Chapter 626: How to Communicate?

Everyone knew they couldn't just stand around watching anymore, so they quickly got to work; Zheng Xinyu left the rope with Zhang Su and joined the bustle.

"You're in this half-human, half-zombie state—you can't keep wandering around outside; sooner or later, other survivors will kill you. Come back to our camp with us. As long as you obey, I guarantee your safety!"

Zhang Su decided: this special zombie had to be brought back. Special things always have special uses—he wouldn't rush to study it now, but would develop it slowly later. After all, he was already keeping Zero-Zero-Three and the fire-spitting zombie; one more wouldn't matter.

The female zombie showed no hesitation, nodding firmly, as if she had a special trust in Zhang Su.

"Alright, alright, alright—don't move so wildly, I'm afraid your head'll fall off and you'll be dead for sure. Come on, even if you say you can control your body, I still don't trust it—you've got to be tied up."

Zhang Su stretched out the rope and gestured for the zombie not to move.

The female zombie obeyed Zhang Su completely, letting him bind her tightly and even putting two large masks over her face.

Unless you looked closely, you'd hardly believe this was a zombie.

"There, that's much better. For our safety and yours, we'll leave it like this for now."

Zhang Su pulled on the other end of the rope and pointed back the way they'd come: "Alright, you go first—try to move faster!"

The female zombie obediently walked westward, but no matter what she did, she couldn't speed up—her legs wobbled, and her fastest pace was only one-third of Zhang Su's walking speed, which was maddening.

"You're really my elder sister—do I really have to carry you running?"

Zhang Su hissed through his teeth—this walking speed was unbelievable.

"Boss Zhang, maybe… I could pull her?"

Zhou Haotian passed by Zhang Su and offered a suggestion.

Zhang Su walked another dozen meters, bored like a zombie herder, then glanced sideways and saw Zhou Haotian dragging a battered suitcase—his eyes lit up: "Come on, quick! I'm ready to just shoulder her and run!"

"No need, boss, let me handle it."

Zhou Haotian placed the female zombie atop the suitcase, steady and secure.

"Don't move—or you'll fall off!" Zhang Su warned, then waved Zhou Haotian on.

Gulu, gulu, gulu…

With the suitcase's help, their speed shot up. The female zombie lay motionless atop it, and the two of them quickly caught up with the main group.

"Hey, Boss Zhang, is this… you captured a hostage? Haha, and a woman at that!"

Liu Yao spotted Zhang Su and Zhou Haotian returning, saw the woman on the suitcase, and chuckled teasingly.

"Huh… a woman."

Zhang Su sneered. He thought: this woman would make you fly with pleasure. "You don't need to worry about this hostage or the suitcase—just bring back the rest. Hand them over to Zhong Xiao for storage!"

"Rest assured, we'll hand them over to Director Zhong—won't steal a single grain!"

Though no formal appointment had been made, Zhong Xiao was now widely seen by many as the head of logistics. Liu Yao didn't give the hostage a second thought, gave a lazy salute, and led his men away in their vehicle from the railway bridge.

"You stay right here for now, don't move around—we're going to deal with the zombies inside this train. Understood?"

After Liu Yao and the others drove far away, Zhang Su tied the female zombie to a nearby railing and gave her a warning.

The female zombie slowly scanned the train car, then nodded slightly—subtly, not dramatically—as Zhang Su had instructed, making the gesture look much more natural.

Even members of the Yanluo Legion rarely saw a living, quiet zombie up close. They gathered around like tourists viewing giant pandas, fascinated and amazed.

"Boss Zhang, I have an immature suggestion—do you mind if I say it?"

"Come on… how come you've got so many suggestions? And they're all immature—wait till you're mature, okay?"

Zhao Dezhu couldn't stand the new recruit Zhou Haotian anymore—he talked too much, always spouting weird, outlandish ideas.

"Haha…" Zhang Su waved his hand at Zhao Dezhu. "Zhu, you've got it wrong. I brought him into our team precisely because his mind is sharp—he's full of strange, clever ideas. Don't mind him." "Huh? Really? Sorry then, kid—keep going. I'm just a fish-cutter, bad at words, hehe…"

Zhao Dezhu was quick to bend and stretch, grinning as he admitted his mistake.

"Go ahead—don't hold back. In our team, we speak straight—no hiding or holding back. It's easier this way."

Zhang Su noticed Zhou Haotian was embarrassed and reassured him.

"I think…"

Zhou Haotian nervously pointed at the female zombie, then at the train: "I think we should let this sister try—see how the zombies react to her, or whether she can influence them."

Huh?!

Everyone froze, then their eyes lit up.

That was actually a good idea! Zhang Su grunted, looked at the female zombie, and asked: "Can you see what's going on inside?"

"Aow."

The female zombie gave a small nod.

"Zombies inside seem to have no communication—but I feel there must be some way they connect. Otherwise, why do they form hordes? Try it—just as this young man suggested. See how they react to you, and figure out if you can communicate with them!"

Zhang Su loosened the rope and gestured for everyone to make a path for the female zombie.

This was utterly novel. Everyone watched with intense curiosity.

Scratch, scratch, scratch…

The female zombie shuffled to the train window, pressed her shriveled cheek against the glass. Her grayish-blue eyes showed no emotion, mechanically scanning—then she thudded her head against the glass.

The dull thud startled everyone—they all reached for their weapons.

Zhang Su raised a hand—stay calm.

Thud, thud, thud…

The female zombie hit the glass three more times in succession.

"Here it comes! Here it comes! They're reacting!"

Zhou Haotian excitedly pointed at the zombies inside the car, now stirring.

Earlier, when Zhang Su had banged hard on the car, the zombies had woken up in frenzy, slamming against the glass. After the group left, they'd calmed down—but hadn't returned to their previous half-sleep state. They just stood inside, swaying slightly. Now, drawn by the thudding, they slowly gathered near the windows, showing no signs of aggression.

A few seconds later, the zombies inside finally pressed against the glass on the other side—standing perfectly still, swaying gently in rhythm, with no hint of violence or hunger.

"Can't they sense us?"

"That doesn't make sense—they were so violent before!"

"Haha, maybe they see their kind befriending us, so they're being friendly too? Heh~!"

"What the hell are you talking about? You think they have consciousness?"

"Aow!"

As everyone argued, the female zombie turned her head mechanically toward Zhang Su and pointed to her own eyes.

"You communicate through eye contact?"

"Aowu."

The female zombie shook her head, then nodded, pointing to her head, her eyes, then the zombies inside the car—clearly trying to convey a flood of information, but simple gestures couldn't capture it all.

(End of Chapter)