"Brother Zhang, we’re out here on a mission. Let’s catch up after we finish the task!"

"What mission? Hey, you’re blocking my way and asking if my last name is Zhang. This task isn’t about me, is it?"

Zhang Su asked with feigned surprise.

Zhang Xin sniffed, took out a few cigarettes to share, and as he turned, saw Vice Captain Yan and the others approaching. Realizing he couldn’t bluff anymore, he explained.

"Brother Zhang, we’re out here mainly to capture a traitor from the alliance. He abducted a very important research scientist, and our leader is furious, sending out five teams to search!"

After speaking, Zhang Xin casually smoked and watched Zhang Su’s expression through the smoke.

Zhang Su’s attention was on the three people who had just arrived, and he asked, "Who was speaking to me just now?"

"Oh, let me introduce you. This is Vice Captain Old Yan from our Vanguard Corps Third Squad." Zhang Xin nodded towards Old Yan, then turned to him and said, "Old Yan, this is an old friend I knew when the disaster first broke out. I’ll handle this, you don’t need to worry!"

"I don’t need to worry?"

Old Yan, whose face was already unpleasant, seemed even colder.

Zhang Xin, knowing what the other party wanted to say, impatiently waved his hand and said, "You’ll get a share of the credit, okay?"

The points in the Survivor Alliance were extremely valuable, and everyone wanted to earn more to live more comfortably.

"Thank you, Captain Zhang!"

Old Yan replied nonchalantly, his eyes then scanning Zhang Su’s face, glancing at the rifle on his shoulder, and pointing to the RV: "Why are your people unwilling to come down? Are you looking down on our Survivor Alliance?"

With a few simple words and keen observation, Zhang Su had already gathered a lot of information. He discreetly glanced at the opposite ten people, confirming his thoughts through their subtle expressions and glances, finally focusing his gaze on Old Yan.

"You just want to talk with the boss, right? Why ask everyone else to come down? Can’t you see I’m talking with your captain? Where do you get the nerve to but in, Vice Captain?"

After speaking, Zhang Su looked at Zhang Xin in a mocking manner and sarcastically said, "Old Zhang, let me tell you, when I talk, no subordinate dares to interrupt. You’re not doing your job as captain well at all!"

The last few elongated words were filled with intense sarcasm.

Zhang Xin’s expression became quite odd. He knew that Zhang Su wasn’t actually mocking him, but rather reprimanding Vice Captain Yan. He struggled to suppress a laugh, feeling extremely awkward, as he pressed his lips together, unsure of what to say.

"You! You damn..."

Old Yan was infuriated by Zhang Su’s words, wanting to draw his gun, but before he could act, the sound of a bolt being cocked echoed. Looking up, he saw a chubby woman sticking a gun out of the RV window, aiming directly at him!

The action looked a bit comical, like a giant seal, but the gun’s dark muzzle was no joke, and it bore marks from frequent use—an often-used and well-maintained firearm!

"What do you mean?"

Old Yan’s face darkened, holding a submachine gun in his hand, unsure whether to raise it or not. The hands of two kids behind him hovered over their waistbands, uncertain about drawing their weapons. The scene was frozen in a standoff.

"Hey, isn’t that Sister Pang from the gas station?"

Zhang Xin didn’t expect to run into two familiar faces. He almost forgot about Tan Huajun. Seeing her holding a gun and her standard aiming posture, he couldn’t help but be astonished. People he once wouldn’t give a second glance now served as perfect excuses for small talk.

"Long time no see, Boss Zhang." Tan Huajun didn’t move an inch, with a smile visible at the corner of her mouth, speaking in the same casual tone as if greeting him in a store while buying fruits.

"Old Tan, from now, as I talk to Old Zhang, I don’t want to hear his voice. Keep aiming at this Vice Captain surnamed Yan. If he tries anything, shoot him right away!"

Zhang Su pointed unceremoniously at Old Yan, whose face was now colorless, offering no room for negotiation.

"Mission accomplished!"

Tan Huajun’s plump figure was wedged in the window, her feet hooked on the sofa’s edge, quite steady.

"You damn..."

"Hey, Old Yan, I advise you not to move!" Zhang Xin, seeing Old Yan on the verge of an outburst, quickly stopped him.

"Brother Zhang has always been true to his word. Once, when a group tried to harm him, he single-handedly lured over a hundred zombies to their base. Those zombies devoured all the survivors, and he killed the ones who escaped. You’d better behave; I’ll handle this, and you can just wait for the points!"

A simple sentence instantly changed the Survivor Alliance members’ view of Zhang Su. Is this guy nuts?

Inside the RV, Zhao Dezhu and Chen Hanzhou exchanged glances, shrugging to signal they knew nothing about this tale.

Zhang Su’s thoughts were confirmed. The ten-member team ahead of him was indeed split into two factions as he suspected. Factionalism was normal, but he hadn’t expected such intense internal fighting within a small squad, nor had he anticipated Zhang Xin’s remarkable talent for spinning tales!

"Ahem... No need to boast about past glory, Old Zhang. You just mentioned a traitor?"

Zhang Xin’s expression turned serious as he replied, "That’s right. We’re out here to catch a traitor, someone tall and strong driving a Jinbei van. The researcher with him can’t walk easily. Have you seen them?"

He hadn’t immediately mentioned the West Camp Village incident.

Zhang Su’s mind worked rapidly, integrating the other party’s actions. Concluding that they likely collected bits of information from West Camp Village, he nodded shortly after, saying, "I met them!"

??!!

The Survivor Alliance members were stunned, not expecting him to admit it so readily.

Zhang Xin was still pondering how to negotiate if Zhang Su denied it, only to hear his admission.

"Hey... Brother Zhang, where are those two right now?"

"The tall and strong traitor you mentioned is a neighbor from the same neighborhood, in the same building. I saw them being stopped on Chuhai River Bridge before, so I helped them out, exchanged some supplies, then they left."

Zhang Su spoke eloquently, pointing towards West Camp Village.

"Left?"

Zhang Xin was startled and said, "Where did they go?"

"That scientist who can’t walk, wears glasses, very gentle—the one you talked about—said he was going to either Tang City or Beijing, even wanted us to escort him, which is absolute nonsense. Later, I exchanged some canned food for a gun and sent them away."

Zhang Su’s expression was vivid, and he spoke so clearly that he could retell the story without error; nine truths for every lie is the most confusing.

In the car, Chen Hanzhou and Zhao Dezhu exchanged a bewildered look, thinking their memory might be wrong.

"This..."

Unexpectedly, Zhang Xin shook his hand and said, "Brother Zhang, tell me the truth, did they really head towards Beijing?"

Zhang Su looked at Zhang Xin as if to say if you don’t believe it, don’t ask, and said, "How would I know? After leaving my place, they went north. Who knows where they went... to Russia, maybe, I don’t care."

"This is just hopeless!"

Zhang Xin stomped his foot; if it was as Zhang Su said, there’s simply no way to continue the investigation. Going further north means entering Qing County, and they, mere soldiers of ten or so, dare not enter the city easily.

In his mind, either Qing County was crawling with zombies, or some power was occupying it, which was inconvenient!

Having understood the situation, Zhang Xin sighed, then turned to look at Old Yan standing on the side with a grim face, and said, "You’ve heard it all, given the circumstances, I think it’s pointless to continue chasing; we should report back and see what the leader says!"

Ostensibly, Zhang Xin is the captain, Old Yan the vice captain, but it’s just a form of internal checks and balances within the Survivor Alliance, supervising and restraining each other for better management.

Some decisions can’t be made solely by the captain; major tasks must be decided by both the captain and vice captain together.

After saying this, Zhang Xin waited for Old Yan to speak, but found him silent, rather odd, then suddenly thought of Sister Pang aiming at him, and couldn’t help but chuckle, "Brother Zhang, let Sister Pang put the gun away. Look at him, he doesn’t dare speak; this isn’t right!"

"Fine, go ahead!"

Zhang Su nodded but did not let Tan Huajun lower the gun.

"Hmph!"

Old Yan snorted angrily, glanced at the plump woman stuck in the car window, feeling irritated, but now was not the time for such trivialities; there were more important matters.

"Captain Zhang, we can’t just take people at their word. I think we at least need to visit Mr. Zhang’s camp, don’t we?"

One sentence made the relaxed atmosphere tense again.

Zhang Xin frowned. Upon seeing Zhang Su, he began to retreat, wanting to brush things off, not wishing to make enemies with Zhang Su. On the other hand, the mission itself was unpleasant—if not for Old Yan’s constant supervision, he would have already taken his brothers to loot some village for supplies!

Five squads searching together, feigning work; who would know?

"Does Vice Captain Yan not believe what I’ve said?"

Realizing Zhang Xin looked torn, Zhang Su guessed his thoughts. A subtle understanding formed between them, and Zhang Su continued the conversation.

"Heh, whether you believe it or not, seeing for yourself will reveal the truth. Why wouldn’t Mr. Zhang, an old acquaintance of our Captain Zhang, be willing to invite an old friend to your place for tea?"

Having gained a chance to speak, Old Yan began shaking again, seeming to have forgotten the gun pointed at him.

"I’m really perplexed..." Zhang Su cast a strange look at Zhang Xin and said, "Old Zhang, is your team run by you or by him? Do you have factions even in your little team of ten?"

When Zhang Su mentioned factions, he could clearly feel the positions of the ten people opposite shift; five moved closer to Zhang Xin, two stayed behind Old Yan, while one stood neutrally, looking rather unintelligent.

"Brother Zhang..."

Zhang Xin, somewhat embarrassed, furrowed his brow, stepped forward, and whispered into Zhang Su’s ear, "You see, some things really aren’t for me alone to decide. Give me some face, take me to your place for a quick look; our alliance isn’t interested in the rural north, won’t cause trouble there."

Zhang Su pinched his nose bridge, puzzled, "Old Zhang, is it fun being the captain? Such people, you don’t get rid of them, can they really not cause you trouble?"

"Enough of sowing discord—our alliance’s internal affairs are not for you outsiders to judge! You should... die!"

Suddenly sensing a dangerous signal, Old Yan thought the longer the conversation continued, the more likely he was to lose his life here, so he decided to strike first.

Da-da!

However, just as Old Yan intended to dodge and raise his hand to kill Zhang Su, two streaks of blood shot out from his occiput, with disbelief in his eyes, as his last thought fixed in his mind was: how could that fat woman’s marksmanship be so accurate?

Meanwhile, Zhang Su, extremely alert, swung his shoulder rifle to the front, the safety already unlocked, ready to fire at any time.

Da-da, da-da...

Da-da...

Zhang Su opened fire, and Tan Huajun continued picking off targets.

Before Old Yan’s two henchmen could draw their handguns, their eyes already widened in disbelief, as two blood pits appeared on their foreheads, identical to the one their leader received upon his death!