From sunrise to sunset, the daytime at Celestial Horse Island was spent in busy activity.
The sunset shone between the mountains and forests, without a hint of warmth, the slight cold breeze made people instinctively tighten their coats.
Zombie 003 has been reloaded back onto the vehicle, and the five vehicles from the Cyan Dragon Corps were ready to go. Three were damaged by explosions, and two were hit by stray bullets, requiring repairs before use, but there was no time to deal with that for now.
Lu Yuboās favorite cruiser motorcycle had its circuit board pierced during the battle, unable to start. Otherwise, even if the weather was freezing, he would have ridden the big bike and set off.
"With tea as wine, eat meat heartily, letās toast to toppling the Cyan Dragon Corps tonight!"
In the restaurant, Zhang Su raised his cup, delivering his pre-battle motivational speech.
"Topple the Cyan Dragon Corps!"
Everyone raised their cups together, then drank it all in one go.
The restaurant was filled with the scent of tea, the tea in the cups was particularly strong, serving as both a drink substitute and a remedy against sleepiness, killing two birds with one stone.
When everyone put down their cups, Zhang Su looked at Zheng Xinyu, who was smacking her lips, and said with a smile: "Xinyu, youāve always had good luck. Make a prediction about tonightās journey; can we achieve a decisive victory?"
As soon as he said this, the place fell silent. The old folks who followed Zhang Su all the way from Qin City were very tense because they had witnessed Zheng Xinyuās luck, frankly speaking, it was quite supernatural. They wanted to hear some good words from her, as that would greatly boost morale.
Some who joined the camp later, however, were very curious, taking this as banter between Brother Su and the big sister-in-law, used to ease the tension before departure.
Zheng Xinyu hesitated for a moment, as she didnāt know if she had any ability to predict, then followed her intuition and said: "Weāre so formidable, of course, weāll breeze through easily without bloodshed. In terms from the game, itās āclick to receiveā!"
The prediction was overly exaggerated, but no one took it seriously, treating it as psychological comfort, which was still quite nice.
"Alright, click to receive! Haha, come, eat, finish and set off!"
Zhang Su put down his cup and took a seat, everyone moved their chopsticks together.
As the sun set behind the mountains, stars hung in the night sky; vehicles left Celestial Horse Island one by one. The impassioned words had already been spoken during the meal, no longer needing inspirational blessings; the partners staying behind at Celestial Horse Island sent firm and expectant glances.
Leading the convoy was Zhang Su driving an FJ Cruiser, with Xin Qi, whose waist was pinned by a gun barrel, in the passenger seat. Two other captives were also in the convoy, just assigned to different vehicles.
Imitating the Cyan Dragon Corpsā driving mode, all vehicles were completely dark except the lead vehicle had its lights on. Zhang Su didnāt need lights, but to accommodate the speed of the following cars, he had to reduce the speed to around forty.
"Youāre saying thereās a checkpoint five kilometers away from Qing County? Not bluffing, are you!"
On the road, Zhang Su smoked as he asked the passenger Xin Qi.
"No, no, Brother Su, Iām hoping to redeem myself and you could give me a break afterward, how would I dare say anything careless."
Xin Qi said with a forced smile.
"That depends on your performance!"
"I will perform well, trust me!"
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Zhang Suās heart skipped a beat, he didnāt have to wonder to know that Xin Qiās mindset had changed, turning zero into one. He marveled at how incredible this challenge truly was, able to monitor changes in surroundings in real time, even peopleās hearts couldnāt escape!
"Seems like this challenge isnāt that difficult after all!"
Zhang Su couldnāt help but think to himself, falling silent and focusing on the road. According to Xin Qiās statement, there were two checkpoints placed by the Cyan Dragon Corps on the road to Qing County, plus one at the entrance of the military camp, in total three checkpoints!
The furthest one was five kilometers on the southeast northwest side, the second checkpoint was about one kilometer away; not to mention internal faction struggles, this level of vigilance was quite on point.
"Here... over there, thereās a survivorās settlement called Kuanzhuang!"
Heading north, Xin Qi suddenly pointed to the far west side of the road.
"Hmm, Kuanzhuang seems to be around this area."
Zhang Su responded ambiguously, he certainly knew where Kuanzhuang was since he had just visited there in the early morning.
He could tell that Xin Qi indeed was providing correct information, but that was no reason to lower his guard.
"Going north for about seven or eight kilometers will bring you to the outpost. Thereās a field of lavender grown by the locals right by the road. Itās several acres, with a snow-white church there too. The outpost is set up in the attic of the church!"
Xin Qi said seriously.
"Lavender fields, a church..." Zhang Su grinned and asked puzzled: "Whatās the point of having these things here in Qing County? Flowers donāt last long with the climate here!"
"Hmm... Itās precisely because the climate isnāt suitable that every season of blooming, lots of couples come to take wedding photos, and some shoot short videos. Itās not cheap to charge for it, and the church is used for scenes too. They earn one seasonās money every year. That owner is interesting; they disguise themselves as a priest to appear on camera, which also costs extra, of course."
"Damn, priest, Iām a ghost mom then, what the heck..." Zhao Dezhu complained from the back seat.
Zhang Su laughed as well, thinking that whoever does this business is truly a genius, but suddenly realized a problem and asked: "How do you know so clearly?"
Xin Qi was taken aback and said: "Iām a local here. My home is not far from Grass Slope Town. I used to work there during peak seasons, throwing petals and holding reflectors for wedding photos. On good days, you could earn two or three hundred a day, quite a lot!"
Talking about these past lives brought a heavy heart to everyone.
Zhang Su sighed lightly without speaking further. If it werenāt for this damn apocalypse, heād be a prosperous little boss, and Xin Qi would just be a fresh college graduate idly waiting at home, a cheerful young man. Everyone would steadily advance along their life trajectories, living mundane lives.
The chatting didnāt continue; Zhang Su stared into the distance. Sure enough, before long, a topped church appeared in the far distance!
Slowing down, Zhang Su, amidst puzzled glances from the crowd, picked up the binoculars...
"Big brother, stargazing?"
Zhao Dezhu looked outside puzzled; it was pitch black, and binoculars arenāt night vision, what can you see...
Zhang Su didnāt have the time to bicker with Zhao Dezhu, intently gazing at the distant churchās spire window. Through the glass, a narrow space was indeed faintly visible, but no one was there.
Lowering his sights, the whole church sat in darkness, and there were no vehicles parked around the flower fields, all signs suggesting that seemingly no one was there?
"Xin Qi, are you sure the outpost is manned twenty-four hours?"
Zhang Su put down the binoculars and asked puzzled.
"Every outpost runs three shifts. Itās never unmanned, though sometimes they might slack off..." Xin Qi shrugged and said.
Zhang Su and Zhao Dezhu looked at each other and continued: "Theyāre pretty gutsy. Slacking on such an important job?"
"Itās fine to hear cars passing by. If someone sneaks past, they wouldnāt see that anyway. So usually the night shift brings some food and drinks to the watchtower for a break. The outmost outpost is the easiest, considered a good gig!"
"Hmph, do they really think the Cyan Dragon Corps rules the roost in Qing County? Tonight Iāll show them why the flowers are so red!"
Zhao Dezhu shook his head in anger, criticizing.
"Itās them, them, not me... Iām no longer part of the Cyan Dragon Corps. Haha..." Xin Qi smiled stiffly, repeatedly explaining.
Zhang Su was speechless too; with more people, management really becomes tough. Such slack, mix, and mess situations might even happen to his own team in the future, so he needs to think ahead to avoid it.
"What will people on the outpost do if they hear a car approaching? Report immediately or verify the situation first."
Xin Qi resolutely said: "Usually, theyāll report directly to the headquarters, but the headquarters knows we left yesterday. If the southern outpost hears a car, theyāll check the situation first, and then Iāll take care of it. Brother, donāt worry!"
This tripās main task is to deceive the outpost staff. Xin Qi had been prepared long ago.
"Youāve got good sense, kid. Okay, as long as you can redeem yourself with merit, youāll certainly get a way out!"
Zhang Su thought Xin Qi indeed had his merits. Previously, due to faction reasons, they were irreconcilable, but simple contact revealed he was just a big boy. Though only three or four years younger, his different life experiences meant he hadnāt been in society long and didnāt have many schemes.
Since the other side had chosen to abandon darkness for light, thereās no need to speak much further, a gentle hint would suffice.
Zhang Su believed that many like Xin Qi existed in the Cyan Dragon Corps. The likes of Liu Lei, who were mentally twisted and took pleasure in torture and were addicted to killing, were few. At most, some indulged in drinking and lust, all small flaws that could be tolerated.
The vehicle slowly approached the church, and Xin Qi mumbled inside, simulating how to steady the outpost personnel.
"No need for all that hassle, just get him to poke his head out, and leave the rest to us!"
Zhang Su patted Xin Qi, visibly nervous, already instructed Tan Huajunāonce a person is sighted, kill them without mercy. The killed people wonāt count toward the conquest numbers, but one or two are not important!
Soon, the convoy arrived beside the flower fields. The church was merely ten meters away from the roadside, with a not-so-wide wooden pathway directly leading to the entrance. It was made picturesque for wedding photoshoots.