In the United Village, the shabby courtyard echoed with captivating sounds, intertwining the fierce efforts of a man and the intense satisfaction of a woman, making anyone who heard it feel energized.

The room was as warm as spring, thanks to the heater. On the heated bed, a man and a woman were locked in a passionate tussle.

However, all of this was interrupted by the crackling sound of electricity.

“Brother Guizi, King Yama is here!”

“What?”

Wang Xingui was preparing to make a final push when he heard the message from the walkie-talkie, instantly feeling deflated.

“Oh, hurry up with the last few moves, don’t just stand there!”

As soon as he stopped, someone immediately urged him on.

“Get out, get out, who’s in the mood? Hurry up and leave!”

Wang Xingui slapped repeatedly, making a series of loud smacks, rolled off the bed, grabbed the walkie-talkie, and asked, “You sure?”

“Absolutely, the car just passed in front of me, it should be at the village entrance in a few minutes!”

The villager on watch said, looking at the car’s taillights.

“Got it!”

Wang Xingui tossed aside the walkie-talkie, hastily pulled off the condom, and started looking for his pants.

“What’s going on? If you do this again next time, I’m not playing with you anymore!”

The woman on the bed complained with extreme dissatisfaction.

“Damn, you think I need you? With a shout, plenty of girls would line up to jump into my bed. Get out, get your things and go, I’ve got serious business!”

Wang Xingui was utterly impatient.

Anyone would be frustrated if interrupted at such a time. Wang Xingui didn’t expect Zhang Su to arrive so quickly.

Based on the timing, it seems the other party started preparing immediately after discussing.

“Dammit, they lied about it being tomorrow afternoon at the latest. Clearly, they don’t trust me and think I’m up to something… People always project their own failings onto others!”

Wang Xingui was quite displeased, knowing Zhang Su’s motives for pulling this stunt. However, he could only complain a little behind their backs.

“Hmph, don’t do this again next time, filthy habits.”

The woman pursed her lips and started getting dressed.

“I’m going out for the whole village, what do you know, you dumb broad? I’m pissed off, giving you a chance here!”

The pants felt tight, making Wang Xingui furious. He grabbed the woman’s head and pressed it down.

Thud, thud, thud, thud.

Soon, the sound of rapid footsteps echoed through the United Village.

“Brother Zhang, it’s quite sudden of you to come so late at night without notice, hahaha, weren’t we planning on tomorrow? I was already asleep.”

Wang Xingui moved swiftly, meeting Zhang Su and his group right as they reached the village entrance.

“I planned to move tomorrow, but the brothers couldn’t wait!”

Zhang Su pushed open the door and jumped out of the car. The only light at the village head came from the car’s headlights, which limited the visible range for most people, but Zhang Su could see everything clearly. Behind Wang Xingui were over twenty people, some with crossbows on their backs and others with firearms slung over their shoulders.

Seeing the heavily armed group, Zhang Su frowned, “Guizi, why gather so many villagers?”

Wang Xingui involuntarily shuddered seeing Zhang Su’s gear. An automatic rifle on his back, a tactical belt with a crossbow and military knife at his waist, several grenades hanging, and a line of magazines in a specialized pocket next to the grenades—enough firepower to wipe out everyone in the United Village!

“Well… everyone wanted to see Brother Zhang in action, hehe, only these five are coming with us, the elite of the elite, the best of the best!”

Upon hearing Wang Xingui’s words, the five villagers beside him stood at attention, their postures as straight as soldiers awaiting inspection.

“I brought enough men; we don’t need help from the locals. Just lead the way, as agreed, you’ll get twenty percent of the spoils!”

Zhang Su didn’t want people from the United Village following them. Their relationship was purely cooperative, and it’s always wise to be cautious. If something went wrong, having too many United Village people might tempt them to betrayal.

“Alright, thank you so much, Brother Zhang!”

Wang Xingui nodded repeatedly after hearing Zhang Su’s words. Getting a share without contributing people, unless one had a hidden agenda, there was nothing to object to.

“Let’s go, get in the car!”

Zhang Su motioned towards the vehicle.

“I’m heading out for a bit, stay alert if you have to, keep busy if you need to!”

Wang Xingui nodded to the villagers and boarded the RV.

“I’m really like a countryside bumpkin in the city, first time in such a fancy vehicle, haha.”

Seeing the electronic screens and equipment in the RV, Wang Xingui felt like Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Garden, unsure where to even sit.

“Guizi, didn’t expect me to come so soon, did you?”

Zhang Su teased while reversing the car.

“I truly didn’t, but I have no ill intentions, so I’m not worried.”

Wang Xingui settled onto the sofa, gingerly feeling the soft cushion beneath him, his expression contemplative.

Zhang Su chuckled, “It’s not that I’m overthinking, I trust you, but there are over fifty people in the United Village. Can you guarantee none of them are a problem? Enough of this, lead the way.”

“Oh, okay, once we’re on the main road, head north for a mile and then turn left… Hey, Brother Zhang, why are you turning off the headlights?”

…

Xiang Village, one of the administrative villages under Beidong Town, Qing County, north of Qin City, had a regular population of over a thousand. The virus outbreak infected nearly all capable villagers, leaving them headless and without organization, resulting in only two people successfully escaping.

These two survivors later joined the Beita Camp. One of them died in Niuquanzi Town from a grenade during an attack on Zhao Dezhu…

The silent village was eerily abnormal, no moans of zombies, as if wrapped in a barrier, with all sounds trapped within a magical array. In truth, it was because there were no zombies in the entire village…

Four hundred meters outside the village, on a slightly wider concrete road, two RVs were parked. Zhang Ya and Wang Xin were assigned to guard the vehicles to prevent sabotage.

Zhang Su led the others down a narrow dirt road barely over two meters wide. The hazy moonlight shone on the wild grass between the fields, and gusts of cold wind blowing by made it seem so desolate.

“Slow down!”

As Zhang Su spoke, he took an axe and hammer from his waist. While telling others to slow down, he didn’t reduce his pace, striding forward amidst the unique shriek of zombies discovering prey, and swiftly got rid of the zombie blocking the road.

“Damn, Brother Su, I remember Big Soldier didn’t give us night vision goggles. Where did you get the gear?”

Lu Yubo could barely see anything in front, like black phantoms, unable to determine the direction, while Zhang Su managed to solve it with the swing of a hammer.

“I know health preservation, sharp ears and bright eyes, you know?”

Zhang Su casually brushed it off, then frowned and crouched down, picking up a hemp rope from the ground, and said, “This zombie was deliberately tied here by someone!”

“Damn, needless to say, it must be a trap set by those bastards from Beita Camp!”

“Rather than a trap, it’s more like a sentry. Once someone enters the village from this side, if they’re careless, the zombies attacking will surely make a lot of noise.”

Zhang Su gently put down the hemp rope.

Wang Xingui stood aside with a spectacular expression: “Damn, there are real experts in United Village, always coming up with some crooked tricks!”

Zhang Su nodded slightly, said no more, and led the group forward.

“Don’t move!”

After walking another hundred meters forward, Zhang Su suddenly spread his arms to stop the people behind him.

“Is there something again?”

Qi Xiaoshuai asked nervously.

“Guizi, your loot and a thousand pounds of grain are secured!”

As Zhang Su spoke, he cautiously took a few steps forward, crouched down, and looked at a fishing line about twenty centimeters above the ground. The dirt filled with wild grass on both sides already had secrets!

“There’s a bomb here, lift your leg over, above my arm!”

Zhang Su was not sure if the previous “zombie sentry” was from Beita Camp, but this tripwire bomb was undoubtedly crafted by Beita Camp, the familiar taste!

“What?”

“Damn!”

Cold sweat instantly trickled down everyone’s faces. This dirt road was narrow, usually allowing only a farm tractor to pass, never cars. If a pedestrian got blasted by the bomb here, what a situation would that be?

If Zhang Su hadn’t discovered it in advance, they would have been completely wiped out on this dirt road tonight!

Carefully stepping over the fishing line, no one dared to hastily move forward, waiting for Zhang Su to guide.

Among the crowd, Wang Xingui stood trembling. He wasn’t afraid of zombies, but feared hot weapons, thinking it was simply guiding a path, only to walk seconds away from the edge of death, overly thrilling and terrifying.

Wanting to retreat but lacking the courage, he had to reluctantly keep moving forward.

“Considering the bomb trap, the zombies’ role is more than just warning; they can also make the incoming people drop their guard, thinking that after passing the zombies, it’s a smooth path, only to be blown up!”

Zhang Su quietly analyzed.

“Damn, bad guys with culture, even ghosts fear them!”

Everyone felt that the folks from Beita Camp weren’t just malicious but also experts in psychology!

A three hundred meter dirt road arranged perfectly, with a zombie trap and two bomb traps, yet Zhang Su’s group remained unaffected, smoothly entering the village!

“No way, where did the village zombies go? Did Beita Camp clear all the zombies?”

Wang Xingui squinted and scanned around, ears sharply listening, but there was no sound, quieter than their United Village. It seemed too strange.

“Heh…” Zhang Su said softly, “The zombies here were eliminated by us!”

“What do you mean?”

Wang Xingui’s mind was a mess.

“Beita Camp found out where my camp was, and somehow brought all the zombies from the entire village over to us!”

“What!?”

Zhang Su spoke casually, but Wang Xingui only felt his scalp tingling. He knew clearly how many zombies are in a village, even if Xiang Village was relatively small, it had no fewer than seven or eight hundred zombies.

“Oh my, Brother Zhang, are your people alright?”

Only now did Wang Xingui understand why Zhang Su wouldn’t wait even for a moment, seeking Beita Camp’s people – it was a blood feud!

“Enough said!” Zhang Su didn’t answer Wang Xingui, instead he asked: “Where are they hiding exactly?”

Wang Xingui pointed southwest after determining the direction: “Those several courtyards in that corner!”

The quiet village required everyone to lower their footsteps, impossible to move quickly, lifting and lightly placing their feet without rubbing, as if walking on smooth ice, their actions were absurdly awkward yet nearly silent.

A quarter of an hour later, the group slowly reached the southwestern corner of the village from their entry point.

Zhang Su instructed the group to stand by, slowly approaching on his own, listening closely with an ear pressed against a wall. Moments later, he returned to the group, with a strange expression saying: “Guizi, are you sure the person giving you the intel didn’t deceive you?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Wang Xingui couldn’t understand.

“You’ve been fooled, fool!”

Qi Xiaoshuai quietly reminded Wang Xingui.

“No… impossible, Brother Zhang, you… what…? No one there?”

In the darkness, Wang Xingui’s face was full of disbelief and urgency: “My brothers wouldn’t lie to me, nor would I to you, Brother Zhang. Maybe Beita Camp moved?”

Zhang Su felt annoyed, with Beita Camp’s caution, having done a big job during the day, it was indeed possible they changed locations again, which would indeed be troublesome.

But suddenly, his ear twitched at a faint sound resonating from afar – the sound of a lighter clicking!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep