Chapter 372: That

A calm night passed quickly. The next morning, the sky brightened, but no sunlight shone upon the hillside; heavy, overcast clouds blocked the light.

Zhang Su got up and stood by the window, looking at the sky with a hint of worry in his heart.

The cloud cover acted as insulation, preventing the temperature from dropping further, but because of this, he feared it would snow. It had now been basically proven that whether it rained or snowed, as long as water fell from the sky, it would cause the zombies to upgrade...

Before the disaster, heavy rain would make business at the convenience store poor, but Zhang Su had truly enjoyed sitting inside, watching the raindrops patter against the ground. Now, however, rain was a major problem, inevitably leaving one feeling uneasy.

"Are you worried about it snowing?"

Zhong Xiaoshan hugged Zhang Su from behind. The exquisite earrings on her earlobes made her face glow with a touch of radiance.

"Yeah."

Zhang Su sighed softly. As long as the zombies didn't continue to grow stronger, he wouldn't mind if the cold lasted for an entire year.

"Don't think too much. These things aren't for us to decide. Let's put our energy into the things we can control, okay?"

Zhong Xiaoshan encouraged Zhang Su in a soft, gentle voice.

As the leader's woman, could she use her privilege to demand, enjoy, and slack off?

Not in the slightest!

Both she and Zheng Xin knew very well that if they went down that path, they wouldn't be far from disaster. Both understood the burden on their shoulders.

As the women behind Zhang Su, they had to provide sunshine when he was pessimistic, comfort when he was sad, and solace when he was exhausted, all while doing their own work well.

It was by no means easy, but even so, many people would still covet this position. They believed that as long as Zhang Su showed even a hint of interest in a woman, the probability of that woman refusing would be almost zero...

Zhang Su nodded and said, "You're right. We should focus on what we can control. Impressive, when did you become a philosopher? You've got quite the way with words. Ha, let's go, philosopher, time to get some... hmm?"

His mood improved, and just as he was about to go get breakfast, Zhang Su's ears twitched. There were unfamiliar footsteps in the hallway outside!

"What's wrong?"

Zhong Xiaoshan followed Zhang Su's gaze to the room wall, but there was nothing there.

"Someone is skulking around outside..."

Zhang Su frowned slightly, his vigilance rising. However, before he could even reach for his weapon, he heard someone speaking outside.

"Uncle, time for breakfast. Are you up?"

"Xiao Pang?"

Zhong Xiaoshan was stunned; she hadn't expected the person outside to be Pang Dakun.

"What the hell are you doing, kid..."

Zhang Su opened the door to see Pang Dakun standing there with a sheepish smile. At first, he had thought it was Ju Wuying sneaking over, as both of them had very light footsteps.

"Nothing... hehe, well, uh, good morning, Sister-in-law."

Pang Dakun scratched his head nervously, then hurriedly greeted Zhong Xiaoshan.

"You're here to see your uncle about something, right? You two talk, I'm going to go eat."

Zhong Xiaoshan saw at a glance that Pang Dakun had something to say to Zhang Su, so naturally, she wouldn't stay in the room and be a nuisance. She waved her hand and headed downstairs.

"What's wrong with you, kid? Come in."

Seeing Pang Dakun's shifty-eyed appearance, Zhang Su knew he was feeling guilty about something. His heart skipped a beat, wondering if this guy had gotten into some kind of trouble!

"Eh, eh!"

Pang Dakun hurriedly walked into the room, closed the door, stood in the middle of the room, and gave a silly laugh. "Hehe, Uncle, um, I wanted to ask, that person who went out with you yesterday, uh, Su Xiaoya, where is she?"

Zhang Su raised an eyebrow and glanced sideways at Pang Dakun. "Su Xiaoya isn't one of our Tianma Island people. She's definitely staying at Village No. 2 with the big sisters from Kuanzhuang. What do you want?"

The satellite villages had already abandoned their old names and were now using numbers to replace them.

"Nothing..." Pang Dakun gave a foolish grin. "Well, Uncle, can, uh, can you arrange a job for Su Xiaoya at Tianma Island?"

"You kid, tell me the truth. Did you fall for her?"

Seeing Pang Dakun acting like this, Zhang Su understood everything; he just hadn't wanted to point it out before.

"Haha. Yeah, I guess a little bit. I think she's pretty cute."

Pang Dakun touched his nose awkwardly, his hands and feet restless.

"It's normal for someone your age to like girls. She's about your age, and she's a good person, but I have no intention of bringing her to Tianma Island."

Zhang Su shrugged. Personally and professionally, he didn't want to see Su Xiaoya every day. He hadn't expected this little brother he'd picked up from Shuwa Village to have taken a liking to her.

In all fairness, Su Xiaoya's looks were at most average before the disaster, but that level could be considered "beautiful" nowadays.

Pang Dakun had been full of excitement, feeling sure this would work out, but being flatly rejected, he instantly wilted like a frostbitten eggplant. His shoulders, brows, and nose bridge all slumped, and he looked listless.

"Look at your pathetic face!"

Zhang Su found Pang Dakun's lovelorn look both annoying and funny. He could hardly stand on a moral high ground to criticize others, as he himself had two beautiful women by his side. But he knew that even if he didn't, having tasted enough pleasure, he could suppress his desires quite well.

Pang Dakun made a face and said, "Uncle, you don't care about my happy life."

"You damn brat, what kind of nonsense is that!" Zhang Su was truly amused. He laughed and patted Pang Dakun on the head, feigning anger. "I'm asking if your brain is frozen? Su Xiaoya can't come to Tianma Island, but you can go to Village No. 2!"

Whether it was Village No. 1 or Village No. 2, Zhang Su was determined to place his most core members there.

Pang Dakun didn't show much excitement after hearing Zhang Su's words; instead, he fell into deep thought, muttering to himself. After about ten seconds, he shook his head and said, "I'd better not go to Village No. 2. My grandfather told me before that a real man should marry a wife and bring her home, not become a live-in son-in-law at the woman's place. That's not manly!"

"Pfft!"

This time, Zhang Su couldn't help it and burst out laughing. He took a deep breath and said, "I'd say you're thinking way too far ahead. You haven't even bought the pen to write the marriage contract, and you're already considering marriage? And who said you'd go to Village No. 2 and never come back? I'm sending you there to be an official, to manage people, understand?"

"Ah? An official?" Pang Dakun was very sensitive to the word "official." He had known since he was a child that being an official was impressive, so he immediately perked up. "Uncle, I want to be an official! I can be an official! I can manage people. Tell me, what do I need to do!"

"Don't get so excited yet. Let me ask you: if Su Xiaoya likes you, and then asks you to help Kuanzhuang go against us, what will you do?"

Zhang Su asked the question bluntly; you couldn't beat around the bush with someone who was a bit slow.

"Then I definitely wouldn't do it!"

Pang Dakun puffed out his chest and answered very promptly.

"Heh..." Zhang Su gave a disdainful laugh. "Your stance is firm now, but when the little girl pours you some soul-stealing soup, lies by your side, and whispers in your ear, who knows if you'll lose your way!"

Seeing that Zhang Su didn't believe him, Pang Dakun wasn't anxious. He gritted his teeth and said, "Uncle, we can't joke about this. Don't look at me like I love stealing things, but my grandfather once told me that some principled mistakes must never be made. What you just said is a principled mistake! If..."

At this point, Pang Dakun's eyes were conflicted. He thought for a moment and said, "If she really dared to make me a traitor, I'd catch her and let everyone deal with her!"

"Fine, kid, your grandfather taught you well."

Zhang Su patted Pang Dakun's arm and said, "Su Xiaoya just experienced a major life change, so she probably isn't in the mood for romance. If you're really interested, you can go to Village No. 2 to help out. While getting close to her, also help me listen to what's going on over there. If there's any discordant talk, report it to me immediately! Do you understand what discordant talk is?"

Pang Dakun nodded, looking thoughtful. "Discordant means talking bad about you, talking bad about Tianma Island, right?"

"That's just part of it. Also, deceiving superiors and subordinates, disobeying orders, and acting in bad faith all count. You're a smart kid, you know how to distinguish things. Go today. If you can get a meal from them, eat it; if you can't, come back and eat here. Remember your identity!"

With the construction of the satellite villages, more and more eyes and ears would be needed. Zhang Su intended to train Pang Dakun.

"Okay, Uncle, I will definitely complete the mission!"

Pang Dakun stood at attention and saluted. Although the movement wasn't standard, his attitude was quite firm.

"What mission? There's no mission. You're going there to help with work. Let's go, time to eat... Oh, right, don't forget to come back for training in the afternoon!"

Zhang Su reminded Pang Dakun, and the two left the room together and headed toward the dining hall.

Emotional issues became important after escaping life-and-death crises, but fortunately, the atmosphere in the camp was harmonious, and none of those melodramatic things like stealing someone's love or jealousy had occurred.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 373 =====