Chapter 77: A Fierce Warrior

"Shit!"

Zhang Su yanked the rebar out of Qiu Shuo’s skull, feeling blood rush to his head and a wave of dizziness wash over him.

He wasn’t close to Qiu Shuo, but they knew each other well—he’d just taken a familiar man’s life, a heavy burden, though Qiu Shuo was nearly fully transformed, sparing him the worst of the guilt.

“Wahhh, Brother Shuo, wahhh...”

Lu Yubo knelt on the floor, wailing.

“You owe me, you bastard—go bury little Shuo! I can’t stand looking at you...”

“Forget it, forget it...”

“Brother Zhang, don’t be angry.”

Zhang Su’s temper flared at Lu Yubo’s sniveling—he wanted to kick him, but Zheng Xinyu, Zhong Xiaoshan, and Lao Wang held him back.

Inside the filthy convenience store, the stench of blood mingled with the lingering aroma of instant noodles; everyone sat in silence, their spirits crushed.

The apocalypse was cruel, but none expected such cruelty to strike so close—so close to someone they knew.

Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshan sat beside Zhang Su, gently stroking his hand, soothing his inner turmoil.

They knew killing Qiu Shuo weighed far heavier than killing Ma Xuechuo—killing a hundred Ma Xuechuos wouldn’t have burdened them at all.

Lu Yubo dragged Qiu Shuo’s corpse to the back of the store, trying to dig a grave, but the concrete ground was unbreakable—he finally laid the body in a clean drainage ditch, then scooped out potting soil and patted it over Qiu Shuo’s body, a symbolic burial.

“Brother Zhang.”

After finishing, Lu Yubo crawled to Zhang Su’s feet and knelt, his face streaked with tears and snot.

“Don’t call me that. Get lost.”

Zhang Su shot him a irritated glance.

“I—I want to follow you, Brother Zhang.”

Lu Yubo sniffled, pleading.

“Follow me? You couldn’t even bring yourself to bury your best friend at his dying request—what good are you?”

Zhang Su’s anger surged—he kicked Lu Yubo hard, sending him tumbling backward.

“Brother Zhang, I can kill zombies—I’m not afraid—but I just can’t kill Brother Shuo!”

Lu Yubo crawled on his knees back to Zhang Su’s feet.

The more he spoke, the angrier Zhang Su became—he leapt to his feet, grabbed Lu Yubo by the collar, and raised his fist to strike.

“Husband, don’t... don’t hurt your own hand.”

Zheng Xinyu instantly blocked Zhang Su, the term slipping out naturally.

Zhang Su froze—he’d never heard her call him that before.

“Damn it!” Zhang Su’s rage eased slightly—he released Lu Yubo and snarled, “Everyone knew little Shuo would turn. He was your best friend, you couldn’t do it, so you made me take the blame? You owe me big time!”

“Yes, yes, Brother Zhang, I owe you—let me follow you. I’ll repay you with action. I won’t let you down.”

Lu Yubo knelt again, his face earnest as he stared at Zhang Su.

“Brother Zhang, he’s just a kid—he doesn’t have strong nerves. I think he’s sincere. Give him dirty, hard jobs—he’s worth considering.”

Wang Guang saw Lu Yubo and thought of his own son—they were the same age—and couldn’t help speaking up.

“Yes, yes, Uncle’s right, Brother Zhang—I can do any dirty or hard work. I’ll obey you from now on!”

Lu Yubo swore earnestly.

“Anyone can say pretty words. Go sit over there and let me be quiet!”

Zhang Su waved him off.

Lu Yubo caught Wang Guang’s subtle signal and quickly crouched into the corner, silent.

“What do you think?”

Zhang Su sat back down and asked Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshan softly.

“If we’re going to Qingxian, three of us won’t be enough—we can take on a few companions, but it’s your call.”

Zhong Xiaoshan spoke quickly.

Zheng Xinyu nodded in agreement: “I agree with Xiaoshan—if someone seems reliable and likable, bring them along. More hands make lighter work—not everyone’s like Ma Xuechuo.”

“Let me think.”

Zhang Su frowned in thought—he knew collective strength was powerful, but every member had to be trustworthy and controllable.

“Use it once...”

As he thought, Zhang Su looked toward Lu Yubo in the corner—his mind activated, and three tags instantly appeared above the man’s head.

【Fearless】【Clueless】【Reckless】

“This...”

Zhang Su was speechless—two words immediately flashed in his mind: brute.

Such a man couldn’t be entrusted with important tasks, but simple jobs requiring brute force? He’d handle them well.

A true enforcer!

But no loyalty tag appeared—leaving him without a key parameter to judge.

“Come here!”

Zhang Su decided to talk to Lu Yubo properly.

Lu Yubo heard Zhang Su call him and scrambled to his feet, kneeling before him eagerly: “Brother Zhang, are you letting me follow you?”

“Don’t rush. I have questions.” Zhang Su said: “Why do you want to follow me?”

“Brother Zhang, you’re awesome! Brother Shuo told me four years ago, some guys came to Dong’s KTV to cause trouble—you were there, and you knocked down three or four of them in seconds. Totally badass!”

Lu Yubo looked at Zhang Su with awe—he was a low-level thug, and he worshipped raw strength.

Zhang Su remembered the incident—he’d gone to Pang Haidong’s KTV repeatedly to expand his business, and because the hostesses there were pretty...

“Damn it, thinking about that pisses me off—I worked free security just to sell a few things to Pang Haidong!”

“Hehe, Dong always says you’re righteous and tough—but kinda cheap when selling stuff...”

Lu Yubo’s voice trailed off.

“When did I ever rip people off?” Zhang Su started to protest, then spotted the broken iron blade on the ground and changed course: “Fine, sometimes my goods aren’t great—but I never charged Pang Haidong high prices. You get what you pay for. Always been fair. It’s not me being shady—it’s you people wanting five-star service for one-star money.”

But his defense rang hollow—everyone around him still looked at him skeptically.

“Cough! Let’s get serious.” Zhang Su cleared his throat and turned to Lu Yubo: “Following me doesn’t guarantee safety. Some dangers you could avoid alone—I might send you into them. What then?”

“Brother Zhang, just give the order—I’ll go through fire and sword without blinking. But... if you end up like Brother Shuo, I still won’t be able to do it...”

“Shut the hell up!” Zhang Su roared.

The first two sentences sounded decent—what the hell was that last part?

“I really can’t...”

Lu Yubo muttered, eyes darting away, unable to meet Zhang Su’s gaze.

“Is this about being able to kill? I realize now—you’re genuinely brainless!”

Zhang Su thought the 【Insight Tags】 were terrifyingly accurate.

(End of Chapter)