Chapter 82 - 77: Farewell

Lu Yubo laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head: "Back in the village, my teacher said I had no brains, my dad said the same, Brother Dong said the same, Brother Shuo said the same, hehe."

Zhang Su rubbed his forehead, at a loss for words with this fool. He suddenly didn’t want to assess Lu Yubo’s loyalty anymore, because this person’s train of thought was different from ordinary people. His thoughts could even be completely different from one second to the next.

No brains, just brainwaves running wild.

"Follow me from now on, but use your brain! Oh, go clean out the toilet!"

Zhang Su inexplicably ordered.

Lu Yubo was stunned for a moment, then stood up and asked Tan Huajun, "Sis, do we have a shovel?"

"Just kidding!" Zhang Su called out to Lu Yubo, pointing at his clothes: "Your and Qiu Shuo’s clothes are all bloody. This shouldn’t be from killing zombies, right?"

Lu Yubo’s jacket was covered in grime. He shrugged and said, "Brother Shuo said that if you smear zombie blood, it can mask our scent so other zombies won’t notice us."

Zhang Su’s eyes lit up, and he asked eagerly, "How did it work?"

Lu Yubo shook his head: "Not at all... Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been surrounded."

"Alright then..." Zhang Su helplessly spread his hands. He had also thought about this method before but never tried it. Now, someone else had tried it, and it cost them their lives.

"Have you eaten?"

"I haven’t eaten since last night!" Lu Yubo touched his hollow belly.

"Find something to eat, there you can boil hot water." Zhang Su pointed at the kettle.

"Hot water, haha, I’m going to make some instant noodles!" Lu Yubo jumped up and down, looking for instant noodles.

"Brother Zhang, that kid doesn’t seem bad, just a bit single-minded. Well, it’s getting late, I should get going!"

After saying a good word for Lu Yubo, Wang Guangjun turned serious, patting Zhang Su’s arm: "Brother Zhang, thank you for helping me out of Sheng Qin Home. Damn, a job paying 3200 a month almost cost me my life, haha!"

Zhang Su glanced at the time, just after noon, and with a slight reluctance, he said to Wang Guangjun: "Old Wang, sometimes you need to be more flexible, don’t be so stubborn. Tackling some issues from a different angle can make them much easier!"

This bit of elder-to-young advice made Wang Guangjun pause for a moment, then he laughed and shook his head: "Brother Zhang, I know I’m a bit stubborn, which isn’t good. Thanks for the reminder, I’ll work on it!"

After speaking, Wang Guangjun picked up his backpack and looked at Tan Huajun: "Little sister, if it’s possible, stick with Brother Zhang, he’s a capable guy!"

Zhang Su was secretly overjoyed, not expecting Wang Guangjun to give him such help before leaving. He was indeed a lucky man.

Tan Huajun hesitated and rubbed her hands: "Brother Wang, I... I don’t have much skill, I’ll just be a burden."

"Everyone has a different role, Old Tan. You can kill zombies and you’re good at mechanics. We need someone like you. You should seriously consider Old Wang’s advice."

Zhang Su said earnestly, originally planning to dismiss Tan Huajun after completing the challenge, but now he was genuinely tempted.

"Haha, little sister, Brother Zhang means he’s willing to take you with him!"

Wang Guangjun said cheerfully.

Tan Huajun also didn’t expect Zhang Su would agree to let her join the team. She was momentarily at a loss, stammering: "I, Brother Su, I’m very willing... but I..."

"I know you’re concerned about your home. Isn’t it just in the next neighborhood? Rest for a night, and tomorrow we’ll go check on your place, but you need to be mentally prepared!"

Zhang Su preemptively advised, not wanting her to be overwhelmed by the brutal scenes and lose a skilled technician, not to mention jeopardizing his own challenge.

Tan Huajun nodded nervously, already preparing herself mentally without anyone telling her. The world outside had turned upside down; anything could have happened at her home!

"Huh? Uncle Wang, you’re leaving?"

Lu Yubo, holding a pack of instant noodles and another to eat dry, paused as he saw Wang Guangjun with his backpack on and weapon in hand.

"I have to go to Environmental University. Young man, listen to Brother Zhang, and for heaven’s sake, don’t be stupid!"

Wang Guangjun affectionately patted Lu Yubo’s head.

"I know, Uncle Wang!"

Despite being reckless, Lu Yubo could feel others’ emotions towards him, and he really liked this uncle, as Uncle Wang always stood up for him.

"Let’s go, Old Wang, I’ll walk you out!"

Zhang Su assessed the situation outside, listened carefully, opened the door, and the group walked out of the convenience store.

Nobody paid attention to the corpses scattered on the ground, except for Tan Huajun. The others were used to wading through piles of bodies and rivers of blood...

"This little electric scooter is great; it’s noiseless when it runs. It’s really a gem for getting around the streets and lanes, haha, take care, everyone, until we meet again!"

Wang Guangjun slid a pry bar into the bike’s basket and left his backpack on, convenient for protection and quick action.

"Old Wang, remember what I said, don’t be stubborn. If something feels wrong, don’t force it!"

Zhang Su urged.

"Got it, got it. You’re more nagging than the milk store owner, haha! I’m off..."

With that, Wang Guangjun twisted the handle, and the little electric bike slowly moved off.

"Uncle Wang, stay safe."

"Uncle Wang, I wish you well!"

"Brother Wang, take care along the way."

The group said their farewells, each addressing him in their own way.

Wang Guangjun, with tear-filled eyes, didn’t look back, merely waved as he rode the little electric bike out of the gas station and soon disappeared around a bend.

"Brother Su, do you think Uncle Wang will find his son?"

Zheng Xinyu asked, somewhat downcast.

In the post-apocalypse, a word could trigger violent outbursts, but bonds could also form quickly. Even though their time with Wang Guangjun wasn’t long and had started with unpleasant incidents, their relationship had become quite harmonious.

"Old Wang could survive four or five days alone in an unfamiliar environment, that’s impressive! Don’t worry, I believe Old Wang will be fine!"

Zhang Su smiled, looking in the direction Wang Guangjun had left.

"Hey, Brother Su..." Lu Yubo sneaked over to Zhang Su’s side, saying, "That machete is really not great, do you have any handy weapons?"

"Old Tan, what weapons do you have at your gas station?"

Zhang Su asked the dazed Tan Huajun.

"Huh? Weapons, oh, yes!"

Tan Huajun came back to her senses, leading the group to a dirty cabinet beside the gas pumps. While unlocking it with keys, she said, "We procured some riot gear before—see if any of it’s usable?"

"This... isn’t this your toy? Using it to kill zombies is a joke..."

Zhang Su looked at a cabinet full of rubber batons, momentarily speechless.

"What?"

"Don’t say nonsense..."

"Cough, cough."

The three women instantly blushed deeply. None of them were minors, but they couldn’t let those things be spoken of so openly.