Chapter 341: Not a single one with a good brain!

"No, no, I even took a few extra laps on purpose, hehe."

Xiao Xuejian jumped out of the car, greeted a few companions, and then said, "Team Leader, I've delivered your message. Zhang Su's meaning was very vague, but he did send a gift in return."

"Not refusing is good news, and a return gift is even better. What is it?"

Gong Chengming never expected the other party to agree outright. In fact, if they had, he would have been even more vigilant. In this day and age, it's easy to talk big, and any promise can be broken in the end. So, as long as a connection is established, the rest can be discussed later.

"Three raccoon dog skins!"

Xiao Xuejian happily took three raccoon dog skins with bright fur and soft texture from the back seat of the Coolway.

"Whoa!"

A team member exclaimed, laughing, "This stuff is only rare to country bumpkins. There are plenty of mink coats piled up in the Alliance warehouse that no one wears. Who would want this?"

"Exactly!"

Another team member spoke up, touched the raccoon dog skin, and curled his lip, "Team Leader, Zhang Su is far worse than you when it comes to gift-giving!"

"That's right. Team Leader, you think of what people need, carefully selecting supplies based on the situation at Tianmayu. Zhang Su seemingly sent what he considered valuable items, but he didn't consider our actual needs at all. It's all nonsense."

Another person echoed, their face filled with dissatisfaction.

Gong Chengming stroked the soft raccoon dog skin, gave the group a meaningful look, and smiled, "Without realizing it, you've all picked up some bad habits from the Alliance. I don't know if your combat skills have improved, but your butt-kissing skills are becoming increasingly masterful."

Clearly, Gong Chengming was very displeased with their remarks.

"That's not..."

"No, no."

"It's all the truth."

The five team members laughed sheepishly after being scolded by Gong Chengming.

"I'm asking you, Xiao Xiao, how did you react after taking Zhang Su's gift?"

Gong Chengming couldn't be bothered to bicker with his subordinates and asked about the real business.

Xiao Xuejian shrugged and said, "I said these things were very precious, and that they would be worth a lot if traded on the market."

"Sigh..."

Gong Chengming clapped his hand against his palm, shook his head, and said with the air of an old cadre, "You showed your hand."

Everyone looked at each other, not quite understanding what Gong Chengming meant.

"What do you mean?" Xiao Xuejian asked, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"This was clearly a test from Zhang Su. You... you really took him for a fool. He's someone who fought his way out of the city with his people; how could he not know what's valuable and what isn't in the city?"

Gong Chengming pursed his lips helplessly. He had many fierce warriors under his command, but not a single one with a sharp mind. He had picked Xiao Xuejian to handle the task as the best of a bad bunch, but it was still lacking.

"This... then, what should I do?"

Xiao Xuejian felt deflated. It was fine when Gong Chengming hadn't said anything, but now that he had, the more he thought about his previous reaction, the more awkward he felt. Zhang Su's half-smile seemed to have turned into mockery.

It wasn't that he really felt he had lost face, but rather that this trip was for serious business. If he ended up delaying the Team Leader's big plans, that would be a huge sin.

"These are minor issues. Zhang Su shouldn't be one to fuss over such things. As long as there is profit, everyone is a friend. That's it, let's go, back we go! Hey, remember to load those supplies!"

Gong Chengming put the raccoon dog skin back in the car, thought for a moment, then picked one up and draped it over his neck, walking toward his own vehicle.

"Hey, you missed it, you missed it..."

At the intersection leading to Kuanzhuang, Su Xiaoya saw that Zhang Su had no intention of slowing down at all and was driving straight toward the north, and she became anxious.

The Big Dog following closely behind the FJ Cruiser naturally didn't stop either and drove through the intersection.

"Hiccup~."

Zhang Su let out a satisfied burp, his mouth full of the taste of green onions. He'd had a pancake rolled with green onions for breakfast; apart from being a bit dry, it tasted pretty good. Seeing Su Xiaoya gesturing wildly at the intersection, he waved his hand.

"What's the rush? Since we just came out, we have to handle the real business first! Besides, we'll definitely need to haul some things when we go to Kuanzhuang. Do you expect us to drive around with supplies? Not to mention whether we'll get robbed, do you understand how much fuel that wastes?"

Su Xiaoya frowned in frustration, adjusted her earmuffs, and stopped talking, because she felt Zhang Su's words made sense...

The vehicle continued northward. There were no people on the barren fields on either side of the road, only the occasional zombie moving about. Traces of tank treads from yesterday still remained on the road surface. Bare tree trunks and withered grass dotted the path, and everything appeared so dilapidated.

"Hmm... this car looks so high-end. Can you play a song for me to listen to?"

Su Xiaoya felt the surroundings were terrifyingly quiet. Apart from the wind and tire noise of the car, there were no other sounds. She couldn't even see a single living creature (zombies don't count as living creatures), and she felt a bit panicked inside.

"They're all used for listening to the radio. As for songs... you have to connect via Bluetooth, but I didn't bring a phone with songs stored on it."

Zhang Su explained.

"I really want to hear some sound. It's so silent, as if we're the only two cars left in the world. It's so lonely."

Su Xiaoya pressed her face against the cold glass, looking a bit sad. It was the rebellious teenage years, a personality prone to melancholy.

"Only a little brat like you has the heart to feel such useless things. We're all thinking about how to survive. You want to hear sound? You got it!"

As Zhang Su spoke, he casually turned on the audio system and tuned the frequency. Static white noise sounded, followed by the broadcast from the Survivor Alliance as expected. It was the same segment as before, but with a change in the date, still following the Gregorian calendar. It was likely to let survivors who heard the broadcast know that their Alliance was still operating normally and not just a machine playing on a loop, attempting to attract more survivors to head there.

"Is it possible for us to go into the city for a walk? The last time I went to Qingcheng was during summer vacation. I had originally made plans with classmates to go to Xianluo Island during the October holiday..."

Hearing the Survivor Alliance broadcast, the gloom on Su Xiaoya's face was mostly swept away, and a spark of vitality burst forth.

"You still think this is the past? Go for a walk... there's definitely no chance in the near future. If the temperature continues to drop, our movement in the vicinity will decrease. Do you think the only crisis is zombies? The cold is just as damaging to us!"

The extreme cold climate was a huge threat to people. Now, the temperature was maintained at over twenty degrees below zero. Even before the disaster broke out, outdoor work would be reduced at this temperature. If it continued to drop, people would inevitably minimize outdoor activities to the greatest extent.

"Alright." Su Xiaoya knew she didn't know much and was very willing to listen to advice. She then asked, "Is Tianmayu broadcasting to the outside world?"

Zhang Su shook his head and said, "Not for the time being."

"Why? Is it because you're afraid that more people will attract more zombies?"

Su Xiaoya already had a rough understanding of the zombie attraction principle.

"That's only one aspect!" Zhang Su fished a cigarette out of his pocket, lit it, and continued, "Actually, I've been very cautious and careful with every population increase in Tianmayu. People like Lei Youliang, who are full of ambition, can't be accepted. Those who are lazy, waiting to die, and have no drive can't be accepted. Those who don't follow orders and are too opinionated can't be accepted..."

As he spoke, Zhang Su glanced at Su Xiaoya. Seeing her eyes wide with a strange expression, he asked, "Do you think it's quite troublesome?"

"Yeah..." Su Xiaoya let out a long sigh, tugging at her fingers, "Managing a camp is really not easy..."

Zhang Su was stunned. He didn't expect this little girl to be able to say something so thoughtful. He took a puff of his cigarette, smiled faintly, and didn't speak.

A moment later, Su Xiaoya pointed at the radio and said, "Can I tune it?"

"Suit yourself."

Zhang Su shrugged.

Su Xiaoya mimicked Zhang Su's operation to tune the radio. Her movements were very slow, as if she were afraid of missing a signal.

Seeing Su Xiaoya's careful manner, Zhang Su couldn't help but say, "There's no need to be that slow. If there's sound, you'll be able to hear it. At your speed, you won't finish a full cycle in a whole morning."

"It doesn't matter, there's nothing else to do anyway, let's take it slow."

Su Xiaoya finally found something to do and seemed not to want to finish it quickly, turning the knob earnestly.

The car passed by the flower fields and the church. Zhang Su looked toward the attic window of the church, recalling the scene of his first time coming here, when suddenly, he heard a string of fuzzy sounds amidst the white noise of the car audio. It was severely distorted and impossible to understand, but he could be certain it was a human voice.

"Don't move!"

Zhang Su raised his hand to signal Su Xiaoya to stop, then said, "Someone was talking just now, did you hear it?"

"Was there?" Su Xiaoya asked curiously, then dialed the frequency back a bit.

"Tang! @#￥... Ping District #￥%"

"Listen, that's it!"

Zhang Su's expression turned serious. This time the sound was much clearer than before. Although it was still mixed in with the white noise, anyone who wasn't deaf could tell it was a person speaking.

Su Xiaoya's expression also tightened, and she asked cautiously, "Could, could this be other survivors calling for help?"

"I don't know!"

While speaking, Zhang Su flicked the right turn signal, pulled the car over to the side of the road, and then began to tune the radio in earnest.

Knock, knock.

Before Zhang Su could figure out the radio, Lu Yubo and the others from the car behind ran to the front, knocking on the glass and asking about the situation with their expressions.

Click.

Hearing the sound of the car doors unlocking, they quickly pulled them open and sat in the back row.

Seeing Zhang Su staring at the radio, Lu Yubo asked, "What's up, Brother Su, any news?"

"Yeah, I heard it just now. It's there, don't make a sound, listen carefully!"

The car's reception of the Survivor Alliance broadcast was very clear, which showed that the poor reception this time was due to the other party's poor transmitting equipment.

After tuning, they were finally able to hear the content of the broadcast clearly. A standard, articulate female voice echoed in the car cabin.

"Year One, Month One, Day Fifteen of the Calamity Era. The Zhengdao Society, the largest survivor organization in Tang Cheng, greets all survivors who can hear this broadcast. It is freezing cold, please keep warm! I am the announcer, Qingqing. Please allow me to grandly introduce the Zhengdao Society to all survivors still drifting outside!"

"The Zhengdao Society headquarters is located at Kaiyue Road, Kaiping District, Tang Cheng. Currently, our Zhengdao Society has a total membership of nearly 3,245 people. We possess a perfect community that cannot be compared to Tang Cheng or even the surrounding hundreds of kilometers. We have a very complete system in the fields of military defense, medical care, catering, entertainment, and education, and we are currently dedicated to restoring industry."

"We believe that such a perfect community will surely become the home you dream of in the apocalypse. The Zhengdao Society sincerely invites all handsome men and beautiful women. Whether you are a three-year-old kid or an eighty-year-old grandpa or grandma, as long as you are willing to come to the Zhengdao Society, you will surely find a place of your own!"

The one-minute broadcast ended, and after a few seconds of silence, it began to repeat in a loop.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 342 =====