Chapter Thirty-Four: Relocation?

Days slipped by one after another, and before long, another Spring Festival arrived. Zhang Yongming’s ability to foresee the future remained unchanged; at most, he could predict events one day in advance, and each time he used his gift, it took him several days to recover. Even so, Zhao Qiang and his companions managed to accomplish many nearly impossible missions with these limited predictions.

Zhao Qiang’s search for his wife yielded nothing. He scoured every place within reach, yet it seemed as if his wife were playing a game of hide-and-seek with him—her trace vanished everywhere. Several times, Zhao Qiang nearly fell into despair, beginning to suspect that his wife might no longer be alive.

Since the elimination of the nearby Sage, the number of zombies in the area seemed to dwindle overnight. Seizing this rare opportunity, the group constructed barricades using cars and other equipment along all passages surrounding the supermarket, fortifying the area and protecting it well.

Outside the barricades, zombies still wandered aimlessly. On the ground lay several zombie hounds and Smashers whose skulls had been shattered. Ordinary zombies posed no threat to the barricades at all; zombie hounds could only breach the walls thanks to their agility, but the greatest danger came from the Smashers.

There were occasions when Smashers, relying on their powerful bodies, forced their way through barriers made of steel, leading the zombies in a direct assault on the quiet protected zone and causing enormous trouble for those left behind. Luckily, Smashers had no resistance to ranged attacks—a simple sniper rifle, in the absence of any defense from the Smasher, could put an end to them at once.

Cai Jiashu stood by a window, holding binoculars and vigilantly watching the movements of the zombie horde outside the barricade. Beside him, a soldier manned a sniper rifle, scanning for any sign of a Smasher or zombie hound. After several surprise attacks by the zombie army, Cai Jiashu and his soldiers took over the defensive duties near the barricade. Thanks to their diligence, subsequent zombie raids ended quickly, leaving only a few corpses behind.

“Time’s up,” Cai Jiashu said, setting down his binoculars and patting the young soldier beside him who was still on guard with his rifle.

“I wonder when days like these will finally end.” Cai Jiashu muttered, handing over his rifle and binoculars to the soldier taking his place. In truth, Cai Jiashu secretly hoped the zombie army would stage a few more assaults—ideally during his shift, right in his sector. Yet fate had other plans; once the zombies realized the humans had strengthened their defenses, they never attacked again.

Cai Jiashu envied Zhao Qiang, who could go out each day to battle the zombie army directly. He had undergone Wei Tao’s special training too, but for reasons unknown, while his physical fitness could rival Zhao Qiang’s, he fell far short of Wei Tao’s standards in every other aspect. Even his own men could barely reach half of Zhao Qiang’s level.

“That guy’s a freak—a monster!” That was everyone’s verdict on Zhao Qiang. Here, “freak” and “monster” were no longer insults, but words filled with admiration and respect.

As the sky darkened, Zhao Qiang’s silhouette appeared on the zombie-infested streets. Without lingering, he leapt over the barricade in a few quick jumps, leaving behind countless zombies howling in agony. Though there was a gate for entry and exit, Zhao Qiang never used it, always vaulting over instead, wary that the zombies might find the weakest point in their defenses.

Seeing Zhao Qiang return, Li Zihan hurried over and asked with concern, “How did it go? Still no news of your wife?”

Zhao Qiang shook his head, took the bottle of water Li Zihan handed him, and drank deeply. Lately, every trip outside brought fewer results. Not only was there no sign of his wife, but not a single survivor had been found. Each day, Zhao Qiang left early and returned late, unwilling to give up hope.

“Wei, I want to search downtown.” After washing up, Zhao Qiang dropped onto the seat beside Wei Tao, not bothering to glance at him as he cleaned his gun.

“Why?” Wei Tao didn’t look up, continuing to polish his weapon.

Zhao Qiang replied, “I’ve searched every place around here. Recently, I haven’t seen a single soul.”

Wei Tao said, “Why downtown? That’s where the zombies are thickest. If it were me, with civilians to protect, I’d never lead my team there. No one would choose such a route for escape—downtown is a paradise for zombies now.”

“I think there might still be survivors there, waiting for help from outside,” Zhao Qiang explained.

“Do you really think that’s necessary?” Wei Tao finished cleaning his gun, stood up, adjusted his collar, and said coldly, “Instead of wasting time in the city center, why not try your luck at the prison?”

Prison? Suddenly, Zhao Qiang felt enlightened. Why had he never considered that place? Tall, sturdy walls, towers with wide views—though designed to keep inmates from escaping, in these circumstances, they could also keep zombies out.

Zhao Qiang hurried to his feet and followed Wei Tao, asking, “Wei, tell me, what are you really planning?” Now that he’d thought about the prison, it was clear to him it would serve as a better refuge than the supermarket.

“What do you think I’m planning?” Wei Tao deliberately sought to cultivate Zhao Qiang’s independent thinking. Seeing Zhao Qiang trailing him with a mischievous grin, he understood what his apprentice was thinking.

Zhao Qiang chuckled awkwardly. “Heh, Master, are you thinking of locking everyone up in the prison? That’s a big project.”

“Get lost! You little rascal!” Wei Tao rarely joked, “If anyone gets locked up, it’s you—you’re the only one who can’t behave, always out causing trouble.”

Putting aside the joking, Wei Tao grew serious again. “According to Zhang Yongming’s predictions, a number of Sages have gathered nearby. Though they haven’t made any moves yet, I’m sure they’re plotting something bigger. And compared to the zombies, I’m more worried about threats from other people. Remember Li Zixin? He’s probably not dead. After all this time, he’s surely built up enough strength. When the time is right, they’ll return for revenge. The most dangerous scenario would be if both sides attacked us at once—then we’d be finished.”

“Li Zixin would dare come back?” Zhao Qiang was unimpressed by the defeated enemy. At worst, he’d kill him again, make sure he stayed dead.

“Do you really think zombies are a threat to you?” Wei Tao saw through Zhao Qiang’s thoughts and said coldly, “Do you think your head is tougher than a Smasher’s?”

Two questions in quick succession left Zhao Qiang dizzy. No matter how many zombies there were, they posed no threat to him—but his own head certainly wasn’t as tough as a Smasher’s! What was the point of this? Was Wei Tao hinting that he should use his head to bash a Smasher’s skull? No, that wasn’t it. Wei Tao meant that no matter how strong he was, if someone else ambushed him, a bullet out of nowhere would leave him as defenseless as the Smashers themselves.