Chapter 480

"Let's go, little sister. See what you need to take—I'll find you a comfortable place soon!"

Zhang Xin raised his hand with an air of authority; he was now doing well, having risen from squad leader to a favorite of the leader's inner circle, yet he never treated Ma Huihui with arrogance—their relationship remained decent.

Though deeply reluctant, Ma Huihui had no choice but to leave the place where she'd lived for over two months. Zhang Su held her in high regard; she had no resentment in her heart—she simply had no such thoughts. As she stepped out the door, she gazed at Zhang Su with tender eyes, hoping a miracle might still occur.

Unfortunately, no miracle came…

After arranging Ma Huihui's departure, only his own people remained in the room. Zhang Su turned to Ouyang Qiao and Li Zongkai.

"Old Li, how did you discover this capable subordinate of yours? Tell me."

Li Zongkai smiled bitterly and shook his head, then nodded to Ouyang Qiao. "You tell the leader yourself."

Ouyang Qiao smiled faintly. "There's no dramatic story between me and Chairman Li—he saved my life. I originally planned to give myself to him in return, but Chairman Li remained unmoved. Then I heard they needed to place spies in the Survivors' Alliance, so I volunteered."

In the apocalypse, a woman's only currency is her body. Though cruel, once you accept this truth and use it wisely, living a decent life isn't hard.

Zhang Su clapped lightly, praising: "Old Li, good job. Only a man who can control his belt can survive better in the apocalypse! By the way—I ask you, when various factions come here to trade, Liao Youzhi must've gathered plenty of useful intelligence. Did he write any of it down? Do you know?"

"We know."

Ouyang Qiao answered next, pointing to a door in the corner: "Every time Liao Youzhi worked, he went into that room. Only he could enter—he forbade us from approaching. It must hold secrets."

"That's right," Pan Ru added quickly. "I've caught glimpses when Liao Youzhi came and went. I saw walkie-talkies, a desk, and some basic office supplies."

She sighed inwardly—she saw no lust in Zhang Su's eyes. He must be another man who could control his belt.

Zhang Su stood and walked to the heavy door, knocked twice—solid, sturdy, a high-security door. He touched the keypad lock, then turned to Ouyang Qiao and Pan Ru with a questioning look. Both shook their heads.

"Or… try that code?"

Ouyang Qiao suggested.

Zhang Su knew exactly what she meant—the code for controlling the fire zombies: "5137855." He nodded and entered the numbers.

Beep.

Two beeps—the code was wrong.

"Not it…"

Zhang Su shoved hard—the soundproof, fireproof wall shook, but the door didn't budge. It was even sturdier than the surrounding walls. He tried adding and subtracting digits twice more—both attempts failed.

He dared not try again. From experience, five failed attempts would lock it permanently—opening it afterward would be extremely difficult.

"Liao Youzhi was this careful? There must be something inside. Big Brother, I'll get tools—we'll just tear this room apart!"

Zhao Dezhu crushed his cigarette on the floor and headed for the circular saw.

"Why not just smash the lock?"

Zhang Su smirked. Most keypad locks could be opened by brute force—far easier than tearing down a wall. But suddenly, an idea struck him. He looked at Ouyang Qiao and Pan Ru: "Does this lock connect to any traps? Would breaking it cause trouble?"

"Yes. Even heavy impacts trigger alarms. But… right now, alarms don't matter much."

Ouyang Qiao shrugged.

The imperial palace has changed hands—what's left of the old dynasty's vault that can't be opened?

"Hah! Then what are we waiting for? Come on, let me handle it! Damn it, I'll break this lock and make it look cool!"

Zhao Dezhu tightened his gloves, ready to vent his frustration.

"Didn't you forget something?"

Zheng Xinyu rolled her eyes, puzzled by the men's excited chatter.

Zhang Su and Zhao Dezhu exchanged glances, then both slapped their thighs at once. "We forgot our thief god!"

Zhang Su immediately pulled out his walkie-talkie and called Pang Dakun: "Dakun, get up to the fifth floor fast—there's something good for you!"

"Good? Good good good! Coming right away! Oh wa!"

Less than two minutes later, Pang Dakun burst in, saw everyone gathered before the security door, and knew he was needed. He pulled tools from his pockets, boasting: "Kun Ye on the job—one man equals three! You're all noobs!"

"Little brat, are you looking for death? Who the hell do you call ' Ye '? I'll slip diarrhea pills in your food next time!"

Zhao Dezhu glared angrily at Pang Dakun.

"No problem—I'll just swap bowls with Aunt Yu before eating."

"You damn—"

"Zhao, stop acting like a kid. Dakun, stop blabbing—get to work!"

Zhang Su was speechless.

"Hurry up, let Kun Ye take a look! This little lock? I'll crack it in three to five minutes. Go smoke over there!"

Pang Dakun bounced over to the security door and began studying the keypad.

Beside him, Ouyang Qiao and Pan Ru exchanged glances—filled with shock and disbelief. Is this really the leader? Can the leader really be this casual with his subordinates?

Actually… this atmosphere isn't bad…

As Pang Dakun fiddled with the lock, Zhang Su lit a cigarette and chatted with Pan Ru and Ouyang Qiao about the Survivors' Alliance. They learned the next trade day was in three days—forces from southern Qincheng and surrounding districts would all come to exchange goods.

"The traded goods are varied. Food isn't the main item—weapons, industrial products, and medicine are in high demand. There's also human trafficking…"

Ouyang Qiao gave a general overview of the trade.

"Interesting. I should come check it out sometime." Zhang Su rubbed his chin—it was his first time hearing of such a scene.

"Mr. Zhang, you probably won't just be coming to 'check it out'…"

Yu Wen spoke with subtle implication.

"Right!"

Zhang Su suddenly realized—he was now the leader of Beicheng. Leou Mall was no longer the Survivors' Alliance headquarters—it was the Tianmayu branch! When outsiders arrived, they'd know the Alliance had changed hands. As the leader of this entire region, if he didn't show up, someone would surely try to stir up trouble.

Even if no one dared raid, he had to appear and intimidate—otherwise, other factions would entertain dangerous thoughts.

"Yu Mr. is right, Brother Zhang. When the time comes, not only you, but I, Liu Yao, and Yang Xin must all show up and make our unity clear—we must let them know we're one solid block, untouchable!"

"By the way, when will that iron block finally open…"

After finishing his cigarette, Zhao Dezhu noticed Pang Dakun crouched, butt in the air, flashlight shining into the lock, staring blankly. He grumbled: "Big-shot Kun Ye, what happened? You said three to five minutes—this is already eight! You're not even good enough!"

Pang Dakun scratched his head, confused. He turned to Zhang Su and the others, no longer proud. He squinted one eye. "This lock was modified later—it's different from any I've seen. But Uncle, don't worry—I'll figure it out in ten minutes. No, fifteen. If I can't open it, I won't eat lunch!"

"You said it! If you don't open it in fifteen minutes, you won't just go hungry—I'll smash your pig head!"

Zhao Dezhu glared fiercely at Pang Dakun.

"Don't tease him…"

Zhang Su crushed his cigarette in the ashtray on the coffee table and stood. "Let's go check the lab. Dr. Fu is still eager for those instruments."

Liao Youzhi had gone to great lengths to gather equipment nearby to treat his son's zombification—barely enough to satisfy the researchers' needs.

(End of chapter)