The next morning, Zhou Rong woke up with a massive headache—the hazmat vehicle was gone.

He carried his gun and spun around twice in the open area, roaring at the sky, "Si Xiaonan!"

"Si Xiaonan, get your ass out here! I'm not kidding, now!!"

The sound of an engine went from far to near, and the hazmat vehicle slowly drove over from the other end of the long street, stopping in front of the furious Zhou Rong. Then, the window rolled down. The dashboard was piled with milk powder, candy, and dehydrated cake. Si Nan, with a submachine gun slung over his shoulder, was holding a jar of honey in one hand, his cheeks slightly flushed from eating.

When Zhou Rong saw the blackish-red, rotten blood on his shoulder, it was obvious he had just single-handedly raided a supermarket. He exploded on the spot. "Going off on your own! No discipline! Comrade Si Nan, if you were an official team member, I'd beat you myself! Did you even think about the consequences of leaving without a word?!"

Si Nan stared at him coldly.

"What are you looking at?! If you refuse to follow orders, then you can just..."

Before Zhou Rong could continue scolding him, Si Nan suddenly threw two cartons of cigarettes right at his face, then quickly rolled up the window, stepped on the gas, and drove off toward the main road.

"Hey! You bastard!" Zhou Rong, having been hit square in the face by two cartons of soft Chunghwa Cigarettes, jumped up and down, roaring behind the vehicle.

Si Nan was genuinely angry.

Zhou Rong finally ended his supply-scavenging trip. With two cartons of cigarettes tucked under his arm and a dark expression on his face, he drove the front vehicle. One after the other, the two vehicles left B City via the highway. Before nightfall that evening, they returned to the suburban Industrial Park. The hazmat vehicle suddenly sped up, took a turn, and headed directly for the rear area of the Fertilizer Plant via a side road.

'Is he going to part ways with us?'

Zhou Rong yanked the steering wheel and gave chase, tailing Si Nan from a distance. A few minutes later, the hazmat vehicle stopped at the back gate of the factory complex. Si Nan got out with some food, jumped off, and in a flash, vaulted over the surrounding wall.

Zhou Rong had Chuncao come over to watch the vehicle, while he silently followed, took a two-step running start to leap onto the wall, then jumped onto a ginkgo tree behind it and stealthily looked down.

Si Nan walked straight ahead, following a desolate path towards the vicinity of the anhydrous ammonia treatment workshop. Surrounded by overgrown weeds stood a long-abandoned truck garage.

A slender figure was squatting in the open space below the garage's rear window. Hearing footsteps, they turned around and rushed forward, pleasantly surprised.

—It was Wu Xinyan.

From such a distance, he couldn't hear what they were saying. Zhou Rong watched for a while, a rather unpleasant feeling in his heart, and let out a long sigh.

'What was I fantasizing about,' he thought self-deprecatingly.

He's clearly a member of the Beta Rights Protection Association. It's already a blessing he doesn't hate Alphas, what else could I expect? Besides, with his looks and skills, in an apocalypse like this, who knows how many young women would be willing to throw themselves at him.

A sour feeling rose in Zhou Rong's throat. He hooked a branch with a reverse grip, jumped onto the wall, and leaped out through the back gate.

·

"They're back?" Feng Wentai said in disbelief.

His subordinate nodded.

Feng Wentai burst out the door, practically jogging downstairs and into the factory's front yard. A dozen or so people had already gathered in the open space, all survivors who had escaped from T City with the special forces soldiers. The Feng Family's three Alpha bodyguards were also standing guard there, faintly blocking the others, staring menacingly outside.

Behind the wire fence was a military armored vehicle. Zhou Rong and the others, exhausted and disheveled, were disembarking one by one, carrying the injured and unconscious Yan Hao and the bag containing Zhang Yingjie's body.

When Feng Wentai saw their filthy clothes and exhausted state, he understood everything, and his heart sank.

However, when the captain surnamed Zhou turned his head, the corner of his mouth quirked up, his eyes filled with a playful mockery. "Brother Feng! Hope you've been well. Everything at home still okay?"

Without waiting for Feng Wentai to reply, he turned his head and ordered his men, "Take inventory of the supplies and put them in storage. Make a list. Set aside Yingjie's body for now; I'll deal with it later." Then he waved to the crowd and said with a hearty laugh, "Doctor Zheng! My brother is a little injured, could I trouble you to take two people and carry him up to have a look!"

Aside from the few special forces soldiers, the thirty-odd survivors had always vaguely looked to Doctor Zheng as their leader. Hearing this, they said nothing more and immediately went forward to carefully take Yan Hao's stretcher.

"Ah—we've only been gone a few days, but it feels like a lifetime!" Zhou Rong stretched his neck, which was stiff from driving for so long, letting out a crisp crack. He first waved to the onlookers, then smiled and patted Feng Wentai's shoulder. "These past few days must have been tough, Brother Feng! I'll mark you down for a great service!"

After being exposed to the air for a period of time, coagulated blood loses its pheromone scent, just as a corpse leaves no fingerprints after a few days. The excessively strong Alpha Pheromone on Zhou Rong's body had long since dissipated; otherwise, he would be walking around like a bipedal testosterone bomb, which Si Nan would absolutely not have been able to tolerate.

But Feng Wentai didn't know that.

He only felt that as soon as Zhou Rong returned, he immediately put on the air of being in charge, which made his already disappointed state of mind even more conflicted. But he was unwilling to show it, so he smiled and said, "Everything's fine, everything's fine. It's my duty, it's not a matter of hardship or not. Captain Zhou, did you manage to contact Deputy Minister Guo?"

Zhou Rong shook his head.

Feng Wentai's smile faded a little. "Then... what about us..."

Zhou Rong slung an arm around his shoulder. "Come, let's go to the cafeteria. We'll talk on the way."

"So that's how it is," Zhou Rong shrugged ten minutes later, in front of a table in the cafeteria.

It was dinnertime, and all the survivors were lining up for food. The serving window only had coarse grain congee and boiled potatoes. Not far away, Feng Wentai's bodyguards sat at another small table, each with a gun tucked into the back of their waistbands. In front of them was white rice with four stir-fried dishes, both meat and vegetable, and they had opened two bottles of beer.

Zhou Rong acted as if he didn't see:

"Next, we're leaving the Fertilizer Plant. All the survivors will take the minibus and head to the South Sea Headquarters. We've obtained the latest data on the virus research, which is of critical importance for developing a vaccine..."

"One of your men died, and another is seriously injured?" Feng Wentai interrupted.

Zhou Rong said, "Yes."

"And what about that little brother who was very...?"

"Lost him," Zhou Rong said concisely.

"In other words, there are only four of you now."

"Yes."

Feng Wentai was silent for a moment. When he spoke again, his tone had changed, becoming slightly cold. "Forgive my bluntness, Captain Zhou. Right now, it's best for us to stay at the Fertilizer Plant and not make any rash moves. You should send a positioning signal to the South Sea Headquarters and ask them to send a helicopter. If the data you mentioned is truly that important, The Central Command will definitely take the initiative to come get us..."

"There is no more 'Central Command'," Zhou Rong said calmly. "The positioning signal can't be received. Until we make contact with the South Sea, it's doubtful whether their headquarters has fallen or not."

"Then we should go to the Northeast," Feng Wentai said immediately.

"My family has some territory in the Northeast, as well as a grain processing plant. If the men I have back home are still alive, we can organize them into a considerable armed force. Furthermore, the severe cold in the north will restrict the zombies' movements. From any angle, it's safer than heading south to the densely populated coastal areas."

Feng Wentai had clearly thought this through. After laying out his plan, his tone shifted again:

"Captain Zhou and your brothers serving the country are certainly admirable, but in this apocalypse, people have to look out for themselves. If Captain Zhou is willing to bring his men and join us, I, Feng, would never dare to neglect you. After arriving in the Northeast, I'll ensure all of you live comfortably—glory and wealth are out of the question in the apocalypse, but at the very least, it won't be worse than before the apocalypse. What do you think?"

Chuncao, Guo Weixiang, and Ding Shi finished registering the supplies and entered the cafeteria with their meal boxes. From a distance, they saw Feng Wentai and Zhou Rong sitting opposite each other in a corner, with the Feng Family's bodyguards drinking beside them with ill intent.

Chuncao immediately took two steps forward, but saw Zhou Rong put a hand behind his back and shake his head at her.

"How should I put this," Zhou Rong began to laugh. "As special forces soldiers, the country has trained us for so many years. Right now is when we are needed most..."

Feng Wentai grew impatient. "I understand the principle, but Captain Zhou also has to consider his own men. Two of you have already been sacrificed. What can the country give them? Medals? Pensions? Even the entire B Military Region has fallen! The government probably can't even take care of itself, how can the country still issue pensions?"

"Boss Feng," Zhou Rong teased, "Yan Hao isn't dead yet."

Feng Wentai choked.

Zhou Rong read his expression and coughed at just the right moment before he could explode:

"Speaking of which, if we set off for the north, what about this whole room of men, women, old, and young?"

Feng Wentai glanced around. In the distance, the crowd was lining up for food. Many people swirled the thin congee in their bowls, then looked toward the Feng Family's bodyguards with their stir-fried dishes and beer, their expressions filled with dissatisfaction.

"Our inventory is low," he said, lowering his voice.

Zhou Rong stared at him quietly.

"If we bring all these people, I'm afraid we'll run out of food halfway. In this freezing weather, if we can't replenish our supplies, I'm afraid everyone will be done for."

Feng Wentai mulled it over for a moment, then finally spoke again. "In my humble opinion, it's better to leave those who have difficulty moving and those who are physically weaker here at the Fertilizer Plant. Also, there are some who might not follow orders. To avoid internal conflicts during our escape, it's better to just let them go and fend for themselves. It's not a bad way to have the best of both worlds..."

Zhou Rong remained silent, his smile deepening the more he listened.

Feng Wentai's meaning was obvious. There was no need to bring the women, the elderly, or the children. It would be best to leave behind the troublemakers as well. He was an Alpha, and the destination was his hometown. Once they reached the Northeast, they would have to rely on him to open his granaries. Therefore, only those willing to submit to and obey him could be brought along.

As for the food and supplies accumulated in the Fertilizer Plant, those would naturally all be taken.

After returning to his hometown, Boss Feng could naturally lead everyone to make a comeback and establish a strictly hierarchical utopia—of course, by then, Zhou Rong and the others who had followed him from the beginning would certainly not be treated poorly.

"Boss Feng is truly far-sighted," Zhou Rong said with a clap and a sigh.

Feng Wentai smiled humbly.

"But," Zhou Rong said sincerely, "we are still going to the South Sea."

"...Why?"

"Zombies retain many basic biological instincts, and one of them is to seek warmth. Once winter arrives, large numbers of zombies will gather and head south. If we go north at that time, we will run headlong into an innumerable tide of zombies. That's the first reason."

"Second," Zhou Rong's flippant smile gradually faded. On his face, with its deep-set eyes and sharp features, his true expression finally emerged—untamable and hostile, his gaze looking down on everything with the unyielding pressure of an alpha wolf. "The virus research data that Zhang Yingjie exchanged his life for must be delivered to the military. Even if the South Sea Headquarters has fallen, we will set out again, until the day we find the military."

"On this path, we will not abandon a single survivor. The elderly, women, pregnant women, children—as long as we encounter them, we will save as many as there are. If we run out of food, we'll plant more. If we run out of supplies, we'll go find more. As long as we soldiers are here, the country is here, and no one will be left behind."

Zhou Rong leaned back in his chair, tilting his head up slightly. The tips of his thick, sharp eyebrows rose as he surveyed Feng Wentai from above.

His thin, sharp lips, his dark, sturdy neck, the muscular contours of his shoulders and arms that even his camouflage uniform couldn't hide, and the submachine gun slung over his right shoulder—every detail radiated an arrogant male power.