"Guizi, tell me honestly, have you been advising on the village matters? Do any of the decisions include your opinions?"

Zhang Su asked solemnly.

"Well, um..."

Wang Xingui's heart skipped a beat. He exchanged a look with Wang Longzhong and said with an awkward smile, "Brother Zhang, there's a lot going on in the village, and there's no way I can take care of everything by myself. I leave some overlooked areas for my uncle to help manage, hehe."

"Is it that you can maybe handle everything, or can't handle anything at all?"

Zhang Su pressed further, his gaze fixed on the other.

"You see, it was obvious Younger Brother Zhang would figure it out. Before, there wasn't much chance to meet, no time to understand, now just a couple of questions and I'm exposed, right?"

Wang Longzhong glanced at his nephew helplessly.

Wang Xingui lowered his head, rubbed his scalp, and remained silent, stealing a sheepish glance at Zhang Su and his uncle.

"Looks like I hit the nail on the head?"

Zhang Su looked at the uncle and nephew duo with a playful expression.

"I and Xingui each have our own roles, and I call you Younger Brother Zhang. To be honest, when Xingui first took over the village, he had a lot of ideas, but many were not very practical, so they were mostly shelved, and he lacked management experience. I used to be a small cadre in the village, so I've always been assisting him from the side. Officially, he's still the leader."

Wang Longzhong hastily explained, worried that Zhang Su would blame him, after all, it was Zhang Su who had specifically named Wang Xingui to manage things. It wouldn't be good if he was accused of overstepping.

Zhang Su nodded and said, "No wonder every time I meet with him, you're standing by his side. Okay, just wanted to make things clear, haha. Don't be discouraged, just learn more from your uncle. I'm asking you, Old Wang, if I declare you to take over the village's management, will you be able to win people's support?"

Wang Longzhong thought for a moment and replied earnestly, "At least it won't be worse than now, and it could be better, mainly depending on the strength. Those troublemakers are just bullies who pick on the weak. They didn't dare to act out under the previous guy in charge."

"Alright, then from now on you'll lead United Village. Guizi, do you have any objections?" Zhang Su said as if he were the real power behind United Village, deciding on successors at a whim.

"No objections, no objections, absolutely no objections!"

Wang Xingui shook his head with a look of joy, "Brother Zhang, this leadership burden is really heavy. I can't handle it, but my uncle definitely can!" 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

At first, being the boss felt a bit novel, but after the thrill faded, Wang Xingui didn't want the role at all. It was too exhausting...

In the post-apocalyptic world, being the leader of a survivor group wasn't a position you took lightly. Any negligence could lead to annihilation!

"You have no ambition at all, get a move on and improve!"

Wang Longzhong criticized Wang Xingui, feeling both frustrated and helpless. In this world of dog-eat-dog, survival of the fittest, his nephew just wanted a cozy home with a wife and kids. Even as the village leader, he only used his position to flirt with the young women—utterly clueless!

"Younger Brother Zhang, I will definitely follow your orders and do my utmost to manage United Village!"

After admonishing his nephew, Wang Longzhong sincerely pledged his loyalty to Zhang Su, his posture earnest and expression genuine.

His consistent stance was to unite with Celestial Horse Island, even if they couldn't truly unite, becoming a subsidiary was good enough. Who wouldn't want a strong backing?

The advantage of United Village lay in its farming and breeding, but it was weak in combat. They could handle the occasional zombie appearance, but if Cyan Dragon Corps attacked, they'd likely have to submit.

Since they were fated to be followers, why not choose a more familiar and gentle leader?

Zhang Su naturally perceived Wang Longzhong's stance, and it was the outcome he desired, making all his previous arrangements worthwhile.

"To resist Cyan Dragon Corps, our two groups should..."

"Brother Su, Brother Su, that kid who came with Village Chief Wang got gored by a pig!"

Suddenly, the walkie-talkie crackled with Zhang Ya's voice, tinged with suppressed laughter.

The Wang family uncle and nephew exchanged a glance, their expressions turning somber.

"Go deal with that idiot, it's all your mess!"

Wang Longzhong pointed outside.

"Okay, okay, damn it, I'll beat him!"

Wang Xingui didn't even have time to ponder where the pig on Celestial Horse Island came from and rushed out blindly.

Zhang Su shook his head with a smile, then continued, "Back to our topic, to fight Cyan Dragon Corps, our two groups should completely unite. Why don't you merge United Village with our Celestial Horse Island? We have guns, you have food, a perfect alliance!"

Without hesitation, Wang Longzhong nodded and said, "Younger Brother Zhang, I fully agree with your proposal. However, there's one issue. We have food because we have fields. If we move to Celestial Horse Island, all the greenhouses around the village will go unused!"

"That's not hard to solve. Let's first eliminate the threat of Cyan Dragon Corps before addressing these matters. I'm giving you five days. Before Cyan Dragon Corps comes for payback, you must relocate entirely. I'll find a safe place for you nearby. As for those troublemakers you mentioned, I'll send two people to check things out!"

Finishing, Zhang Su picked up the walkie-talkie, "Bozai, Old Tan, come to Wangshan Restaurant."

In no time, the two arrived at the restaurant.

"Let me tell you something. United Village is no longer managed by Wang Xingui. His uncle, Wang Longzhong, has taken over all affairs, and starting today, United Village has merged into Celestial Horse Island. From now on, we are all one family!"

When Zhang Su said this, he turned his back to Wang Longzhong. As he mentioned "one family," he specifically arched his eyebrows, implying that this "one family" was not entirely genuine.

This news was quite sudden for the two of them, yet it felt like a natural progression as they had been working towards this direction.

"Congratulations, Village Chief Wang."

"Congratulations, congratulations."

Coming back to their senses, the two smiled and congratulated Wang Longzhong.

"I'm just helping Younger Brother Zhang with matters, that's all. No need for pleasantries."

Wang Longzhong quickly exchanged polite words, finding Zhang Su's group particularly friendly and respectable compared to the aggressive Cyan Dragon Corps.

"There are three troublemakers in United Village. You two follow Wang Longzhong to United Village later to deal with those troublemakers. Whether it's hand-to-hand combat or shooting skills, just make them submit. You know what to do if you can't handle it!"

The inability to handle it could mean two things: either Lu Yubo and Tan Huajun couldn't suppress those troublemakers, or those troublemakers refused to give in...

"Understood, understood, Brother Su. This is a minor problem, rest assured!"

Lu Yubo grinned, revealing his big white teeth.

Tan Huajun, being reserved, simply nodded gently to indicate his understanding.

"Alright, Old Wang... Haha, I just realized, you're also Old Wang. We had a companion surnamed Wang before, didn't we, Old Tan?"

Zhang Su made exaggerated expressions at Tan Huajun.

Tan Huajun thought of the warm-smiling brother and couldn't help but show a reminiscing look. She smiled and said, "Brother Wang should have joined a survival group with his son."

This was her beautiful vision.

"Didn't expect such a story." Wang Longzhong smiled and nodded at Tan Huajun, sensing from Zhang Su and Tan Huajun's casual attitude that this woman had an extraordinary status and ability.

"Old Wang, when you return, write up a detailed list of your village's population and resource reserves and give it to Old Tan. If there's anything special, add that too."

Zhang Su instructed.

"Alright, no problem." Wang Longzhong readily agreed.

…

"Mr. Zhang, how did the talks with United Village go?"

After the SUV and the van descended the mountain, everyone naturally gathered around Zhang Su to learn about the situation. The issue with the Cyan Dragon Corps loomed like a sword hanging overhead!

Zhang Su looked at the gradually completed walls and gate and said, "Two things. First, I've incorporated United Village. Second, if nothing unexpected happens, we'll have to fight the grain collectors of the Cyan Dragon Corps!"

There's no way to muddle through; a battle is the only way, as peace comes through struggle.

The first piece of news made everyone react oddly, and the second made everyone's hearts sink a bit, but only to that extent; none showed any intention of backing down. After all the obstacles they've encountered and surpassed along the way...

"They don't even dare to enter our camp, so I don't see what makes the Cyan Dragon Corps such a big deal!"

"Exactly, they're such cowards."

"They can't even compare to us; we'll finish them off!"

Hearing everyone's words, Zhang Su smiled and said, "No need to cheer ourselves up with such talk. I know you're nervous. After all, they have an infantry brigade supporting them, but don't forget how we've come this far. If we unite, no obstacle is insurmountable. Even if they bring a tank, I'd steal it—I said it!"

The last three words were powerful and gave everyone an indescribable strength, prompting heavy nods.

The weight of those three words far exceeded any previous self-encouragement. This is the power of a leader.

"Mr. Zhang, I want to ask, earlier you mentioned incorporating United Village. How do we arrange everything between both parties? Do we need thorough planning?"

Yuwen was very concerned about this because the increase in population would inevitably bring a series of issues, and mishandling could easily lead to conflicts.

"Old Yu, I understand your concerns. United Village's population is more than double ours. However, there's no need for concern at the moment. My current plan is to treat United Village as a granary; they are merely relocating," Zhang Su said, lighting a cigarette.

"Of course, they also need to contribute to dangerous tasks. You know that the riffraff of United Village are not impressive. At that time, I'll choose a few who have potential and focus on training them. Once their abilities are verified through psychological assessments by Old Yu, they can truly join us."

Everyone agreed with this process, nodding their understanding.

"I've also decided on where they'll live. Before the severe cold hits, in a few days, we'll clear out Madian Village in the southeast with the people from United Village. They'll be settled there. It's only a three to five-minute drive from the fields, making mutual support and assistance quick and convenient!"

Everyone had no objections to this; as members, they just needed to know about it.