Apocalypse: the Most Ruthless Person

The sentries continued their watch, while the rest inside the glass factory were wide awake, all gathered in the workshop.

Zhang Su and his group sat in a circle around Jia Shiqin and his two companions, who appeared like prisoners awaiting trial. A camping lamp was placed nearby, its brightness dimmed by a cover.

Tan Huajun sobbed quietly, while Pei Lan and Yu Qing whispered words of comfort beside her, knowing their words were often in vain but saying them nonetheless.

“Mr. Jia, right? Let me ask you one thing first. What happened to Old Tan’s daughter and father? Are they dead, bitten by zombies, or something else?”

Seeing Tan Huajun was already flustered, Zhang Su took over the questioning.

Tan Huajun raised her tear-filled eyes to Jia Shiqin, hoping to hear some good news.

“Um… Xiaolü, Xiaochao, do you know the exact situation with Lanlan and Uncle Tan?”

Jia Shiqin was momentarily stunned by Zhang Su’s question and looked at the two by his side.

“Uncle, I don’t know. It was so chaotic back then, I didn’t see anything…”

“I only know Xiaolan and Uncle Tan were on the fourth floor at that time, nothing else.”

This response ignited hope in Tan Huajun as she hurriedly asked, “Master Jia, what exactly did you encounter, quickly tell us.”

“Ah… this is all my fault.”

Jia Shiqin sighed deeply and began to recount the story.

“After our rescue team left Phoenix International, we initially tried to make our way to the safe zone at the Olympic Sports Center. Unfortunately, the journey wasn’t smooth; some streets were crawling with zombies, making it impossible to pass with the elderly and children. We had to change routes multiple times, which led us further away, eventually arriving at Jinyuan Mall in the city center.”

“There was already a group of people in the mall when we arrived, but they weren’t as many as us, so there was no conflict. Thinking long-term, I proposed merging their team with our rescue team, but they disagreed, opting to divide territories and stay out of each other’s way. It seemed reasonable, and eventually, Building A was assigned to our rescue team, while that group took Building B.”

“Initially, I didn’t understand why they gave up Building A, but later I realized Building A had a sky bridge connected to a nearby business center, which ended up being the problem! Everything was fine at first—I remembered reinforcing the bridge door, but somehow zombies from the business center flooded into Mall A via the bridge yesterday at noon.”

“Back then, the three of us, along with two other sub-teams, were gathering supplies in the basement supermarket, totaling ten people. The rest were on the third and fourth floors. The sky bridge was set on the second floor, and by the time we discovered zombies had broken through the door into the mall, it was too late; those collecting supplies and the elderly, women, and children upstairs were separated, just… just… ah!”

Zhang Su continued from Jia Shiqin’s words: “Then you just fucking ran away without caring about the rest of the team, right?”

“No!” The delivery guy immediately countered, “We did attempt to fight our way up to rescue other team members; it’s just that… zombies were simply too many. You kill one, three more rush up, our strength was limited, we couldn’t fight our way up.”

Zhao Xue frowned, “The interior of Jinyuan Mall is quite complex, as long as you lure zombies into running in circles, you can buy a lot of time!”

“This… after we ran out, we did think of such a method, but at that moment, really, seeing so many zombies rushing into the mall, our minds instantly exploded into blankness. I don’t even remember how I escaped now.”

With lingering fear, the hairdresser covered his chest with a bit of effeminate demeanor, though he was male.

“Xiaoxue, their biggest mistake wasn’t that, it was not stationing anyone at the critical sky bridge for a watch or simply blocking that path when the problem occurred. By then, it was too late.”

Zhang Su shook his head continuously.

Like yesterday’s zombie swarm attack early morning, if no one was on watch, once zombies surrounded several cars, the only outcome is waiting for death!

The group remained silent. Having experienced a zombie swarm, everyone could imagine the scenario, requiring quick wit without time to think.

“Wait, Master Jia, so you didn’t actually see my daughter and the others being bitten by zombies, right?”

Tan Huajun rekindled hope in her heart, rushing to ask Jia Shiqin.

Faced with Tan Huajun’s intense gaze, Jia Shiqin dodged, “Indeed, I didn’t see, but with so many zombies, I think…”

“Stop thinking too much! Just tell if you saw other team members having problems!”

Zhang Su rudely interrupted Jia Shiqin’s ramble.

“No…” Jia Shiqin replied.

“If not, then just say no, no need for a bunch of unnecessary crap!”

Zhao Dezhu impatiently retorted directly!

“They’ll be okay!” Tan Huajun stood and asserted firmly, “They aren’t fools, won’t wait to be bitten by zombies, still have a chance alive! Jinyuan Mall, right, I’m going to rescue them! Brother Su, I… I have to save my dad and Xiaolan!”

With that, she quickly walked outside the factory, hurriedly.

“Hold on, Old Tan!”

Zhang Su grabbed Tan Huajun and said, “If you rush over there, aren’t you just serving yourself to the zombies?”

“But, but I can’t just sit here, Brother Su, I…”

Tan Huajun spread her hands helplessly, tears streaming down.

“Xiaotan, you… although some words are hard to accept, I still advise you not to go; hope is slim.”

Jia Shiqin said miserably.

“It’s one thing not knowing their whereabouts; it’s different now knowing they’re trapped in Jinyuan Mall. How can you tell me not to go? Impossible; if it were your family trapped there, could you not go?”

Tan Huajun asked Jia Shiqin emotionally.

“I…” Jia Shiqin opened his mouth, then quietly said, “My wife and child are dead.”

The tragic tale fell upon everyone.

“I’m very grateful you got my dad and Xiaolan out of our neighborhood, but now I must rescue them!”

With that, Tan Huajun broke free from Zhang Su and quickly ran towards the RV to get her gear.

“Hey, Old Tan!”

Zhang Su ran out, and Tan Huajun had already become a core member of the team. He didn’t want to let a trustworthy and capable core member go to their death.

However, when Zhang Su stepped out of the rectangular gate, away from everyone’s gaze, a line of text flashed in his mind.

[How to face Tan Huajun’s difficulty: A, Strongly advise against it, B, Provide assistance, C, Stand by and do nothing]

In the darkness, Zhang Su could faintly see Tan Huajun’s figure, frozen not far ahead.

This matter triggered a challenge, which wasn’t surprising to him because dealing with this issue was quite tricky.

For Tan Huajun, it was about her family’s life, and for Zhang Su, now as the undisputed leader of the team, which had grown to fifteen members, handling this situation would definitely affect his personal authority and reputation, as well as influence the team’s future.

Judging by the options, doing nothing would be the easiest, but Zhang Su knew that once he made such a choice, he would definitely lose the trust of his teammates, as everyone would see the situation from Tan Huajun’s perspective.

If the team cannot support individuals, then individuals might have reservations when contributing to the team.

Now it was not the initial three-person squad escaping the unit, but a team of nearly twenty people, where every member’s trust was precious, especially the core members. Ignoring them was not an option.

From the situation earlier, Zhang Su could see that the possibility of advising against it was not great, unless he restricted her freedom, which was clearly not feasible. Given Tan Huajun’s situation and his own, providing assistance was the most appropriate choice.

“B, Provide assistance.”

Zhang Su gave his answer.

[How to assist Tan Huajun: A, Provide personnel support, B, Provide weapons and supplies, C, Offer moral support]

“Here we go again…”

Zhang Su grumbled inwardly, thinking, “What the hell is moral support supposed to accomplish?”

No hesitation, he silently thought to himself, “A, Provide personnel support.”

[How many people to provide: A, Everyone, B, Half of the personnel, C, One partner]

Zhang Su stood with one hand on his hip, looking toward the city center, closed his eyes and thought for a while. As the countdown approached the end, he said, “A, Deploy everyone!”

If they’re going to do it, they should do it thoroughly, whether for the reward, his leadership reputation in the team, or the safety of the entire team. Deploying together was the only choice, and if things become impossible, then everyone could retreat together.

[Challenge generated, deploy everyone to assist Tan Huajun in resolving difficulties, difficulty: A, Mo Qianlan (), Tan Chengwu ()]

??

Zhang Su found this challenge somewhat strange. As soon as he thought of the two names, he knew it must be Tan Huajun’s daughter and father, but what does this mean?

“Is it saying that if they’re alive, find them; if they’re dead, find their bodies?”

While he was pondering, all sounds around him resumed, and Tan Huajun’s anxious figure regained its running state.

“Old Tan!”

Zhang Su quickly caught up with her, pulling her back: “I told you not to act impulsively!”

“Brother Su, I am very calm. I know what I need to do. I’ve learned so much following you during this time, thank you!”

Tan Huajun’s face was extremely earnest.

Zhang Su heard the sound of footsteps behind him, knowing that everyone had come out. He held onto Tan Huajun, saying, “Old Tan, you’re luckier than Old Wang. Back then, we each fled without the ability to help him. But now, you have our entire team behind you. If you want to save your father and daughter, we’ll help you!”

After he finished speaking, the scene fell into silence.

Both those who knew Zhang Su and those who didn’t were silent.

Zheng Xinyu had been quietly saddened since earlier, thinking that Zhang Su probably wouldn’t risk helping Tan Huajun, feeling sorry for the elder sister who she had spent some time with. But she was mistaken, has Zhang Su changed after all they’ve been through, yet she didn’t update her perception of him.

Many others thought the same, considering that Zhang Su was very likely to prioritize the team’s safety and could stand by indifferently concerning this matter. They didn’t expect such a reversal!

Overall, Zhang Su’s words made many people feel it was both reasonable and unexpected.

And for the newest additions to the team, Liu Tianji and Wang Xin, they suddenly felt that Zhang Su was highly reliable, a trustworthy team leader.

The entire team wasn’t all eager to go rescue Tan Huajun’s family, but no one was entirely unwilling either. At times like this, it’s all about the leader’s attitude!

“Big brother has a point, Sister Tan, we have faced life and death together. Your daughter and father are trapped, I am willing to do my part!”

Zhao Dezhu may appear rough, but he is quite thoughtful when he speaks.

He simply said he’d do his part without finalizing the matter, because Zhang Su hadn’t yet stated exactly how they’d help. If he spoke too boldly, it could be troublesome, even though he truly wanted to help Tan Huajun deep down.

“If the team ignores an individual’s difficulties, then what does the team’s survival have to do with the individual… Mr. Zhang, I am willing to do my part.”

Yuwen also quickly expressed his stance, emphasizing that this matter was proposed by Zhang Su, and he was just responding to the call, reinforcing Zhang Su’s position as team leader.

“Sister Tan, I’ll help you too!” Zheng Xinyu walked over to Tan Huajun and placed a hand on her chubby shoulder.

“Whatever Brother Su says, I’ll do. Even if I don’t say anything, you don’t need to ask!” Lu Yubo punched the air.

Immediately following, everyone present stated they were willing to do their part, even the newcomers Liu Tianji and Wang Xin weren’t ambiguous. They were moved by the language teacher’s words, and it was indeed a time for everyone to be for me, and me for everyone.

“Even the tiniest issues, like Zhuzi wanting some pork, wouldn’t concern anyone, but Old Tan, this is a big matter, we won’t ignore it!”

Zhang Su placed his hand on Tan Huajun’s shoulder and said to everyone: “As for Xiaoshan and Pang Dakun who haven’t voiced their opinions, I will decide for Xiaoshan, and Pang Dakun being Old Tan’s godson, there’s nothing more to say! So it’s settled, we’re all going!”

“All hands on deck!”

Everyone responded to Zhang Su in a lowered voice. Though the voices weren’t loud, the momentum was incredibly firm.