Chapter 202: Chapter 152: Raised Again!

“Come, let me introduce everyone.”

The familiar faces gathered around, Old Li’s expression noticeably more relaxed than before, as he pointed to each person by his side: “Xiaotiao, Big Head, Zhuangzhuang, Miss Qing, and last but not least, Big Soldier Wu!”

These names were clearly nicknames used among them, and Zhang Su didn’t mind that. Since they were all here, there wasn’t any point in keeping secrets, so he confidently stepped forward to shake hands with each of them.

Xiaotiao was a young man in his early twenties, Big Head was the oldest among them, probably nearing fifty. Compared to the others, his head was indeed larger by a measure, seemingly afraid others wouldn’t notice it, he wore a fisherman’s hat that made it even more conspicuous.

Zhuangzhuang was the thinnest member of Old Li’s team, nearly six feet tall but weighing only about a hundred pounds. Miss Qing was the only woman in the group, also in her early twenties. From Zhang Su’s observations, it seemed likely that Miss Qing and Xiaotiao were a couple, though whether they were together before the disaster or bonded through it was unknown.

“Officer Wu, what is your military rank?”

Walking up to Big Soldier Wu, Zhang Su asked curiously, unfamiliar with rank insignias.

Big Soldier Wu tilted his head towards his shoulder and said, “Just promoted to corporal.”

“Impressive, impressive!”

Zhang Su might not understand the hierarchy in military ranks, but he could sense a fierce aura from Big Soldier Wu, one that didn’t come from officers who merely graduated from military school.

After the introductions, Zhang Su gave a rough overview of his team’s situation.

Once the communication devices were loaded onto the vehicles, they also provided food and water for five people for a week as agreed. It was clear from the start that the other side was trying to hide someone for support, asking for one less share even when requesting supplies.

“Officer Wu, could you talk about your regiment’s situation back then? We visited the area, but the camp entrance was surrounded by zombies, layer upon layer, and we didn’t dare get close!”

In the Mercedes RV, the key personnel sat down, and Zhang Su generously placed a box of cigarettes on the table.

“I’m an NCO, not an officer. Honestly, there’s not much to tell, just the situation you saw.”

Wu Daqiang lit a cigarette sullenly, clearly unwilling to discuss the matter, likely trying to hide something.

Zhang Su noticed his mood and didn’t press further, saying, “Alright, let’s discuss the specific actions then. Officer Wu, do you have a count on how many weapons are left in the camp?”

Wu Daqiang no longer fussed over the officer versus NCO issue and answered, “The first major battle took place in the barracks, and three armories were destroyed at that time… by the time the battle lines shifted, one armory remained intact, with at least 200 Type 95 automatic rifles inside, and other equipment you wouldn’t understand!”

According to Wu Daqiang, only about 20 survivors remained at the time, split into two battle lines within and outside the camp. Not many weapons were used, but many got destroyed during the battle!

“200 Type 95s…”

All of Zhang Su’s focus was on those 200 Type 95s. Even two of them were enough to secure a safe base, provided there was enough ammo. These guns weren’t for fighting zombies, but to deter humans!

“Military folks don’t lie, are there really 200?” Zhang Su couldn’t help but confirm again.

Wu Daqiang nodded firmly: “An armory with 200 stored, no mistake!”

“So, I must ask, if there turns out to be a problem with the last armory you mentioned, are we going there for nothing?”

Zhang Su didn’t let the idea of 200 Type 95s dazzle him and still asked cautiously.

“No!” Wu Daqiang assured him: “Even if that armory is destroyed, we’ll definitely salvage some usable weapons from the wreckage, no wasted trip!”

Zhang Su pondered carefully, feeling this trip was a must. Missing it could mean no other chances to acquire weapons, especially such high-grade standard issue ones, which were extremely rare.

“A side question, Officer Wu, I saw a tank destroyed over there, are there any tanks left in the camp?”

“There are! But they’re locked and unable to start. Even if they could, I wouldn’t know how to drive them, would you?” Wu Daqiang asked in a tone void of expectations.

“Haha, if it can start, I’ll manage to drive it away even if I don’t know how!”

Zhang Su was full of confidence; he had driven tanks in games before, and while he wasn’t confident in proper driving, in these times, what was there to be afraid of, just get in and go for it. It’s not like fearing hitting someone!

Wu Daqiang shook his head: “No chance, if it were possible, we’d have used them then. No shells, no fuel.”

“Alright then… to the main point, Officer Wu, Old Li said you have a way to get us inside, what’s the plan?”

Zhang Su went straight to the point.

Wu Daqiang looked suspiciously at Old Li.

Old Li cleared his throat and explained: “Younger Brother Zhang, I never said Xiaowu could get us inside, I meant he’s from the regiment, familiar with the internal camp environment, knowing where the weapons are to avoid taking wrong turns!”

Zhang Su and his team looked speechlessly at Old Li, thinking there’d be a secret passageway directly into the barracks, but it turned out to be this.

Seeing Zhang Su’s group looking troubled, Wu Daqiang said: “I know of a place with fewer zombies, you can climb over the wall into the barracks from there, much simpler!”

“Only need two cars, enough to lure the zombies away. Once inside the barracks, the task is essentially completed!”

Old Li optimistically said, still giving everyone hope.

But Old Li’s optimism seemed to Zhang Su to be just wishful thinking!

“You say it easily, but do you understand the risk in attracting zombies? We’re giving people and vehicles, we need at least eighty percent, otherwise there’s no deal, you can keep waiting for other survivors to collaborate later.”

“This ratio…”

“It’s acceptable!”

Wu Daqiang frowned, just about to object, but Old Li directly nodded and agreed to Zhang Su’s request.

“Brother Su, you’re giving too much again.”

Zheng Xinyu whispered into Zhang Su’s ear.

“I hope to act quickly, how about this afternoon?”

Old Li asked.

“Great, I also hope to expedite things. Officer Wu, where’s the place you were talking about?”

No time to delay, Zhang Su didn’t dawdle and turned to look at Wu Daqiang.

“I’ll draw a map, and you’ll all understand!”

Wu Daqiang took paper and pen out of his bag, and a tactical map slowly appeared in front of everyone.

“When the external zombies are drawn away, even if there are zombies inside the camp, they will also run to both sides. At that time, we’ll do this…”

Not only did he sketch out the route to distract the zombies, but Wu Daqiang also provided Zhang Su and his team an overview of the interior of the camp, informing them in advance of possible encounters.

Time flew by, and before they knew it, it was already noon. The two sides had been discussing for over two hours. This was a task full of both reward and risk, deserving of caution.

“Younger Brother Zhang, we’ve formed an alliance. You can’t invite us to a meal with your substantial resources?”

As they got off the vehicle, Old Li laughed and asked Zhang Su with a thick skin.

When it comes to thick skin, Zhang Su wasn’t one to lose easily, at most it was a draw. He waved his hands repeatedly: “How can I have enough to spare? Twenty mouths have almost gnawed the sofa leather off the RV. I can’t afford it, I can’t afford it!”

“I reported one less person, you reported one more, let’s call it even, don’t blame me anymore, haha.” Old Li pointed at Zhang Su.

Zhang Su pointed at his feet and said: “Twenty mouths, and the dog’s mouth doesn’t count as a mouth?”

Old Li and his group immediately went speechless. Maintaining a pet in these times was a bold move indeed.

Xiaotiao scratched his head and said: “If there’s food, keeping it isn’t bad, it’s considered backup provisions.”

As soon as he said this, he attracted over a dozen gazes, even some in Old Li’s team looked at Xiaotiao with strange expressions, especially Wu Daqiang who had trained military dogs and had a unique sentiment towards dogs.

Luckily, Zhang Su had previously instructed Good Fortune to play dumb when outsiders were around, otherwise, she’d leap up and bite Xiaotiao, then see who could jump higher.

Zhang Su did not offer food to Old Li and his people, but eventually, he did provide some energy drinks. While many may have disdained such things before, in the apocalypse, they were somewhat helpful for recovering physical strength.

During mealtime, Zhang Su briefed his companions on many matters, including the task distribution, focusing on details, and possible unexpected situations. Even in cooperation, they mustn’t be led by the nose; they must keep their own pace even if they couldn’t control everything!

“Uncle, stealing from the military camp is a simple job. Leave it to me, no need for a big crowd!”

Pang Dakun, after hearing Zhang Su’s plan, proudly volunteered; it was his specialty after all.

“Dakun, do you know how heavy a Type 95 automatic rifle is?”

Zhang Su shook his head and asked.

“No idea, how heavy can it be, a few pounds maybe.” Pang Dakun, indifferent while eating, spoke with confidence in his expertise.

“Hah, ignorant…”

Zhang Su mercilessly shot at him, wanting to show off, but realizing he didn’t know the Type 95’s specs either, he turned to Zhao Dezhu and said: “Zhuzi, tell him the weight of a rifle!”

Zhao Dezhu, unpretentious, said while chewing: “Kid, listen up, a Type 95 automatic rifle weighs about seven pounds. How many can you carry? And what about the bullets? DBP87 rounds, each easily over ten grams, not to mention pairing a rifle with a thousand rounds, that’s… how much again?”

As he spoke, Zhao Dezhu got himself confused with the calculations.

“A thousand bullets are over twenty pounds?” Pang Dakun, using his elementary school math, counted on his fingers and, with a wry smile, said, “Consider me just farting,” before burying himself back in his meal.

It wasn’t a joke; at best he could carry two rifles and two thousand rounds, that’s his absolute limit.

“The plan is as I mentioned earlier; I’ll organize the personnel for this action…”

In the end, Zhang Su chose two drivers, one was Yuwen, and the other was Lu Yubo.

It seemed like a waste to have two combat-competent members driving to draw zombies, but given their specific circumstances, Zhang Su decided to exclude them from entering the military camp for this mission!

Yuwen, capable of killing zombies without issue and articulate to boot, was convincing with his reasoning. Still, given his age, activities like climbing and scaling walls were problematic — a fall could be too costly. In contrast, Lu Yubo was too impulsive, a trait embedded in his genes that wasn’t changeable; this cautious operation was best avoided.

Additionally, Mo Qianlan, Pei Lan, and Chen Hanzhou weren’t involved in this action, nor was Good Fortune the dog, as this was a collaboration with another survivor team, making it inconvenient.

Excluding these members, fourteen people participated in the operation. The lineup was exceptionally magnificent, no less formidable than when rescuing Tan Huajun’s daughter and father last time.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep