Chapter 538: Where did you get that knife in your hand?

"Damn it."

Upon hearing Pang Dakun say he wanted to report to Zhang Su, the look of secret joy on Wu Lue's face instantly stiffened. He rolled his eyes and said, "Are you two ascetics or something? I'm really beat. Fine, fine, we won't go, we won't go. Hmph, don't even think about asking me for any films when we get back—I'm not giving you any!"

Feeling very depressed, Wu Lue dove into his quilt with a 'whoosh', buried his head, and went off to daydream.

Compared to the carefree young people, the atmosphere on Li Zongkai's side felt somewhat oppressive.

"President, the current situation indeed calls for a merger, and I fully support the decision to join Tianmayu, but... our request to return early isn't unreasonable, is it? What if something happens at the camp?"

Wu Daqiang was deeply worried. They couldn't contact the barracks right now and could only wait passively for them to reach out, but there hadn't been a single message, which was all the more unsettling.

He wanted to take his brothers back early, but Li Zongkai had vetoed it. The reason was simple: collective action required discipline. The Yama Legion had already decided to go to the barracks tomorrow, so they would wait and leave together tomorrow.

It wasn't just Li Zongkai who disagreed with his opinion; many companions in the team also held opposing views. There was no other reason than the fact that the zombies had become stronger, giving them a sense of urgency. Some felt they were like clay bodhisattvas crossing a river—barely able to save themselves, let alone protect the people at the camp...

"I understand your concern, but you must consider my position. At the same time, you must trust the brothers holding down the camp. If there were any trouble, they would definitely contact us immediately. Since there is no news, that is the best news. Please, calm down."

Li Zongkai also had his worries, but he was much calmer than Wu Daqiang because their positions were different, and so were their perspectives on the issues.

He was loyal to Zhang Su, and now that Civilization Guardian had decided to join Tianmayu, the priority of his considerations had naturally shifted.

"Hm?"

"What's wrong, President?"

As they were talking, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck Li Zongkai's mind, and a blurry image appeared, giving him a start.

"Just now... just now I think I remembered something, about the spy in our camp, but it vanished in a flash..."

Li Zongkai frowned and patted his head, trying to shake something out of his skull.

Wu Daqiang's expression turned grave. "I've been thinking about this too. I really don't know who the spy planted by Liao Youzhi is. Now that Liao Youzhi is dead, if that person just stays quiet, I'm afraid we'll never find them!"

It was like a brilliant serial killer; one or two crimes wouldn't provide enough clues. Although he hated the thought, they could only hope the spy would strike again to reveal a flaw...

"I have a lead. That night..."

Li Zongkai frowned, recalling the memory. A figure appeared in his mind, and he raised a finger in sudden realization: "Guan Senmiao!"

"Ah?"

Wu Daqiang seemed very surprised by the name.

"I remember now. The night before last, I received your message first, then immediately went to the communication room to talk to you. At that time... Guan Senmiao was on duty. He even specifically brought me a hot water bottle. It must be him! He overheard my conversation with you and passed it to Liao Youzhi!"

"But Guan Senmiao, how could he..."

There were over a hundred people in Civilization Guardian. Wu Daqiang didn't have a deep impression of every companion, but he knew Guan Senmiao well because Guan Senmiao was very eager to join the combat unit, always finding excuses to get close to him, asking various combat-related questions, and being very diligent in training. In the end, he was even granted an exception to become a reservist! "If it's Guan Senmiao, it actually makes sense. He's usually so active and cares about everything. It seems this was all premeditated..."

Wu Daqiang took off his hat with some dejection. Li Zongkai didn't point it out, and he hadn't felt it before, but now that it was brought up, the more he thought about it, the more suspicious Guan Senmiao's past behavior seemed.

"Sigh, let's leave it at that for now. Fortunately, Liao Youzhi is already dead. We'll investigate and deal with it after we get back. I believe it won't be difficult. Rest now, everyone is tired today!"

There were many people talking to each other inside the Le-Gou Mall. As time passed, the whispered conversations gradually turned into snoring. A thrilling day finally ended in sleep.

Late at night, Qincheng was incredibly silent. There were no stars or moon in the sky. Looking down from above, one could barely see any light sources in the city. Yet, on this pitch-black night, car headlights could still be seen on some roads, and light would occasionally slide across the facades of the high-rise buildings on either side.

Not just in one place, but in several. Convoys were speeding from south to north, others from east to west, and there was even a large semi-trailer truck driving toward the south, not fast, just taking its time...

The air conditioning was on in the truck, and the cabin was warm. Ding Wei's eyes were gleaming. On the passenger seat lay two guns and an exquisite short Tang saber. He had a cigarette in his mouth, and not a trace of negative emotion could be seen on his face.

In his mind, he was calculating how to use the container of supplies to make a comeback! In the city, besides the speeding vehicles, there were also black shadows weaving between the buildings. Some survivors hiding in the dark were forced out for various reasons and had to deal with the new changes...

The night slowly passed. When the next morning arrived, the sky was bright, but the sun did not shine upon the earth.

"Ah, woo..."

Stretching comfortably, Zhang Su twisted his somewhat sore body and checked the time: 6:30.

He complained with a wry smile, "I really don't have the luck to enjoy this kind of soft bed; sleeping on it is so tiring!"

Zheng Xinyu was tidying up her personal hygiene nearby. With mouthwash in her mouth, she patted her chest upon hearing Zhang Su's words and nodded, meaning: I can handle it.

"Any situation last night?"

Zhang Su rubbed his face. He was the only combatant who didn't have to stand guard last night.

Zheng Xinyu had volunteered to take the second half of the night. She spat out the mouthwash and said, "Nothing happened in the first half. The second half was quiet at first, too. Around four or five o'clock, a dozen ordinary zombies appeared from the west. Fruit Guy and his men handled them easily. Then... two survivors came for help, an uncle and a young man."

"Ah?"

Zhang Su pulled out a wet wipe to clean his face, sensitive to the news of survivors: "Survivors? Where did they come from? Any problems?"

"Wu Baokang recognized that uncle. It's said they were a small group holed up in an old, dilapidated building to the southeast. The Survivor Alliance tried to recruit them several times, but they were all refused. Later, that group came to the Survivor Alliance's territory to look for things, and since those few had some skills, they were left alone..."

"Wait, didn't you say only two people came? How did it become five?"

Zhang Su scratched his head, thinking he hadn't woken up yet.

"There were five before, but three died all at once yesterday..."

"Damn, that's a total collapse! Wu Baokang said they had skills—what kind of skills? Their combat power doesn't look like much..."

Skills don't necessarily mean combat, but in this world, lacking combat power makes one look very fragile.

"I don't know the specific situation either, but that uncle looks decent, and his weapon is quite good. You know, it's actually quite similar to the military knife you use. But the person with him is... just average. By the way, the two are temporarily arranged in the logistics department. You can go and find out for yourself when you have time."

Zheng Xinyu spread her hands.

"Fine, I'll find time. How's the weather?"

Compared to the two stranded survivors, Zhang Su was more concerned about the weather.

Zheng Xinyu made a strange expression and pointed at the window: "See for yourself."

"Just say it... Damn it!"

Zhang Su walked to the window and pulled open the shutter. His initially good mood instantly soured. Due to the cold climate, the windows on the mall's upper floors were basically sealed with shutters, so even if the sun was shining brightly outside, the lighting inside wasn't great.

Zhang Su pulled open the shutter and looked at the sky. He thought the dark clouds would have dispersed after a night, but upon looking, he realized the sky was still gray and dim, no different from yesterday's weather. Those thick, heavy clouds looked as if they were embedded in the dome, with no sign of dissipating.

"At first, people thought it was just an ordinary snowfall, until the dark clouds lingered, and they realized the severity of the problem..."

Zheng Xinyu muttered, mimicking the tone of those clickbait articles.

"These dark clouds, they make it hard to breathe."

Yu Wen appeared in the aisle with a cigarette. He would be fifty-nine after the New Year; he didn't need much sleep and was already awake. Hearing sounds from Zhang Su's side, he came over.

Zhang Su smacked his lips, lit a cigarette as well, exhaled smoke toward the sky, and said, "It looks like it could snow at any moment, which is indeed nerve-wracking."

Dark clouds covering the sky were nothing, but the possibility of precipitation at any time was a big problem. People used to say "Heaven knows," but now, perhaps even Heaven didn't know when it would rain again...

"Big brother, I thought of something last night. It might be absurd, so don't laugh at me."

Zhao Dezhu scratched his messy hair, holding a bottle of mouthwash in his hand.

"Go ahead, I'll only laugh at your driving skills being like a pile of crap; everything else is fine."

Zhang Su teased, continuing to look at the heavy sky.

"You said that except for the first rain, the two snowfalls afterward were very small. Could it be because this precipitation is global, spreading the rain out to every part of the world, so it's not heavy?"

Zhao Dezhu roughly expressed his meaning, and the people next to him were stunned after hearing it.

"Hey, don't say that, I think Brother Zhuzi's theory is kind of interesting!"

The first to speak was Wang Xin.

His wife, Zhang Ya, followed up: "If Brother Zhuzi's theory holds, can we understand it this way: the first rain after the disaster broke out was too heavy, draining all the water vapor accumulated in the sky. Later, the temperature dropped sharply, and the atmosphere's rate of absorbing water vapor from the ground slowed down, so the snow was very small..."

"So after the first snowfall, absorbing water vapor became even more difficult, which is why there was a gap of almost two months between it and the second snowfall?"

Wang Xin quickly understood Zhang Ya's meaning and immediately picked up the conversation.

Zhang Su looked at the couple with a strange expression, smiling half-heartedly: "You two are something else, even your thinking is so in sync. Being able to get on the same frequency, not bad, not bad..."

"Hey, did you guys make a mistake? It was me, look at me, I was the first one to propose it, you have to praise me!"

Zhao Dezhu was full of unhappiness. It was rare for him to think of such an awesome theory, only for others to steal the spotlight. That wouldn't do.

"Uncle Zhuzi is awesome, your brain works so well, absolutely brilliant!"

Pang Dakun quickly chimed in to support him.

"Although Zhuzi, Wang, and Ya's guesses have no factual basis, I think there is some logic to them!"

Zhang Su nodded, affirming their words.

Lu Yubo saw Zhao Dezhu getting praised and said with disdain: "What Big Zhuzi said is useless. Even if we know, so what? Can we stop the sky from absorbing water vapor? Useless, useless!"

As good friends, he wouldn't feel comfortable without roasting him a bit.

Zhang Su shook his head seriously: "Bo-zai, you're wrong. We indeed can't stop the evaporation of water vapor, but if this guess is correct, it at least proves that precipitation has regularity, and we might be able to master this regularity!"

"If we master the regularity of zombie strengthening, we can make plans and preparations in advance, at least we won't fight unprepared battles!" Yu Wen followed up with a supplement.

"What's wrong?"

Li Zongkai appeared at the shop door, asking somewhat nervously: "What battle are we going to fight?"

"Nothing, we were studying the issue of precipitation; it feels like there are traces to follow." Zhang Su explained roughly, then asked: "How are the brothers doing? When can we set off?"

Li Zongkai pointed to their accommodation area and said: "Everyone is up, we can leave at any time."

"That's good. Bo-zai, go notify Old Liu and Old Yang, and have Wu Baokang and Zhang Xin come over. Let's have a meeting together. Also, go get something to eat. After we finish talking and eating, we'll set off!"

Zhang Su unscrewed his water bottle and took a sip. His stomach was empty, and the coldness shot straight from his throat to the bottom of his stomach.

"Hey, Fruit Guy, what are you doing sneaking around?"

Suddenly, Zheng Xinyu shouted at the door.

"Hehe, nothing, that... I just heard Brother Su call my name, hehe, I'm coming right now."

Zhang Xin knew that Zhang Su and the others were going to Civilization Guardian early in the morning, so he specifically came over early to check.

"Yeah, calling you guys over for a meeting, to talk about... hm?"

As Zhang Su was speaking, he turned his head and looked at Zhang Xin's waist. He pointed curiously and asked: "Old Zhang, this knife? I haven't seen you use it before. Where did it come from?"

"Brother Su, are you talking about this?"

Zhang Xin took off the scabbard at his waist with a flourish and said with a smile: "Hehe, this knife..."

"This is the knife from the uncle who fled here today. Did you rob him?"

Before Zhang Xin could introduce it, Zheng Xinyu blurted it out, and the scene instantly froze.

"You damn bastard, you robbed a fleeing survivor?"

Zhang Su looked at Zhang Xin with a strange expression. Such phenomena were definitely common, but happening right in front of him, it was truly ugly. Moreover, the person doing this was a minor executive, so there had to be an explanation!

Besides, he found the knife in Zhang Xin's hand very familiar. He hadn't paid attention to what Zheng Xinyu said before, but it seemed there was indeed something fishy!

"No... I..."

Zhang Xin laughed dryly, shook the knife in his hand, and said: "I traded, I traded it. I traded things with him, a pack of beef jerky and two packs of cigarettes. I didn't rob him, really didn't rob him, I wouldn't do that kind of thing!"

(End of chapter)