Chapter 783 - 654: Taking Him Along

"Are you messing with us, huh? Go, quickly get us a bag of pistachios as compensation for our mental anguish!"

Lu Yubo said with great dissatisfaction.

"Squeak! Squeak squeak!"

Flash jumped, originally intending to lose its temper at Lu Yubo, but that feeling came again, pointing towards Cloud Dragon Valley and shouting repeatedly!

To outsiders, it seemed as if it was stubbornly arguing for its previous mistake, looking quite adorably stupid.

"Aye, why are you still thinking about its rations? Come on, everyone hurry back inside to rest. Everyone has their role, let’s get through this night safely."

Duan Wuhu patted Lu Yubo’s shoulder and gestured to the people around.

"Sleep time..."

No one bothered to clean up the corpses lying all around; they would leave after a night anyway. Following the previous arrangement, Zhao Dezhu and Pu Chanyong each went to guard the rooftops of the neighboring courtyards.

"Hey, old buddy, it’s freezing. If you freeze to death here, we’re not responsible!"

While passing the mysterious stranger, Zhao Dezhu threw him a blanket, then walked towards the neighboring courtyard. Having survived a zombie attack together, it would be annoying if he ended up freezing to death at the door.

Despite appearing carefree, Fish Slaughterer still has a touch of kindness inside.

From where Zhao Dezhu sat atop the roof, he could see where the mysterious stranger lay, occasionally flashing his torch to take a look; each time the stranger was in the same posture, unmoving like a rock.

"This guy’s really stubborn, is he seriously planning to just freeze to death here?"

Zhao Dezhu grimaced, pulled his collar tight, and continued to scan the surroundings, particularly in the direction where Flash indicated there were zombies. It could be ignored, but not unseen; however, he found nothing, leaving him unsure if that was fortunate or unfortunate, especially since a peculiar creature was staring back at him from afar...

With the sky covered in thick clouds, the stars weren’t visible, and time passed quietly. During the time Zhao Dezhu and Pu Chanyong kept watch, nothing happened. Both were lost in their thoughts without conversing, and they had finished half a pack of cigarettes and half a flask of water.

The last watch belonged to Duan Wuhu and Yuan Huotu. As they changed shifts, they passed the mysterious stranger, pausing to observe him; they noticed he was gazing at the sky with squinty eyes, not sleeping, just staring blankly as if his soul had left his body.

Those on duty couldn’t sleep, the mysterious stranger wasn’t sleeping, and zombies didn’t need sleep either. The weakened zombie sitting on the cliff halfway up Cloud Dragon Valley just kept observing every move of the people in Red Gully Village.

At seven in the morning, the sky began to brighten faintly. As Duan Wuhu finished his shift and prepared to go downstairs, in a synchronized move, the mysterious stranger sat up abruptly, as if resurrected, appearing somewhat eerie.

"What a sturdy fellow!"

Duan Wuhu marvels; if he were to lie outside at minus twenty or thirty degrees Celsius for a night, he’d be half-dead even if he survived.

Quickly heading downstairs and out of the courtyard, Duan Wuhu sees the mysterious stranger collecting zombie corpses.

Meanwhile, everyone inside the house has woken up. Hearing activity outside, they rush out to see what’s happening.

The mysterious man removes a dirty scarf wrapped around his face, revealing a weathered visage, deeply lined with wrinkles, skin characteristic of traditional northern farmers, and very grimy from long periods without washing.

Just judging by his face, seventy would be an understatement, but considering his fierce bravery in combat, he’s likely only forty or fifty.

The mysterious man remains silent, carefully placing zombie corpses in the road, in a neat line, his expression mournful.

"He’s really sentimental... Sir, do you want to come inside for some hot porridge?"

Shen Linrui invites the mysterious man. There’s a makeshift stove inside, with a pot where water and cooked rice can be quickly stirred into porridge!

After a night of thinking and calmness, the mysterious man’s state has notably improved. Hearing the invitation, he hesitates for a moment, then shakes his head slightly and continues moving the bodies.

"Let’s go, let’s eat quickly and get ready to set off."

Lu Yubo urged everyone, not wanting to linger, only wanting to complete the mission and return to Celestial Horse Island.

Duan Wuhu pondered for a moment, then said, "Don’t rush, I’ll go ask Brother Zhang a few things."

"Teacher Duan, you’re not planning to... bring him along with us, are you?" Wu Lue asked in an exaggerated whisper.

"Yes, his sentimental nature and impressive fighting abilities meet the recruitment criteria for our camp. You all eat first and pack up, I’ll ask briefly, won’t delay our journey."

Duan Wuhu patted Wu Lue’s arm and then headed for the stairs intending to converse on the rooftop.

"Today we must repair the greenhouse. There’s plenty of plastic sheeting in the warehouse, but the support is crucial..."

"The pipeline connecting to the reservoir has been crushed by rocks, it must be fixed; it’s frozen for now, but once it thaws it’ll be a disaster!"

"Xiaowu’s gone, I have to quickly rearrange the electrical wires and surveillance data cables. Who knows how things are on their side..."

At Celestial Horse Island, everyone is already up, gathered in Little Lucky’s restaurant at mealtime, engaging in lively discussions about the camp’s aftermath, determining work tasks, and some even discussing plans to join Mountain and Sea Squad.

The Yama Corps members are highly proactive, managing routine matters independently without Zhang Su or Yuwen’s arrangement. The two mainly oversee key issues and broader directions.

Zhang Su is glad everyone is so proactive. Turning to Jia Shiqin, who’s quietly eating nearby, he said, "Master Jia, you have a very important task."

"Yes, sure, what’s it about?"

Jia Shiqin asked while picking at salted vegetables, the atmosphere on Celestial Horse Island Mountain was relaxed yet respectful towards the leader.

"The zombie generator can barely supply electricity for the camp; just in time, Dr. Xie has researched a method for efficiently utilizing flames; we can officially start boiling water!"

"Huh? Haha, that’s quite a marvel, efficient use of flames?"

"Dr. Xie, tell us more, is this old technology?"

"What are you thinking? In our current limited circumstances, even with eight brains, Dr. Xie couldn’t invent futuristic technology..."

Upon hearing Zhang Su’s words, the restaurant became even livelier.

Xie Yanshan shook his head with a smile, waved his hands, and said, "That’s exaggerated, Mr. Zhang’s words are too much. I merely discovered some usable resources from inside the zombies, nothing significant; it’s all thanks to the warriors bringing back the zombies, otherwise, I wouldn’t have found anything."

His statement was flawless, very pleasant to hear, but contained hardly any practical information; cultured people know how to speak insincerely.

"Haha, Brother Zhang, are you considering assembling a thermal power generator?" Jia Shiqin knew what Zhang Su hinted at.

"Yes, we need a thermal power setup; the city’s situation is too complex to tackle for now, so you gather some people to piece one together; it can be rudimentary, but safety is the priority, that’s all!"

Electricity is an essential modern energy source, living without it is possible, but uncomfortable...

With the flame enhancement device, converting this energy into electricity is a must; a lower conversion rate is acceptable, it’s the difference between having and not having.

After Zhang Su explained, Jia Shiqin didn’t immediately agree, considering it involves technical knowledge. He thoughtfully chewed his food, nodding slowly after about half a minute, "It can be done, but I’ll need some assistance, preferably someone with technical expertise."

"That’s easy, several hundred people are downhill, Old Yu and Old Tan have documented many individuals’ skills, inquire with them, if necessary issue a recruitment banner in the village, out of six or seven hundred people, surely a few can be found!"

"Alright, then what scale should the thermal generator be?"

"Regarding size... sufficient for usual electricity needs doubled is fine. The requirements aren’t high, conditions are limited, just assess and manage it accordingly."

"Brother Zhang, Brother Zhang, sizzle sizzle... it’s Duan Wu... sizzle, can... you hear me?"

In the midst of discussing the generator, the walkie-talkie Zhang Su carried began to buzz, noisily and intermittently.