had been narrowed by abandoned cars, with several gate poles laid across.

If anyone tried to force through, the crude homemade spike strips on the ground would teach them a lesson. The defense wasn't comprehensive, but it was sufficient.

"Old Zhang, what's going on here? The roadblock's pretty thorough—where's everyone? Fully automated?"

Zhang Su picked up the radio to ask.

"Damn, they must've run off in terror!"

Zhang Xin replied and hurriedly got out, sprinting forward to move the barrier.

Wu Baokang and Cai Zhichao also got out; it was embarrassing that no one was guarding the checkpoint—even though they'd decided to join Tianma Yu, the Survivor Alliance's behavior would still influence Zhang Su's opinion of them!

As the three reached the barrier, half a head suddenly popped up from behind a car fifty meters away.

"Cai… Cai Captain, Zhang Captain, Wu Captain?"

A thin figure emerged, trembling, face filled with disbelief, a pistol conspicuously holstered at his waist, his cap crooked.

"Xiao Shen, what the hell are you doing? Not guarding properly, hiding that far away?"

Zhang Xin angrily scolded Xiao Shen.

Wu Baokang shoved the gate pole aside, sneering: "Why hide so far? Scared stiff, you coward!"

Cai Zhichao shook his head helplessly—he knew the camp's people too well; all of them were masters at sucking up to superiors and bullying inferiors. When real danger came, they ran faster than rabbits. No wonder they weren't chosen for the official teams—it made perfect sense! They had no idea that Xiao Shen hadn't fled—he'd always stationed himself far away; that was his wisdom…

Others said to leave yourself an escape route—he didn't just leave one—he lived on it.

From afar, if allies came, he'd dash out to greet them; if danger approached, he had plenty of time to flee!

(End of Chapter)