"It must have been someone who deliberately led them to the North Second Ring Road. Previously, when searching for resources in the village, Xiaolin heard the sound of a car."

Someone pointed at Xiaolin.

"Xiaolin has always had good hearing, so he must have heard the car sound correctly. Damn, who could’ve done it!"

Zhang Xin frowned. He didn’t like this news because in the end, it was the Vanguard Corps who would have to clear out the zombie hordes.

"Hmm... Brother Xin, we suspect it’s the people from the north. Oh, right, when you were chasing down the traitor, did your third team go north?"

Zhou Le suddenly recalled past events and asked tentatively.

At the mention of the north, Zhang Xin’s eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly. He nodded without giving anything away, "That’s right, back then, Old Yan and I took the brothers up north. Damn it, that trip is something I won’t forget for the rest of my life!"

At this point, the underground parking lot fell silent because everyone knew that during that mission to the north, the deputy leader and several members were lost, and later even the Alliance’s deputy leader, Gong Cheng, the head of the Vanguard Corps, personally made a move with the elite from the first team.

"Brother Xin, what’s really going on up north? Can you tell us?"

Zhou Le seemed particularly interested in the area north of the North Second Ring Road. Seeing the reminiscing look on Zhang Xin’s face, he quickly took out a cigarette and offered it.

In the past, Zhang Xin would have grabbed it between two fingers and started bragging with his big mouth, but this time, he shook his head seriously and refused the cigarette Zhou Le offered, saying, "That mission was a total failure, nothing much to say. You should report to the leader, I’m about to take my brothers on a mission!"

"Ah? Uh, okay, okay..."

Zhou Le was taken aback. Seeing Zhang Xin get into the car with his team, he quickly stepped aside.

In the well-hierarchized Survivor Alliance, currying favor with those above and lording it over those below seemed to have become a tacit rule.

Vroom... Zhang Xin drove toward the parking lot exit, with another car following closely behind.

Typically, the Vanguard team is equipped with only two vehicles because they don’t search for resources; they only handle tasks. Two cars are just right for ten people, saving on fuel...

Once the cars left the underground parking lot, the search team finally dared to speak.

"Brother Le, what’s up with Brother Xin?"

"Yeah, he usually loves to brag, why so restrained today?"

The third team of the Vanguard Corps was considered the tail-end of the Vanguard Corps, and as its leader, Zhang Xin didn’t put on too much of an act with the search team, maintaining a good relationship with many who understood his personality.

Zhou Le clicked his tongue in a peculiar expression, "Looks like things up north aren’t simple. Anyway, hurry and get the stuff unloaded into the warehouse; Xiaolin, you’re coming with me!"

Saying this, Zhou Le and Xiaolin headed towards the stairs.

Zhang Xin’s RX drove out of the parking lot onto the street. Xiaohu, who was very astute, sat in the passenger seat, his eyes darting around. He was the young guy whom Zhang Xin had once taken to introduce models of assault rifles to Zhang Su.

Xiaohu studied Zhang Xin’s profile and, seeing his pensive expression, said, "Brother Zhang, do you think it might be Brother Su and his people?"

After hearing Xiaohu, Zhang Xin glanced at the back seat through the central rearview mirror, where the other three were his absolute confidants, brothers who had been up north with him before. Relieved, he replied, "Yeah, I suspect it’s the work of my Brother Zhang’s people. If it is, that’s not good..."

"Or it could be those from West Camp Village, right? After all, they are south of Celestial Horse Island, so leading the zombie horde to the North Second Ring Road might be easier for them."

Xiaohu still had some memory of the distribution of forces in the north, though his information was a bit outdated.

Zhang Xin had already gathered some hearsay through special channels. From Qin City to Qing County along the S52 Provincial Road, the entire line has reportedly been consolidated by Celestial Horse Island!

"Things aren’t that simple... Don’t forget, just a week ago, someone mentioned seeing zombies at the North Second Ring Road too, but it wasn’t spread around, so the first team went to deal with it!"

The people in the car were stunned; some didn’t even know similar things had happened before.

"Damn, Brother Zhang, if Celestial Horse Island keeps doing this, the leader won’t let it go easily!"

A team member from the back seat spoke nervously, knowing Liao Youzhi’s disposition all too well.

"That’s exactly what I’m worried about, damn it, I’d really like to contact my Brother Zhang!"

Zhang Xin exhaled deeply, subconsciously looking north.

"Brother Zhang, if you ask me, maybe we should just take off. The situation in the city is getting tense, and it seems like there will definitely be a battle at some point. Perhaps we should go to Brother Su’s place; it’s beautiful with green mountains and clear waters, much more comfortable."

A younger member spoke from the back seat.

"We’ll go for sure, but it’s not the time yet. Let’s focus on our current tasks and be ready..."

Zhang Xin had more information than the young member, naturally feeling an impending sense of foreboding and unrest.

The Lego Mall has four floors on the ground, but at the south end of the top floor, there’s a five-story high-rise once a bustling barbecue buffet restaurant, now transformed into the residence of the Survivor Alliance’s core high-level personnel.

Zhou Le and Xiaolin, coming up from the underground parking lot, didn’t pause at all, quickly heading upstairs through the safety corridor...

The first floor serves as a buffer zone against zombies and external threats, with no one living there, only various defensive facilities and sentries.

From the second floor onwards is the residential area; each clothing store has been converted into a living space. In the dim light, many silhouettes can be seen moving about.

The second floor houses the lowest class within the Alliance, the most densely populated level, yet even so, it’s not really overcrowded given the mall’s size. Only a little over a hundred people live here, with plenty of space per person, larger than the run-down small apartments many rented before the apocalypse.

However, facilities are inadequate in various aspects, with poor lighting, insufficient ventilation, and problematic plumbing and heating. Despite the temperature staying several degrees below zero, strange odors waft through the floors, often punctuated by bouts of coughing and the cries of children.

Once on the third floor, the environment improves significantly. This level houses formal members, such as those from the Vanguard and Search Teams, with the population halving to just over fifty people.

With glass windows that let in light, if you’re not afraid of the cold, you can even open the windows for ventilation. Strangely, even the temperature is slightly higher than on the second floor, staying just a little above zero, meaning a glass of water won’t freeze!

The third floor has fewer people, but the living space hasn’t increased because the Alliance’s entertainment venues are located on the third and fourth floors...

Separate by fire doors, entertainment venues and team members’ residences are completely divided, as the entertainment is open not only to alliance members but to survivors from all directions.

Standing on the third floor looking up to the fourth, one can see tantalizing lights flashing behind some curtains, the infamous Soul-Devouring Cave for men, while team leaders residing on the fourth have the first chance to indulge.

As for the exchange operated by the Survivor Alliance, it is not located within the headquarters but at another place from the mall’s pedestrian street, primarily to avoid fights breaking out at home over disagreements!

Upon reaching the fourth floor, once a dining area of the mall, the environment is quite pleasant, the temperature rising to eight or nine degrees—warm enough to avoid freezing.

The entire floor is allocated to team leaders and some special personnel like researchers, engineers, and medical staff. Clean and hygienic, barely any trash is visible, with only faint odors drifting up from lower floors, making it reasonably comfortable overall.

"Brother Jiang, Brother Peng, hehe, we have something to report to the leader, could you let us through?"

Zhou Le and Xiaolin ascended to the fourth floor, stopped at the stairs leading to the fifth floor by two guards.

The guards weren’t nobodies like Xiaoshen at the road entrance. In the Survivor Alliance, besides the three main armed teams of the Vanguard Corps, there’s a special team—the Leader’s Guard Team—directly under Liao Youzhi, and it’s these guard members who stand guard on the fifth floor.

Jiang Lei stood up and gave Zhou Le, who was bowing and scraping, a glance, "What’s the matter?"

As members of the Guard Team, their status was quite special. Even the leaders of the second and third teams of the Vanguard Corps would be polite to them, only the leaders of the first team standing as equals.

"Hmm, this matter... is important. We discovered zombies at the North Second Ring Road and suspect someone deliberately led them there."

Zhou Le briefly explained the situation.

Jiang Lei and Chen Guangpeng exchanged a glance, then tilted their heads upward, "The leader was just in a meeting with the deputy leader, you can go up and check."