"According to the news brought by United Village, this time there are some special zombies with extraordinary defense among them. They’re very tricky to deal with. We’re going to capture a Petrified Skin Zombie for research, and you all need to be specifically trained to handle this feature!"

Zhang Su’s words made many people look at each other in confusion.

They didn’t know about the Petrified Skin Zombies, and initially, it sounded particularly absurd. But thinking about it, zombies have emerged, so it’s not surprising for some special variants to appear...

The third task is naturally to capture zombies. Zhang Su intends to lead the team himself, and he’s planning to stash some weapons in United Village, which has already been overrun by zombies!

The last task is to formulate a response plan for the Cyan Dragon Corps. Although there are still five days, we must be fully prepared.

Only five people were sent when the message was released, but it’s unlikely to remain five when we’re collecting grain...

More than twenty people gradually left the safety camp on Celestial Horse Island, while those who stayed didn’t idle; they hurried to update and iterate defense constructions to deal with the zombies that have gotten stronger!

While everyone was busy, an FJ Cruiser and a tank 30000 slowly drove towards West Camp Village along the Chuhai River Bridge. Both vehicles were packed with people, making it appear quite crowded.

"Hey! Captain Zhang, the bridge over Chuhai River ahead is blocked!"

A young man in the driver’s seat of the leading FJ Cruiser chewed bubble gum, turned his head, and loudly reported from behind.

"Blocked? Let’s see who’s so blind!"

Captain Zhang, holding a submachine gun, was resting with his eyes closed. Upon hearing his subordinate’s words, he opened his eyes. A burn scar covered a large area of his chin, making his face appear somewhat fierce.

"Hey! You’re putting these weird things on the bridge, performing a ritual?"

The FJ Cruiser stopped in front of the barricade. The bubble gum-chewing young man stuck his head out and pointed at the zombie corpse tied to the barricade, showing extreme disdain.

"Hahaha..."

"Setting up a zombie formation to scare away zombies?"

"What a bunch of idiots."

Many people in the two vehicles laughed, thinking the actions of West Camp Village were foolish.

"Stop making noise!"

Captain Zhang, referred to by the name, pushed the door and got out of the vehicle, carrying a submachine gun. He walked to the barricade and looked at the two villagers opposite: "Hurry up and move aside. If we have to do it ourselves, you won’t have a good outcome!"

While speaking, he fired a few shots towards the riverbank. The silenced submachine gun wasn’t loud, but that doesn’t mean its lethality should be underestimated. On the contrary, the high firing rate and stability make it as lethal as a rifle at short distances.

"Hey, hey, we’ll move it now. Don’t be agitated, let’s talk properly..."

The two villagers guarding the bridgehead from West Camp Village had seen the approaching vehicles from afar. Originally planning how to extort the newcomers, upon seeing their sophisticated equipment and hostile demeanor, they immediately compromised.

"Hey, I ask you, from yesterday morning until now, has anyone else passed through here?"

Captain Zhang lit a cigarette and leaned against the bridge’s railing, asking.

"Not today. Yesterday... we don’t know. We weren’t on duty yesterday."

The middle-aged man wearing a military cotton hat stood straight and replied.

"The bridge at Shuwa Village was bombed. Your side is blocking the road to the north, all for a toll fee, your village folks are really cunning!"

Someone from the tank 30000 got out, complained, and patted the unarmed firearm he was holding, showing off.

"The village is in poor conditions, there’s no choice..."

"Hey, hey, you bosses, where are you heading?"

Ma Changshou had previously received a message saying a bunch of people arrived at the bridge, and upon seeing them draw guns from afar, he quickly led people over, fearing the bridge guards would clash with them.

He’s very astute, knowing that some matters can’t be avoided, only actively resolving them could lead to good outcomes.

Seeing four or five villagers approaching, Zhang Su curved a smile at the leader: "From the looks of it, you’re in charge here, right? What’s this place, what’s your name?"

"Boss, just call me Old Ma, hehe, this is West Camp Village, and I’m the village chief here. What’s your surname, boss?"

Ma Changshou kept a low profile. They had firearms too, but the other side had submachine guns—clearly high-end weapons. Conflict was absolutely not an option.

"Zhang!"

"Zhang..." Ma Changshou’s mind instantly recalled the image of another boss with the surname Zhang, and he muttered, "Oh, oh, Boss Zhang, good to meet Boss Zhang, good to meet all the bosses. Old Scar, move fast, don’t keep the bosses waiting!"

"No rush!" Captain Zhang waved his hand, tossing half a pack of cigarettes across, then raised his arm and pointed to the inside of his arm: "Do you know what this emblem means?"

Ma Changshou bent down to pick up the cigarette that had fallen to the ground, staring blankly at the two red wings on the inside of the other’s arm, shaking his head in confusion: "I don’t understand, please enlighten me, Boss Zhang."

"Remember this emblem, it’s the insignia of the Survivor Alliance!"

As he spoke, ten people from the two vehicles raised their arms, revealing the emblem of flying wings on the inside of their arms.

Ma Changshou exchanged glances with those around him; they hadn’t expected that the other party belonged to Qin City’s renowned Survivor Alliance. Their organized and disciplined demeanor, coupled with decent equipment, was indeed not a disguise.

Are they planning to stake a claim up north?

Ma Changshou couldn’t help but ponder...

"So you all are the bosses from the Survivor Alliance, no wonder I said each one of you has an extraordinary presence, hahaha, I’ve heard so much about you all."

"Don’t butter me up, if you really have heard so much about us, why haven’t you brought people to join our alliance? Staying in this crappy village, what future do you have?"

The man getting off the vehicle glared disdainfully at West Camp Village.

"Boss..." Ma Changshou looked at the man who spoke, his face fierce, even more caustic than the captain with scars on his face, and said with a smiling face: "We are all old farmers lacking combat experience; how dare we make the long journey to Qin City? That’s seeking death."

"Alright, enough of the chatter! Let me ask you, from yesterday morning until now, has a Jinbei van passed through here?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Captain Zhang extinguished the cigarette butt, flicked his fingers, and the butt flew into the river.

Ma Changshou’s mind raced, and he answered quickly, "Yes!"

"You old fool, does your brain work? You didn’t even think before answering? So let me ask you, what color is the car, who’s in it? If you answer wrong, I’ll blow your brains out!"

The fierce man saw the other party being very cooperative with Captain Zhang and grew angrier.

It seemed like intimidation, but Ma Changshou, being savvy, had already caught a clue from their attitude. He smiled quietly, "These questions are not difficult for me; the car isn’t the usual gray-white, but a pure white Jinbei van. There were two people, a tall and sturdy man with scars and a beard, and the other stayed in the car, didn’t get out at first, later we found out he was a cripple!"

"Captain Zhang, that’s right, it’s Dr. Fu and the traitor!"

"Damn it, if we catch them, we’ll kill them for making us look all over!"

"Are you crazy? The leader clearly instructed us to bring Dr. Fu back alive..."

"Oh, right, kill that traitor!"

The members of the Survivor Alliance suddenly became agitated, faces filled with joy and ferocity.

Captain Zhang’s mouth curved into a smile as he pushed away the last row of roadblocks and walked up to Ma Changshou, saying, "Village Chief Ma, you’ve heard our conversation, those two are the ones we’re looking for. Tell us everything you know; those two aren’t hiding in your village, are they?"

Ma Changshou shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, we haven’t sheltered any passing survivors. People might appear trustworthy, but who knows what’s in their hearts? We wouldn’t dare."

"By the way, what benefits did you receive when they passed through?"

Captain Zhang placed his hand on Ma Changshou’s shoulder, as if they were old friends, with a smile that suggested trouble might follow.

The villagers surrounding Ma Changshou were angry yet held back. Once they had imagined the Survivor Alliance as a wonderful place where survivors gathered, now seeing such reprehensible actions, it was clear this organization was up to no good!

"Hehehe... To be honest, that tall and strong guy bowed and scraped; our people checked the car and found nothing worth taking. We took a box of supplies symbolically; I don’t know the specifics, it’s been sent directly to the warehouse. Shall I call the warehouse keeper to ask?"

The villagers found Ma Changshou’s obviously made-up response unsurprising; they understood the village’s current predicament and knew his reasoning!

Whether it’s the Survivor Alliance from Qin City, Cyan Dragon Corps from Qing County, or Zhang Su’s party from an unknown northern location, none is a force they can provoke. Since choosing to join Cyan Dragon Corps and before migrating there, they must survive safely in the gap.

If West Camp Village gets involved in the conflict between the Survivor Alliance and Zhang Su’s team, they could become casualties!

"No need!" Captain Zhang shook his head and continued, "I only want to know where they went now."

Ma Changshou pointed north: "After crossing the bridge, they continued north; I honestly don’t know where they went. I don’t care about this matter, so I didn’t bother to inquire."

"Oh! Really? Old Ma, I always feel you’re not honest. Let’s go, guys, let’s sit in the village and ask around!"

Captain Zhang patted Ma Changshou’s shoulder, then gestured to people by the roadblocks!

"Haha, distinguished guests have arrived, come on, bosses, please!" Ma Changshou’s heart skipped a beat, but he quickly gave a welcoming gesture with a smile.

No matter how adaptable he was, he couldn’t win against the Survivor Alliance’s suspicion, but this act must be carried through to avoid terrible consequences!

Several villagers showed worried expressions, which fell into Captain Zhang’s view. He laughed heartily and said, "Folks, don’t worry, we’re only interested in the escaped traitor; we won’t harm your village in any way, we’re just here to gather information!"