Chapter 555: The Grand Transfer (Dear Readers, Please Subscribe)

"If we accept all the survivors, the defense system of Tianma Yu must be strengthened urgently."

Yu Wen did not question Zhang Su's decision, as this matter had been mentioned before, but the problems at hand could not be ignored.

Zhang Su nodded and said, "Old Yu is right, but I believe in the power of many—our defense system will catch up quickly. For example, we can turn the Chuhai River into a moat and build fortifications—no zombies from the south will cross this line!"

!!?? Who in Qincheng hadn't heard of the Chuhai River? Aside from the Tang River flowing through the city, it was the most famous; the older generation remembered its swift currents—but now it was nothing like it used to be.

Everyone exchanged glances, faces twitching—such a massive plan, not a single hint leaked beforehand, now suddenly laid out like this—wasn't this just a spur-of-the-moment idea?

"Don't all just stare at me! Keep moving stuff—hurry up!"

Zhang Su's urging snapped the dazed into action; he joined the hustle, lifting a crate and saying to the man beside him, "Remember that time we lured zombies north to the Second Ring Road?"

Zhao De and Lu Yu both nodded—they'd taken part in that operation, along with Qi Xiaoshuai, who now stood guard at the wholesale mall.

"Back then, a whole crowd of zombies fell into the river—I thought of it then, but it was vague, just a rough idea. This trip out, I thought it through carefully—the Chuhai River is three or four stories deep. Isn't that a natural barrier? If used well, it can block the horde—even these powerful zombies now..."

"These powerful zombies might be hard to stop, but if we add our own defenses, won't that solve the problem?"

Hng.

Zhang Su placed a heavy weapons transport crate into the trunk of a car and continued: "The Xida Ying village already has space ready for people. We won't need to shuttle back and forth between Tianma Yu and the Chuhai River to build defenses. This project needs massive manpower—I originally planned to wait until warmer weather to finalize it, but given how things look now, time won't wait—we must move the plan forward!"

Zhang Su slowly refined the plan in his mind. Originally, he'd intended to announce it only after establishing a solid process—but since an emergency had arisen, advancing it slightly didn't matter.

After hearing Zhang Su's words, most around him fell into thought; some nodded with admiration, others looked utterly confused.

As ordinary survivors in this apocalypse, regular members poured all their energy into survival—put bluntly, just managing their own daily lives was already hard enough. Combatants needed strong physiques and the ability to execute orders precisely.

Leaders were different. Taking care of their own lives consumed only a fraction of their energy; most of their mental capacity went toward the group's development, bearing heavy responsibility. At this moment, everyone deeply felt how hard it was to be a leader.

If it were me, thinking about what to eat tomorrow was fine—but thinking how to repel a zombie horde? Forget it...

Ten minutes later, over a hundred people gathered at the barracks gate, with more than forty vehicles of all sizes lined up for hundreds of meters. Leading the convoy was a light tank, which looked mighty compared to the other vehicles.

Li Zongkai stared at the barracks gate he'd helped rebuild, his mind churning with memories—so many comrades had already fallen and departed.

Gangzi stood at the barracks gate, eyes red, wiping away tears. If anyone was most reluctant to leave, he'd rank among the top three—he'd lived here for over two years, never imagining he'd depart this way.

Wu Daqiang's lips drooped; unlike Gangzi, he didn't show his reluctance on his face, but his eyes brimmed with deep sorrow.

Other members of the Civilization Protectors also carried some melancholy. The barracks had been their first stable home after the apocalypse. Parting was always sad, especially with the sky dark and heavy, deepening the grief.

Human joys and sorrows don't align. While Li Zongkai and others gazed at the barracks that had once sheltered them, Zhao De and Lu Yu happily studied their new sidecar motorcycle, unfazed by the cold, arguing over who would drive...

"Friends, people thrive by moving, trees die by being moved. Today's departure is to open a more stable future. Keep the seeds of nostalgia in your hearts, plant them in our new home—they'll take root and sprout, blooming into even more brilliant flowers!"

Yu Wen spoke to soothe everyone's emotions, while handing out a delicious metaphorical cake.

This task should've been Zhang Su's—he was now on the watchtower, gazing northeast. He didn't need binoculars; with his super vision, he could already see the zombie horde slowly approaching with his naked eyes.

The horde's overall speed had slowed, but it still moved at the pace of an average adult walking. Without intervention, breaching the city district was merely a matter of time.

The exact number was hard to judge due to limited visibility, but a rough estimate was no less than one hundred thousand.

Zhang Su stared grimly at the horde—tall ones were big brutes, short ones were regular zombies. As for mutated zombies, even his super vision couldn't make them out, and he had no time now! "Heh..."

Zhang Su leapt from the watchtower, landing lightly on the ground, executing a smooth forward roll to dissipate momentum, then stood and waved his hand: "All units, move out! Target: LeGou Mall!"

The convoy set off, a mighty procession.

The distance from the barracks to LeGou Mall was only a few kilometers, but perhaps because the convoy was too large and noisy, they encountered zombie attacks multiple times along the way.

The first wave had only four regular zombies, charging straight toward the loudest vehicle—the tank. The scene was dramatic, like ants trying to topple a tree. Zhang Su himself jumped out of the tank and eliminated them cleanly.

The second wave was larger—twelve zombies, all regular. Their frantic sprint looked terrifying, but for those who'd grown accustomed to the intensity, they were no longer frightening.

But the barracks survivors were different—this was their first time witnessing the enhanced speed and movement of the zombies, leaving them astonished—and grateful for their current situation.

Lu Yu, Zhao De, Liu Yao, and Yang Xin worked together to eliminate the twelve zombies, then loaded the corpses onto the roof of a minivan and secured them with ropes.

The third wave—now being dealt with—also had twelve zombies, but behind the frenzied regulars lurked a brute!

Regular zombies didn't need special attention, but the brute should be shown to those who'd never seen one. So Zhang Su specifically called out Tan Hua, telling her not to kill it immediately, then let Chen Hanzhou, who volunteered, unleash his energy, chasing the brute down the road, clearing a wide path...

The brute's devastating power was visibly displayed, sending chills through the barracks survivors.

Regular zombies jumping and sprinting fast was one thing—but what was this thing? Its destructive power was like a bulldozer! "My god, our barracks wall probably can't even hold this thing!"

Gangzi stared at the brute, his face twisted like he'd swallowed something foul.

Da Zhuang's features seemed scrunched together. As the tallest man in the barracks, seeing the brute made him feel like a chick. Hearing Gangzi's words, he sighed: "Forget the wall—even a bunker could be torn down!"

Everyone silently nodded, agreeing with Da Zhuang, and felt more at peace about leaving the barracks—it truly was no longer habitable.

After chasing the brute for a long while, Chen Hanzhou took huge risks—dodging close, slipping under its legs, using every trick he knew—but still couldn't finish it. Finally, he borrowed some power and slashed the brute down with his mechanical prosthetic, sweating profusely despite the freezing cold.

As the brute collapsed, the hundred-plus onlookers nearly cheered—but they restrained their excitement, turning cheers into clenched fists.

Everyone assumed their calmness came from long habit—but there was another reason, one they didn't know. "He's gotten way stronger lately... annoying. Yesterday he still stubbornly refused to take his meds—yet he still took them, pfft!"

On the sidecar's driver's seat, Lu Yu, wearing a camouflage helmet, whispered to Zhao De, who stood beside the cargo bed. He didn't know Chen Hanzhou hadn't taken his meds—he'd healed purely from his strong body; overnight, his broken ribs had mended, though they still ached slightly under intense movement.

Zhao De knew the history between Lu Yu and Chen Hanzhou—the two young men had grown distant over a woman.

He gave a strange smirk and muttered, "Lu, I'm not saying this to stir trouble, but Tan's daughter isn't any worse than Pei Lan. You've won the girl—why hold a grudge? Chen being strong is good for us."

"Fuck, Da Zhu, you've changed! You're not even backing me up anymore? I'm holding a grudge—I am! Watch me—I'll train hard too. If I don't surpass him in two months, I'll eat..."

"Why don't you finish? Eat what?" Zhao De teased with a grin.

"Eat steamed buns with pickled vegetables!"

Lu Yu grinned mischievously—he never made empty boasts.

After clearing the third wave, no further attacks came. The convoy successfully regrouped on the street in front of LeGou Mall.

Over a hundred vehicles of all kinds—mostly sedans and SUVs, with some vans and cargo trucks—lined the road in a massive, sprawling column. More than five hundred people stood on the street, each face filled with awe.

Since the apocalypse, they'd seen thousands—even tens of thousands—of zombies streaming through streets. But gathering five hundred people together? This was their first time.

Some emotionally sensitive people, seeing this long-absent crowd, even shed tears—their inner gloom lifted by the human presence, as if they glimpsed a bright future.

Even more coincidentally, some found old friends among the crowd—people they'd lost contact with in separate camps, now reunited, embracing and weeping!

A single friendly glance between them spoke louder than a thousand words. At this moment, age, gender, background, faction, education—all vanished. They were all one thing: apocalypse survivors. And if you added a prefix, they were Tianma Yu's apocalypse survivors. "Brother Su, all personnel are ready. We can depart anytime—give the order!"

Wang Xin marched up to Zhang Su, saluting in a clumsy, half-hearted way, his expression solemn as he reported.

This was Wang Xin's lifetime highlight. From childhood to school, he'd never spoken before hundreds. Feeling all the eyes on him, he felt like he was floating!

Then a soft, dismissive insult floated by—like a switch turning off the spotlight. He had no reply.

Wu Baokang stepped aside, glancing at Wang Xin's rigid posture, then pointed toward LeGou Mall: "Brother Su, all supplies are loaded. We still have over ten empty vehicles. Should we load some zombie corpses? There's plenty!"

Wang Xin, overhearing Wu Baokang, twitched his face. Why hadn't he thought of this practical issue? Probably because he'd been too focused on flashy, empty showmanship and forgot real work. He silently resented Wu Baokang—surely he'd thought of this already and just didn't share!

Yesterday's hard battle killed over a thousand zombies, their bodies piled beside the building like small hills. Calling them corpses was misleading—they looked more like piles of coal.

"Of course we take them. That's a great idea. Assign one driver per vehicle—load them heavily. These corpses are premium fuel—every single one must be hauled away!"

Zhang Su didn't relax just because ten thousand zombie corpses lay beneath Tianma Yu. Energy was never "enough." After four months of apocalypse, people's attitude toward zombie corpses had changed fundamentally—from initial disgust and fear, to numbness, now to acceptance—they were useful! With so many hands, they worked hard—the remaining vehicles weren't just filled to capacity; corpses were tied tightly to their roofs...

Normal vehicles carried 400–500 kg—but now no one cared about the weight limit. As long as the tires didn't burst, they piled on!

If you couldn't stack twenty corpses, you were Buhege —rearrange!

Thirty corpses? Just beginner level!

Forty corpses Caisuandabiao! Even then, they only loaded about five hundred corpses—still half left.

Zhang Su would never waste so much. Every vehicle on the road—take one, claim some!

With this redistribution, the remaining six or seven hundred corpses were quickly cleared. In the end, over a thousand zombie corpses were all loaded—none left behind. The entire convoy now looked bizarre: every vehicle's roof was covered with grayish corpses.

Before the apocalypse, you'd think it was a Halloween parade.

"Everyone!"

After finishing, Zhang Su swiftly climbed up and stood firmly on a streetlamp housing, like an ancient martial arts master. Everyone could clearly see him.

"I know you've all gone a long time without this kind of bustle—you probably have a thousand things to say. But the horde is coming. We must move first. Once we reach Tianma Yu, you'll meet, interact, and bond through daily life, work, and missions. Now, gather your composure—move out!"

The evacuation of over five hundred people—even globally—was an astonishing act. Some small nations had fewer than a hundred survivors left.

Though everyone accepted Zhang Su's leadership, they'd worked together too briefly. For such a massive operation, Liu Yao, Yang Xin, Wu Baokang, and Wang Xin all joined management. Even the dismissed Li Zongkai stayed busy, running around organizing.

Unlike the Civilization Protectors, who left the barracks with melancholy, former Survivor Alliance members mostly smiled. During Liao Youzhi's rule, too many unpleasant things had happened. Leaving, they left those memories buried in the mall with the dust.

"I never imagined that coming out once, I'd return with over five hundred survivors. I'm truly humbled!"

By the roadside, Yu Wen watched the packed vehicles pass by, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

A portion of the Yama Legion, including Zhang Su, chose to hold the rear.

As each vehicle passed Zhang Su and his group, whether sincerely or out of courtesy, they all smiled and waved at the Yama King.

Zhang Su smiled and nodded back. Hearing Yu Wen's words, he chuckled: "We've taken a huge step toward our original plan. Your burdens will only grow heavier from now on."

"For internal affairs, I'll strive. But external matters... still need the Yama King's personal touch."

Yu Wen straightened his back. After yesterday's life-or-death moment, he'd finally recognized his weaknesses.

If conditions allow, one should improve and fix weaknesses. But if conditions are limited, focusing on one's strengths isn't a bad thing either.

(End of Chapter)