Apocalypse: the Most Ruthless Person - Chapter 207 157: West Camp Village
“The gun we have has two shooting modes, semi-automatic and fully automatic. But it’s best not to use fully automatic, as the recoil is huge. The effective range can reach up to four hundred meters, but shooting that far is purely a waste of ammo. Let me first explain the basic safety points…”
After everyone had eaten, except for a few who were on watch, they gathered inside the convenience store. Zhang Su, who knew a bit about firearms, and Zhao Dezhu were explaining the general usage of the Type 95 automatic rifle to everyone, focusing mainly on gun safety knowledge.
No one had been exposed to this kind of knowledge growing up, but guns would accompany them for a long time in the future, so it was very important, and everyone listened very attentively.
“I’m now demonstrating high alert and low alert posture. Watch carefully and practice more. No matter which alert posture you use, it’s to enter combat faster. Push, grip, pull, and simultaneously open the safety, then shoot…”
“Ah!”
Suddenly, Wu Lue let out a shout, startling everyone present.
“Luezi, what’s wrong?”
As Zhang Su was teaching based on the limited experience he accumulated from playing CS, he was abruptly interrupted, very angry.
“Brother Su, I remembered something!”
Wu Lue excitedly pointed at the RV and said, “I remember I downloaded a series of videos about rifle usage!”
“Huh?” Zhang Su lowered the rifle in his hand and asked in confusion, “You actually have such a hobby? That’s not like you!”
“Hehe, it was indeed an accident. The link title for the video was ‘Teach Real Men to Shoot,’ I had to be a real man, so I downloaded it, but then…”
Well, no need to elaborate, it was supposedly a tutorial on rifle usage.
“Damn, you’re really something, hurry up!”
Zhang Su found himself speechless with his former employee.
Wu Lue quickly ran to the car, fetched the computer, and operated it quickly, soon retrieving the ‘Teach Real Men to Shoot’ video from the depths of the hard drive.
Upon opening it, it was indeed an overseas firearms instruction video, covering everything from carrying and adjusting the rifle, taking aim, posture, to shooting, including basic troubleshooting, detailed and full of substance, not a single word wasted!
“Ah, this is good stuff! Luezi’s done us proud, this video is practically a textbook among textbooks, awesome!”
Zhang Su rapidly dragged the progress bar to glance through it; the entire video was instructional, with no unnecessary frills — in today’s world, it’s an absolute treasure!
“Just talked about alert posture, let’s follow along, and after practicing, we’ll revisit the theoretical knowledge!”
Adjusting the video to the right playback position, a small lamp lit up, and over a dozen people faced the screen in the shabby, drafty room practicing rifle usage, creating a distinctly eerie scene.
Real firearms hold a strange allure for everyone, perhaps because they provide an unprecedented sense of security. Regardless of gender, enthusiasm for learning was high, even Mo Qianlan joined the training!
The only four-legged creature rolled its eyes at everyone, occasionally wagging its tail, utterly bored.
Time flew by, and at half-past nine at night, the learning session ended as everyone prepared to rest. Considering the low proficiency in firearms, Zhang Su collected all the guns and stored them in the transfer box; in case of emergency, the sentry would notify ahead, and it wouldn’t delay usage.
“Bozai, what’s going on between you and Pei Lan?”
In the corner, Zhang Su asked quietly while peeing together with Lu Yubo. He had heard some things recently, originally intending not to intervene, but seeing the situation beginning to escalate, he had to get involved.
Lu Yubo was slightly shocked and said, “Nothing, Brother Su, why are you asking about this?”
“Nothing?” Zhang Su shook off with satisfaction and said, “Earlier while practicing shooting, you two were standing miles apart. That’s nothing? Tell me, what happened.”
As he spoke, he pulled out a cigarette and handed it to Lu Yubo.
Lighting up the cigarette, Lu Yubo exhaled a mouthful of smoke irritably, saying, “Pei Lan likes Xiaochen, damn it.”
“How do you know?”
Zhang Su was well aware of this matter because he had overheard some ambiguous conversations between Pei Lan and Chen Hanzhou. He thought Lu Yubo wouldn’t care much about a woman, but tonight, Lu Yubo looked at Pei Lan with some resentment, which posed a problem.
“She told me herself…”
Lu Yubo took a hard puff on his cigarette, making the glowing cigarette butt sizzle.
Zhang Su made a peculiar expression, patted Lu Yubo’s shoulder, and said, “You don’t actually like Pei Lan that much, it just so happened, think carefully, are you only attracted to her physically?”
“You… Brother Su, what you’re saying might be right…”
Lu Yubo thought long and hard but found himself unable to refute.
“Once we settle down, there will definitely be survivors seeking us out over time, what’s the rush? By then, I’ll get you a celebrity!”
Zhang Su wanted to avoid disharmony within the team due to such issues.
“A celebrity?” Mentioning celebrities instantly excited Lu Yubo, and his eyes lit up, saying, “Brother Su, you said it, I like someone like Dillena!”
A black line appeared on Zhang Su’s forehead, realizing this young man’s mind was indeed simple, but that’s also good…
“Exotic flair, right? No problem, in our area, you might even run into Ah Mao or Ah Bang. Women get overwhelming when they increase in number, and you’ll find it unbearable then!”
Rolling a pancake and sprinkling sesame seeds, the enticing aroma made Lu Yubo dream of buying cola with beauties.
A chilly night passed on the North Second Ring Road; not a soul was seen, not even a car. Only occasionally did a distant road flash a beam of light like a lantern in a lost traveler’s hand, trying to light the path ahead.
The next morning, a thin mist hovered over the mountains, the hazy sunlight shining across everyone’s faces.
The equipment inside the gas station was completely broken. Even with a generator, it was impossible to start the equipment, but that didn’t faze everyone at all. They managed to pump fuel from the tank, despite wasting quite a bit; it didn’t matter.
All three vehicles were filled to the brim with fuel, and several barrels were also filled. With both vehicles and people well-supplied, the three cars hit the road again.
Apart from the drivers and Corgi Good Fortune, each person held an automatic rifle in their arms. However, a closer inspection revealed that the magazines weren’t loaded, as they were practicing various maneuvers.
There were quite a few zombies roaming the countryside on either side of the road. But since the vehicles were quite a distance away and weren’t revving loudly, they showed little reaction.
Before long, the vehicles made a turn from the east-west North Second Ring Road onto the north-south North Mountain Line.
Off in the distance, Zhang Su spotted the bridge spanning the Chuhai River. Although it was called a bridge, it wasn’t actually large, just over a hundred meters long. But the focus wasn’t on its size—it was on the densely packed roadblocks covering it!
This discovery caused him to furrow his brows slowly. He picked up the walkie-talkie and said, “Prepare to stop, prepare to stop!”
“What is this…”
In the passenger seat, Zheng Xinyu, holding a gun, stared blankly ahead.
“Oh my god, this, this is incredible…”
Rows of chevaux-de-frise blocked the center of the bridge, with more than a hundred zombie corpses impaled on them, looking extremely eerie.
“What kind of sinister formation is this?” Zhao Dezhu asked.
“Could it be that the zombie corpses can stop other zombies from advancing?”
Zhang Su’s fingers gently tapped the steering wheel when suddenly his eyebrows twitched, and he noticed two figures flash out from the opposite side of the bridge, holding steel forks and spades.
At the same time, his ears perked up as he heard the sound of pots being banged in the distant village, likely a signal to alert everyone to a situation!
Within moments, the people on the other side of the river became active and lively.
“Here comes the toll collectors.”
The people in the car weren’t surprised, as similar situations had happened before at Phoenix International.
At this moment, everyone was feeling quite relaxed. What were they holding? Automatic rifles!
“What should we do?”
Zheng Xinyu asked.
“Let’s talk first.”
After saying that, Zhang Su grabbed his gun and got out of the car.
Gradually, about twenty people got out of the cars.
“Brother Su, the villagers here have some skills!”
Lu Yubo walked up to Zhang Su and whispered.
Zhang Su nodded. Those who have survived must have some skills, which is nothing surprising.
He glanced back at the others, who all assumed a wary, gun-ready stance as if they were facing hundreds or thousands of zombies, feeling equally tense.
“Hey, show a little friendliness; we’re just passing through, not here to rob. What’s everyone doing…”
They could have forced their way through, but Zhang Su had no intention of doing so. A village capable of setting up roadblocks had already developed the beginnings of a safe haven. With the surrounding farmland, there could be slow development in the future. Even without industry, agriculture wouldn’t be much of an issue. If there were no conflicts, they could become allies for exchanging food supplies.
The words of Zhang Su acted like a wake-up call to the people, who suddenly realized they had all been mistaken about one thing.
They had assumed they needed to be on guard and prepared for conflict at any encounter, but in reality, nobody wished to engage in a fight.
Everyone began to sling their guns back over their shoulders.
That previous scene, however, had already been observed by the two men on the opposite side of the bridge.
Zhang Su led the group to the middle of the bridge and waved toward the other side, saying, “Dear sirs, we’re coming from the city and plan to head north. Could you let us pass, please?”
“Your group is too large. I can’t make that decision; you’ll have to wait for our village chief to arrive,”
The middle-aged man holding a steel fork responded loudly, with deep suspicion in his eyes.
It didn’t take long before a man in his fifties, accompanied by over a dozen villagers holding various farming tools, arrived at the bridge.
“I am the village chief of West Camp, Ma Changshou. You plan to head north?”
Wearing a Lenin cap and leaning on a sharpened iron hoe, Ma Changshou watched Zhang Su and his group from the other side of the chevaux-de-frise, having already heard from villagers that the group on the other side seemed to have firearms.
“Correct. We plan to head north and don’t intend to disturb you.”
Zhang Su politely opened a pack of cigarettes, showed it briefly, and then tossed it over to the other side.
A person beside Ma Changgui picked up the pack, showed it to him, and he took one out and lit it, saying, “Young man, all the zombies around here were taken down by us one by one, and we lost many villagers in the process. If you want to pass, you’ll need to leave some supplies here, and we’ll move the barriers immediately.”
Zhang Su already anticipated their intent and didn’t hesitate, raising his hand and saying, “Village Chief Ma, name your price.”
He could see that these people were not new to this type of negotiation; they were experienced and must have extensive knowledge about the outside world, prepared for long-term engagements.
Ma Changshou’s wrinkled face was full of a weathered look as he cast his gaze over the three vehicles behind Zhang Su, then pointed at the Fukner Meifu and said, “Your cars are your means of transport, I won’t take them. Give us all the supplies inside that vehicle, and you can pass.”
