Chapter 67

He urgently needed ammunition.

Food and clothing could be slowly gathered from the city, and the fields near the camp had already yielded a good harvest of radishes and Chinese cabbage. There were still plenty of potatoes and wheat stored in the warehouse, enough to feed the entire team until next autumn.

Picking up a heavy box of 5.8mm rifle cartridges, Su Hao’s eyes, which exuded a strong masculine charm, revealed a slight smile.

When he handed over the observation notes to Wu Guoguang, he never expected that Xiao Lin would become a special factor.

According to Su Hao’s initial thoughts, the military should have awarded him a low-ranking military title as a reward. That greedy woman was clearly trying to suppress his military promotion order, replacing it with a lower-level researcher position.

To others, the rank of second lieutenant was indeed much stronger than a D3 researcher.

However, Su Hao was very clear: a mere rank of lieutenant actually meant nothing.

For example, Wu Guoguang, although the head of the inspection station in Kunming, could only command about twenty soldiers. He had no authority over personnel appointments, no right to allocate weapons and supplies beyond a certain quantity, and was merely responsible for the garrison command, administering immune agents to the survivors in the city.

Future world records show: Due to a lack of understanding of the characteristics of zombies and other mutated creatures, the military lost over 600,000 troops in the first decade after the virus outbreak. Among the officers with the highest casualty rates were the heads of inspection stations stationed in various regions.

Although the position of a D3 researcher was much lower than that of a second lieutenant, it was not directly controlled by the military. This meant that Su Hao did not have to carry out suicidal orders like a real soldier, but could instead use this subtle identity to gain sufficient benefits.

In the future world, Su Hao spent nearly forty years in the Academy of Sciences.

He was more familiar with its rules and regulations than anyone else.

He was very clear about the conflicts between the Academy and the military.

He knew how to benefit from these conflicts.

Compared to the military, Su Hao had an irreplaceable sense of belonging to the Academy of Sciences. There, he had friends and many acquaintances worth interacting with. There was also Wang Qianian, the hot-tempered, foul-mouthed, and incomparably knowledgeable and fierce old fat man who was extremely protective of his subordinates, like a widowed hen.

"Move faster! Load these weapons and ammunition onto the trucks, and try to get back to the city as soon as possible."

Wu Guoguang, carrying several "Type 95" assault rifles, handed them to the soldier standing in the back of the truck responsible for arranging them, giving repeated instructions.

All sixteen trucks had to be fully loaded.

Among them, twelve trucks were loaded with supplies belonging to Su Hao.

Su Hao did not know the role played by Dean Wang Qianian. He simply exchanged notes for resources at the appropriate time based on his familiar historical memory.

Even in the chaotic situation after the virus outbreak, the military's control over weapons remained strict. However, this situation only lasted for more than four months. As the inspection stations across the country continuously sent back combat records against zombies, the military high command gradually realized that the current individual equipment was no longer sufficient for the war.

The 5.8mm caliber bullets were too weak; they had no effect on zombies unless they hit the head. Out of necessity, the military high command had to initiate a 7.62mm caliber light weapon replacement plan.

Zombies were not human; they had no sense of pain.

A 5.8mm bullet would cause severe pain and destructive muscle damage when shot into a human body, but this level of physical damage was ineffective against zombies.

The firearms Su Hao brought from the future world all used 5.56mm bullets. These bullets were even weaker but could be transported in larger quantities in the limited volume of the transmission box. At that time, Su Hao could not predict whether he would obtain the prototype agent or the series of events that followed. He could only carry as much ammunition as possible.

After all, without absolute certainty of hitting the target, a single powerful 9mm bullet was far less effective than two 5.56mm bullets.

Before the virus outbreak, all countries designed their weapons based on human soldiers as the reference for damage. The appearance of zombies forced the military of various countries to redesign more powerful individual weapons. The replacement of 7.62mm firearms was just a transitional period. The old caliber weapons left after the replacement would be distributed to survivors two weeks later.

As the most populous country in the world, the military had a vast stockpile of individual weapons. Even in the timeline where Su Hao originally came from, people were still using old caliber firearms decades later.

Therefore, Su Hao boldly proposed that he needed to replenish 100,000 rounds of 5.8mm rifle cartridges.

This demand, which would have been impossible to approve in peacetime, was no longer an issue for the military high command busy with the 7.62mm firearm replacement. With Wang Qianian's intervention and the communication by the female lieutenant colonel Ye Ying to the Chengdu base group army command, the amount of supplies issued by the KD03 base was increased by three times.

Su Hao was not alone.

The painful lessons of the future world made him realize the insignificance of individual power. Even those at higher stages of enhancement could not stand up to those with power. To achieve true safety, he needed more companions.

Including Wu Guoguang, no one noticed the abnormality of Su Hao's team. Enhanced humans and ordinary people looked similar, and it was impossible to tell the difference with the naked eye.

A few hours later, the fully loaded convoy left the military-controlled area and headed towards the city.

..

Lu Tao stood beside a car blocking the middle of the road, holding an assault rifle, using the car body for cover, and aiming at several zombies wandering near the green belt dozens of meters away.

"Bang——"

The gunshot sounded very abrupt against the backdrop of the silent city. A clear bullet hole immediately appeared in the head of the nearest zombie. Yellow-green putrid fluid dripped out, emitting a nauseating stench. The sound and smell immediately caught the attention of the nearby zombies. They shifted their targets and slowly walked towards the abandoned car.

Lu Tao slightly adjusted the angle of his gun barrel, aiming at another zombie through the scope. Before he could pull the trigger, the zombie's eye socket exploded with a dark brown pus due to a gunshot from the side.

It was Lu Nuer.

She stood behind a street tree about ten meters away from Lu Tao, proudly raising her left thumb.

This showy gesture made Lu Tao feel somewhat unpleasant.

He shook his head inwardly, his face dark, and brought his right eye close to the scope, looking for a new target.

Soon, thirteen zombies were hit in vital areas and lay on the ground, unable to stand up.

Lu Tao and Lu Nuer left their cover and approached the zombie remains. The former pulled out a spade from his backpack, walked into the green belt, which was now devoid of plants, and dug into the soil. The latter held a steel axe and heavily chopped at the zombie's buttocks.

Two months ago, Cao Rui and Du Tianhao each led thirty team members to establish two new camps in the southern and western parts of the city, based on the areas marked by Su Hao on the map.

The city was scattered with valuable resources. The radiation range of the bank building was limited, and to find more resources, they needed to occupy a larger area in the city.

This area belonged to the second camp's alert zone under Cao Rui's jurisdiction.

From here, heading east and around the intersection, about 300 meters away, was an office building where the team members were stationed.

There were no large groups of zombies nearby, and the number of zombies attracted by the gunshots would not be too many. Even if an unmanageable danger appeared, Lu Tao could fire a smoke signal to notify the camp guards to quickly come to their aid.

The reason they came here was not just to collect silver bones.

As early as summer, Su Hao had already selected the areas for the second and third camps. To alleviate supply pressure, Old Song had led people to remove the shrubs from the nearby green belt. He planted many radishes in the cleared soil, and now it was harvest time.

Lu Nuer packed the collected silver bone particles, took out two large woven bags from her backpack, opened the seals, and placed them on the stone steps beside the green belt. After doing this, she squatted on the sidewalk, watching with interest as Lu Tao turned the soil and dug up radishes.

"Don't just stand there and watch, come and help."

Although the weather was cold, the intense physical activity made Lu Tao feel hot, with sweat constantly breaking out on his forehead and body.

"I need to keep an eye on the surroundings. Who knows when a few hundred zombies might show up. Hehe! I can protect you."

Lu Nuer, wearing black velvet leggings and a denim jacket from a store, held an assault rifle. She chewed gum carelessly, occasionally puffing out her cheeks to blow a large bubble.

A dozen or so white radishes, as thick as arms, were dug out of the mud and piled on the roadside. They were fresh, covered in damp soil, and looked very appetizing.

The team was organized into pairs. For some unknown reason, Cao Rui paired all the members of her squad by gender. Lu Nuer was lively and talkative, while Lu Tao was calm and thoughtful. In peacetime, the former was beautiful and sociable, fitting the image of a goddess in most men's minds. The latter was handsome and aloof, with a meticulous mind, and was the type who enjoyed delving into problems.

Lu Nuer talked a lot and often came up with wild fantasies.

Lu Tao was more reserved, dealing with problems calmly and rationally.

The green belt was not large, and the soil's fertility was limited. After Old Song planted the seeds, he rarely tended to them. As a result, the radishes, though numbering over a hundred, were not very large, barely filling half of the two large woven bags.

Lu Tao wiped the sweat from his face, grabbed the two bulging woven bags, and slung them over his shoulder. He glanced at Lu Nuer standing beside him and said calmly, "Let's go! It's time to head back."

The team never stopped hunting zombies, and most members had reached the third stage of enhancement. The weight of the bags, which were dozens of kilograms, was not a problem for Lu Tao. He carried both bags of radishes alone, thinking it was more appropriate for a man to do this kind of physical labor.

Lu Tao did not like to quibble over trivial matters.

Just now, since Lu Nuer was unwilling to dig radishes, he let her be.

Besides, what she said made some sense—the city was full of danger. It was better to have one person on guard than for both to die mysteriously.

Looking at Lu Tao walking ahead in silence, Lu Nuer fluttered her long lashes, her alluring eyes flashing with a complex expression.

This was the first time she had encountered such a quiet man—someone who wouldn't try to amuse her with smooth talk or show off in an exaggerated way like Zhu Bajie. He wouldn't actively display his strength or try to win her over with gifts. Whenever there was a conflict, he would always back down, letting her have the upper hand.

Lu Nuer subconsciously thought of the guys she used to meet in nightclubs—they were handsome, wealthy, and always carried small gifts for women, constantly saying sweet words, but none of them had ever offered to take the heavy box of beer from her when she was tired and exhausted.

The two walked to the intersection, and four men suddenly appeared from the corner.

Lu Tao immediately stopped, leveling his gun with Lu Nuer almost simultaneously.

This place was close to the camp, and both were preoccupied with their own thoughts, forgetting to search with their minds. However, the other side's reaction was similar, their faces also full of surprise and caution. This indicated that it was not a premeditated encounter but a chance meeting.

Clearly, these were a group of survivors—each carrying bags of varying sizes, holding weapons like sticks, and their eyes radiating vigilance and hostility.

Lu Tao silently watched these people, his finger on the trigger, ready to shoot at any moment.

They were not strangers, and one could even say they were quite familiar.

"Hey! College student, what are you doing here?"

The other side also recognized Lu Tao—Scorpion stood in the center of the group, silent and somewhat sullen. Li Shunfa's face was dirty with mud, looking happy. Another man was Scorpion's subordinate from the residential building days. The last one who greeted him was "Leopard Head."

Lu Nuer slightly lowered her gun, stepped forward a few paces, and whispered in Lu Tao's ear, "Are they your friends?"

Lu Tao slowly shook his head, squinting his eyes and focusing on the opposite side, his gun barrel moving with his gaze.

He did not respond, and "Leopard Head" did not ask a second time. The air became somewhat tense, and everyone's expressions were unnatural.

"Hehe! This girl is pretty, is she your girlfriend?"

"Leopard Head" seemed to have a special skill for breaking the awkwardness. He handed the steel pipe to Li Shunfa, raised his hands, and his greedy eyes quickly scanned Lu Nuer's prominent chest before landing on the assault rifle in Lu Tao's hand. He asked enviously, "I say, where did you get the guns?"

Lu Tao's gun barrel slightly lowered, pointing at "Leopard Head's" advancing foot, and said coldly, "Step back, don't come closer."

Though not explicitly stated, his words were clearly a warning and a threat.

"Don't be like that, I, I didn't mean anything."

The sudden change made "Leopard Head" feel uncomfortable. In his memory, Lu Tao was a young man who was easy to talk to, with a gentle attitude and tone, never getting into disputes with others.

The faces of the other men were somewhat unpleasant, but no one spoke or made a move. No one was a fool, and no one thought the guns in Lu Tao and Lu Nuer's hands were toys.

After a few seconds of silence, Lu Tao spoke again, "What are you doing here?"

This area was far from the residential building, beyond the normal range for searching for food and resources.

"We no longer live in the old place. If you go east from here, there's a strong team by the overpass leading out of the city. They have guns like you. And... they have this."

"Leopard Head" clearly wanted to bridge the gap. He took out a syringe from his pocket, waving it in his hand, "We've all been injected with this. It makes you immune to those damn zombies. I tried getting bitten by one of them, and guess what? I didn't get infected, and I feel healthier than ever."

"East?"

Lu Nuer murmured, turning her head to look at Lu Tao with a puzzled expression.

In this city, only Wu Guoguang's inspection team was distributing immune agents.

Some survivors knew about this, while others were completely unaware.

Without newspapers or television, and with all communications cut off, the lack of information was quite normal.

However, due to his D3 researcher status and good cooperation, Su Hao's team maintained contact with the inspection station. But neither the "Castle" in the wild nor Du Tianhao's third camp had any information about a military station in the eastern part of the city.

Moreover, "Leopard Head" had just said that the leader of the eastern team was not a soldier.

Lu Tao's face showed no emotion. He focused on Scorpion, who had not spoken, and then shifted his gaze to "Leopard Head," asking, "Do you have a lot of this?"

"Leopard Head" understood his meaning. He cautiously stepped forward a few paces, handing over the syringe, his eyes nervously on Lu Nuer's gun, and forced a smile, "This, this is a gift for you. Anyway, I have some more."

Lu Tao quickly put away the immune agent, gesturing for "Leopard Head" to step back to his original position. After he stood still again, Lu Tao leveled his gun, aiming at Scorpion.

This movement was small, and there were no harsh or threatening words. But the four men on the opposite side felt an involuntary chill. Especially Scorpion, who was in the center of the scope, his face turned ashen.

Without hesitation, Lu Tao pulled the trigger.

The bullet accurately hit Scorpion's left chest.

He clutched the bleeding wound, his eyes wide, and fell backward.