Chapter 82

Numerous thoughts troubled Luo Jingpeng. He didn't know what to do. Instinctively feeling fear, he was unwilling to give up. Watching the helicopter ascend and leave until it completely disappeared from sight, Luo Jingpeng suppressed his anxious thoughts, forced himself to remain calm, and ordered his subordinates to stay in the car and not act rashly.

Then, accompanied by a few confidants, he raised a white flag and walked toward the small building.

The outside of the small building was heavily guarded.

Inside, the atmosphere was peaceful, showing no signs of anything unusual.

In the room, a round dining table was set up, with Su Hao and Luo Jingpeng sitting opposite each other. There were two steaming cups of green tea on the table, and no third person came to disturb them. It was very quiet and comfortable.

The white flag was not a sign of surrender, but a way to show that he had no hostile intentions.

Su Hao smiled and made a "please" gesture: "Sorry! I have nothing much to offer. You know, it's a special time now."

Luo Jingpeng had been staring at the handsome and strong young man across from him—he exuded a very charming aura. It was seductive to women and intimidating to men. His facial features looked somewhat mixed, but he was undoubtedly Asian. His hair was cut very short, making him look very spirited. He was tall and muscular, forming a stark contrast with his slightly softened face. The bulging muscles protruded from under his light gray sweater, making his body appear imposing and exuding a fearsome strength.

Luo Jingpeng was not afraid of such an opponent.

He had injected a first-stage enhancement serum. The power Lin Feihu bestowed upon him was extremely strong, allowing Luo Jingpeng to face any enemy head-on.

The only thing he feared was the other party's identity.

Luo Jingpeng's gaze kept scanning Su Hao. He probed, "Are you a soldier?"

Su Hao did not answer. He shifted the topic to something completely unrelated: "Yesterday, when you entered the city, you made a lot of noise. Directly blowing up buildings to create defensive positions was indeed effective, but it also attracted more zombies. You might not have noticed, but many zombie groups in the city have left their original positions and are moving toward your location, which is in the east."

This statement was highly professional.

Luo Jingpeng was surprised, taken aback, somewhat disappointed, and finally put his heart at ease.

He had always seen Su Hao as an opponent—subconsciously believing that the survivor team in the small building was the one who attacked the camp last night.

Now it seemed that the kidnapping of Lin Zhou and the killing of over ten armed personnel were not done by them.

The military was researching zombies.

This was not a secret; many people knew about it.

Luo Jingpeng subconsciously associated Su Hao with military researchers—this was not strange, as everyone in the small building was wearing military camouflage combat uniforms, and their weapons were standard "95" assault rifles.

As a military researcher, there was no reason to attack the camp.

But he still wanted to probe further: "Do you know what happened to us last night?"

Su Hao heard the hidden intent in his words and skillfully deflected the suspicion: "Your actions were too loud—hundreds of vehicles, thousands of people, the noise alone was enough to attract all the zombies in the eastern part of the city. Then came the collapse of buildings, gunfire, and lights... While this method provided sufficient defensive effects, it also trapped you inside. You should know that these mutated creatures have a very subtle connection with each other. They perceive the outside world through sound and smell, and they might even communicate through some kind of frequency, like bats. This is very mysterious and fascinating, and this terrifying new species is still unknown and being explored by humans."

This statement was filled with professional jargon, devoid of personal emotions, and focused entirely on research.

Luo Jingpeng was somewhat disappointed—his perception of Su Hao had changed to that of a military researcher.

In other words, the people in this building had nothing to do with last night's events.

As the supervisor Wu Guoguang had replied: The military would not get involved in conflicts between groups and civilians. They only needed to select suitable warriors from them. This city was large. The attack on Lin Zhou might have been carried out by other survivor teams... Luo Jingpeng did not notice the strange cold smile that flashed in Su Hao's eyes. Initially, it was Han Fei's team. Then, Lin Jingshang's squad. Now, it was a large team of thousands. Lin Zhou had confessed: They were the third batch of reinforcements sent by the "Shengfei" Group. In a few months, over a thousand more people and a large amount of supplies would arrive.

Su Hao needed a large number of "worker bees" and supplies.

He was no longer the desperate fugitive who had fled from the future world in a panic.

The prototype serum had given him the capital to build a force.

When the foundation was strongly protected, desires and ambitions naturally expanded.

Su Hao would not allow anyone to touch this city.

He was not satisfied with just eliminating the "Shengfei" Group's reinforcement team. He wanted to吞并 everything, including personnel and supplies.

If this idea was just a vague concept during the long-distance observation last night, then the appearance of Tang Zi, the relentless pursuit, and the subsequent capture of Lin Zhou, along with the elimination of all pursuers, meant that Su Hao was using his limited resources and conditions to set up a plan.

Coincidentally, he had just submitted a report on blood zombies and humanoids, and the Academy had sent Night Shadow to collect the bodies at this time.

Then, capturing Lin Zhou and learning a lot of useful information from him.

Due to the complete annihilation of the previous two teams, Luo Jingpeng knew nothing about the city's situation.

The darkness of last night had covered all traces of Su Hao's team's attack.

He was opening his mouth and baring his fangs, but the prey was unaware.

Of course, a direct conflict would be a very foolish move—Su Hao knew that their team's advantage was that all members were enhanced, with superior perception and physical abilities.

However, the "Shengfei" Group was equipped with a large number of firearms, even heavy weapons like multi-barreled anti-aircraft guns.

A frontal assault, even if it could win, would require a heavy toll in casualties.

Su Hao kept watching the constantly changing expressions on Luo Jingpeng's face.

Shock, disappointment, anger, hesitation... Clearly, this man, though tall and strong, had a young and naive inner world, with no guile, and his emotions were easily visible. He was even somewhat impulsive.

The prototype serum had expanded and developed some mysterious sensory systems in Su Hao's body that had never appeared in the future world.

He could sense the aura of a first-stage enhanced person from Luo Jingpeng.

This detection was one-sided. Perhaps due to ability suppression or other reasons, no one had ever detected Su Hao and his subordinates' enhanced abilities.

Time could make what was once precious become cheap.

Enhancement serums were one of the most important tools the military used to control noble families and civilians.

The value of these serums would decrease as the military's production capacity increased.

In the world Su Hao had fled from, the use of first-stage enhancement serums was already very common, and they could be bought in bars or inns in many refugee towns.

Just like how immune serums were in short supply during the early stages of the virus outbreak, causing heavy casualties in the military's early battles. Even the important institution KD01 could not fully equip its personnel. But as more production lines were put into use, the production of immune serums rapidly increased. Now, even ordinary civilians could obtain them, making it easier to deal with zombies.

However, it was now the first year of the Black Era.

The military strictly controlled the outflow of first-stage enhancement serums. Those who could obtain them were usually powerful and wealthy figures. Describing them as more valuable than gold was not an exaggeration.

Some survivors could naturally evolve through external stimuli.

But Su Hao did not think that Luo Jingpeng would experience such a low-probability event.

It was clear—Luo Jingpeng should belong to the upper echelons of the "Shengfei" Group.

And he was close to the core of power.

Thinking about this, Su Hao smiled.

"I know some things."

He quickly glanced at the gloomy Luo Jingpeng, speaking casually but with infinite allure: "Maybe... it could be useful to you."

Luo Jingpeng suddenly looked up, his eyes full of surprise and joy.

Su Hao took a sip of tea and said, "There are many people still alive in this city. You know, it's difficult for one person to deal with zombies, but it's easier with two. If three or four people surround a zombie, as long as they control the attack rhythm and maintain a balance, there's almost no danger. To survive in an environment filled with the constant threat of death, you must unite."

Luo Jingpeng's eyebrows furrowed above his eyes. He pressed his lips tightly together and listened intently to every word Su Hao said.

"I've been researching zombies in this city for some time and have some understanding of the situation here."

Su Hao's first sentence removed himself from the primary suspect group and shifted his identity to that of a collaborator.

"There are many survivor teams in the city. We provide them with immune serums and have a good understanding of their locations and strengths. Your camp is in the eastern part of the city. If you follow the road leading there, there are several survivor teams nearby. The noise you made last night was significant. You should know that not only zombies are interested in 'excitement.'"

Luo Jingpeng's frown eased slightly. He understood the subtext in Su Hao's words.

"I'm not sure if anyone knows the true identity of the attackers, but someone definitely saw something."

Su Hao's tone was irresistibly alluring: "I'm responsible for distributing immune serums to them and occasionally give them some food. We have a good relationship with them and don't hide secrets."

Luo Jingpeng didn't think for long. He said straightforwardly, "I have an important person missing. They might have been captured by those people. I need to find him, and he must be alive."

Su Hao slowly nodded and leaned back in his chair.

He kept smiling, his magnetic voice sounding very pleasant: "It's not difficult to find out. It hasn't been long since last night. As far as I know, those refugees don't have a special taste for human flesh. If we act quickly, we should be able to find the person you're talking about."

Luo Jingpeng exhaled heavily: "His name is Lin Zhou. He is the son of our chairman."

Su Hao didn't care, smiling and saying, "Hehe! Everything has its corresponding value, doesn't it?"

This statement made Luo Jingpeng feel a sense of relief.

He vaguely felt that Su Hao was lying, but he had no evidence.

Military personnel had no reason to help him for free.

Just like the supervisor Wu Guoguang, who ignored the "Shengfei" Group's entry into the city.

It wasn't until Su Hao mentioned "value" that Luo Jingpeng finally dispelled his last doubts—if the conversation was seen as a transaction, it could explain his confusion, and Su Hao's actions made logical sense. Yes! It was an exchange. The other party provided information in exchange for what he needed. Thinking about this, Luo Jingpeng's tense face gradually relaxed. He stared at Su Hao for a few seconds and asked seriously, "What do you want?"

Su Hao's smile grew wider.

"This place is far from the Chengdu base. The transportation is poor, and our supply situation is terrible. The remaining supplies are only enough to last two weeks. The situation at the inspection station of the garrison command is similar. Relying solely on air transport, the amount of supplies is very limited. You saw it yourself—most of the supplies provided by the base are weapons and ammunition. After all, there are zombies everywhere. It's better to be hungry for a while than to be eaten by those mutated creatures."

Luo Jingpeng nodded silently.

He had seen the soldiers unloading heavy machine guns from the helicopter, which matched Su Hao's statement.

"Your convoy is large, and the noise you made in the eastern part of the city was significant, making it impossible not to attract attention."

Su Hao naturally positioned himself as an observer and then made his request: "It's clear that you have plenty of food. I need three trucks."

"What?"

Luo Jingpeng suddenly looked up.

He had thought Su Hao's request would be at most a few hundred kilograms of food. He didn't expect it to be in terms of "trucks."

In peacetime, the load capacity of large cargo trucks was strictly regulated. Considering road conditions and maintenance, the maximum load for a truck on the road was usually around fifty tons. Now, no one followed those meaningless regulations.

The journey from the northern base was long, and there were unpredictable difficulties along the way. Therefore, the "Shengfei" Group's trucks were 300-horsepower "Howo" trucks. When fully loaded, these trucks could carry over a hundred tons of supplies.

Three trucks meant over three hundred tons.

"This is impossible—"

Luo Jingpeng firmly rejected: "We need these supplies to last for a long time. At most—"

"I haven't finished speaking."

Su Hao calmly interrupted his protest: "Additionally, I need a fully loaded fuel tanker. A thirty-ton diesel tanker."

He clearly specified the type and quantity of fuel needed.

But to Luo Jingpeng, these words sounded absurd and ridiculous.

Fuel was the foundation of the entire team's operation. Without fuel, the vehicles were just scrap metal.

Not to mention thirty tons, even three tons were impossible.

Before Luo Jingpeng could speak, Su Hao raised his right hand and gently pressed it down, signaling him not to get agitated.

"What was the name of the person you're looking for? Lin Zhou... Is that correct? According to you, he is the son of your chairman. Hehe! A person of status is indeed worth this price."

Luo Jingpeng's face turned cold: "Are you sure you can find him?"

Su Hao smiled: "I have a high chance."

Luo Jingpeng fell silent again.

He once again thought that Su Hao might be a liar.

Yes! The military had set up inspection stations in various cities.

To maintain the operation of so many small institutions after the local government was completely destroyed, a large amount of transportation was needed to ensure supplies. Luo Jingpeng knew that this was a significant challenge, but Su Hao's request for supplies was too much, far exceeding the normal range.

"I know you have doubts. But you must understand—everyone has their secrets. As I said before, this is a transaction. You can agree or refuse."

Su Hao took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and continued calmly: "Three trucks of food, one truck of diesel. That's my request."

Luo Jingpeng shook his head disdainfully, mocking: "You're asking for too much."

"If, in addition to this?"

Su Hao smiled, took out a first-stage enhancement serum from his inner pocket, placed it on the table, and slowly pushed it toward Luo Jingpeng.

The armed convoy sped down the empty road. Zombies kept emerging from the corners, shuffling toward these mechanical giants. Occasionally, a few blood zombies with dark red bodies appeared. They were all thrown off or crushed under the wheels.

Han Jing led thirty fully armed team members on a truck, joining the large combat team of the "Shengfei" Group waiting outside the small building.

Su Hao and Luo Jingpeng sat in the same off-road vehicle. Su Hao's expression was