Chapter 676: How to Divide It?

Unfamiliar yet familiar scenery blurred past the windows as the car continued forward, the urban area of Shanhai District now faintly visible ahead.

Several landmark buildings on the city’s outskirts had collapsed; the Thermal Group’s chimney, once over a hundred meters tall and standing like a sentinel guarding the city’s winter warmth, now stood only as a stubborn base.

An unnamed factory, its walls gone, its workshops collapsed, its corrugated steel roofing scattered hundreds of meters away across the fields, its assembly lines in chaotic ruin…

Shen Linrui dared not press the accelerator hard; never before had returning to Shanhai District weighed so heavily on his heart. Though not originally from Shanhai District, he had spent his most unforgettable months here and had come to see it as his new home—because his hometown might never be reachable again. And now, even this new home was destroyed.

No matter how slow the speed, there would come a moment when they entered the urban area…

Conditions in the urban area were dire: countless collapsed buildings, rubble strewn everywhere, the car struggling forward through ruins, it could be blocked at any moment by massive debris.

“Holy shit, this looks like it got plowed over ten times by bomber jets—what the hell would it have been like before the disaster broke out?”

Zhao Dezhu was one of only two people not driving, sitting in Lu Yubo’s car, voicing his amazement.

“Sure, he always complained about wanting to drive back to Tianmayu, but that was only because someone else would cover for him if things went wrong. On actual missions? He’d never touch the steering wheel unless absolutely forced to. ‘I think we can turn back already. The Dragonhead Camp is still about four or five kilometers away, right? With everything like this, what’s even left to see there?’”

Lu Yubo drove with a shaky hand, his body bouncing up and down with every bump.

“Little Lu, you forgot our main mission this time? The Dragonhead Camp is definitely gone, but the horde of corpses is still out there!”

Zhao Dezhu gripped the window handle with both hands, feeling his morning porridge rising in his throat, every burp tasting of pickled vegetables.

“I forgot about that—hey, Cao…”

He nearly rammed into a steel rebar jutting out from the concrete.

“Something’s blocking the way, guys, lend a hand!”

Zhao Dezhu jumped from the car onto the rubble and waved to the vehicles behind.

Only about four or five kilometers remained, but no one knew how long it would take to cover that distance…

Ten people from Shanhai District struggled forward toward Dragonhead Camp, while on Tianmayu, Zhang Su was in the blacksmith shop studying new materials with Ding Yongguo.

“Boss Zhang, this bone… I’m stumped. It won’t burn, won’t shatter, and after grinding for ages, it just leaves a mark—how do we process this?”

Ding Yongguo held a piece of bone, deeply troubled.

Zhang Su scratched his head, helplessly declaring: “I don’t care—you’re the master craftsman, you’ve got to figure it out. Such a rare material—you’ve never seen anything like it in your life. Face the challenge, push your limits!”

“I…”

Ding Yongguo tapped the bone against the anvil with a clang, then suddenly relaxed his brow and pointed to the cargo truck: “Try heating it with that!”

Zhang Su spotted Chen Hanzhou walking toward Cuilengxuan and said: “I’ve got a meeting to attend, Old Ding, you keep working—I’ll come help you later when I’m free!”

“Damn…” Ding Yongguo muttered as he watched Zhang Su leave, “What do you mean ‘help me’? You’re the one who wants the weapon made!”

Zhang Su truly had no time for this—he had a tense meeting waiting for him to chair.

In a lab inside Cuilengxuan, Fu Weijun sat in a wheelchair, Qiu Hui sat on the bed, and Chen Hanzhou leaned against the examination table, all three staring silently at Zhang Su as he paced in the center of the room.

“I’ve called the three of you here to decide on one thing—a matter of great importance to each of you.”

Zhang Su stopped pacing, his gaze sweeping over their faces. Fu Weijun’s eyes held anticipation and anxiety; Qiu Hui looked utterly confused; Chen Hanzhou showed quiet shock—he was the youngest, yet the most composed.

Fu Weijun’s anticipation came from having guessed what Zhang Su intended to announce; his anxiety stemmed from there being three of them. Qiu Hui knew nothing and couldn’t fathom why she was here. Chen Hanzhou tried linking the other two to himself—aside from Fu Weijun’s disability, there was no obvious connection. Recalling the fates of Liu Tianji and Ke Zhiyu, he made a bold guess, his heart quickening.

All three expressions registered in Zhang Su’s eyes. He still wore his aviator sunglasses, never considering using emotional manipulation on them.

A moment passed in silence; all three waited, quietly and patiently.

Zhang Su reached into his pocket and pulled out a self-sealing bag containing two pale gold substances, slightly larger than peanuts.

“This is a substance discovered by Dr. Fu—capable of regenerating severed limbs…”

“Huh? This…?”

Qiu Hui’s expression shifted from confusion to stunned awe. She stood up instantly, even on one leg, steady as stone, her eyes blazing with longing.

Chen Hanzhou didn’t react as dramatically as Qiu Hui—he’d already guessed—but his heart still pounded uncontrollably. He took a deep breath to steady himself.

“Qiu Hui, calm down.” Zhang Su pressed his palm downward, signaling her to sit, then addressed them all: “I’ve gathered you here to discuss the distribution of this drug.”

“You’ve seen it—there are only two doses. Further division would compromise effectiveness…”

“Mr. Zhang, may I say something?”

Fu Weijun raised his hand. After Zhang Su nodded, he continued: “Even at this size, we can’t guarantee effectiveness. The two previous test subjects only lost parts of their hands—no more than twenty percent of the arm. Among us three, only Chen Hanzhou’s condition matches the test subjects.”

Fu Weijun hadn’t planned to speak, but his scientific conscience wouldn’t let him stay silent—even if it cost him the chance, he had to tell them.

Zhang Su looked at Fu Weijun; they exchanged a silent nod.

“Let’s assume success is guaranteed. The problem now is this: three people. How do we divide it?”

Zhang Su posed the question.

Chen Hanzhou spread his hands and smiled: “Brother Su, you decide. I’m fine with anything.”

He said he was fine with anything, but inwardly, he longed for it—no one could remain truly indifferent in the face of such a thing.

“If I wanted to decide alone, why would I have called you three here? Emotionally, Chen Hanzhou is a veteran of the camp—we fought our way out of the city together. But Dr. Fu’s contributions to the camp are immense: healing drugs, bulletproof vests, grape bombs—all his inventions…”

Not just achievements—discoveries! And Qiu Hui is also a vital member! I’m too damn lazy to waste brain cells every time—I’m always the bad guy. This time, figure it out yourselves.”

Qiu Hui blinked, puzzled, pointing to her own nose and smiling awkwardly: “Big Brother Zhang, first, I’m optimistic—I know I can live independently, won’t be a burden to the camp. But… uh… what have I done to become such a vital member?”

In Qiu Hui’s eyes, she couldn’t possibly compare to the two men beside her. Yet here she was, being considered—she was stunned.

Chen Hanzhou didn’t understand either, but he didn’t ask, nor did he show it. He hadn’t even realized Qiu Hui herself was unaware.

Zhang Su spoke bluntly: “Didn’t I tell you before? Did you think I was joking? You still don’t realize how powerful it is to move freely among the corpses!”

“Oh?”

Chen Hanzhou exclaimed in surprise, staring at Qiu Hui with exaggerated disbelief.

Since the disaster began, countless people had tried to evade the zombies—smearing zombie flesh and organs on oneself was basic. They’d even wrapped themselves in petrified zombie skins, and it still didn’t work. Electromagnetic shielding? Useless. They’d nearly sealed themselves in lead shells! And now, someone who could go unseen by zombies had finally appeared—and it was right beside them!

(End of Chapter)