Chapter 169: Several Gathering Points

Chapter 169: Several Gathering Points

The convoy continued moving forward.

Following Wang Ke's directions, they slowly stopped at an intersection.

They first had 'Xiaoxiao' check the surrounding buildings to ensure there was no danger before everyone got out of the vehicles.

The entire village felt as if it had been hollowed out, empty and overgrown with weeds.

It gave off a strange atmosphere—no zombies, no traces of survivors.

Everyone disembarked and looked around.

Qiangzi and his group checked a nearby barbershop by the roadside.

He returned and said, "It's been looted. There's a kitchen, but the food is gone. Must have been scavenged."

It seemed like there were indeed survivors here.

They must have either cleared out or lured away the zombies.

"Qiangzi, you guys stay here and inspect the vehicles. We'll leave once we're done," Wu Heng said.

"Got it!" Qiangzi and the others nodded.

Back at the cattle farm, the convoy had taken significant damage.

Especially the SUVs, which were in terrible shape.

They hadn't done any repairs at the time, but now they had the chance to check and fix everything.

Everyone busied themselves with their tasks.

Wu Heng, Li Yanhong, and a few others walked into a narrow alley.

Wang Ke was feeling a bit anxious as she pointed to a building ahead. "That's my grandmother's house."

"Let's go."

The courtyard wall wasn't high, and the black iron gate had clear bloodstains, likely from zombies pounding on it.

The door wasn't locked, and with a light push, it swung open.

A cement path led through the middle of the courtyard.

On one side was a chicken and duck pen; on the other side, a garden now overgrown with waist-high weeds.

After confirming there was no danger, they entered the house.

The house was a mess—clothes and bedding strewn everywhere, and the furniture had clearly been rummaged through.

Wu wu!

Wang Ke started sobbing softly on the side.

From the wide-open gate and the overgrown courtyard, it was clear no one had lived here for a long time.

Wu Heng glanced around the room and said, "Stop crying. It doesn't necessarily mean something happened to your grandmother."

Wang Ke looked up in confusion.

Wu Heng continued, "Have you ever seen zombies go through cabinets? This place was probably looted by people, which explains the mess."

Wang Ke glanced at the scattered items on the floor. "That does make sense."

Li Yanhong gently pulled her aside and said, "We agreed to be mentally prepared for anything. If you cry like this, how will the others cope?"

"Sorry, Sister Hong."

Beep beep~!

At that moment, a loud honking sound came from outside.

Their expressions turned serious, and they walked out.

Before they could exit the alley, Qiangzi came toward them, whispering, "A group of people just showed up, claiming this is their turf. Looks like they're trying to get something out of it."

"They dare block the convoy?" Li Yanhong asked.

"They probably haven't seen the skeletons in the trucks. They seem pretty cocky," Qiangzi continued.

The back of the trucks was covered with tarps.

Whatever was inside couldn't be seen from the front or sides.

They must not have noticed the skeletons.

Otherwise, any normal person, even if they weren't looking for a fight, would feel intense pressure just from seeing the skeleton army.

Even in a world overrun by zombies, seeing skeletons waving cleavers would be quite intimidating.

"Go tell them we're just looking for someone, and we'll leave as soon as we're done. The supplies here are theirs; we won't take anything," Wu Heng instructed.

After all, they were the ones who cleared out the zombies.

No need to start a conflict.

"Got it." Li Yanhong, along with Qiangzi and the others, walked forward and stood at the front.

On the other side stood a group of men.

Dressed in leather boots and jackets, holding steel pipes and machetes, they looked like gangsters from a Hong Kong movie.

The group's expressions shifted when they saw a woman walk out, wearing a dark blue stab-proof suit.

They scanned her waist for a gun, relaxing slightly when they saw none.

Li Yanhong spoke directly, "We're just here to find someone. Once we're done, we'll leave without taking any supplies. We'd appreciate your cooperation."

The man in charge didn't respond, instead asking, "Are you with the rescue team?"

In civilian terms, a "rescue team" usually referred to military or official forces.

Not a scattered group from a random refuge.

"No, just a regular survivor group," Li Yanhong replied.

"Oh!" The men glanced at her and then at the convoy behind her, asking, "What's in the trucks?"

"Aliens, aircraft carriers—what's it to you?" Qiangzi snapped back.

"Hell! Got quite a temper there. You're on our turf, of course it's our business!" the man cursed back.

Li Yanhong stopped Qiangzi from arguing further and said, "We'll leave as soon as we've found our person. We don't want any trouble with you."

"Heh! Open up the trucks and let us take a look. We'll see if you've stolen anything. Once we confirm everything's fine, you can go," the man said, signaling to his subordinates.

Several of them, banging their iron rods, stepped forward to check the trucks.

Wu Heng, who had heard everything from behind, knew they were planning to rob them.

He pulled out a handgun and stepped forward.

The group stopped in their tracks, their faces stiffening as they slowly retreated.

Talking wasn't working—guns were far more persuasive.

"Shit, they've got a gun!" The lead man backed away, trying to maintain a brave face. "You've only got one gun, and we've got plenty of men. I suggest you don't—"

Bang~!

The gunshot rang out.

The bullet pierced through the man's skull in an instant.

His words cut short, he collapsed backward, eyes wide open.

The remaining men's expressions shifted drastically. Without another thought, they turned and bolted into the alleys, disappearing from sight.

Qiangzi and the others looked at the body on the ground, surprised by how decisive Wu Heng had been.

He hadn't given them a chance to talk—just shot straight away.

"Turn the convoy around, we're leaving!" Wu Heng ordered.

Qiangzi and the others immediately got back into the vehicles and began the slow process of turning around.

In the narrow village roads, turning the trucks was a painstaking task, done inch by inch.

"Drag the body over here," Wu Heng said as he entered a nearby barbershop.

Beside him, Barson dragged the body inside.

Wu Heng cast [Speak with Dead], and the corpse immediately sat up.

"How many survivor gathering points are in this village?" Wu Heng asked.

The dead man lifted his head. "There are two in total. One in the north, and some villagers are hiding in the southern area."

So this small village was divided into two parts.

Wu Heng thought for a moment and then asked, "What about the old lady from the house next door? Where is she?"

"She's not in the north. We don't take in old people. If she's alive, she's probably in the southern area," the corpse replied.

Wu Heng nodded and dismissed the necromancy spell.

The body fell back to the ground with a thud, lifeless again.

Wu Heng walked out with Li Yanhong.

The convoy had finished turning around and was ready to go.

He boarded the minibus and glanced at Wang Ke, who was sitting quietly.

Wu Heng said, "Head south. We'll take one last look. If we don't find her, we'll head back."

Li Yanhong nodded, picked up the radio, and said, "Head south."

The convoy set off, moving along the road toward the south.

......

Elsewhere.

A group of bikers sped along the rugged road, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Suddenly, they spotted several people running back toward them and stopped.

"Why are you back? Where's the convoy?"

The man in front, long-haired and shirtless, with a cigarette hanging from his mouth and dark skin, loudly asked his returning men.

The men, hands on their knees and gasping for air, stammered, "Z-Zhang, Brother Zhang is dead. They had a gun, shot him before we could even talk. The others scattered and ran back."

Soon, more people appeared, running back toward them.

They were all part of his crew, fleeing in a panic like they were escaping a disaster.

"A gun? How many?" the leader asked.

"We only saw one. The others didn't seem to have any."

"Damn it, just one gun? And you panicked like this?" the man cursed, then asked, "Did they really have that many supplies in the trucks?"

"We didn't see, but they had five trucks, plus some minibuses and SUVs, so they must be carrying a lot."

The leader hesitated for a moment, then flicked his cigarette to the ground and stomped it out. "Go back and get the Molotov cocktails. If we can take this convoy down, we'll be living large for a while."

The group immediately turned around and started heading back.

......

The convoy entered the southern part of the village.

In the distance, they saw a factory building with a red flag flying above it.

Several people climbed onto the surrounding wall, holding cleavers and steel pipes, eyeing the convoy warily.

The convoy stopped at a distance.

"Wang Ke, what's your grandmother's name?" Li Yanhong asked.

"Yang Huifen!"

Li Yanhong activated the vehicle's loudspeaker and called out, "Is there an elderly woman named Yang Huifen inside? Her granddaughter Wang Ke is here to pick her up."

The wall suddenly became noisy.

What? Someone was here to pick up a relative?

What's going on?

They must be some kind of important officials to get this kind of treatment!

Soon, someone climbed down the wall and ran toward the building inside.