"Mountain and Sea District is definitely gone, let’s go straight to Qing County!" This time, Ding Wei made the decision very swiftly.
Everyone wanted to refute Ding Wei’s nonsense, but they were powerless. The explosive impact could be glimpsed from the shockwave, if it truly happened in the Mountain and Sea District, it would be absolutely devastating, there really wasn’t any need to go there—it would be a total waste of gasoline.
The group took a short break at the barracks, then set off again towards Qing County. Unfortunately, they didn’t know the bridge over the river near Shuwa Village had been blown up, forcing them to take another detour, which was rather taxing.
The convoy from the Southern Alliance heading north for reinforcements encountered repeated setbacks, but the convoy from Celestial Horse Island rushing to aid Mountain and Sea proceeded quite smoothly!
With tanks clearing the way, it didn’t take long for them to reach the chapel, much faster than Duan Wuhu and the others.
Of course, the distances were initially unequal; it was only thirty kilometers from Celestial Horse Island to the chapel, while it was nearly fifty kilometers from Red Gully Village to the chapel, requiring a detour.
Once the vehicles were parked, the Yama Corps and the eight members of the Elite Corps got busy, positioning the vehicles as cover and inspecting weapons and gear, readying themselves for combat at any moment.
Zhang Su glanced at the time; it was around three in the afternoon, and the gloomy sky was beginning to darken.
"It’s a pity it’s just a modified zombie; if only it were a mutated zombie..."
Chen Hanzhou walked over and stood beside Zhang Su, looking north, and softly spoke.
Zhang Su tapped a couple of cigarettes from the pack and handed one to Chen Hanzhou: "There should be mutated zombies among the horde coming from Huolu City, no need to rush, let’s take care of today’s matter first."
The mind couldn’t rest for even a moment. Upon learning about the horde, Zhang Su was already planning a response. The biggest challenge now was the mutated zombie hidden among the zombie horde.
If it were only the petrified skin zombie, it wouldn’t be a big deal; but if it reached the level of fire-breathing and liquefied gas zombies, let’s not mention capturing them for use and study, even a minor mishap in battle might result in heavy casualties...
Once it is extracted, the remaining regular zombies and big chunks will be much easier to handle!
The more zombies killed, the better—as they are energy reserves. If they can’t be managed, just set them on fire—if the strategic depth is sufficient, there’s no pressure!
In comparison to the horde, which was still dozens of kilometers away, everyone was more tense about the imminent encounter with 004.
All the necessary instructions had been given during the journey, and now all that remained was waiting. People wore expressions of caution and constantly checked their weapons to relieve inner stress.
"Hey, Xiaozhou, why are you so quiet? Use your quirky thinking to come up with some ideas."
The atmosphere was tense, so Zhang Su tossed a stone at Zhou Haotian, who was squatting beside Ju Mumio.
Zhou Haotian stood up with a peculiar smile on his face: "Brother Su, don’t make fun of me; my quirky thinking holds no power against absolute strength."
He didn’t know the caliber of this so-called modified zombie 004, but seeing the setup Zhang Su had prepared to deal with 004 made it clear it was no ordinary threat. His heart was pounding wildly throughout the journey, hardly able to speak.
However, being personally questioned by the leader, Zhou Haotian felt compelled to say something, so he said: "Actually, I’m thinking—since 004 is so powerful, could it be used to deal with that enormous zombie horde?"
The moment these words were spoken, they immediately drew the attention of those around.
"Brother Su, I must say, Xiaozhou’s suggestion has some logic."
"If 004 attacks like 003 does with pheromones, maybe it truly could work!"
"Indeed, 004 is merely tracking Teacher Duan and his group without attacking them—is it because there’s no pheromone guidance and hence no attack?"
Quite a few people’s thoughts were stagnant, and Zhou Haotian was like a professional stream-opening worker, prompting everyone to voice differing opinions after he spoke.
On the way, Zhang Su had already considered using 004 to counter the zombie horde but hadn’t thought of a feasible operating method.
"The horde is still several days away from us, while 004 is approaching quickly, and it’s trailing Teacher Duan and his group. If we intend to guide it to crash into the horde, that’s easier said than done; but it’s indeed a line of thought."
"And also..." Once Zhou Haotian started talking, he couldn’t stop. He pointed to the first program, who hadn’t got out of the vehicle, and said: "Brother Su, bringing Sister Cheng Xu should also imply consideration for communication with 004, right? This method is better; if we could also subdue 004, we’d really strengthen our team tremendously!"
Zhang Su smiled and nodded: "Exactly, that’s my idea. But 004 is a modified zombie after all; ultimately, what the situation is like, we’ll only find out after testing it."
"Why not try it first? It’s a modified zombie too, isn’t it?"
Zhou Haotian pointed to 003 lying like a meat mountain in the cargo box.
"Right!" Zhang Su clapped his hands—he had indeed forgotten about this bit—being so busy recently. Not only should they test if Sister Cheng Xu could communicate with 003, but she should also attempt communication with the fire-breathing zombie.
If connections could be established in this manner, it would be fantastic!
"Hey, Master Jia, you..."
"Brother Zhang, Brother Zhang, we’re already on State Highway 52, we should reach the chapel in ten minutes at most!"
Acting quickly after thinking it through, Zhang Su was about to instruct Jia Shiqin to lower the voltage control for 003 when his portable radio buzzed—a faint voice only he could hear.
"Hmm? What’s up, Brother Zhang?"
Jia Shiqin, seeing Zhang Su halting halfway through speaking, hurriedly inquired.
"Ten minutes..." Zhang Su pondered, taking out the radio: "Old Duan, Old Duan, delay a bit, we’re making some preparations over here!"
"Got it!"
Upon confirming the reply, Zhang Su addressed Jia Shiqin and Pang Dakun: "Come on, Master Jia, lower the voltage that binds 003; Dakun, stay alert, if 003 shows signs of rampage, knock it out with electricity!"
"Alright."
"All set, let’s go!"
The two of them got into position.
Seeing that several people appeared puzzled, Zhang Su explained as he approached the vehicle: "Have Cheng Xu try to communicate with 003."
"Oh wow, today is totally worth it!"
"Indeed, seeing zombies talking to zombies, amazing!"
"When we get back, we can brag about this for a month!"
Members of the Elite Corps found it quite novel, slightly relieving the tense atmosphere.
"Cheng Xu, come on, meet your new friend!"
Zhang Su brought the first program in front of 003; which had already awoken, sitting on the ground. Because there had been no further stimulation or guidance, it showed no intention of standing, just a heap of flesh slumped there.
"Grrr, urgh?"
The first program pointed at 003 with her finger, making a strange sound towards Zhang Su.
"Gee... Sister Cheng Xu seems to be rejecting 003."
Zheng Xinyu supported the program, reading emotion from her voice.
Onlookers wore awkward expressions—even zombies had aesthetics, and the first program was clearly unimpressed with the oversized fatty.
"Ahem... um, Program, try communicating; see if it still retains awareness, just use your usual zombie communication means."
Zhang Su was like a dreadful father forcing his daughter to meet a bald rich suitor.
"Mmm rrr..."
The first program murmured a bit, then gazed at 003.
People exchanged glances, truly seeing disdain on the zombie’s face—how bizarre.
Remain silent, as time trickled by. Zhang Su checked the time; about a minute had passed. He waved his hand in front of the program.
"Is it unresponsive?"
"Ah rrr."
The first program mechanically turned her head towards Zhang Su and slightly nodded, then pointed to her own head.
Zhang Su understood the program’s indication, waved his hands: "It definitely isn’t your issue—it must be something on its end!"
Previously when communicating with zombies trapped in the train, the first program only took a minute at most, even on her first attempt. After some time, she’d grown even more proficient—since she’s been silent for so long, it must be a problem with 003.
"Rrr rrr!"
The first program pointed at 003, speaking as she gently nodded, seeming somewhat excited.
"Do you still want to try?"
"Urrrgh!"
"Alright, give it a go."
Zhang Su was surprised the first program displayed a sense of determination even after failing, not stopping her—letting her try again.
"Rrr, rrr, mm rrr."
Moments later, the first program provided feedback.
Through Zhang Su’s all-out questioning and answering, they arrived at a helpless conclusion.
"003 likely had its brain damaged during its modification—it’s a low-intelligence zombie that only retained the pure combat instinct, and even that needed pheromone activation!"