"Let’s put this on the tab for now. Next time I come over to your place, you can settle it then, haha."

"Don’t worry, Old Zhang. With our relationship, just hurry back. I understand the situation; maybe it’s not as bad as we think. Just eat and drink like usual. Tell your guys to keep their mouths shut about us!"

Upon hearing Zhang Su’s words, Zhang Xin felt relieved and quickly responded, "Got it, got it. Our team is solid. Let’s leave it at that for now!"

After speaking, Zhang Xin shut off the radio, stepped on the gas, and the car sped south. He also instructed the people in the car, "You all heard him. Once we get back, enjoy yourselves. Go spend at Pink Tower, loosen your belts, and keep your mouths shut, got it?"

"Got it, got it..."

"Understood, Brother Zhang."

After the call ended, the tension Zhang Xin felt eased a bit, but Zhang Su was left a bit frustrated. With such a major incident happening, why was it only Zhang Xin who tipped him off, and why was Gong Chengming, who’s always causing trouble, so quiet?

Wouldn’t Gong Chengming usually take advantage of the chaos to stir things up?

Zhang Su frowned as he walked into the dining room, seeing seven or eight people seated inside. They were all veterans who had fought their way out of the city with him, so he spoke bluntly.

"Damn it, I just got word that today’s attempt to lure the zombie horde to the North Second Ring Road went awry!"

"Huh?"

"What do you mean, Brother Su...?"

"What’s the story, Mr. Zhang?"

Everyone put down their chopsticks and looked at Zhang Su in confusion. If he was saying this, it meant the situation was serious.

"Let’s sit down and discuss this over a meal!"

Zheng Xinyu set out the heated food for Zhang Su and invited him to sit down.

"Just got a tip-off that this isn’t the first time a zombie horde has appeared in the north of Qin City. The leader of the Survivor Alliance is fed up and plans to root out the force that’s been luring zombies. They just happened to stumble upon today’s affair, and it’s likely aimed at us!"

As soon as Zhang Su spoke, the dining room fell silent, each person’s face showing a mix of contemplation and surprise.

"Damn, who’s trying to dump this mess on us, beat them to death!"

Lu Yubo was the first to express dissatisfaction, slamming his chopsticks on the table with considerable force.

"Oh, Younger Brother Lu, why are you so agitated? We don’t know the whole truth yet, stay calm, stay calm."

Zhao Dezhu tried to pacify the irritable Lu Yubo, who, after spending a lot of time with Yuwen, had begun to subdue his impulsive nature.

Chen Hanzhou looked at Zhang Su thoughtfully and said, "Brother Su, this informant you’re mentioning..."

"That’s right, it’s those people we encountered back at United Village." Zhang Su didn’t hide it from the core members present, acknowledging the possibility of delayed information exchange but no withholding of it.

"Brother Su, no offense, but can we trust that person?"

Chen Hanzhou didn’t have a great impression of Zhang Xin, feeling he was a shrewd guy lacking integrity.

Zhang Su quickly gobbled up a few bites of food and said while chewing, "His main reason for this trip wasn’t just to alert me. If it really comes to a fight, he’ll defect, like surrendering in advance. Honestly, if he’s planning an escape, I think there’s a good chance he’s telling the truth."

Zhang Xin had planned to go to Celestial Horse Island before, just thinking the lifestyle there was too dull. But if something life-threatening happened in the Survivor Alliance, he wouldn’t hesitate to leave.

"Mr. Zhang, I have a thought."

Yuwen, who had been quietly resting his chin on his hand, tapped the table lightly and continued, "Summarizing it, this situation has three perspectives: what we know, what Zhang Xin knows, and Liao Youzhi’s knowledge!

Liao Youzhi probably knows the most, Zhang Xin knows some but not everything, and by the time news reaches you, it’s minimal. Regardless of whether there’s smoke without fire, it’s necessary to prepare for confrontation, correct?"

"Correct." Zhang Su nodded and said, "That’s right, no matter the truth of the matter, we should be concerned. Given Zhang Xin’s suspicions, Liao Youzhi has likely shown a keen interest in the north. We can’t leave our defenses vulnerable! Sadly, you’ve just started training in Ju’s Martial Arts."

Due to the training, the people on Celestial Horse Island are currently weak in combat abilities. Except for a few individuals, most members are sore and weak, likely affecting the accuracy of their rifle shooting significantly.

"Then let’s pause for now... everyone’s fairly capable when in top condition." Zheng Xinyu proposed earnestly, even though her physical fitness was among the best in the female members. After an entire afternoon of training yesterday, she was quite exhausted.

Zhang Su nodded, "Of course, we’ll pause!"

"Brother Su, should we take the initiative this time?"

Lu Yubo squeezed his weak fists, thinking he’d likely recover sufficiently by tomorrow to fight without issue.

Zhang Su didn’t immediately give an answer because he had also hesitated over this matter earlier. He looked up, asking the others, "What do you all think?"

"Right now, the information is vague and taking the initiative is too aggressive, proceed with caution!"

Yuwen was the first to give an opinion, almost without much thought.

Chen Hanzhou stirred the rice in his bowl and said with a frown, "To attack based solely on Zhang Xin’s words seems rash."

Wu Lue shrugged and gave a peculiar smile without saying a word. His intention was clear: he was undecided and would simply follow instructions.

Zhao Dezhu gave Old Yu a sneaky glance, then looked at Lu Yubo with a strange expression, "Brother, you led us to directly assault the Cyan Dragon Corps before. Can’t we do it again this time?"

"That’s ridiculous!"

Yuwen glared at Zhao Dezhu immediately and said, "That time, we had a justified cause, clear morale, and everyone understood the objective well. Plus, there were other favorable factors on our side. What’s the situation this time?"

Zhao Dezhu retracted his neck immediately after being scolded, thinking about the current situation, he realized the reasons indeed weren’t sufficient, and he made a face before falling silent again.

"Old Yu is right. This is different from the Cyan Dragon Corps incident. And Xiaochen isn’t wrong; we can’t rashly attack the Survivor Alliance just because of Zhang Xin’s word. It’s the largest faction in Qin City now; isn’t there a chance of someone trying to sow discord among us?"

"Even taking a step back, even if everything Zhang Xin says is true, we still can’t just head to Qin City right away! Think about why I was willing to lead you against the Cyan Dragon Corps before; it was a counterattack with intelligence from Cyan Dragon Corps’ captives and the convoy as cover. Now we have nothing!"

Thinking of this, Zhang Su remembered Gong Chengming again and wished he had a chance to get in touch with him.

"Yes, I think Brother Su makes a lot of sense. Whether this matter is true or not, if we rashly enter the city, we’ll be passive and might fall into an opponent’s trap!"

Zheng Xinyu nodded earnestly, agreeing with Zhang Su.

Lu Yubo’s expression was very reserved. How could they say they had nothing? He thought about the liquid with incomprehensible explosive power and the killing machine 003...

But seeing everyone oppose his opinion, he awkwardly smiled and waved his hand, "I was just offering a suggestion. No need to take it so seriously, haha..."

After speaking, he quickly buried himself in his food, finally remembering he was merely a military general and shouldn’t be involved in strategic discussions.