Chapter 476: Racing Headlong Toward Death

Before LeGou Mall, the atmosphere had grown tense; no one knew what to say to break the silence, but someone had to step forward.

"Brothers and sisters, get to know me—I'm Zhang Xin, Captain of Team Three of the Vanguard Corps, and I'm here to announce some thrilling news!"

Zhang Xin had anticipated this awkward moment; he stepped beside Zhang Su and declared loudly, "Liao Youzhi, for plotting against the alliance and threatening us with evil weapons, has been eliminated by this hero—and he is our new leader, Zhang Su of Tianma Yu!"

?!?!! The crowd was utterly stunned—what? Their leader was gone, and now a new one just appeared out of nowhere? But the man didn't look like he was joking…

No one dared speak; only the sound of swallowing saliva filled the air, as if waiting for an explanation.

Zhang Su knew emotions build incrementally; after the Survivors' Alliance members had set the stage, it was his turn to speak. He patted Zhang Xin's shoulder and stepped forward.

"Dear fellow survivors, surviving in this apocalypse has been hard—you've all worked tirelessly. I am Zhang Su, leader of Tianma Yu. As a native of Qincheng, many of you are familiar with Tianma Yu, right? A modest northern attraction—the very place Liao Youzhi led the Civilization Protectors, Little Eagles, and the Apocalypse Corps to attack yesterday!"

After pausing briefly, he pointed to Zhang Xin and addressed the crowd.

"You've all heard his words—yes, Liao Youzhi is dead. He died beneath the jaws of his prized fire-spewing zombie, along with his secret weapon: the zombie-bomb. Both were reduced to ashes in the flames. Had it not been for the fire's purification, all of Qincheng would have been blanketed in zombie powder—and we'd all have turned into zombies!"

After witnessing the zombie-bomb's power, Zhang Su knew Liao Youzhi's threat to destroy Qincheng was pure exaggeration—but that didn't stop him from using it to convince the uninformed survivors.

His own words alone wouldn't suffice; he gestured and called Li Zongkai and the others to his side.

"You don't know me, and you're reluctant to believe a stranger's words—I understand. But you won't be unfamiliar with these men. I won't elaborate—I'll let them recount the events yourselves, and the truth will be clear."

With that, Zhang Su raised his hand, signaling for those beside him to speak.

"Hello everyone, I'm Li Zongkai, Chairman of the Civilization Protectors. Yesterday's events…"

Li Zongkai spoke first; he handled such scenes with practiced ease, reciting his rehearsed speech with skillful phrasing, vivid emotion, and expressive gestures, drawing sympathy from many.

Next, Liu Yao spoke. As the faction closest to the Survivors' Alliance, he had frequently appeared among them—shopping, socializing—so the crowd knew him better than Li Zongkai.

Though poorly educated, he had strong verbal skills, and his heartfelt sincerity greatly boosted the credibility of the story.

"I won't hide it—we've all joined Tianma Yu. From now on, there is no Little Eagles Corps!"

Liu Yao openly pledged loyalty, with no reservations.

"What about us? Will the Survivors' Alliance be disbanded—or can we join Tianma Yu too?", "Yeah, our leader's dead, and no one's left to decide for us—will Tianma Yu exclude us?"

Before Yang Xin could continue, the Survivors' Alliance erupted in chaos. Which faction they belonged to, which camp they lived in—none of that mattered to them! They'd never held Liao Youzhi in high regard; clinging to the Survivors' Alliance was merely for survival, with no real loyalty or cohesion.

This wasn't college application season, where you weighed a university's city development. Their only goal now was survival—and if they could add one condition, it was to survive like human beings.

Yang Xin spread his hands and smiled wryly at Zhang Su: "Boss, looks like I don't need to say anything anymore."

Zhang Su smiled faintly. "Just speak on behalf of the Apocalypse Corps later."

With that, he raised his hand—his aura instantly set him apart—and the crowd fell silent.

"You may be nervous and didn't hear clearly—now I am your new leader. This decision was jointly made by Zhang Xin, Cai Zhichao, Wu Baokang, and Zhou Le, acting on behalf of all of you. And their squads have already fully joined Tianma Yu!"

He paused, as the number representing the Survivors' Alliance surged upward—he silently calculated the percentage.

In seconds, the number rose to 188/298, swiftly surpassing half—but still short of 80% (239). Still, that shouldn't be hard. "Don't be fooled! This man's a hypocrite! Don't let his sweet talk deceive you—don't join Tianma Yu!"

Just as Zhang Su happily anticipated victory, a jarring voice cut through the crowd! A woman's crimson lips shrieked sharply, echoing in everyone's ears—silence fell, and every gaze turned to her.

"Yu Nuo! Regime change has happened—still trying to enjoy comfort? You should be kissing boots, not stirring opposition—it'll only get you killed!"

Wu Baokang glared at Yu Nuo. Due to his unique position, he often dealt with Liao Youzhi's women—no intimate ties, but familiar enough. He'd once thought her clever: arriving at camp, using every trick to climb into the leader's bed. How could she be so foolish now? He had no idea what had transpired between her and Zhang Su…

The moment Yu Nuo saw Zhang Su, her blood ran cold. If he'd merely been some lowly soldier in the ranks, it wouldn't matter—but now he was about to become the Survivors' Alliance's new leader? She knew if he succeeded, her fate would be dire—so she decided to stoke hatred and division.

"Yu Nuo, I think Brother Zhang is wise, majestic, and noble—definitely the best leader! Are you blind?!"

Instantly, a woman with sudden insight stepped forward to undermine her, swaying gracefully toward Zhang Su—but Lu Yu and others raised their hands to block her.

Zhang Su stared coldly at Yu Nuo, meeting her gaze without a flicker of unease. All he felt was pity for Duan Wu—he'd begged on his knees for days just to spare this woman's life, and now she was racing headlong toward death…

"Old Duan, old Duan—your PE teaching skills really don't match your Chinese literature judgment!"

(End of Chapter)