“Younger Brother Zhang, I really hope you all can stay, would you reconsider?”

As they were parting, Old Li urged them again, valuing Zhang Su’s group’s strength and feeling the pinch of losing so much weaponry and equipment. Modern weapons are industrial products; until industry is restored, every bullet used is one less!

Zhang Su glanced at the gradually westward sun and shook his head, saying, “Everyone has their aspirations, I won’t be competing for Director Li’s position with you.”

Upon hearing Zhang Su’s words, Old Li was taken aback, understanding the meaning behind the words—there can only be one leader in the team!

“Hahaha, Younger Brother Zhang, such words… Well, alright, although our cooperation had some ups and downs, overall it was pleasant and fulfilling. We’ll be developing right here, and if you get the chance, I hope you drop by for a visit!”

After speaking, Old Li leaned close to Zhang Su’s ear and said, “Don’t secretly take back the supplies you gave us earlier!”

Upon hearing Old Li’s words, Zhang Su looked at the people behind him, noticing Xiaoliu and Gangzi, who had recently met, standing with him without hesitation. As for the others, there was no need to mention; observing their previous performance showed high loyalty.

Old Li was certainly a leader capable of commanding, and though he didn’t have many people, they were considered elite; backed by a military camp and armed with weapons, they would definitely make a mark in the apocalypse!

Thinking of this, Zhang Su’s mind moved, and a [Loyalty Brand] silently struck Old Li!

No one noticed, as a dazzling golden mark crossed through the barriers of time and space, instantly sticking to the center of Old Li’s forehead…

“Oh…”

“Director Li, watch out!”

Zhang Su was eagerly watching Old Li, since it was his first time using the [Loyalty Brand] and he didn’t know the effect. However, he saw the other grasping his forehead and staggering, almost falling, luckily Wu Daqiang quickly caught him.

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing…”

Old Li shook his head, revealing a struggling expression, as if there were two thoughts fiercely clashing in his mind!

After a moment, his expression finally relaxed, and when he looked at Zhang Su again, his gaze had changed. He said, “Younger Brother Zhang, I have always invited you, why not try inviting me?”

Zhang Su raised his eyebrows, Old Li’s response surprised him somewhat, so he tentatively said, “With Director Li sitting here, development will surely be stable; if I invite you to roam the world with me, would you agree?”

“Younger Brother Zhang’s team is full of talent; I think developing together will bring a better tomorrow!”

Old Li stood with his hands behind his back, giving an impression of speaking with reason.

The people behind him couldn’t understand why Director Li suddenly changed his tune, but they were just puzzled and no one questioned it; they were confident in his decision-making ability.

Zhang Su was astonished, he completely underestimated the power of [Loyalty Brand]!

Initially, he thought [Loyalty Brand] simply forced the other’s thoughts, making them work for him and never betray. It seems he oversimplified it; [Loyalty Brand] not only binds thoughts but also rationalizes behaviors!

Or rather, it makes the behavior of people branded with the [Loyalty Brand] become rational!

Suddenly, Zhang Su could understand why Old Li felt dizzy earlier; it was probably a mental storm…

Zheng Xinyu furrowed her brows, sneaking a glance at Old Li, and sidled up to Zhang Su, whispering, “Brother Su, is this guy trying to play tricks?”

“Ahem…” Zhang Su was amused by Zheng Xinyu, covering his embarrassment with a cough.

Then he took out a walkie-talkie and handed it to Old Li: “Old Li, develop well here; the farms outside are enough to feed many people! I’ve set the frequency on this walkie-talkie, keep it safe, and until we meet again!”

He valued Old Li’s team but didn’t want to truly absorb them under his command. The two had different ideals and philosophies that were hard to merge; controlling the leader was enough, it was a long-term investment!

Old Li solemnly received the walkie-talkie, as if holding not a walkie-talkie but a glorious mission.

“Don’t worry, Younger Brother Zhang, we’ll slowly integrate this area in the east of the city!”

“Great, it’s getting late; let’s bother all of you to help carry the boxes.”

Zhang Su hadn’t anticipated his expected safe haven wasn’t yet established, but a branch was set up in advance; nevertheless, it was good!

All the equipment summed up to over a thousand pounds, even though Zhang Su had fourteen people, it was quite labor-intensive to haul them all back.

The firearms were okay, weighing a little over two hundred pounds, but the bullets were heavy; two thousand per box was sixty pounds, a total of fifteen boxes!

Old Li’s side initially wasn’t inclined to lend a hand, but they watched in wonder as Director Li personally joined in, quickly started helping, and gradually understood his actions as fostering goodwill.

Humans are like this; when unable to comprehend things, they rationalize outcomes to what they desire…

By the time Zhang Su and his group brought the supplies back to the street where they parked, it was already dusk. Old Li’s group took the promised food portion for five people and returned to the military camp.

Watching Old Li’s group depart, Zhang Su reflected that the greatest gain from this trip might not be the guns but this presently small-numbered team.

…

“Whoa, it’s really guns! Are these automatic rifles? Awesome!”

“Damn, with this batch of weapons, the whole Qin City belongs to us…”

As the brand-new automatic rifles were showcased to everyone, they all felt it was incredibly unreal.

Amid the exhilaration, Zhang Su pulled Pang Dakun aside and asked, “What were you busy with back in the barracks?”

“Hehe!” Pang Dakun chuckled slyly, starting to take things out from his person…

Magazines, tactical belts, military knives, lifted his clothes, several military water canteens hung on his back; if that were all, it wouldn’t be much. When Pang Dakun took Zhang Su to open his backpack, the main dish appeared!

“Damn it… you stole a bag of grenades!”

Zhang Su felt dizzy looking at the grenades lying in the bag. Thankfully, the performance of modern grenades is stable enough not to explode from collisions, but just the thought still made his scalp tingle.

“Hehe, small matter, there are still hundreds of bullets…” Pang Dakun thought Zhang Su was simply amazed by his handiwork and scratched his head with a sheepish grin.

“Alright, alright. From now on, you can watch cartoons every day until you finish ‘Tom and Jerry.’ Plus, I’ll give you a few extra cans of meat!”

Although Old Li’s place was secretly his now, taking their stuff felt like taking his own. But he believed Xiaoliu and Gangzi were definitely hiding something; there were surely more weapons concealed in the military camp, so it didn’t matter much.

“Alright, alright, tidy up, and let’s eat quickly!”

Zhang Su didn’t give everyone much time to get excited. After eating, they set out straight away, with no plans to stop overnight, only tasking them with loading bullets—more than two hundred magazines, completely filled!

The vehicles headed west, intending to find a place to spend the night once out of the city.

“Brothers, with this batch of weapons, our team’s strength isn’t inferior to the officials, hahaha!”

Zhao Dezhu was on cloud nine throughout the journey, eagerly awaiting the moment the firearms were distributed.

“Zhuzi, a military camp with only a few people left, led personally by some director, and you’re still hoping for the officials? That group earlier, official or not…”

Zhang Su shook his head, a rare trace of fatigue between his brows, not just from physical exhaustion but also psychological pressure.

He also wished for an official team to appear, driving an invincible tank to sweep across the land and restore their previous life rapidly, but that had become a mere illusion.

In the days to come, they would have to forge their own path!

Everyone who heard Zhang Su was taken aback, and after pondering deeply, they finally accepted this harsh reality.

If the officials were taking action, there surely would be updates on the radio. But now, the radio is turned on daily, and beyond the two refuge camps sending messages, there’s nothing else.

“No officials, then no officials. Our team must be the strongest survivor group, hahaha!”

Zhao Dezhu was quite optimistic, shifting his mindset in seconds, his smile undeterred.

The three cars maneuvered through deserted streets, directly crashing into small groups of zombies, but steering clear of larger clusters. Occasionally, survivors waved for help from nearby buildings on the streets, though only Zhang Su seemed to take notice.

Zhang Su had no intention of stopping the cars. Soon, they left Wenhua Road behind, arriving at the more secluded North Second Ring Road. Despite being removed from the city, this street, called North Second Ring, was actually a national highway where trucks occasionally passed, though still prone to stranded accident vehicles.

The evening was drawing in, and while not completely dark, an average person wouldn’t be able to see the view in the distance. But Zhang Su had no issue spotting the tragic sights of various villages.

In some places, roads were blocked with anything available. In others, zombies roamed everywhere, and some villages were thoroughly burned down, leaving only charred remains post fire.

Glancing at the time, Zhang Su surveyed his surroundings, taking out a walkie-talkie, “Prepare to turn right ahead, there’s a gas station!”

A walkie-talkie was left behind to match the one given to Old Li, and the team reactivated a frequency internally.

“Received.”

“Got it!”

Two voices replied. Communication became much easier with the walkie-talkies.

The vehicles took a turn, entering the gas station, where several scrapped cars were twisted around the gas pumps, and the glass door and wall of the convenience store were shattered with scant remnants inside, evident of multiple raids.

Ow oow oow.

About ten zombies began surrounding the vehicles from all directions, quickly cleared out by everyone on the team.

“Better with more people… When we ran into this many zombies before, all we could do was run!”

Liu Tianji couldn’t help but lament.

“Alright, have everybody tidy up here. I’ll go check the surroundings. Wear gloves if you have them, and avoid scratches!”

Zhang Su advised before heading toward the highway, fashionably securing a flashlight to his chest pocket, while holding a weapon in his hand.

After a general inspection of the surroundings, it wasn’t an ideal place, but there were no significant dangers either.

Zhang Su returned to the convenience store. Ten minutes later, the team had tidied up a clean area.

“Nowhere near the village stores, just be mindful of passing survivors. After so many days, there likely aren’t many people left. It’s a good spot to rest. Zhuzi, get people cooking; Old Tan, investigate if there’s any fuel left in the tanks, try to pump it out. Also, Wang Xin, Pei Lan, the hairdresser, come with me!”

“Bro, my name’s Lü Leiyang.”

Hairstylist Lü Leiyang strutted toward Zhang Su with steps far more flamboyant than Pei Lan’s, introducing himself once more.

While others couldn’t see clearly, it was evident to Zhang Su that Lü Leiyang was swaying his hips vivaciously. Involuntarily, he coughed, “Alright, Lü Leiyang, come, let me tell you where to post guard.”

Even though the gas station was remote, with surrounding villages hard to spot even in daylight, relaxing vigilance was not an option. Zhang Su set up guard posts at three spots, eliminating all visual blind spots.

“Eh? What the…?” As Zhang Su positioned the guards and headed back, he suddenly saw Good Fortune sprinting back from the wilderness, with a wild rabbit clamped in her mouth!

Thump.

Before long, Good Fortune arrived before Zhang Su, dropping the now deceased rabbit at his feet in a meritorious manner. Anyone could see she wanted to exchange it for something.

“Already picking favorites so fast? Alright, I’ll get you two cans of meat later!”

Zhang Su picked up the rabbit. It was rather plump, at least five or six pounds.

Returning to the RV, Zhang Su handed the rabbit to Zhao Dezhu, knowing they wouldn’t be able to eat it tonight; they’d have to wait until the next meal.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep