"Master Xin is different from before; he’s much more temperate and polite to people now."

Tan Huajun stuck his head out to watch the tank named Thirty Thousand driving away, speaking with a sigh.

On the crater-filled road, Zhang Su drove the RV carefully. Hearing Tan Huajun’s words, he laughed and nodded, "Yeah, people change with their environment. Back at Phoenix International, he was the big boss of the Salvation Society, now he’s just a team leader in the Survivor Alliance. He has to act low-key, doesn’t he? Damn, does Zhuzi even know how to drive?!"

As he was speaking, Zhang Su saw the FJ Cruiser in front swerve violently to avoid a pothole, its right rear wheel lifting high off the ground before falling heavily back, nearly overturning the car!

Zhang Su picked up the radio to start ranting but thought better of it and set it down. Zhao Dezhu’s skill was already subpar, and any distraction would make it worse.

Previously, Tan Huajun was supposed to drive, but Zhao Dezhu begged hard, claiming he’d improved and wouldn’t find himself driving onto the curb anymore. Yet he was still the same.

"Hey, brother, this damn car is really hard to drive, and the road is terrible. I’m exhausted, not doing this again."

After safely navigating the bumpy section, the radio on the Mercedes RV crackled to life with Zhao Dezhu complaining, trying to cover up almost flipping the car just now.

"Hehe..."

Zhang Su picked up the radio, responded with an awkward laugh, then tossed it aside, picking up the radio designated for contacting West Camp Village. After thinking for a bit, he put it back, deciding to find a more formal opportunity to talk.

Regarding what happened today, he felt Ma Changshou handled things very well. While he mainly worked for West Camp Village’s interests, he also considered other aspects, which wasn’t easy. In a similar situation at Celestial Horse Island, even he might not have managed it better.

"What happened with the Survivor Alliance today, let’s not tell anyone when we get back. I want to observe Duan Wuhu and Fu Weijun’s reactions."

Zhang Su instructed the two behind him, seemingly feeling the emphasis wasn’t enough, he added before they could respond, "Old Tan, don’t even tell your daughter, and Xiaochen, same goes for you with Pei Lan!"

"Got it, Brother Su, I never talk to Lanlan about these things."

Chen Hanzhou nodded; young couples engrossed in each other hardly had time for other conversations.

Tan Huajun followed up, "I won’t tell Lanlan. By the way, Brother Su, I noticed Lanlan seems quite close with Xiaolu these days. Are they...?"

Hearing this, Chen Hanzhou turned his head awkwardly. It felt awkward since Pei Lan chose not to be with Lu Yubo, but he didn’t reject her advances, somehow creating a bit of a rift between him and Lu Yubo due to this.

Zhang Su laughed upon hearing Tan Huajun’s query, "I heard it from Bozai; don’t worry, Old Tan. Bozai might be a bit of a flirt, but he’s good to girls, has a decent reputation in that aspect."

Tan Huajun couldn’t help but twitch his lips at Zhang Su’s words. What’s with saying someone is a bit of a flirt yet still good to girls? It’s such a contradiction.

"I have no other opinion, as long as he doesn’t hurt Lanlan. I won’t meddle otherwise. They seem happy, just that Dakun seems a bit hurt."

"Ha, so you’ve noticed Pang Dakun likes your daughter? I’ve talked to him, but feelings are mutual choices, can’t help it."

"I explained the same to Dakun; he’s sensible, didn’t cause a fuss, and said he’d focus more on training."

"Indeed, in times like these, surviving well is... huh?"

Just then, Zhang Su sensed something flash by in his peripheral vision, quickly turning his head towards the road’s left side in the distance.

"Zhuzi, zombies spotted, stop the car!"

The two vehicles slowly pulled over to the roadside as Zhang Su took out binoculars to look far ahead. For once, he wasn’t pretending; the zombies were quite distant—scattered and sparse. It required optical zoom to distinguish if there were any Petrified Skin Zombies among them.

Tan Huajun and Chen Hanzhou also leaned against the windows to peer into the distance, only managing to make out dots far away, unable even to tell if they were moving.

"Great, there are Petrified Skin Zombies, let’s find a route over!"

After careful observation for over half a minute, Zhang Su concluded that there were clearly different ones among the zombies, likely the Petrified Skin Zombies mutated from the quarry!

They typically avoided zombies, seldom charging toward them. The two vehicles drove down narrow rural roads, soon approaching the zombies wandering on the embankment.

"They’ve been led pretty far, coming all the way out here!"

As they got closer, their view broadened, revealing hundreds of zombies scattered across the expansive fields. Now, even the others besides Zhang Su could see the difference in zombies.

Ordinary zombies had bluish skin, while Petrified Skin Zombies were entirely gray. Besides color, their skin also differed, showing stone-like textures. Yet, this distinction meant nothing from afar, requiring face-to-face proximity for ordinary eyes.

Though distinguishing Petrified Skin Zombies from a distance was hard, up close, their superiority was clear. Besides a tough skin concealing abundant strength, each Petrified Skin Zombie equaled the strength of three ordinary ones.

Poor United Village was truly miserable—dealing with Mutated Zombies was tragic enough, and getting them ignited almost wiped out the entire group.

"Let’s get to work. Capture one and research it slowly back home!"

After watching a while, Zhang Su returned to the vehicle, fetching a modified riot fork, then said, "Zhuzi, your driving just now was crap, so now your punishment is to lure zombies, bring two over, and I won’t mention your mishap. If you lure three, everyone will know how bad your driving is. Four and you skip dinner. Deal?"

"Damn, don’t underestimate me. What if I only lure one, and it’s a Petrified Skin Zombie? What then?"

Zhao Dezhu boasted arrogantly.

"Ha! If you genuinely manage just one Petrified Skin Zombie, I’ll personally reward you with a pack of cigarettes!"

"One pack is too little. I want two! And I get to choose the brand."

Zhao Dezhu slapped his chest, having already targeted a lone zombie that looked like a Petrified Skin Zombie.

Zhang Su nodded, "Alright, two packs, but if more than four come, you owe me one. Is that fair?"

Before Zhao Dezhu could accept the bet, Chen Hanzhou quickly raised his hand, "I’m in too! Same bet as Brother Su!"

"Who’re you underestimating? Just wait and see, you two are going to cry!"

Saying so, Zhao Dezhu rolled up one sleeve using his good arm, hunched over, and crept towards his target. He’d seen Zheng Xinyu lure zombies more than once, feeling quite adept.

Seeing Zhao Dezhu’s sneaky demeanor, Zhang Su tilted his head towards the two beside him, "He doesn’t look reliable at all; get ready for a fight!"

Tan Huajun and Chen Hanzhou didn’t say anything, just nodded, drawing their prepared cold weapons.

"Yikes, damn it!"

Approaching closer, Zhao Dezhu realized the lone zombie wasn’t a Petrified Skin Zombie. Disappointed, he had missed that without comparison.

Though chagrined, he decided to deal with the isolated zombie just in case, before seeking a new target.

Handling a zombie single-handedly and efficiently was pretty impressive. Still, observing from afar, Zhang Su and the others couldn’t help but sweat a bit for him.

Soon, Zhao Dezhu found an ideal entry point—two Petrified Skin Zombies standing together. Yet he devised a clever plan to take one out first, ensuring a win...

With glee, he thought to himself, ready to savor the scene of them losing, yet remained cautiously secretive in his actions. Zhao Dezhu moved carefully, creeping forward until about thirty meters from the Petrified Skin Zombies, where he picked up a dirt clod from the field.

Whizz, thud!

He threw the clod, and the precision was remarkable, hitting one zombie right on the head.

Grr...

The randomly attacked zombie turned, its crimson eyes appearing to breathe light, then suddenly brightening with a howl.

Grrr!

This howl seemed to convey some message, catching the nearby zombies’ attention!

Zhao Dezhu half-squatted at the field’s edge, pulling out a Celestial Horse Island-style steel rod from his waist. Imagining tactical retreat while handling zombies, he suddenly saw ten zombies turning and charging at him, like refugees rushing a roast.