Chapter 779: Sending Them Off

“Hey!”

A moment passed, and a figure vaulted over the wall, landing in the yard with an air of dominance, without a hint of caution, as if he had never considered that anyone inside might harm him. It was hard to tell if he was naive or just arrogant…

Everyone’s eyes fell on the newcomer’s face, his unkempt hair sticking out from under a hat, face wrapped in a dirty scarf for warmth, wearing layers of cotton, down, and outdoor jackets—odd as could be.

“Hey there, buddy…”

“Red Gully Village doesn’t welcome you, you should leave now!”

The mysterious man cut off Duan Wuhu directly.

“Hey, do you even know what’s going on? We have more people and guns, and you’re negotiating with us like this?”

Zhao Dezhu was the first to express his displeasure, raising his gun slightly.

The mysterious man, unfazed by the black rifles, continued, “Red Gully Village was peaceful and harmonious until you arrived, stirring chaos. You’re not welcome here. Leave, leave quickly!”

“Cough, cough. Buddy, from what you’re saying, are you a survivor of Red Gully Village? We’re just looking to stay the night, we’ll leave at dawn.”

Duan Wuhu stepped forward, offering a cigarette, trying to appear cordial and friendly.

His approach was entirely different from Zhang Su’s, this tactic leaving Zhao Dezhu and Lu Yubo feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

“I don’t want your things; I just want you to leave Red Gully Village. I can even give you something in return! When you weren’t here, the villagers were calm and quiet. Now, everyone is anxious and agitated. Please go, I’m begging you!”

The mysterious man’s voice was somewhat hoarse, urging them continually.

Hearing this, the nine people looked at each other.

“Villagers? Buddy, the villagers you’re talking about, they wouldn’t happen to be those zombies, would they?”

Duan Wuhu asked with a strange expression.

“They’re not zombies!” the mysterious man suddenly snapped, his voice rising slightly. He was aware that zombies are sensitive to sound, and although angry, he still restrained himself.

“They’re my… my family, my relatives, my friends!”

Duan Wuhu sighed, not expecting to encounter a lunatic, shaking his head, “Buddy, have you been staying in this village the whole time? The outside world has changed. Ninety-nine percent of people have turned like that. They’re already dead!”

“They’re not dead; they just found another way to live!”

The mysterious man immediately retorted, his eyes wide, as if fearing others would disagree with this point of view.

“Red Gully Village can’t just have a hundred or so people, can it? What about the others?”

Duan Wuhu, unconcerned, asked about other matters.

The mysterious man was visibly stunned by the question and, impatiently, said, “The others left. I wasn’t on good terms with them, I don’t care about them. I only care about my family, relatives, and friends!”

“Uncle, you sure have a lot of friends…”

Pu Chanyong playfully joked to lighten the atmosphere.

Lu Yubo and Zhao Dezhu exchanged glances, conveying the same thought: this man was delusional.

“Hey, dude, you say your relatives found another way to live. Would you want to become like them? I know how to change. Want me to help you?”

Zhao Dezhu posed a soul-searching question.

This left the mysterious man stunned, head hanging low, speechless for a long time. About half a minute passed before he finally spoke, dejectedly, “I’m begging you, just leave. I’ll give you a few hundred pounds of food, whatever you want from the village, take it, then leave!”

Everyone was at a loss for words. It was apparent that this man was kind-hearted yet so stubborn, and his mindset seemed closed off.

Zhao Dezhu and Lu Yubo were also helpless. They were ruthless when dealing with bad people, but faced with this well-intentioned madman, they didn’t know what to do.

The Yama Corps members looked to Duan Wuhu, thankful to have a “brain” to think of a solution.

The Dragon Head Camp members, however, looked to Shen Linrui.

Duan Wuhu felt pressured. If the mysterious man rushed them, they could subdue or even kill him without hesitation, but his request was reasonable—just asking them to leave while offering various items, making it difficult to make a decision.

“Maybe we should try talking him into it first?”

Shen Linrui quietly suggested, stepping up to Duan Wuhu’s side.

Duan Wuhu nodded without hesitation; he had the same thought. The man wasn’t malicious, so they should persuade him with kind words.

“Buddy, deep down, you know that people are people, and zombies are zombies. Why cling to it? Outside, there are survivor camps, quite large, probably about the size of Red Gully Village before. You should live among real people.”

“Live among real people…”

The mysterious man repeated, his gaze dull as if finding it reasonable, muttering it once more.

Howl, howl, howling!

Suddenly, the zombies’ howls drifted into the courtyard from afar.

“Crap, not good!”

Wu Lue exclaimed, his hand trembling with the controller, cold sweat trickling down his spine.

“Hey, damn it, I told you to keep watch, and this is how you do it?”

Zhao Dezhu dashed to the monitor. On the screen, zombies had already poured out of the auditorium, moving toward them!

“The villagers have rioted again; I have to lead them back; I must…”

“Buddy, don’t go. They’re exhausted. Wouldn’t it be better to give them peace?”

Duan Wuhu called out to the mysterious man who was about to scale the wall.

These words froze the mysterious man at the wall…

“Old Duan, are you planning to… help the zombies move on?” Shen Linrui asked urgently, matching Duan Wuhu’s phrasing.

With the situation becoming increasingly pressing, the sound of zombies breaking barriers could faintly be heard, pressing inevitably toward them.

“Buddy, if you can’t bear it, it’s okay, we’ll handle it. You can rest on the side. Giving your dear ones peace is a blessing. They’ll be grateful to us from above, and of course, they’ll be grateful to you too!”

Duan Wuhu had figured out how to connect with the mysterious man, getting more adept with each interaction.

Lu Yubo and Zhao Dezhu shared a strange expression. Physical education teachers were still teachers, and clearly, they were skilled!

The mysterious man didn’t insist, sliding down the wall in defeat, his steel spear clattering to the ground with a desolate clang. His demeanor seemed to say, “Do as you will.”

“Alright, buddy, you rest. Zhuzi, you take care of this guy.”

Duan Wuhu gave Zhao Dezhu a knowing look. This “take care of” wasn’t in its traditional sense. If it were genuine care, there’d be no need to have their top combat unit personally guard him.

Zhao Dezhu understood, holding his gun with one hand and a steel rod with the other, standing “considerately” about two to three meters from the mysterious man, like watching over a serious criminal.

Settling the mysterious man’s emotions, Duan Wuhu said to Wu Lue, “Put away the drone, prepare for battle!”

The aerial surveillance was pointless; they could already hear the zombies, drawing nearer. There was no room for wishful thinking; they were certainly heading for the courtyard!

Oddly enough, they were not tense, knowing a battle was inevitable. After assessing the situation, they brimmed with confidence.

With the zombies inside the village rioting, the tall zombie watching from the hillside showed excited expression, seemingly influenced even from kilometers away.

Howl, howl, howling…

The tall zombie emitted indecipherable cries, supporting itself on elongated arms, performing a series of bizarre movements. Due to weakness, each move seemed listless, yet if humans saw it, jaws would drop—even if not zombies, many humans couldn’t do such things!

This was a remarkably tall zombie capable of performing high-difficulty maneuvers!