Chapter 143: New Discoveries

After dinner, they welcomed a moment of leisure in the day.

Except for the sentries and Chen Hanzhou, everyone sat on the soft, withered grass with their backs against the wall, facing the fields, feeling the tranquility of the world. The faint stench that had surrounded them was replaced by a touch of fragrance.

Lu Yubo smoked a cigarette and asked, "Brother Su, do you think we can build this place into a safe base?"

"There are farmland here, and there must be wells in the village over there. Planting and animal husbandry are no problem. It is indeed a good place." Yu Wen rubbed the calluses on his hands, looked into the distance through the afterglow, and said slowly, his words carrying a hint of regret, as if there was something imperfect about it.

Zhang Su exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "From the perspective of survival alone, it is indeed not bad."

"What other aspects need to be considered?" Zheng Xinyu asked subconsciously, swinging her legs and enjoying the rare leisure.

"Safety and defense, of course!" Zhang Su took a deep breath and said, "Did you forget about the zombie horde this morning? As long as you are careful, the scattered zombies on the road and in the fields are no problem. But if there were another inexplicable zombie horde attack, how would we defend this crappy place?"

"You don't expect the wall behind us to stop zombies, do you? I don't know how many years old this wall is. I feel like if a few people hit it together, they could knock it down..."

"And there are other survivors. What if they set their sights on us, use Molotov cocktails, suicide vehicles, or lure a group of zombies to attack us, and then block our retreat? I ask you, would we be dead?"

Everyone was silent. After experiencing so much, they no longer doubted whether the phenomena Zhang Su mentioned could happen.

Before the apocalypse, the probability of bad things happening was very small, but after the apocalypse, Murphy's Law was reflected everywhere. Once you feel that something bad will happen, it will soon come true!

The Nonghua Glass Factory was formerly a manufacturing plant, so it was very open for the convenience of shipping. If they wanted to build fortifications here, it would be a pipe dream unless they had heavy machinery.

"The surrounding villages are the same. We currently only have a dozen people. With our current limited weapons and equipment, it is too difficult to build a safe zone in an ordinary small village."

Yu Wen expressed his thoughts: "Mr. Zhang's previous plan was more suitable. A farmhouse homestay near the mountains and water is easy to defend and hard to attack. Even a hotel in a scenic area, by utilizing the terrain, could create more possibilities, far better than here."

Zhang Su nodded. Seeing Liu Tianji and Wang Xin, who had just joined the team, staring blankly with their heads down, he said, "Hey, Little Liu, Little Wang, you haven't properly introduced yourselves yet. Tell everyone about yourselves."

Hearing Zhang Su call them, Liu Tianji and Wang Xin hurriedly stood up and rubbed their heads with a smile.

"Um, I'll go first!" Liu Tianji bowed to everyone: "My name is Liu Tianji, a programmer at an internet company. Heh heh, just a code monkey in the general sense."

Wang Xin followed immediately: "I'm the same as him. My name is Wang Xin. We were both code monkeys before."

"You two really are... your previous jobs are of no help at all right now. Too bad."

Zhao Dezhu shook his head.

"Don't say that..." Yu Wen corrected him hurriedly: "The two programmers are at least young and strong. Even an old language teacher like me can keep up with Mr. Zhang's pace. With the two of you's abilities, you can create more miracles!"

Zhang Su clearly felt the value of Yu Wen's presence. His combat effectiveness was up to par, but he was also quite skilled in rhetoric. Many things, once said by him, were not just effective, but improved by at least two levels.

Liu Tianji and Wang Xin nodded hurriedly, acknowledging their shortcomings and stating that they would work hard in the future. They also had to flatter Yu Wen, saying he was "old but still strong," which was quite a test of their linguistic skills.

"They say programmers don't understand social etiquette and are all socially anxious. Seeing the two of you today really broke my perception."

Yu Qing said with a smile.

"Teacher Yu is too kind. Everyone doesn't know, but the internal competition in our company was very fierce. That Zhou Litao who ran away today was my and Wang Xin's boss. He was very good at making things difficult for us. If we offended him at the company before, we were guaranteed to be miserable for a month."

Liu Tianji said, shaking his head.

"Alright." Zhang Su signaled for Liu Tianji and Wang Xin to sit down, then looked at Zhang Ya and said, "There's something I didn't want to say, but after thinking about it, I decided to tell everyone. Zhang Ya, introduce yourself."

"Ah? Oh..." Zhang Ya looked at everyone, feeling a bit nervous: "Actually, um... I was a member of Liang Dacheng's survivor team before."

"Oh?"

"Eh?"

"Holy..."

As expected, everyone made sounds of surprise.

"Don't be so jumpy, listen to her." Zhang Su suppressed the group's emotions.

Zhang Ya then repeated everything she had told Zhang Su before, and finally shrugged: "Liang Dacheng chose me before, and I had no choice at the time, so I joined his team. This time, I chose the team led by Brother Su. I hope everyone can accept me."

"Brother Su's attitude is my attitude. Welcome, welcome, welcome Sister Zhang Ya!"

Lu Yubo clapped his hands.

"As long as you don't fight with me for my husband, I welcome all sisters!"

Zheng Xinyu hugged Zhang Su's neck, her face full of giggles.

"Welcome, welcome!"

No one had any objections. In the apocalypse, choosing a better, more excellent, and more attractive team to survive in was human nature. Every leader would also use various methods to tighten the followers around them; it was a mutually reinforcing relationship.

Awooo.

During the conversation, a zombie emerged from the corner of the wall and walked toward the crowd, not knowing whether it was dead or alive, probably still excited that it could find so much fresh meat.

Tan Huajun raised her crossbow and took it out with a *whoosh*. Pang Dakun ran to the zombie nimbly, pulled out the crossbow bolt, wiped it on the weeds, and returned it to Tan Huajun. They were very tacit in their cooperation.

"Old Tan, is your daughter about the same age as this stinky kid?"

Zhang Su saw this scene and asked with a smile.

Speaking of her daughter, Tan Huajun looked toward the city center, pursed her lips, and said, "He is two years older than my daughter."

"Two years is nothing. Tell you what, Little Pang, why don't you have her be your godmother? Let Old Tan look after you in the future. How about that?"

Zhang Su suggested.

"Okay!"

Pang Dakun agreed very readily.

"This, is this okay?"

Tan Huajun was a bit at a loss.

"It's great, Sister Tan!"

"Look at how sensible Little Pang is. Accept him."

"Accept him, accept him."

Everyone didn't care about that much and followed Zhang Su in a round of teasing.

Tan Huajun looked at the cleaned-up Pang Dakun. He wasn't exactly handsome, but he was a very decent young man, much better than those "spirit" kids who went to gas stations to add twenty yuan of gas to their motorcycles.

Seeing Tan Huajun's emotions loosen, Zhang Su said, "Old Tan, there aren't many young men like Little Pang who are capable and... hardworking. It wouldn't be bad to discipline him early and keep him as a son-in-law."

Tan Huajun's expression dimmed slightly, and she shook her head: "I don't even know if my dad and Xiao Lan are still alive... Fine, since everyone says so, and I also think Little Pang is a good kid, then from now on he is my godson! None of you are allowed to bully him!"

"Godmother!"

Pang Dakun was very straightforward. Hearing Tan Huajun agree, he immediately knelt on the ground and bowed to her.

"Get up, get up. Why do you need to do this?" Tan Huajun hurriedly helped Pang Dakun up.

"Congratulations to Old Tan for gaining a godson!"

"Haha, we have to give some gifts. Here, this is from your uncle!"

Zhao Dezhu took out half a bag of unfinished dried fruit and a brand-new pack of Yuxi cigarettes from his pocket.

"I have some too, I have some too."

"Come, sister also has something delicious for you!"

"Thanks, thank you. Wuwuwu..."

In a short while, Pang Dakun's arms were full of various snacks.

"It's a happy thing, why are you crying?" Zhang Su stuffed an unopened pack of "Huazi" cigarettes to Pang Dakun.

"My biological mother never bought me so many delicious things. I got a godmother and got so much food. I'm moved, I want to cry." Pang Dakun looked at everyone with teary eyes.

Zhang Su raised his hand and patted Pang Dakun's head with a *slap-slap* sound. "Alright, alright, rest for a while. Go upstairs to keep watch at nine o'clock sharp."

"Mm."

Answering with a nasal sound, Pang Dakun sat back beside Tan Huajun and began to organize the snacks in his arms, not forgetting to share a lot with his godmother.

"Hm?" Suddenly Zhao Xue asked suspiciously: "Did you hear any insect chirping?"

This question stunned everyone.

Zhang Su moved his ears and was the first to react: "There is insect chirping! Damn, there really is!"

With his keen hearing, he could even vaguely hear the sounds of other animals in the direction of Pan Gezhuang, among which the sound of dogs was the most obvious.

"Now that you mention it... I can be sure, there wasn't any yesterday!"

Yu Wen said very firmly. He had sat on the roof of the fertilizer shop in Shuwa Village for a whole night on watch yesterday, and that silent night made him feel a bit ethereal.

Zhang Su looked at the sky thoughtfully and said, "That rain yesterday wasn't simple. It not only replenished the zombies' energy but also woke up the animals that were previously in a coma. Lucky, do you have any special feelings?"

Lucky had been lying between Zhang Su and Zheng Xinyu. Hearing Zhang Su's question, it just shook its head.

"Then those animals in the village, are they the same as you?"

Zhang Su continued to ask.

Lucky curled its lips in a very human-like way, with its tongue hanging out on one side, as if making a disdainful grimace.

"Brother Su, I have a guess." Zheng Xinyu stroked Lucky's back and said: "Could it be that the animals that woke up before the heavy rain all gained intelligence like Lucky and were strengthened, while those that woke up after the heavy rain are still ordinary animals?"

"Xinyu's guess is really possible."

"I think it makes sense."

"Forget about that, can we get a pig to eat?" Zhao Dezhu put forward a very constructive opinion.

Woof!

The first to respond to the call was not someone else, but the Corgi Lucky, who had been lying down. With a *thump*, it went from lying down to standing, very straight.

Zhang Su found Zhao Dezhu's proposal funny: "We just got a stable foothold, and you want to eat a pig. Are we humans too greedy... Speaking of which, Zhuzi, even if there is a pig, can a fish-killer like you handle it?"

Zhao Dezhu slapped his chest loudly and said: "Big brother, don't talk about one pig, even if a cow comes, I'll handle it for you clearly!"

"Do you want a dinosaur too! Think about those things later, let's get through tonight first!"

Zhang Su looked at the people around him. Although everyone was talking and laughing, their bodies were actually very tired.

You can't do risky things when you are not sure. Being vigilant about the crisis that may appear at any time is the top priority of the team now. It has not reached the level of being able to explore at will.

As the sky gradually darkened, everyone climbed over the wall and returned to the glass factory. Everyone was very tired today, and many people chose to rest early.

With the spacious space, some people who didn't want to squeeze into the RV carried their bedding to the clean ground of the factory floor to sleep. It was a bit cold, but they got a rare spaciousness.

Zhang Su still chose to sleep in the RV, and he couldn't understand the thoughts of those who gave up warmth and comfort to sleep on the floor.

The camp area expanded. The sentries were not just Pang Dakun and Lucky on the roof. One person was also sitting on the roof of the RV, staring at the main entrance of the factory area. It was Zhong Xiaoshan, who was holding a gun.

With the growth of the team, Zhang Su's vigilance increased again, and he sent the core members of the core to participate in the night watch again.

At night, two cars whizzed past. Pang Dakun notified Zhong Xiaoshan via walkie-talkie, waking up many people, but there were no accidents. After encountering the broken bridge, the vehicles turned around and sped back toward the city center, completely unaware that a large group of people lived in the glass factory.

Except for the two cars, there was nothing that caused a commotion, and everyone had a good night's sleep.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 144 =====