"It's nothing, Mr. Zhang. Even without any equipment, as long as you can provide me with live zombies, I can conduct some research projects. We'll make do with whatever we have."

Fu Weijun could see Zhang Su's dilemma and quickly compromised, given the circumstances, there was no other option.

"Basically, stray zombies wander into the camp almost daily. I'll have them find a way to capture them! By the way, Dr. Fu, can zombies lock onto human magnetic fields from a distance?"

Zhang Su suddenly thought of a long-standing suspicion and asked what was on his mind.

"It seems you have some understanding of zombie behavior." Fu Weijun smiled and said, "Yes, similar to phototropism in plants, zombies can sense human activities. The denser the human gathering, the greater the attraction to zombies. However, I can't provide strong quantitative data; the only certainty is that when the gathering is fewer than ten people, there's almost no impact. The specific upward curve cannot be verified."

For the first time, Zhang Su slightly doubted the [Insight Label]. This scientist appeared quite humble. How did he get labeled as [Arrogant]? Maybe it would take others to verify this.

"This... ah, thalamus, does it need to be vacuum-sealed? Any dosage recommendations?"

Zhang Su waved the plastic bag in his hand and asked.

Fu Weijun shrugged: "I don't know exactly how to preserve it. At least this way, there's no problem. You can explore other methods yourself. I can't offer any dosage recommendations. By the way, the side effects are unknown, but I've felt no discomfort."

Zhang Su's lips curled slightly, nodded and said, "Alright, gentlemen, the room should be ready. Let's take you there for a bit of tidying up, and then we can have dinner."

The two had no objections, but Fu Weijun once again expressed his hope to have a room arranged for experiments as soon as possible.

Zhang Su naturally agreed wholeheartedly. With such enthusiastic researchers, what reason did he have to refuse?

Just as he was about to escort Duan Wuhu and Fu Weijun back to their rooms, Zhang Su informed them about the calendar.

Duan Wuhu was somewhat puzzled by the new Bright Calendar created on Celestial Horse Island, while Fu Weijun accepted it readily and was quite pleased to witness such a special day.

Bright Calendar, Year One, January First. For Celestial Horse Island, the day was not only special but also welcomed special partners!

Unlike the abundant lunch, the dinner on Celestial Horse Island was a traditional northern dish of dumplings as the main course.

At the dinner table, Zhang Su formally introduced Duan Wuhu and Fu Weijun to everyone. Upon learning about Duan Wuhu's experiences and Fu Weijun's achievements, everyone warmly welcomed their joining, creating an enthusiastic atmosphere.

However, just as everything seemed perfect on Celestial Horse Island, beside the quarry near United Village, a withered arm lay on the edge of a pit, and skeletal stiff fingers dug into the soil.

Owooo, owoo...

Amidst the low growls, several zombies successfully crawled out of the pit. And this was not an isolated case; more and more zombies climbed out of the pit, returning to the surface after more than two months!

It turned out that the zombies in the pit had learned to climb after countless failed attempts. Although their movements were clumsy and their use of arms was no better than a three-year-old child, it was enough for the relentless, pain-insensitive zombies to break free from the pit's confines!

Owooooo...

The zombies that escaped the pit let out deep howls, as if celebrating their regained freedom.

"In my opinion, Old Wang should have taken charge of our village long ago. Damn it, Guizi just blabs on all day!"

"Oh, actually, many things were already decided by Old Wang before, or do you really think Guizi could handle it on his own?"

"But Guizi isn't completely useless. Without him, how could we lean on King Yama..."

"Come off it, you don't know. I know for sure, it was King Yama who appointed Wang Longzhong, otherwise... huh?"

About one hundred and eighty meters from the quarry, there was a small tile shed where two sentinels from United Village sat under it, smoking with their legs crossed. A small charcoal stove emitted a weak glow, releasing heat. The two discussed the changes since Wang Longzhong took office when suddenly one felt an inexplicable chill creeping up his heart.

Involuntarily, he turned on his flashlight and glanced towards the quarry. The glance was alarming.

"Old, Old Ye, look, are those... are those zombies?"

Old Ye followed the flashlight's direction and his hair stood on end instantly. Without another word, he bolted towards the village, leaving behind the food, weapons, and protective gear. As he ran, he took out his walkie-talkie.

"Boss Wang, something's happened. Zombies have escaped from the quarry!"

Despite the panic, Old Ye remained rational. He knew the first thing was not to attract the zombies' attention and then inform the village!

"Bloody hell!"

The other sentinel, who reacted a bit slower, also started running towards the village after tossing away his cigarette. However, he made a big mistake by kicking over the small wooden bench and toppling it, sending himself sprawling as well.

In the silent wilderness, the zombie's perception seemed to have slightly improved after two program upgrades. Even at a distance of six or seventy meters, they all turned their heads towards the direction of human sounds, then strode in that direction as if knowing there was a feast awaiting!

"Old Ye, what's going on?"

Wang Longzhong picked up the walkie-talkie to respond to Old Ye, and before he could get a reply, he heard hurried footsteps in the distance.

"Boss Wang, the zombies from the quarry are heading our way!"

The two who had been watching the quarry arrived one after the other at Wang Longzhong's courtyard entrance, breathless.

"What? How did the zombies from the quarry get out!?"

"Oh my God, what do we do..."

Upon hearing the shouts, some villagers stepped out of their gates, shock written across their faces.

"Why panic? Why panic? If they come, they come. We previously managed to drive them into the quarry, and we can do it again!" Wang Longzhong opened his courtyard door, calming the panicked villagers, then turned to his nephew and said, "Guizi, sound the bell, prepare for battle!"

"Alright, how many times?"

Wang Xingui picked up his weapon and gear, packing them on himself while setting up the equipment.

"How many times..."

"Six times, Boss Wang, six times!"

Old Ye urgently gestured six, his face solemn.

To Zhang Su, the people of United Village might not seem very skilled, but surviving over two months in the apocalypse was no small feat. In terms of warnings, they had set up a system from one to six bells, with increasing severity.

One bell sounded for a small group of ten or so zombies or a few individuals with weapons appearing near the village.

Two bells were for an attack by ten to thirty zombies or over ten armed outsiders.

The time when Zhang Su was robbed but turned the tables, United Village struck the bell three times.

The most severe was almost a hundred zombies attacking the village, along with harassment from Beita Camp, striking the bell four times.

The response differed according to the number of bell strikes. One ring meant non-armed males gathered for defense, four meant everyone except the elderly and children participated in battle, and five meant even the elderly and children prepared to join the fight!

As for the highest level of six rings, it meant regardless of age, anyone who could walk needed to pick up weapons to resist the enemies, joining the battle where no one would be spared, truly an all-out battle!

When Wang Longzhong heard the villagers urgently shout six bells, he realized the gravity of the situation. There was no time to question because he hadn't witnessed the quarry's situation firsthand. He just nodded to Wang Xingui: "Six rings, quickly!"

"Alright!"

Wang Xingui might not be competent at commanding, but he could take orders well. While operating the equipment to play the bells, he asked, "Uncle, should we ask King Yama for help?"

Six rings indicated a catastrophic level of warning, and Wang Xingui was anxious!

Wang Longzhong sighed, "The zombies are already blocking the village entrance. Even if they come from Celestial Horse Island, it would take at least twenty minutes. Let's not ask for help. We need to save ourselves first!"