Chapter 384 - 333: Not a Single Good Brain Among Them!

"No, no, I even went around a few extra times, hehe."

Xiao Xuejian jumped out of the car, greeted a few companions, and then said, "Captain, I’ve delivered your message. Zhang Su’s response was vague, but he reciprocated with a gift."

"Not refusing is good news, and returning a gift is even better. What did he send?"

Gong Chengming didn’t expect the other side to agree outright, and if they did, he would have been more cautious. In these times, it’s easy to promise the world and then back out at the last second. As long as contact is established, we can discuss further later.

"Three fox pelts!"

Xiao Xuejian gleefully pulled out three bright, soft fox pelts from the back seat of the Coolway.

"Wow!"

One of the team members exclaimed, laughing, "This stuff only excites country bumpkins. The alliance warehouse has a pile of mink coats that no one wears; who wants this stuff?"

"Exactly!"

Another member chimed in, pinching the fox pelts and scoffing, "Captain, Zhang Su’s gift-giving skills are far inferior to yours!"

"That’s right. Captain, you consider what people truly need. You carefully select supplies considering the situation on Celestial Horse Island. Zhang Su seems to send what he thinks is valuable without considering our real needs, just a waste."

Another person agreed, with a displeased look on their face.

Gong Chengming stroked the smooth fox pelts and gave the group a meaningful look, laughing, "You all have unknowingly picked up some of the alliance’s bad habits. I don’t know if your combat skills have improved, but you’ve certainly mastered the art of flattery."

Clearly, Gong Chengming was displeased with their remarks.

"It’s not..."

"No, no."

"Just telling the truth."

The five team members all laughed sheepishly after being scolded by Gong Chengming.

"Let me ask you, Xiaoxiao, how did you react after receiving Zhang Su’s gift?"

Gong Chengming decided not to dally with his subordinates and got to the point.

Xiao Xuejian shrugged and said, "I told him these things are quite valuable. If you trade them on the market, they’d fetch a good price."

"Oh..."

Gong Chengming clapped his hand on the back of another, shaking his head, looking like a seasoned old cadre, "You’ve shown your naivety."

Everyone looked at each other, unsure of what Gong Chengming meant.

"What do you mean?" Xiao Xuejian asked, somewhat embarrassed.

"It’s obvious this was Zhang Su testing you. Do you honestly think he’s an idiot? He fought his way out of the city with people; wouldn’t he know what’s valuable and what’s not?"

Gong Chengming pursed his lips helplessly. He had plenty of tough subordinates, but none with quick wits. He chose Xiao Xuejian for the task because he was the best among the average, but still, it lacked something.

"Then what... what should I do?"

Xiao Xuejian felt deflated as Gong Chengming mentioned this. The more he thought about his previous reaction, the more embarrassing it seemed. Zhang Su’s seemingly sarcastic expression now seemed mocking.

He wasn’t really ashamed of himself; he was on a mission for an important task. If he screwed up the captain’s big plan, the consequences would be grave.

"It’s a small issue. Zhang Su probably won’t be too petty about it. As long as there’s interest, we’re friends. That’s it, let’s go, head back! Oh, remember to load up those supplies!"

Gong Chengming put the fox pelts back in the car, thought for a moment, then draped one over his neck and walked toward his vehicle.

...

"Hey, you missed it, you missed it..."

At the intersection to Kuanzhuang, Su Xiaoya watched as Zhang Su showed no sign of slowing down and drove straight north, feeling a bit anxious.

The big dog following closely behind the FJ Cruiser didn’t pause either, driving past the intersection.

"Burp~."

Zhang Su let out a burp, his mouth filled with the smell of green onions. He had a breakfast of pancakes with onions. Despite being a bit dry, it tasted pretty good. Seeing Su Xiaoya waving her arms frantically by the side of the road, he waved her off.

"Why hurry? We just left; handling the main task first is obvious! Besides, we’re definitely going to haul some stuff from Kuanzhuang; do you plan to carry supplies everywhere? Not mentioning if we might get robbed, do you understand the fuel cost?"

Su Xiaoya frowned in frustration, adjusted her earmuffs, and stopped talking, as she realized Zhang Su had a point...

The vehicle continued north, the roadside barren fields devoid of people. Occasionally, zombies moved about, and the tracks from yesterday’s tank treads were still visible on the road. The barren tree trunks and dry grass lined the roads, everything appeared desolate.

"Hmm... this car seems really fancy. Can we play some music?"

Su Xiaoya felt the surroundings were eerily quiet. Apart from the wind noise and tire noise from the car, there was no other sound. She couldn’t even spot a single creature (zombies don’t count as living creatures), and it made her feel uneasy.

"It’s all for the radio. If you want music, you’d need to connect a phone via Bluetooth, but I didn’t bring a phone with music stored on it."

Zhang Su explained.

"I really want to hear some sound. It’s so silent, like only our two cars are left in the world, so lonely."

Su Xiaoya pressed her face against the cold glass, looking somewhat melancholic, the rebellious nature of her teenage years, with a penchant for lamenting the spring and autumn.

"Only a kid like you would have the time to feel these useless things. We’re all thinking about how to survive. Don’t you just want to hear voices? Here!"

Zhang Su said casually as he turned on the radio, fiddling with the frequency, and the static noise crackled. Then, the Survivor Alliance’s broadcast came as expected, still the same segment but with a date update, keeping to the Gregorian calendar. It’s likely to assure survivors who hear the broadcast that the alliance is still operating normally, not just on a machine loop, trying to attract more survivors.

"Could we possibly go to the city? The last time I went to Qin City was during summer vacation. Originally planned to go to Immortal Snail Island on the eleventh with classmates..."

Upon hearing the Survivor Alliance broadcast, the gloom on Su Xiaoya’s face dissipated significantly, replaced by a burst of vitality.

"You still think it’s like before, going for a walk... There’s definitely no chance in the near future. If the weather continues getting colder, even when we move around nearby, we’ll reduce it. Do you think the crisis is just zombies? The cold poses an equally significant threat to us!"

Extreme cold presents a major risk to people. Currently, temperatures are over minus twenty degrees. Even before the disaster, people worked less outdoors at this temperature. If it continues to drop, people will surely minimize outdoor activities as much as possible.

"Alright." Su Xiaoya knew she lacked understanding, was very persuaded, and then asked, "Has Celestial Horse Island broadcast anything to the outside world?"

Zhang Su shook his head, saying, "Not at the moment."

"Why not? Are we afraid that more people will attract more zombies?"

Su Xiaoya had roughly understood the attraction principle of zombies.

"That’s just one aspect!" Zhang Su took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and continued, "Actually, each time the population on Celestial Horse Island increases, I’m extremely cautious. Can’t have those like Lei Youliang who’s ambitious, nor those with no motivation just waiting to die. Also can’t have those who are too stubborn to take orders..."

Saying this, Zhang Su glanced at Su Xiaoya, who was showing a quirky expression, and asked, "Do you find it troublesome?"

"Yeah..." Su Xiaoya sighed deeply, clutching her fingers, saying, "Managing a camp isn’t easy at all..."

Zhang Su was taken aback, not expecting this little girl to say such considerate words. He took a puff of his cigarette, smiled gently, without speaking.

A moment later, Su Xiaoya pointed at the radio and asked, "Can I change the station?"

"As you please."

Zhang Su shrugged.

Su Xiaoya imitated Zhang Su’s actions to tune the radio, moving slowly, afraid of missing any signal.

Seeing Su Xiaoya’s attentiveness, Zhang Su remarked, "No need to go so slow. If there’s sound, you’ll hear it. With your speed, you won’t cover a full round by noon."

"It’s okay, there’s nothing else going on anyway, let’s take it slow."

Su Xiaoya finally found something to do, seemingly reluctant to finish quickly, earnestly turning the dial.

The car passed by fields and a church. Zhang Su looked toward the church attic window, recalling the scene from their first visit. Suddenly, from the car radio’s static noise, he heard a string of indistinct sounds, heavily distorted, barely intelligible, but definitely human speech.

"Don’t move!"

Zhang Su raised his hand, indicating for Su Xiaoya to stop. He then said, "Someone just spoke, did you hear it?"

"Really?" Su Xiaoya asked curiously, then dialed back the frequency a bit.

"Tang! @#￥... Keping District #￥%"

"Listen, it’s this!"

Zhang Su’s expression turned serious. This time, the voice was much clearer than before, mixed in with the static, but anyone who’s not deaf could tell it’s a person speaking.

Su Xiaoya’s expression also tensed, carefully asking, "Could it be other survivors calling for help?"

"Not sure!"

While speaking, Zhang Su flicked the right turn signal and parked the car by the roadside, then earnestly adjusted the radio.

Thud thud.

Before Zhang Su could understand the radio, Lu Yubo from the back ran to the front, tapped on the window with an inquisitive look.

Click.

Hearing the sound of the door unlocking, they quickly opened the door and sat in the back row.

Lu Yubo saw Zhang Su staring at the radio, asking, "What’s up, Brother Su, any news?"

"Hmm, just heard it, got it, don’t make noise, listen carefully!"

The car was listening to the Survivor Alliance broadcast clear enough, suggesting the poor reception this time was due to the broadcaster’s equipment.

After adjusting, they finally clearly heard the broadcast content, with a woman’s voice speaking in an articulate manner echoing inside the car.

"Era of Calamity, Year One, Month One, Day Fifteen. The largest survivor organization in Tang City, the Righteous Dao Association, sends greetings to all survivors who hear this broadcast. It’s freezing cold, stay warm! I’m the broadcaster Qingqing, please allow me to formally introduce the Righteous Dao Association to all wandering survivors!

The Righteous Dao Association is headquartered in Tang City, Keping District, Kaiyue Road. Currently, our association has close to 3,245 members, boasting a community unmatched within hundreds of kilometers around Tang City, with a well-developed system in military defense, medical, restaurant, entertainment, and education fields, currently striving to restore industry.

Believe that such a complete community will become your dream home in the apocalypse. The Righteous Dao Association sincerely invites all handsome men and beautiful women, whether you’re a three-year-old child or an eighty-year-old grandparent. As long as you are willing to come to the Righteous Dao Association, you’ll definitely find a place for yourself!"

The minute-long broadcast ended, and after a few seconds of silence, it began repeating in a loop.