Chapter 70: Brother Is Straightforward

“The little girl is really pitiful—I wonder how many days she’ll survive.”

Wang Guang looked at the departing Q5 and sighed.

“Surviving the initial zombie siege on day one was her luck; today, us exposing her boyfriend’s vile nature was another stroke of luck—I wonder how long this luck will last her.”

Zhong Xiaoshan murmured.

“If she can do what I said, she should make it through the adaptation phase… Holy shit!”

Before Zhang Su finished speaking, Ma Xuechuo on the ground—like he knew Pan Ru had left—suddenly rose up!

Urrrgh, aowu.

Ma Xuechuo sat up stiffly, joints locked, body rigid, twisting his neck like a puppet. His blood-red eyes instantly locked onto the fresh flesh nearby, then somehow stood on one leg, stubbornly refusing to fall.

“Looks like the zombie movies were right—you can’t let your guard down even after they’re dead. Either burn them or destroy their brains!”

Zhang Su frowned at Ma Xuechuo, then took the pry bar from Old Wang and stepped forward to finish him off.

“Here.”

After Zhang Su finished his work, Zhong Xiaoshan walked up and handed him something.

“Huh?”

Zhang Su took the phone she offered with mild surprise, then suddenly realized: “This is the phone Ma Xuechuo was trying to give me?”

Zhong Xiaoshan nodded. “Yes—the one with Pan Ru’s recordings on it…”

“Oh wow, she actually forgot this?”

Zheng Xinyu stared in surprise at the direction Q5 had vanished.

Zhong Xiaoshan smiled faintly. “I picked it up Toutou earlier—she won’t find it even if she looks.”

“Hey, little nurse, you’re not just meticulous—you’re sneaky too. And isn’t your hobby a bit twisted? You’re interested in Pan Ru’s recordings? Hmm… password protected…”

Zhang Su teased Zhong Xiaoshan while fiddling with the phone. The wallpaper showed Ma Xuechuo and Pan Ru together—makeup-enhanced, Pan Ru looked quite delicate. He tried two simple passwords, both failed, then gave up.

“Impossible… nonsense!”

Zhong Xiaoshan blushed at Zhang Su’s words and hurried to the side to check her gear.

“I thought you’d take Pan Ru in.”

Zheng Xinyu leaned close to Zhang Su’s ear and whispered.

Zhong Xiaoshan, just walking away, heard Zheng Xinyu’s words and immediately perked up, unconsciously stepping closer to them.

Wang Guang naturally walked farther off—complex romantic entanglements among the young weren’t something he could understand.

“Don’t project your dirty, low thoughts onto me—I’m a straight arrow, got it?”

Zhang Su smirked dismissively and casually stuffed the phone into his bag.

“Pfft, sure you are…”

Zheng Xinyu rolled her eyes dramatically, then added: “Seeing how pitiful Pan Ru was, I’ve been thinking—if she’d just obeyed us and joined, it wouldn’t be so bad.”

“Hey, so generous? Should I drive back and call her?”

Zhang Su glanced sideways at Zheng Xinyu.

“Nah, no need to bring her back. Uh… you guys check the gear—I’ll go check out the store first!”

Zheng Xinyu feigned indifference, shouldering her baseball bat and heading toward the blood-smeared convenience store entrance.

“Be careful!”

Zhang Su called out with a smile. They’d known each other a long time, but spent little time together—there was a strange familiarity between them, perhaps born of being thrown together so abruptly.

“Huh?” Zhang Su turned to see Old Wang fiddling with the radio. “Any news?”

“I don’t know if parts got damaged—the signal’s terrible!”

Wang Guang helplessly shook the radio.

“Wait! There’s a radio in the car! Let’s go check if there’s any news!”

Zhang Su and Wang Guang rushed to the car, turned on the radio, tuned frantically—but still got nothing…

The two exchanged glances and got back out.

“Old Wang, what’s your plan for the road ahead?”

Leaving gear-checking to Zhong Xiaoshan, Zhang Su pulled out two cigarettes, ignored the filthy “No Smoking” sign, and offered one to Wang Guang.

Wang Guang glanced toward the Environmental College, lit his cigarette, and squatted down sadly. “Brother Zhang, thanks for getting me out. I’m planning to grab a few things and leave—maybe this afternoon. Let me have one more meal here, okay?”

He hadn’t forgotten their original agreement: after leaving the compound, they’d part ways. The Environmental College wasn’t far from their gas station, but not close either—who knew what they’d face en route? Better to be prepared, but he didn’t want to take too much.

Zhang Su exhaled a plume of smoke, gazed at the gray, overcast sky, then looked at Wang Guang—and activated 【Insight Tag】.

【Unyielding】【Stubborn】【Slow to Perceive】

“Old Wang, want to come with me?”

Zhang Su asked casually.

He’d once been angry when Wang Guang blocked the door and wouldn’t let him into the building. But Qin Ya was right—neither side was right or wrong, just different positions and perspectives. After a day or two together, and with the 【Insight Tag】’s deeper insight, he decided Wang Guang could be a reliable teammate.

He might never become an elite due to his slowness to perceive, but his unyielding nature was rare and valuable—worth using.

Wang Guang blinked, surprised at Zhang Su’s invitation.

“Brother Zhang, I really want to go with you…” Wang Guang paused, sighed, then continued: “But my son’s at school—I don’t know if he’s alive or dead. I have to go see for myself!”

“Have you thought about the difficulties ahead? Even if you had a car, do you really think you can make it to the Environmental College?”

Zhang Su spoke without emotion.

“Brother Zhang, let me put it this way: if he’s alive, I need to see him; if he’s dead, I need to see his body. Even bad news would let me make peace. But this uncertainty—I can’t rest. If I don’t fight for him, I’ll die with my eyes open.”

As a single father, his university-aged son was his obsession. Now, seeing so many tragedies, he could accept his son being dead—or even turned into a zombie. But he could never accept abandoning rescue efforts without knowing the truth.

“Come on, let’s check the convenience store—take whatever you need. I won’t be staying here anyway, and whatever’s left won’t be taken by anyone else!”

Zhang Su clapped Wang Guang on the shoulder and didn’t press further. From their brief interaction, he could tell Wang Guang was truly unyielding—and stubbornly determined to save his son. More words were useless.

Zhong Xiaoshan finished gathering gear, loaded usable items into the car, then followed Zhang Su into the convenience store.

Nearly a week had passed since the zombie outbreak, yet the store’s condition was surprisingly intact—shelves were disheveled, dust on the floor bore chaotic footprints, but no signs of clear looting.

“Looks like no one’s been here. But this store’s selection is incomplete—all show, no substance!”

Zhang Su stepped inside, glanced around, and reached his conclusion—he’d often come here to refuel and always complained.

His own 24-hour convenience store was smaller, but under headquarters’ strict management, inventory was carefully arranged, with wide variety and full categories.

This store, by contrast, had two towering piles of dried shiitake mushrooms and wood ear fungus, labeled “local specialties.” Behind the counter stood row upon row of baijiu and cigarettes, plus a full shelf of western red dates…

(End of Chapter)