Bang!

"This is outrageous!"

Liao Youzhi, after hearing Zhou Le’s report, kicked the coffee table two meters away. The legs of the table made a screeching noise, probably scaring the people downstairs doing their business in the pink building...

Despite the movement, the glass on the coffee table didn’t fall. The red wine inside swayed, spilling a few drops.

"Ah..."

The beauty in his arms trembled like a flower in shock from the violent jolt.

"Those troublemakers from the north have some nerve, as if they’ve eaten bear and leopard hearts, repeatedly bringing zombies into my territory. They’re really tired of living!"

Liao Youzhi stood up, threw the beauty in his arms onto the sofa, and paced back and forth with a rifle in hand. Even with a mask on, his overwhelming anger was palpable.

Zhou Le and Xiaolin exchanged glances, both feeling an ominous vibe, sensing something major was about to unfold.

They were conflicted inside.

On one hand, they hoped the news they brought back could earn them rewards, but on the other, they didn’t want the news to shatter the fragile peace. If they could continue living well like this, fewer rewards wouldn’t matter much.

"You two!"

Liao Youzhi stopped, suddenly turned to Zhou Le and Xiaolin, and glared angrily: "When you heard the car sounds and discovered the zombie horde, why didn’t you investigate and catch the people who brought in the zombies on the spot? Then they wouldn’t have any excuse. Are you idiots?"

The more he spoke, the angrier he got. Liao Youzhi raised his rifle, aiming it at Zhou Le and Xiaolin, giving a sense that he might shoot if displeased.

"No, no, no, Leader, please calm down, calm down..."

Zhou Le waved his hand repeatedly. The room was hot enough already, and now he broke into a cold sweat. He knew Liao Youzhi became neurotic after losing his son, but didn’t expect such mood swings. Had he known, he wouldn’t have bothered to report...

Xiaolin was even worse off than Zhou Le, his legs gave way in fright. If Zhou Le hadn’t supported him, he’d have collapsed on the spot.

"We’re just a search team. The whole team has only two guns! Last time, Vanguard Corps Three went north fully armed and lost four brothers. If we go in, it’s fine if we all die, but we’re carrying the Survivor Alliance’s mark. If we fail, it tarnishes the alliance’s name. Everyone in Qin City knows you’re the leader of the Survivor Alliance; your prestige must be maintained!"

Zhou Le’s intelligence surged at the brink of life and death. His logical flattery miraculously made Liao Youzhi slowly lower his raised rifle.

"You make a point!" Liao Youzhi turned, picked up the glass with the remaining half cup of wine on the table, raised it to his neck and drank it all, then continued: "Counting today’s discovery, in less than a month, zombies have been lured here four times, each time three to five thousand. Three times at the North Second Ring Road, and once almost reaching North Ring Road. Do they really think I’m that easy to bully!"

Zhou Le and Xiaolin exchanged another glance, knowing about the zombie horde near the North Ring Road recently. At that time, the Vanguard Corps handled it. They thought it was natural horde occurrence, not deliberately lured!

He gathered his courage and tentatively asked: "Uh... Leader, should we equip the search team with a few more rifles, go investigate, and bring back more concrete evidence to confront those bastards, how about that?"

"Hell no!"

Liao Youzhi was furious: "Once, twice, but not thrice or four times. If Gong Chengming hadn’t stopped me last time, I’d have leveled the north. Investigating, what’s there to investigate? Qin City is fortified; who would shit on their own bed? Apart from those barbarians up north, no other force would do this!"

Zhou Le and Xiaolin were taken aback by the information in the leader’s words, realizing this matter’s impact was bigger than they’d imagined.

"You can go now, notify everyone to cancel outdoor tasks for the next two days, be ready at all times!"

"Ah... yes, yes!"

Zhou Le and Xiaolin dared not linger for a moment, running out the door and only realizing they forgot their weapons at the hallway’s end. They sheepishly returned to the entrance to retrieve them.

"Why are you so angry? If you harm yourself, what will we sisters do?"

After the door closed, two voluptuous women walked gracefully from the inner room to the living room, minus the one playing piano earlier. Including the woman on the sofa, there were three, plus the qipao beauty playing piano, making at least four companions for Liao Youzhi.

"Someone’s bullying me right in my face, of course I’m angry."

Liao Youzhi removed his mask, revealing several ghastly scars on his face. Those unaware might think he’s being mysterious, but few who’ve seen his true face know why he often wears a mask.

"Alright, don’t be mad, let me and Sister Nuo calm you down."

The beauties were not fazed by Liao Youzhi’s scars; they weren’t with him for his looks. Seeing him so mad, they tried to soothe him with their charms.

The previously foolproof trick didn’t work this time. Liao Youzhi impatiently brushed away their well-maintained hands, saying: "There’s serious business to attend to, after that business, I’ll deal with you!"

With that, he walked to a room with a closed door.

"Alright then, I’ll be waiting, darling."

The graceful ladies waved off Liao Youzhi, knowing the rules; only he could enter that room, so they must keep their distance!

Liao Youzhi entered a series of passwords at the door, then opened it and walked into the study, closing the door behind him. On the bookshelf, there were about a dozen walkie-talkies. He walked over to them, selected three according to the labeled tags, and moved to the window.

"Hello, Director Liu, there’s another zombie swarm today. Time to take action, over!"

After speaking through one of the walkie-talkies, Liao Youzhi took a deep breath of the cold air outside the window, thoughtfully gazing at the dilapidated streets of the city.

"Damn, huh, tui! Those northern guys are so arrogant, when are we going to take action?"

In less than half a minute, a man’s rough voice came through the walkie-talkie, accompanied by the sound of spitting.

"Tonight at six, come to Sun City, I’ll host, let’s discuss the details."

"No problem, I’ll be there on time!"

After hearing the straightforward reply, Liao Youzhi picked up another walkie-talkie: "Director Yang, the north is stirring again, time to act, over!"

"Is that Leader Liao? Our boss went to Beihai District. If you have anything, I can relay it."

Liao Youzhi frowned, silently remarking on the other party’s carelessness for letting a subordinate handle the communication walkie-talkie, but he still asked patiently, "When will your director return?"

"If quick, tonight; if slow, he should be back by tomorrow afternoon!"

"Please relay to Director Yang that I’m hosting a banquet at six tonight at Sun City to discuss safety issues in our area. He must attend!"

"Sure, I will relay the message accurately!"

After ending the call, Liao Youzhi lit a cigarette, picked up the last walkie-talkie, and said, "Old Li, things are unstable up north, and they’re causing a big mess in our area. Time to act, over!"

After sending the message, he waited for about two minutes. Just as Liao Youzhi was about to extinguish his cigarette and light another, a steady voice came through the walkie-talkie speaker: "What’s the plan?"

"We’ll discuss in detail tonight at six at Sun City. I’ll host."

Two minutes after sending the message, a brief response came: "Okay!"

"Damn it, one by one acting like big shots. Once I’ve dealt with this, I’ll sort out you Bi Yang bastards!"

Liao Youzhi clenched the walkie-talkie tightly, his knuckles turning white. The scar on his face flushed red with agitation, making him look even more intimidating.

After contacting the outsiders, next were the internal members. Liao Youzhi tucked the three walkie-talkies onto himself, then took out an internal alliance walkie-talkie and said, "Guard Team, Vanguard Corps, Search Team, everyone listen up: return to headquarters immediately, return to headquarters immediately, over!"

"Repeat, Guard Team..."

At this moment, apart from Zhou Le leading Search Team Three just returning to headquarters, three Vanguard Corps teams and two other Search Teams were busy outside.

"Search Team Two received!"

"Vanguard Team Two received!"

"Search Team One received..."

Upon receiving the message, Search Teams One and Two immediately responded and began preparing to return to headquarters, inevitably discussing what was happening to suddenly gather all combat forces.

Vanguard Team Two’s mission wasn’t heavy either, just routinely cleaning zombies from residential buildings, and after receiving the message, they started back immediately.

However, Vanguard Team One, led by Gong Chengming, was in a different situation.

Normally, Xiao Xuejian would have responded immediately upon receiving the message, but at this moment, the deputy leader and Vanguard Corps commander—his immediate superior—was sitting right next to him. Holding the walkie-talkie, he said, "Director Gong, what’s the plan..."

Gong Chengming squinted, lightly tapped the brake to alert the vehicle behind, then slammed on the brake hard, bringing the car to a stop in the middle of the road, turned to look at everyone in the car, and said slowly, "Old Liao might be planning to take action against the north!"

"Huh?"

Xiao Xuejian’s eyes flickered with tension, "What should we do, Director Gong? Should we quickly contact Celestial Horse Island?"

"For now, it’s just my speculation. Stay calm and don’t panic. It’s not time to inform Zhang Su yet, lest we expose ourselves. Quickly reply to Old Liao, or he’ll get suspicious. Say we’re heading back immediately!"

While speaking, Gong Chengming turned the vehicle around, and once Xiao Xuejian replied to Liao Youzhi, he softly said, "Act normal once we get back to headquarters, do what you normally do, you can even go find your lover for some comfort, just don’t stay idle!"

"Understood..."

"Got it, director."

The people in the car all acknowledged, but a hint of tension was still visible on their faces.