Free Web NovelChapter 455: Chapter 404: A Sure Thing
"Everyone, come this way..."
"Sorry for the trouble..."
Hearing Zhang Su’s instructions, Zheng Xinyu and the others immediately stepped forward to get Wu Daqiang and his people onto the car. They were very polite to each other, and on the surface, nothing seemed out of place. But everyone was pondering inside; something about this felt very abnormal...
Yuwen stood to the side, with a polite smile on his face, showing no special expression, yet his heart was filled with deep confusion!
Zhang Su is acting strange!
This was his most direct feeling. From what he knew of Zhang Su, just because they had once cooperated with Old Li’s team, he would never easily let Wu Daqiang and his people go. Though the previous collaboration with Li Zongkai had led to acquiring a batch of important weapons, which laid the foundation for subsequent development.
But this was more than just letting them go; it was clearly the treatment accorded to guests!
When did Zhang Su ever treat enemies with such courtesy?
This isn’t King Yama, this is a living Bodhisattva!
"Could there be some undisclosed agreement between Mr. Zhang and Xiaoli?"
Yuwen couldn’t help but ponder. He really couldn’t think of any other reason for Zhang Su to treat Wu Daqiang and his people so politely. He tried hard to recall some scenes from when they met Old Li, hoping to find some clues.
It’s not that he had any ill intentions; it’s just that Zhang Su’s approach to handling this matter was significantly different from his own. This made it a bit hard for him to adjust to the current rhythm, necessitating finding a common frequency.
As for most of the other members of Celestial Horse Island, they were mostly clueless, thinking Zhang Su was merely cherishing old memories.
Sluggishly, three minutes after the people from Civilization Guardian came down, the five from Apocalypse Corps obediently came down as well. Each had their hands tightly bound, heads held high, and were quite cooperative. To those who didn’t know, it seemed as if they were about to be awarded medals, not becoming captive hostages.
The tall, skinny man leading them stopped a couple of meters in front of Zhang Su and finally got a clear view of the man opposite. He wasn’t exactly fierce or handsome, but there was a certain ruggedness and authority about him.
He said with a sycophantic smile, "Lord Yama, whatever you say, we’ll cooperate. Please, spare the lives of my brothers."
"The people from Little Eagle Association say your boss is Coward Yang, leading a bunch of cowards, but I don’t see it that way!"
Zhang Su stepped forward, and with a serious expression, patted the lead man’s shoulder, saying earnestly, "You understand the situation, act rationally rather than impulsively or recklessly. That’s admirable, and has nothing to do with cowardice!"
The five from Apocalypse Corps were momentarily dumbfounded by Zhang Su’s words.
Is he praising us?
Great!
"Yes, yes, Lord Yama, your words are spot on, absolutely spot on!"
The tall, skinny man showed an expression of gratitude, with the words written all over his face.
"Although I think highly of you guys, the necessary checks shouldn’t be skipped! Xiaojuzi, go check if their ropes are tied securely."
Having Ju Mumio do the checking was primarily to probe the attitudes of the five from Apocalypse Corps, to see whether they were enemies or friends, whether they harbored any murderous intentions, resentment, or other emotions!
Ju Mumio emerged from the crowd, the only one without a gun, making her very conspicuous. Without saying a word, she went forward and tugged on each of the Apocalypse Corps members’ arms, her movements slow and gentle. After examining them, she gave Zhang Su a slight nod.
Zhang Su was very satisfied and gestured, "Alright, take them to the car, and take care of them. Xiaoshuai, Old Duan, Old Pan, and Old Wang, you guys go and retrieve their equipment!"
Pan Guoliang was not a member of the Elite Corps himself, but after finishing a day’s training with the Reserve Team and returning to Celestial Horse Island, he joined in because it was an important task.
The four of them obeyed and entered the shop, while the five from the Survivor Alliance next door gradually emerged. They dallied the longest, and the two groups passed each other without pausing, as if they hadn’t seen one another at all.
Wu Baokang approached Zhang Su, but stopped when blocked by the barrel of a rifle from either side. He was very brawny, a few centimeters taller than Zhang Su, standing at over 1.9 meters tall, looking like half a black iron tower under the car lights.
"I want to have a private conversation with you."
Wu Baokang looked at Zhang Su, with no trace of submission as a captive and hostage in his eyes, as if to say: I can escape at any time if I wish.
"I’m not interested in talking with you at the moment, perhaps later!"
Zhang Su could see Wu Baokang’s combat potential, but that wasn’t important because at this moment, the opponent had already been subdued, making it hard for him to do anything substantial.
This time he didn’t instruct anyone else but went forward to check himself.
Facing Wu Baokang, Zhang Su felt little disturbance, even though the man towered over him. Half a month ago, the strong aura emitted by Wu Baokang might have made him uncomfortable, but now he simply ignored it.
Zhang Su placed his hand between Wu Baokang’s arms to check if the rope was firmly tied. However, his arms were clamped immovably, leaving it unclear whether it was his hands deliberately coming together or the rope holding them fast.
He slightly raised his eyelids to look at him, noticing Wu Baokang slightly lifting his head, like observing stars, with just two words in his eyes, disdain.
He was well aware that since it had come to this, they probably wouldn’t kill him, and immediately he grew fearless.
"Ha ha."
Zhang Su chuckled softly. Then, his legs sank while his arms changed from a hook to a scoop, and with a quick move from below the opponent’s wrist, before almost everyone could even react, a shadow sprung up like a shoot growing out of dry land!
Standing at over six feet and weighing around two hundred pounds, Wu Baokang was lifted by Zhang Su in the air like a sack of freshly packed grain, spun in a half circle with Zhang Su’s arm as the radius, while from Wu Baokang’s perspective, it was as if his head followed a compass tip, and his feet drew a long arc in the air!
Bang!
He slammed heavily to the ground, causing everyone’s faces to twitch in unison. That had to bruise black and blue!
"You..."
"Don’t you dare move!"
The remaining four members of the Survivor Alliance were outraged to see their leader slung and tossed to the ground, but before they could make any move, the dark barrels of guns kept them quiet!
"Ugh..."
Wu Baokang lay curled on the ground. Despite wearing thick clothing, he felt his insides burning with stars. His eyes were dark, his breathing labored, and he was extremely infuriated. That such a dignified man could be swung around and thrown like that was a grave humiliation!
What immense strength!
This was everyone’s most direct impression.
The people of Celestial Horse Island knew Zhang Su was strong in combat, but not known for sheer strength. It wasn’t until now that they realized he had this skill hidden up his sleeve!
Wu Daqiang and the others in the vehicle knew what had happened outside, using Wu Baokang like a hammer-chain — that was just too fierce. They had met a whole new Zhang Su.
"Don’t be cocky! I could deal with you easily! But those ropes are tied pretty securely. Someone bring them away. These guys aren’t like the previous five. If anyone misbehaves, kill them first and report later!"
No need for Ju Mumio to individually check, Zhang Su already sensed the hostility in the five members of the Survivor Alliance, it was written all over their faces!
A few people quickly emerged from the crowd, grabbing and pulling the four away. Lying flat on the ground, Wu Baokang seemed soulless, waiting to be carried away, probably feeling defeated.
Ever since Zhang Su stormed Beidong Town and eliminated everyone from the Little Eagle Association except Brother Liu, it had only been about forty minutes. The investigation teams dispatched by the four alliances had either died or been captured. While not quite annihilated, they had all been snared...
The convoy roared back, and the North Dong Town, which was bright as day moments ago, returned to the darkness and silence of night, with the three bodies from the Little Eagle Association left there forever.
They arrived with eight cars and left with twelve; the growth rate was tremendous, and the vehicles contained plenty of good stuff, which naturally became Celestial Horse Island’s spoils.
Lu Yubo drove the Land Cruiser, his joy was evident. He had been disheartened for a long time after his Prado was blown up, and later Zhang Su had requisitioned an FJ Cruiser. Now he was finally driving a robust SUV again.
"No wonder so many people are keen on hijacking, it sure speeds up gathering supplies!"
Zhao Dezhu sat next to Lu Yubo, tapping the rugged interior, proposing, "Hey, Brother Xiaolu, why don’t we discuss letting me drive this car?"
"What?" Lu Yubo was extremely pleased, but at Zhao Dezhu’s suggestion he tightened his expression, shaking his head vigorously, "No, no, Brother Su said your driving skills need work, find a junk car first to practice driving!"
"Tsk, not a true brother..." Zhao Dezhu pouted, glancing at the other three cars through the rearview mirror.
The other three cars were all very fine vehicles, worth over three to five hundred thousand before the disaster, as the few that were sent on this mission had joined from different communities. Transportation that’s too shoddy first loses face, secondly is inconvenient, and lastly draws complaints from underlings.
On the way back, Zhang Su suddenly saw several people standing waiting by the roadside. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Yang Liehuo and several armed women.
"Old Huo, what are you up to in this dark night?"
Zhang Su stopped the car, leaned out, and inquired of the fully armed Yang Liehuo, who was accompanied by three women from Village No.2.
"Reporting in! We were cleaning the warehouse, collected a bunch of firewood and over three hundred pounds of grain, heard noise and came to check, any chance you need our assistance?"
Seeing the convoy, Yang Liehuo knew this was an official operation and responded formally, even saluting.
"Some petty thieves showed up but we’ve captured them, it’s late, hurry back!"
Zhang Su, knowing Yang Liehuo still brooded over the watch post incident, acknowledged his eagerness to redeem himself.
"Understood! We’re heading back now!"
Without hesitation, Yang Liehuo turned and led his group into the darkness, a beam from a flashlight illuminating the path to Village No.2.
The task on Celestial Horse Island hadn’t been communicated to Satellite Village, but it wouldn’t be long before these events spread through the village. Yuwen was in charge of such matters.
After the brief exchange, the convoy returned to Celestial Horse Island. Those stationed on the island and those unable to leave their posts gathered in the parking area, leaving just one person in the surveillance room. They wanted to witness the commotion and learn who had come from the north to wreak havoc!
