Chapter 643: Tail Up

“Boss Zhang, you’re finally back! Oh… you’ve got guests?”

Ding Yongguo saw Zhang Su step down from the vehicle, carrying a metal container slightly thicker than his arm, but noticed a stranger in the passenger seat—by attire, not a refugee.

Meanwhile, several more unfamiliar faces stepped down from the vehicles behind, dressed in styles unlike those of Tianmayu’s people.

Visitors were once commonplace, but in the apocalypse, they felt sudden.

Zhang Su saw the heavy container in Ding Yongguo’s hands and realized he’d come for fire to smelt steel—he’d promised in the morning but forgotten in the afternoon.

He slapped his forehead. “Old Ding, you’ve been working all day—don’t you plan to rest?”

Ding Yongguo didn’t take the selection test—he had endless work every day, his specialized skills guaranteed his place in the camp, his martial ability was more than adequate, and forging wasn’t light labor; its intensity could even exceed that of the Reserve Legion’s training.

“I haven’t worked in ages—my hands are itching! Hahaha, not tired at all! By the way, Boss Zhang, I’ve got a killer formula—guaranteed to make the great katana tough and sharp. Needs high-temperature smelting. Heard that guy’s fire’s insane—let’s go, melt it now!”

Ding Yongguo leaned close to Zhang Su’s ear, proudly patting the heavy iron can in his hands.

Seeing Ding Yongguo’s high spirits and the hopeful gaze beside him, Zhang Su nodded, signaling him to wait, then turned to the rear: “Bozi, entertain these guests at the restaurant—I’ll be there soon!”

“Oh, got it. Come this way, everyone.”

Lu Yubo was quite skilled at hosting guests.

“Boss Zhang, where are those guests from? If you can tell me, tell me—if not, pretend I didn’t ask.”

As the two walked toward the flaming zombie’s cargo truck, Ding Yongguo asked curiously.

Zhang Su took off his gloves, pulled out a cigarette, and offered one to Ding Yongguo. “No need to keep it secret—they’re from the Longtou Camp in the Shanhai Zone. A massive horde is moving toward Shanhai, and they want us to send troops to help hold it.”

“No way—it’s a long way from here to Shanhai. Their journey must’ve been brutal.”

Ding Yongguo recalled his own days of wandering, unable to imagine the trials of traveling dozens of kilometers.

Zhang Su smiled. “People from big camps have ways. They had companions luring zombies away along the route—no danger likely.”

“So you’re planning to send people to help… never mind, never mind—I shouldn’t ask. My bad for being nosy, hehe… Oh, by the way, Boss Zhang, that brat just came back, acting all proud—did he really pass the test this afternoon?”

Ding Yongguo set aside his curiosity and asked about Zheng Ziwen.

“Passed two tests, Old Ding. Zheng isn’t as weak as you said—he’s not just putting on a show, is he? Where is he?”

Zhang Su glanced toward the forge but saw no sign of Zheng Ziwen.

“Put on a show? That brat’s been strutting around since he got back—he told me he was done with forging, then went straight to his room to rest. Damn, he’s acting all high and mighty! I thought he made it into the Reserve Legion—turns out he’s in the Elite Legion! Little sneak!”

Ding Yongguo sounded annoyed, but his smiling face betrayed him.

“Haha, don’t worry—Zheng’s got no time to help you anymore now that he’s in the Elite Legion.”

The Elite Legion handles field missions and intense daily training—every minute is scheduled.

As Zhang Su reached the cargo truck, he handed a cigarette to Wang Longzhong, who stood guard. “Old Wang, thanks for your work.”

“It’s my duty—not tiring at all, haha. You’re here to smelt the ingot for Old Ding, right?”

Wang Longzhong had some familiarity with forging processes.

“Right. Move aside—watch your safety!”

As he spoke, Zhang Su climbed onto the truck and began operating.

The flaming zombie’s fire was no joke—he rotated the cargo box toward an open area, then had Ding Yongguo place the sealed iron can on the ground. Clang—the box opened, revealing a zombie covered in flame patterns, imprisoned on a steel I-beam frame. More like a flame-wreathed king under divine punishment than a mere zombie.

“Such a fierce temperature!”

Ding Yongguo peered at the flaming zombie, feeling the heat roll over him—no matter how many times he saw it, it still stunned him.

The commotion drew many from the camp. The day’s work was ending; people were relaxing, waiting for dinner, and now they gathered around the spectacle.

“Old Ding, this fire’s intense—you need to shout stop two or three seconds early. Shutting it off takes time!”

As Zhang Su spoke, he entered the password and gripped the iron chain.

“Got it. The material’s tough too—not easy to melt, haha.”

Saying this, Ding Yongguo pulled out a pair of sunglasses from his pocket and put them on to better observe through the flames.

Without further words, Zhang Su pulled the iron chain. After a two-second silence, a roar erupted from the cargo box, followed by a geyser of fire striking the iron container.

Whoosh—blazing…

Though the flaming zombie seemed mindless, years of enslavement had built up rage—its fury erupted in a 30–40-meter torrent of flame, lighting up all of Tianmayu. The Yanluo Legion had grown used to it, yet still enjoyed the spectacle; as long as the zombie was under human control, it was a usable resource—and a deadly weapon against zombies in critical moments.

At that moment, Shen Linrui and the other four sitting at Xiao Xingyun Restaurant all turned toward the window—the extraordinary firelight and the whooshing, roaring sounds startled them.

“Mr. Lu, what… what’s that noise?”

Shen Linrui pointed at the red window at Lu Yubo.

“Oh, nothing—just the forge firing up. Old Pan, you’re old enough already—”

Lu Yubo knew exactly what it was and gave a casual reply, then resumed chatting with Pan Guoliang.

The flame blast lasted about thirty seconds—then Ding Yongguo shouted: “Stop!”

Clang… whoosh.

The heavy iron plate slammed down, cutting off the flame—only a lingering tail of fire swept across.

The sky hadn’t fully darkened yet, but when the fire vanished, the onlookers felt as if darkness had swallowed everything—except the small can on the ground, glowing red-hot.

Ding Yongguo stepped forward, clamped the can with tongs, inspected it, shifted position, then walked back to the truck window. “Another ten—no, eight seconds.”

Whoosh… pfft…

Repeated several times, after adjusting four or five times over three or four minutes, Ding Yongguo walked off, tongs in hand, clutching the glowing can—beaming with satisfaction.

“Thank you.”

Ju Wuying had been standing in the shadows. When Zhang Su jumped down, she stepped forward to thank him.

“You’re too polite. Helping you grow stronger benefits the camp—and makes my job easier. By the way, I gave your Ju Yihé blueprint to Teacher Yu—he’s showing it to folks in the village below. If he hears anything, he’ll tell me.”

Zhang Su told Ju Wuying.

“Thanks again—I’ll head to the forge and see if I can help.”

Ju Wuying thanked him once more, then turned toward the forge. She’d heard Zheng Ziwen had become arrogant after passing the test and quit helping at the forge—she wanted to hurry and get a suitable weapon.

Zhang Su headed toward Xiao Xingyun, planning to ask more about Longtou Camp. He pulled out his radio to call Yu Wen, but after a moment’s thought, put it away again.

(End of chapter)