Chapter 642: Endurance Survival Enthusiast

“Five drones? And they’re high-performance?”

Shen Linrui’s expression turned serious, then he let out a bitter laugh and shook his head, brushing his hand through his hair. “The Dragon Head Camp does have drones—quite a few—but over a month ago, some bastard sabotaged the remote control equipment. Now only one remains. But the person you’re describing—I think I might know who it is!”

“Chief Shen, could it be that guy?”

“Who else but that guy could deploy five drones at once between the Shanhai District and Qincheng?”

“Still, I didn’t expect him to help us once—at least he didn’t lure the zombies toward Shanhai…”

“Cough, cough!”

Zhang Su cleared his throat as the others continued their private discussion. “Rather than argue among yourselves, why not share the facts with us?”

“Sorry, Lord Yama, we got carried away…”

After apologizing, Shen Linrui paused, then said: “Have you ever heard of Endurance Survival Enthusiasts? Back when life was good, they fantasized daily about the apocalypse, spending fortunes on supplies—some even built underground bunkers.”

“I’ve heard of them. But unfortunately, I’ve never met one.”

Zhang Su spread his hands.

“No, you have. The guy using drones to lure zombies—he’s one of them.”

Shen Linrui spoke with a strange expression.

“Oh?” Zhang Su exchanged glances with Qi Xiaoshuai and Pang Dakun, then turned serious toward Shen Linrui. “Tell us more.”

Shen Linrui was torn between amusement and frustration—he’d come here to beg for help and didn’t want to waste time, but if the other side refused to answer questions, how could he expect them to send troops?

“The Dragon Head Camp has been actively recruiting survivors from surrounding areas. It took about three months to bring in everyone between Qincheng and Shanhai. But a month ago, while patrolling Binhai Avenue, we spotted two people!”

“They were probably a married couple. Their condition was clearly unlike ordinary survivors—they were dressed extravagantly. Their down jackets would’ve cost over ten thousand yuan before the collapse, and most importantly, they were spotless, immaculate. After the disaster, I’d never seen anyone so clean. To be blunt, cleaner than even the Dragon Head, cleaner than you, Lord Yama, are wearing now…”

“Hmm, ten-thousand-yuan down jackets might be easy to scavenge, but staying spotless? That’s nearly impossible. What happened next?”

Zhang Su could picture the scene from the description. He glanced down at his own clothes—neat enough, but “spotless”? That was absurd.

“Then… we noticed them, and they noticed us too. We were about two or three hundred meters apart. We drove over to talk, but the couple showed no interest—they instantly hopped onto balance scooters and sped off.”

“I remember it was near Gouquzhai. There’s a large old forest beside it. They rode the scooters with expert skill, vanished into the woods. We searched the forest and found a high-end metal door hidden under leaf camouflage—clearly recently opened, despite the disguise.”

Zhang Su frowned. “Could it be some secret government facility?”

“Later, we left notes to communicate with them once. The place was their own private bunker. I invited them on behalf of the Dragon Head Camp and offered trade, but they refused all contact—then stopped replying entirely.”

Shen Linrui shrugged helplessly.

Another Dragon Head Camp member chimed in: “I think he might be exaggerating. He claimed they spent over a billion yuan building the bunker. There are villagers from Gouquzhai in our camp—I asked them. They’d never heard of any such project. A project that big couldn’t be completely hidden.”

“People with money and power can do anything…” Zhang Su rubbed his chin, then asked: “So you only saw them once, then communicated only by notes, and never met again?”

“One-sided sightings only…”

Shen Linrui said: “Dashan and I kept watch near Gouquzhai for a while. Finally, we caught them once—the ground door slowly rose, powered by electricity and hydraulic rods. We hid well and saw everything clearly. The couple didn’t look old—if you factor in their grooming, they were probably over forty. The man was refined, the woman gentle. They walked a short distance into the woods, likely just to get fresh air. Extremely cautious. From exit to return, five minutes total—they kept circling the metal door. We had no hostile intent, so we left them alone after that. But if you’re talking about five drones, I can only think of them. And geographically, it fits perfectly.”

“Holy shit, over a billion yuan? How much money is that?”

Pang Dakun now believed Shen Linrui. He crossed his arms, imagining billions piled before him—then sighed. “Useless now. Money means nothing.”

“Didn’t expect Qincheng had a boss with this kind of budget. Impressive.”

“Gouquzhai has forest and water—smart location for a bunker. But that doesn’t mean they’re from Qincheng. I’d guess they’re not from there at all.”

“Why?”

“If they were from Qincheng, how could such a wealthy boss have no other family?”

“How do you know no one else is alive inside the bunker? That’s uncertain…”

“Enough. Stop discussing this.”

Zhang Su cut off the chatter, glanced at the darkening sky, checked his wristwatch—it was nearly four. He said:

“Gentlemen, let’s set the bunker aside for now. As for your earlier request for aid—why not come to our camp for dinner first? I need more details before deciding whether to help you.”

Zhang Su didn’t outright refuse. First, the population left in Qincheng is tiny—likely the Dragon Head Camp’s size isn’t much smaller than Tianmayu. An alliance beats conflict; peaceful absorption takes time.

Second, their attitude was sincere—they answered every question, and didn’t start with moral blackmail like, “If not for the Dragon Head Camp holding the line against the zombies, you’d all be dead.”

“This… Lord Yama, to be honest, it’s urgent. Our camp… alright, the men can stretch things for a day—we can hold out!”

Shen Linrui and the others looked anxious but obeyed Zhang Su’s suggestion. They knew sending troops wasn’t trivial—put themselves in his shoes, they’d be equally cautious.

After surrendering their weapons and being searched for threats, the five followed the Lord Yama’s troops up to Tianmayu.

“Uh… Lord Yama, would it be alright to take a look around?”

Shen Linrui sat in the passenger seat. As the vehicle climbed the mountain, he knew they were nearing the camp. He asked politely.

Zhang Su chuckled. “No secrets here. Look wherever you like.”

What’s visible isn’t secret—but the fact he asked at all made things feel more comfortable. Even if it was just politeness, he did it well.

After receiving confirmation, Shen Linrui turned his gaze to the window. The climb up was simple. He silently compared Tianmayu to the Dragon Head Camp. Terrain-wise, Tianmayu was better—but its defenses couldn’t match the pass.

In his view, there was no visible protection at all—unreasonable. Of course it was. Because hidden where he couldn’t see were some “artworks.”

Inside the Shanmen, two tanks stood side by side—one large, one small, complementing each other, boosting morale. But Shen Linrui wasn’t impressed—he’d seen the same in the Dragon Head Camp, over a dozen of them. Useless, though. Fuel consumption was insane.

The vehicle pulled into the parking lot as he glanced left and right.

Night fell slowly. The camp kitchen buzzed with activity, steam and the scent of cooking rising into the air.

(End of Chapter)