Chapter 586: Look What This Is

"You sit in the front passenger seat!"

When preparing to return, Zhang Su saw Zheng Ziwen pulling open the driver's door, ready to drive—his initiative was decent, but his hands, still trembling from the earlier tension and excitement, made the gesture seem absurd.

Something was clearly wrong at the lab; he didn't want any mishaps on the way back.

He drove himself, stomped the accelerator a few times, and quickly returned to Tianma Yu.

Wang Longzhong and Wang Xin, the uncle-nephew pair guarding the gate, received the message via walkie-talkie, learned that the Lord of Hell had returned to camp, and opened the iron gate ahead of time.

The Niuyazi crowd stared curiously at the Land Cruiser FJ; they had just leisurely descended the mountain not long ago, yet now the engine's roar echoed from the foot of the hill all the way up, blazing into camp.

As they passed the parking lot, the vehicle didn't slow at all—it charged straight toward the mountain's homestay area.

In the passenger seat, Zheng Ziwen looked tense, gripping the window handle with both hands so tightly his knuckles turned white. Though the return trip was barely a few kilometers, he felt like he'd ridden a roller coaster—especially during the ascent, when he thought the car was about to flip into the ditch.

"Brother Zhang, why the rush? What happened?"

Jia Shiqin, standing guard beside the cargo truck, was deeply puzzled.

Not only those near the parking lot heard the noise—even Zhang Ya and Mo Qianlan, who were busy picking vegetables, jumped in surprise and rushed out from the vegetable shed, for such sounds rarely occurred on Tianma Yu.

Sssss.

Zhang Su slammed on the brakes, stopping the Land Cruiser FJ in the designated parking spot for Cuilengxuan.

Zhang Su got out, walked to the trunk, and said to Zheng Ziwen, whose face was pale: "You'll drive the car down later and hand it to that uncle standing by the cargo truck—he's surnamed Jia. After that, you don't need to worry about it. Go back and help your uncle tidy up the house. Oh, and don't forget to tell him: your performance today was unsatisfactory."

"Why?"

Zheng Ziwen froze, glaring angrily at Zhang Su. He thought he'd done fine—he'd even killed a zombie that had grown stronger in the chaos. How impressive was that!

Aowu, aowu.

"Why?"

Zhang Su opened the trunk lid. Three zombies moaned softly inside the burlap sacks. He grabbed the one missing all four limbs and said: "Your only achievement was restraining one zombie. You failed at everything else. And you're asking me why?"

"I… I, I tied all of these up!"

Zheng Ziwen's face turned red as he pointed at the zombies in the trunk, arguing fiercely—this "unsatisfactory" rating was too humiliating.

"That's it?"

Zhang Su lifted the zombie like a giant crab, grinning strangely: "Any old woman in the village below could've tied them up. You don't seriously think you deserve an award for this?"

"I…"

Zheng Ziwen watched Zhang Su shake his head and walk into Cuilengxuan. He scowled, muttering: "I drove the car, didn't I?"

He only remembered driving, but forgot the noise he made when parking—that was fine in the countryside, but if this had happened in today's Qincheng city center, he'd have been immediately swarmed by zombies!

Muttering to himself, Zheng Ziwen got back in the car, reversed to the parking lot, and handed it over to Jia Shiqin as Zhang Su instructed.

Seeing the two zombies without arms in the trunk, Jia Shiqin beamed: "Young man, you're so thoughtful! You even cut off their arms—much safer now. Leave the rest to me."

"No, no, it wasn't me—I didn't help at all. It was Brother Su who cut them off. I almost caused trouble."

Zheng Ziwen didn't take credit. He explained briefly, then looked around with a slightly downcast mood, found his bearings, and headed toward his quarters.

"Hey, handsome! The guy in the gray cotton pants!" Just a few steps away, Zheng Ziwen heard someone call out. He glanced down at his pants, turned toward the voice, and pointed at his own nose: "You calling me?"

"Yes yes! Handsome, come here, let's chat!" Wang Zhetao waved his head enthusiastically; his hands were bound, so he couldn't gesture—he could only invite this way.

Beside him, Hu Yongan stared in surprise at Wang Zhetao, wondering what nonsense he was up to now. This kid always pulled off weird, bizarre stunts.

Wang Guangjun seemed used to his son's antics—he turned his body expressionlessly.

Zheng Ziwen saw over twenty ragged refugees huddled against the wall. He knew their general situation, thought they weren't familiar with him, and couldn't guess why they'd called him—but since they were about his age and seemed so warm, he walked over.

Wang Zhetao stepped forward two paces, beaming: "Brother, I'm Wang Zhetao—'Zhe' means double luck, 'Tao' means water longevity. What's your name?"

"I'm Zheng, Zheng Ziwen. What do you want?"

Zheng Ziwen asked bluntly.

"So you're Brother Ziwen. I saw you ride out with the Lord of Hell. You must be highly favored. We're all honest survivors. Brother Ziwen, could you please say a good word to the Lord of Hell and get us untied soon?"

Wang Zhetao smiled warmly. He was certainly older than Zheng Ziwen, but he called him "Brother Ziwen" with perfect ease.

Zheng Ziwen scratched his head, embarrassed. Before the apocalypse, he was always a background character. Afterward, he still had no presence beside his uncle. He never expected that just riding out with the Lord of Hell once would make people come fawning over him, calling him "Brother Ziwen"—it felt amazing.

"Actually… I… heh, sorry, but you're probably disappointed. I'm not favored at all. My uncle begged Brother Su to take me along to work. I didn't do well—I got scolded. I really can't help you."

Zheng Ziwen bluntly told the truth.

Wang Zhetao showed no sign of disdain. Instead, he looked envious: "Riding out with the Lord of Hell is incredibly rare. Ordinary people don't get such chances. You're truly impressive, Brother Ziwen. This trip must've been exhausting. I won't keep you from resting."

Zheng Ziwen had expected the guy to pester him, mentally preparing his refusals—but the guy was so considerate it made him feel slightly guilty.

"Then… alright, I'll go then."

With that, Zheng Ziwen waved and continued toward Wangshan Homestay.

Wang Zhetao returned thoughtfully to his spot against the wall, shot a slightly annoyed glance at his father, and thought: His uncle personally begged the Lord of Hell to look after the younger generation—why was his own father so dull and passive?

If his father wouldn't fight for it, he'd have to do it himself!

"Brother Zhang, you… you… this is insane."

Duan Wuhu heard the engine's roar and knew Zhang Su had returned. He'd been waiting on the second-floor corridor. As Zhang Su approached, he rushed forward—and the first thing he saw was the "crab" zombie in Zhang Su's hand.

Puh.

Zhang Su tossed the zombie into the corner, brushed the dust off his gloves, removed them, and walked toward the room where Liu Tianji and the others were resting. He asked: "What happened?"

"The world is strange. You'll see when you look."

Duan Wuhu still refused to reveal anything, hurrying Zhang Su to the door and pushing it open for him.

Zhang Su looked inside. Liu Tianji and Ke Zhiyu sat on the bed, their faces glowing with joy. Xie Yan stood frowning beside the desk. Fu Weijun remained seated in his wheelchair, facing Liu Tianji and the others, his expression unreadable.

"Brother Su!"

Liu Tianji's face lit up as he saw Zhang Su. He waved his hands excitedly: "Look! What is this?"

What is this? This is… hands…

(End of chapter)