"The zombie transformation isn't caused by a virus..."

Zhang Su calmed down and frowned, saying, "Dr. Fu, why don't you explain the situation in detail."

"Alright." Fu Weijun replied straightforwardly, "Zombies need to have their brains destroyed or their spinal cords severed to stop them. You know this well. Actually, severing the spinal cord only deprives zombies of their ability to control their bodies, but their heads remain active."

"Active?"

Zhang Su keenly noticed Fu Weijun's choice of words.

"That's right, active. From a microscopic perspective, instead of thinking of zombies as biological beings, it's more accurate to say they're activated robots. Saying robots is not precise; they should actually be considered biotechnological robots!" 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"This relates to the issue I previously mentioned, that zombie transformation is not virus-induced..."

Bah-bah-bah, bleat-bleat...

As the conversation continued, the sound of pigs and sheep came from not far away. Two elongated tricycles driven by Guo Dachao and Zhao Dezhu emerged from the village, with noisy pigs and sheep naturally in the rear compartments.

Meanwhile, Old Scar was pushing a half-person-high welding machine alongside them, weighing at least forty or fifty kilograms, completely different from the portable one at the camp!

Zhang Su felt that Fu Weijun knew some quite important information, but it was clear this wasn't the place to discuss it. He said, "Teacher Duan, let's talk back at the camp, but I'll need to confiscate anything dangerous from your vehicle!"

"Well..." Duan Wuhu was slightly taken aback, then laughed heartily, "I already gave you my guns, haha, take them, I trust Brother Zhang's character!"

"Here."

Upon hearing the conversation, Fu Weijun dutifully pulled out a pistol from behind his waist, similar to Duan Wuhu's, and handed it to Zhang Su.

Then, Zheng Xinyu dug out some cold weapons and bullets from the car, smiled sheepishly, and handed them over as well.

Although the conversation was amicable, the necessary procedures couldn't be skipped.

"Boss Zhang, you better return the welding machine after you're done with it!"

Ma Changshou said with some pain.

"Don't worry, don't worry, you're not leaving for another month, right? No rush! Hey, careful, don't bump it!"

Zhang Su responded while directing Guo Dachao and Zhao Dezhu to load the welding machine onto the vehicle.

"No, no more than three days!"

Surprisingly, Old Scar, who had remained silent, spoke with a stern face.

"Three days?" Zhang Su frowned and looked at Ma Changshou, "Village Chief Ma, why so urgent? Are you planning to leave within the next few days?"

"No, no!" Ma Changshou rapidly waved his hands and vehemently denied, "Old Scar has some work to do, that's why he's anxious. No worries, Boss Zhang, use it first, we're not in a hurry, haha, no hurry!"

Old Scar wanted to say something, but seeing Ma Changshou's subtle gesture, he held back.

Moments later, Ma Changshou and Old Scar stood at the village entrance, watching the convoy leave in silence.

"Village Chief, we've given away another welding machine, they've really taken us to the cleaners!"

Once the vehicles were far away, Old Scar squatted on the ground, complaining indignantly.

Ma Changshou retorted, "You're only looking at your possessions. Can you think long-term? You almost misspoke, better focus on your work in the future!"

"Huh?"

Old Scar stared bewilderedly at the angry Ma Changshou, unsure what he meant.

"Are you a numbskull? In a few days, we're reporting to the Cyan Dragon Corps. Your welding machine won't be yours there, so why not make a good impression on Zhang Su's group now? Later, it might offer us a way out!"

"Do you know why I offered so many pigs and sheep so generously? Do you think I don't feel the pinch? It's all to make a favorable connection! No one can predict the future, are you sure the Cyan Dragon Corps will be stronger than Zhang Su's group?"

"Ah..." Old Scar suddenly understood and kept nodding, "Village Chief, your foresight is impressive."

"A clever rabbit has three burrows; can't Old Ma be as smart as a rabbit?"

Ma Changshou explained strategically, feeling confident as he watched Zhang Su drive off.

...

"Oh dear, brother, I must eat more tonight, this ride blew me away!"

At the Celestial Horse Island parking lot, Zhao Dezhu got off the tricycle, wiping away his snot with his stiff forehead.

He was quite excited upon leaving West Camp. Driving a tricycle was more thrilling than a car. But gradually, it became uncomfortable as the wind hit him full-on and the near-zero temperatures left his cheeks red, nose and eyes streaming.

Guo Dachao didn't fare much better, though he simply rubbed his cheeks without comment.

"I say... Brother Zhang, this place is impressive! My goodness, there are walls, surveillance cameras, spike strips, barricades, and automatic rifles—you're a real warlord! Oh, and a little dog, haha!"

Duan Wuhu stepped down from the Jinbei van, admiringly looking around.

Zhang Su and Zheng Xinyu had left the camp, leaving Corgi Good Fortune feeling quite unhappy since her two closest people were gone, making her lethargic without any intent to work. She nestled near the vegetable shed to sleep, not fearing the cold with her thick fur. But upon hearing the sound of the car, she woke and ran over.

"Our independent base here is no worse than the Survivor Alliance, eh?"

Zhang Su jested while crouching to rub Good Fortune, planning to later have a thorough talk with Duan Wuhu about this Survivor Alliance.

He then introduced the newcomers: "Come, let me introduce you to everyone. This tall fellow is named Duan Wuhu, and this handsome guy with limited mobility is his friend, Fu Weijun. They're temporarily joining our safe camp, let's welcome them!"

"Welcome, welcome."

"Welcome to the two of you."

The group had no objections to Zhang Su's decision, but couldn't help but throw curious glances at Fu Weijun sitting in the vehicle, puzzled over why strict Zhang Su would accept someone seemingly helpless.

"Teacher Duan?"

In the back of the crowd, Yuwen adjusted his glasses and stepped forward, incredulously saying, "You really are Teacher Duan, my goodness, what happened to you?"

In Yuwen's memory, Duan Wuhu's appearance, though not strikingly handsome, was at least spirited with bold features. Now, scars marred his face, particularly the one across his nose, completely disfiguring him. Without Zhang Su's introduction, he might not have recognized him.

"Teacher Yu?"

Duan Wuhu immediately recognized the older gentleman, emotions flooding his face as he stepped forward, reddened eyes, grasping Yuwen's arms: "It's really you, Teacher Yu, my god, I didn't expect to meet someone familiar. If you're here, then..."

Not finishing his sentence, he feared Yu Qing might not be present and didn't dare ask.

"That's right, Qingqing is here too. She's in the monitoring room. The person with you is Qingqing's partner."

Yuwen enthusiastically introduced Zhao Dezhu, having fully accepted this rough-around-the-edges son-in-law, recognizing nowadays culture alone isn't enough!

"Ah... nice to meet you."

Duan Wuhu shook hands awkwardly with Zhao Dezhu, never imagining Yu Qing's partner to be so unkempt.

Zhao Dezhu felt exceedingly pleased, always assuming Yuwen disapproved of him. Yet unexpectedly, he was introduced to outsiders, a warm feeling spreading in his chest as he shook Duan Wuhu's hand, chest puffed.

"Teacher Duan, by coming here, you've found your group. Mr. Zhang is an outstanding leader. He led us through challenges, overcoming multiple difficulties to establish this safe camp. Following him won't lead you astray!"

After brief introductions, Yuwen immediately started promoting Zhang Su.

Duan Wuhu was momentarily surprised before nodding vigorously, "I know, I know Brother Zhang; he lived upstairs from me. Back during the escape from our residential area, I already saw Brother Zhang was remarkable!"

With the group's praises, Zhang Su felt a bit overwhelmed and waved his hand, saying, "Teacher Duan and Fu Weijun have fled the city and must be exhausted. Xiaojie, Little Lucky, and the guest room need organizing, help them out while I guide them over."

"Alright, I'll do it right away."

Yang Wenjie nodded, turning to head toward Little Lucky, with Guo Dachao, being quite attached to his wife, following closely behind.