Apocalypse: the Most Ruthless Person

“Teacher Yu, although the Cyan Dragon Corps was pushed back by zombies, there must be quite a few good things left in the barracks. I plan to take the brothers for a tour. What do you think?”

On the way to the place where the zombies were held, Zhang Su naturally talked about the Cyan Dragon Corps.

“Brother Su, Teacher Yu, good morning.”

“Good morning, Uncle Zhang, Grandpa Yu.”

The people in the camp were busy, wearing bulky warm clothing, and greeted Zhang Su and Yuwen enthusiastically.

“Morning.”

Yuwen responded with a smile and pushed his cold glasses, saying to Zhang Su, “Resources and weapons are one aspect, but I think… no matter how ferocious and brutal the zombies are, the Cyan Dragon Corps shouldn’t be completely wiped out. I estimate some people survived. If we extend a helping hand in times of crisis, it will be easy to recruit them as a boost for our development, but…”

When Zhang Su heard Yuwen’s earlier words, he raised his eyebrow slightly because it perfectly matched what he was thinking, but he wasn’t sure where the turn in the conversation was needed. So he asked, “What are your concerns, worried that there might be some fellows with ulterior motives among the survivors? Or are you afraid that with more people, we’ll attract the attention of a large horde of zombies like the Cyan Dragon Corps did?”

“Ulterior motives are easy to resolve. I trust Mr. Zhang doesn’t need me to nag about the zombie trouble; there are already ways to handle it. What I’m worried about is… others might be eyeing this piece of fat meat!”

Yuwen said thoughtfully.

“The Cyan Dragon Corps dominated Qing County, acting arrogantly and tyrannically. According to the captives’ confession, they looked down on the entire Qing County, not seeing other survivor camps in their eyes. Now that they have suffered this disaster, it’s fine if others don’t know the news, but what if other survivor camps find out? They might be aiming for the same purpose as us!”

Zhang Su halted in his tracks. He had completely overlooked the matters of other survivor camps. Yuwen’s reminder suddenly alerted him.

Life on Celestial Horse Island wasn’t smooth sailing, but it was quite comfortable. They had solved all problems they encountered, which unconsciously changed Zhang Su’s mindset.

The previous attitude of not underestimating anyone gradually weakened without him realizing it, replaced by a disdainful view of some small forces, which was absolutely unacceptable!

Noticing this issue, Zhang Su quickly adjusted his mindset.

“I really hadn’t considered the matters of other survivor camps… From Qing County going south, it’s just us and Kuanzhuang left. Poor West Camp Village, having just joined the Cyan Dragon Corps, ended up like this; that’s really unlucky. And I have no idea about the situations of the survivor camps on the other three sides, east, north, and west!”

Yuwen nodded and said, “As I speculate, there shouldn’t be many people in the west and north of Qing County. Even if there are, they have escaped to Qing County or moved north to belong to Kuancheng County in Cheng City. The east should be paid most attention to. The east has flat terrain with fertile lands and abundant water, with many villages scattered about. There should logically be survivor villages!”

“The commotion made by the Cyan Dragon Corps isn’t small, and who knows, others might have noticed it; it’s something to watch out for!”

Zhang Su nodded seriously, knowing that what Yuwen mentioned was very worth considering. However, how to proceed with the next step still depends on observing how the temperature impacts the zombies.

“Let’s go, let’s first check the situation with the zombies!”

The two walked past the scenic area ticket office, stopping their conversation with a tacit understanding, tiptoeing toward the courtyard of the temple.

A wooden ladder was leaning against the courtyard wall, and Zhang Su climbed up without a sound, peeking his head out to look into the courtyard.

Dense zombies filled the area, moving sluggishly and foolishly, like robots with jammed gears, their heads bobbing slightly, bodies twitching slightly. Ordinary zombies and Petrified Skin Zombies were mixed together, looking no different from how they usually appeared.

Before being discovered by the zombies, Zhang Su climbed down the ladder, returning to the entrance, picked up the specially made riot fork standing by, and carefully opened a small door on the big courtyard gate, waiting for the zombies to wander out.

The crowded temple courtyard had dozens of zombies, requiring no long wait. Within a minute or two, a silly zombie appeared by the small door.

With exceptional skills and courage, Zhang Su steered the riot fork over the zombie’s neck, then sharply pulled the handle. The steel ring contracted, choking the zombie’s throat tightly, dragging it out of the courtyard, while Yuwen, who was prepared on the side, softly shut the small door.

The coordination flowed smoothly, requiring no verbal communication, not even eye contact, pure tacit understanding.

Pitifully, the Petrified Skin Zombie, with its entire body covered in bluish-gray skin, didn’t even have time to howl before its neck was locked. It could only open its mouth wide without making any sound, looking somewhat pitiful…

Testing the zombies’ abilities certainly couldn’t be done outside the courtyard where they were held; that would be playing with fire.

Zhang Su and Yuwen pushed the zombie away from the scenic area, heading to the parking lot where they dared to breathe a sigh of relief.

“I didn’t feel any obvious change in it…”

Zhang Su exerted his arms to control the Mutated Zombie, showing a solemn look on his face.

“Hey, Brother Su, is this… holding a zombie for morning exercise?”

“You really know how to joke; I’m guessing Brother Su wants to see the impact of the temperature on the zombies, right?”

At this moment, Lu Yubo and Wang Xin strolled into the parking lot, saw Zhang Su controlling the zombie, and approached to see the spectacle.

“Good joke; you could think of that… Xiaowang is right; the temperature drops we… Damn, it’s quite strong!”

“Brother Su, let me help you!”

Lu Yubo stepped forward to help control the riot fork.

“Minus twenty degrees, we’re suffering quite a bit, but this zombie doesn’t seem to be affected?”

Zhang Su frowned and asked.

Yuwen pushed up his glasses, furrowed his brow and said, “It’s still as active, and it takes both of you to fully control it; it’s quite strong. However, I feel… does this zombie’s skin color seem a bit darker than before? Or am I seeing things?”

“No, Mr. Yu, you’re not seeing things!”

At this moment, Duan Wuhu pushed Fu Weijun’s wheelchair over.

Fu Weijun, sitting in the wheelchair, was wearing a Lei Feng hat, a big scarf, and cotton gloves, with only his eyes exposed for warmth. Even so, his lips were turning blue, indicating he was still very cold.

“After the temperature dropped, the skin activity of the Petrified Skin Zombie increased, meaning its defense has been taken to another level!”

Fu Weijun’s laboratory had many Mutated Zombie skins being processed. His understanding of these things surpassed everyone else.

“The defense has increased again? Does that mean the cooling temperature has actually made the zombies stronger?”

Zhang Su had a constipated expression on his face; he didn’t want the zombies to be affected too much. If they became ice sculptures, it would give those trapped by the Cyan Dragon Corps an opportunity, but if they kept getting stronger, it wasn’t a good thing either!

“Not necessarily.” Fu Weijun slowly shook his head, saying, “We can only confirm that the defense of the petrified skin has strengthened. As for other aspects, that still needs verification.”

The strength of a zombie is made up of multiple dimensions. Defense is just one aspect, and ordinary zombies don’t even have petrified skin. If there are reductions in strength, speed, or responsiveness, that would also be a good sign.

“Then let’s try it out!”

No matter how rich the theory, it still needs to be practiced in the end.

“Brother Su, I’m wearing protective gear. Let me fight it!”

Lu Yubo unzipped his down jacket, revealing a specially made protective suit underneath, with arm guards well in place for protection.

Seeing Lu Yubo’s high enthusiasm, Zhang Su did not prevent him, saying, “Then be careful, head over to that spacious area! Old Duan, Old Yu, be ready to shoot the zombie at any time!”

“Okay!”

“Oh, I didn’t bring my gun…”

Duan Wuhu immediately picked up a gun, while Yuwen awkwardly scratched his head, since he usually didn’t carry firearms if there wasn’t much going on in the camp.

“I’ll do it, I’ll do it!”

Qi Xiaoshuai ran over, holding a gun, joining the excitement.

Very quickly, Zhang Su walked to an open space, activated the mechanism on the riot rod, loosening the iron clamp around the zombie’s neck, allowing the Petrified Skin Zombie to regain its freedom instantly!

Roar!

The freed zombie howled exuberantly at first glance, seeing the blood meals in front of it. It felt like a mouse that had fallen into a rice container, not knowing which to attack first.

“Hey, punk, come on, let’s have a duel with your grandpa!”

Lu Yubo immediately started taunting it.

Roar, roar…

The zombie turned its stiff neck slightly, looking towards the sound, lifting its legs to walk towards Lu Yubo. Its arms raised mechanically, the whole movement having a noticeable stutter, like a machine whose gear dampers had been increased several times.

??!!

Zhang Su and the others standing nearby exchanged surprised glances.

“Damn, the zombie’s frozen stiff?”

Seeing the zombie moving like a shoddy puppet, Zhang Su couldn’t help but show a strange expression.