Zhang Su fell silent for a long time after listening to the middle-aged manâs words; this information was incredibly important to him!
He had considered using zombies for attacks, like setting them on fire to attack a designated area, inflicting massive blows to the enemy. But he hadnât expected that zombies could be modified and used as a weapon; he couldnât help but admire the Cyan Dragon Corpsâ Edge Squadâs imaginative ideas.
Fu Weijunâs research direction was to excavate usable resources from zombies to further enhance human survival chances, while the Cyan Dragon Corpsâ research department focused on weaponizing zombies.
Either way, both were exhausting all efforts to adapt to the ecological environment of this new world.
Currently, the number of zombies globally is incredibly large, at least three to four billion. If a way could be found to utilize them while clearing them, it would indeed help humans survive better.
"Hey, what will happen if the Corps headquarters canât wait for the grain collection team to return?"
Zhang Su fantasized about the future for a while, then asked about the most pivotal issue before him.
The three men exchanged glances, and the middle-aged man scratched his head and said, "This has never happened before, but I think theyâll definitely send someone out to investigate."
"How long do you think it will be before they send someone out?"
Zhang Su asked.
"Originally, according to the plan, they were supposed to return this afternoon. If they donât get back on time, I estimate... the soonest is the day after tomorrow, theyâll send someone out to investigate. It might be a little later, but definitely not more than three days. This task is usually handled by Team One and Team Two!"
The middle-aged man stated solemnly, especially emphasizing Team One and Team Two because these two teams boast very strong combat capabilities. Although they wouldnât admit it verbally, they all knew that aside from Team One and Team Two, the other teams were somewhat of a "makeweight."
Zhang Su was silent for a moment, his eyes rolled, and he said, expression oddly, "You cooperate quite well, answering everything thatâs asked. You defect swiftly! Are you not planning to return to the Cyan Dragon Corps?"
The three exchanged glances, their expressions awkward...
Xin Qi spoke up, "Big brother, are you joking? Right now, we only have one thought: keeping ourselves alive is enough. Going back to the Cyan Dragon Corps? We were forced to join them; weâre not some war machines shackled by ideology..."
"Yeah, yeah, we used to live around Qing County. I joined the Corps because the camp was overrun by zombies, and I fled to the Corps, initially facing a lot of exclusion..."
"Iâm different; I was a wanderer outside when I ran into Corps members who forced me to join. Honestly, I donât feel any sense of belonging."
Two people nearby began sharing their experiences, revealing the most primal desire in their eyes: the will to survive.
"You didnât find walkie-talkies on your captains; donât you contact headquarters during missions?"
Zhang Su asked curiously.
The deceased members of the Cyan Dragon Corps were stripped clean shortly after the battle ended, with all useful items tossed aside, no communication equipment was found, and the promised communication radio was never deliveredâempty talk.
Xin Qiâs face showed a strange expression, saying, "Big brother, even satellite phones canât be used; how could they contact headquarters? The walkie-talkies only work nearby the headquarters, beyond five kilometers, itâs pretty much impossible!"
"Even satellite phones canât be used? You have satellite phones... right, the Corps should have them!"
Zhang Su suddenly realized, and his brow furrowed as he recalled Wen and Fu Weijun mentioning some things about the disaster outbreak. So he asked, "What guesses does your Corps have about this disaster outbreak?"
"The scientific department has two guesses about this â both are quite mind-bending. Big brother, do you want to hear?" Xin Qi asked.
"Go ahead!"
"The first guess is that the underground civilization plans to reclaim the surface of Earth; the second guess is an alien civilization invasion... I found both pretty far-fetched!"
Zhang Suâs eyes slightly brightened, contemplating deeply. These seemingly odd guesses perfectly matched the current situation, and only advanced civilizations could implement such a dimensional-downshift strike!
Considering the destruction of satellites, he believed the disaster came from space; sweeping through, it cleared the satellites orbiting the planet.
The question then becomes: whatâs the point of doing this? If itâs just cleansing, thereâs no need to make it so complicatedâhumanity wouldnât go extinct just because of a zombie invasion!
No answers would be forthcoming, since everyoneâs understanding of the disaster was still too simplistic.
"By the way, was there a West Camp Village joining your Cyan Dragon Corps a few days ago, four or five days ago?"
After a long silence, Zhang Su suddenly thought of Ma Changshou and asked.
"Four or five days... West Camp..."
Xin Qi nodded after some thought, saying, "Yeah, thatâs true. There were quite a lot of people from that village, but they were pretty shameless. Initially, some people were going to be selected for the Reserve Team, but their village chief sent a lot of supplies to the Corpsâ warehouse. I heard they arranged for everyone in the village to be in the Logistics Department!"
The combat department sounded prestigious; the task points for each mission were high, and after returning to the Corps they could be exchanged for various goods. But beneath this seeming splendor lay danger, like licking blood off a knifeâs edge â for example, this time, three teams got wiped out!
In contrast, the logistics department seemed tougher and more exhausting, but offered more life safety.
Zhang Su heard this news and shook his head strangely. It perfectly aligned with Ma Changshouâs cunning nature, but this way, at least he had acquaintances within the Cyan Dragon Corps, though another offered a different answer.
"Younger Brother Xin was half right... Can I supplement?"
Zhang Su nodded to indicate for him to continue.
"West Camp Village indeed bribed the upper echelon, but the affair was exposed within a day. The Commander was very angry and locked them up in two barracks, saying he would deal with them in a few days."
Zhang Su heard this news and felt both amused and annoyed, curious about what Ma Changshouâs expression would be. He hoped West Camp Village could gain a foothold within the Corps, useful for his plans.
"Hey, I heard your camp had 99 tanks?"
Zhang Su suddenly remembered Liu Leiâs words and asked curiously.
"Thatâs correct!" Xin Qi nodded quickly, perhaps sensing his previous answer regarding West Camp Village was insufficient, he hurried to say, "We have two 99 tanks, but itâs not related to us; only core members and a few elite teammates can reach them."
"They really have them..."
Zhang Suâs thoughts became more active, after pondering for a moment, he asked, "Does anyone else inside the Corps know our specific location?"
"Um... those people who previously scouted should have reported all of the southernâs safe camp locations." Xin Qi said with a complicated look.
"Alright, you should stay put. Be honest, Iâll have someone send over some clothes later!"
"Big brother..."
Seeing that Zhang Su was about to leave, Xin Qi quickly called out, pleading, "C-could we have some water? Weâre thirsty."
"You are prisoners of war now, understand? Can prisoners make requests? If not for humanitarian concern, we wouldnât even give you clothes!"
With that, Zhang Su turned and left the room, where the inside was heated but only around sixteen or seventeen degrees. If they remained exposed, the three might die from hypothermia.
It was already past four in the morning, and the outside temperature was below freezing, the sky without a glimmer of light.
On Celestial Horse Island, many people had almost stayed awake all night. Zhang Su had rested briefly before, but still felt tired. He knew this matter was far from over, time was not on his side.
The Cyan Dragon Corps was like a ticking bomb â mishandling it could bring tremendous trouble, yet figuring out how to handle it frustrated him deeply!
Upon exiting the room where the prisoners were held, closing the door casually, a long-lost line of text suddenly appeared in his mind, causing his body to freeze in place.
[How to handle the Cyan Dragon Corps: A, Conquer; B, Eradicate; C, Subjugate]