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Song Ling first delivered a powerful slap to the back of Zhang Kun’s head, then pulled out a gun and pointed it at his head. Zhang Kun’s underlings, who were hesitating about whether to help him, backed off immediately when they saw the gun. It was clear that no one would risk their life for Zhang Kun in this situation.
Zhang Kun was bewildered and couldn’t understand what was happening. Why was he being attacked? He had a sense that he was in a dire situation. Facing the gun with only elemental abilities at the second level, he didn’t dare to make any sudden moves.
With the gun still pointed at him, Zhang Kun felt extremely anxious. He realized that the people led by Zhao Hai and Song Ling were on a completely different level than his own group.
Song Ling smiled and said, “Boss Chen, this guy had ill intentions towards you. I took him down for you. How would you like to handle this?”
Zhang Kun finally pieced together what had happened. Zhao Hai and Song Ling had pretended to agree to his proposal and then ambushed him as part of a plan to get close to Chen Lu.
Zhang Kun was furious at the underhanded plot against him. He said, “Song Ling, you’re also a prominent figure. Do you not have any sense of shame for your lack of integrity?”
Song Ling coldly replied, “I’m just a small fry compared to you, Boss Kun.”
“Enough talk. Kneel down in front of Chen Lu,” Song Ling ordered.
With a menacing look in his eyes, Song Ling made Zhang Kun’s legs go weak. Zhang Kun didn’t waste any more time and immediately knelt down. Survival was his top priority.
With a nod from Chen Lu, Chen Guang, Fang Yu, and others shouted, “Kneel down if you don’t want to die!”
Zhao Hai also signaled his people to assist.
Those who had witnessed Chen Lu dealing with Jiang Wu before didn’t hesitate. They knew he was a big shot and wanted to impress him. Zhao Hai’s people surrounded Zhang Kun’s group. Anyone who dared to run or resist was swiftly dealt with.
What was initially a situation of six hundred against a little over one hundred had now turned into four hundred against three hundred. Many of the initially defiant individuals were the first to kneel down, realizing that the odds were against them.
Seeing the situation under control, Zhao Hai stepped forward with a smile and asked, “Brother Chen, how do you want to deal with Zhang Kun?”
Zhao Hai’s posture was somewhat deferential, and Zhang Kun could tell. He was shocked to realize that not only was Song Ling trying to gain favor with Chen Lu, but Zhao Hai seemed to be doing the same.
Zhang Kun couldn’t help but think, ‘If you’re wary of him, why not join forces with our two groups to take him down? Why target me?’
Zhang Kun pleaded, “Brother, I was wrong. Give me a chance, and I’ll be your subordinate. I have several hundred people under me.”
Chen Lu glanced at Zhang Kun and replied, “What else can we do? Take him out and deal with him, save him for a special occasion.”
Zhang Kun was startled. He had thought that since Song Ling was trying to curry favor with Chen Lu, Zhao Hai might follow suit. However, Chen Lu’s response was quite the opposite. He didn’t seem interested in adding Zhang Kun’s people to his group.
Hearing Chen Lu’s decision, Song Ling and a few others escorted Zhang Kun to a more distant location to avoid contaminating the area where Chen Lu and the rest were.
Zhao Hai hesitated and asked, “How should we deal with the remaining people?”
To be honest, even though Zhao Hai wasn’t known for being soft-hearted, the idea of killing hundreds of people in one go was unsettling. Letting them go would be too generous, and there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
The best solution would be to assimilate them into their groups, but Chen Lu probably wouldn’t be interested in taking them all. Giving them to Chen Lu was unlikely as well, as the vast difference in numbers would be a concern.
Chen Lu smiled and said, “Old Zhao, do you have the courage to pull off something big?”
Something big? Chen Lu even described it as “big”? Zhao Hai became intrigued and asked, “What is it?”
Chen Lu said, “Go to the logistics park about twenty miles to the east. There’s an abundance of deliveries there, and you can find all kinds of items. However, the risk is quite high.”
The logistics park served as the central hub for various delivery companies, and it was packed with supplies, though food and drinks made up only a small part of it. Despite the allure of the place, the risk was substantial. Each delivery company employed hundreds of workers, and the entire logistics park housed thousands of people.
The good news was that the logistics companies had some distance between them, not clustered together. Otherwise, Chen Lu wouldn’t dare to approach a gathering of thousands of people like that. It could be divided into smaller waves for resolution.
Coincidentally, the people brought by Zhang Kun could serve as the vanguard for this mission. If they survived, they’d earn their place. If anyone dared to cause trouble, they’d pay the price.
Originally, Chen Lu had planned to visit the logistics park. Before the zombies evolved to the third level, he intended to officially collect some supplies for the members and give them an opportunity to exercise.
Upon hearing Chen Lu’s suggestion, Zhao Hai’s heart leaped with excitement. His group had a large number of people, and they were consuming a significant amount of rice every day.
Zhao Hai reluctantly agreed, realizing that every member of his group was quite the eater, consuming nearly two pounds of rice each day. Since awakening their abilities, they had developed hearty appetites, especially without vegetables; they could only rely on rice.
After some hesitation, Zhao Hai decided it was safer to go with Chen Lu. They would inevitably have to fight for resources sooner or later. He figured that if they were together, it would be much safer than going alone.
Zhao Hai said, “Alright, just give us a fair share.”
He understood that although their group was larger, the majority of the resources would likely go to Chen Lu. If Chen Lu was too stingy, it would be difficult to continue working together. After all, someone who didn’t share resources, no matter how strong they were, wasn’t of much use in the long run.
Chen Lu chuckled and instructed someone to bring his truck. The dozen or so trucks they had collected from the market were parked outside the villa area with designated guards watching over them.
Chen Lu gave some instructions to Chen Guang, who then shouted, “Our leader has said that he’s willing to give you one chance. You can accompany us on this resource search operation. We will share some of it with you. However, you will be at the forefront of the operation. After it’s done, there will be no grudges held against you. If you refuse to go, you can find a pit to bury yourselves.”
Someone couldn’t hold back and said, “Isn’t this just using us as cannon fodder? I’m not going.”
The next second, he was dead.
Chen Lu calmly said, “Was I negotiating with you? Those who are willing to go have at least a fifty percent chance of survival, along with some resources. Those who aren’t willing to go will die right now.”
“Alright, those willing to go, get on the trucks. Those who don’t want to go can stay behind.”
People exchanged glances and realized that they were all in the same boat. Dying now or trying to make it through with Chen Lu’s group seemed like the only options. However, after one person was killed for speaking up, no one dared to defy Chen Lu anymore.
They lined up and boarded the dozen or so trucks. Originally, it would have been best to set off the next morning, but with these people, without a significant number of guards watching over them, they might not make it to the next day.
The group decided to set off immediately. There wasn’t much activity for the members in the afternoon, and darkness wouldn’t enhance the strength of the zombies. The dozen or so trucks easily accommodated the three hundred-plus people, and nobody cared about overloading.
Thunderbolt King and a small group stayed behind to guard the base, while the rest embarked on the mission.
As Chen Lu thought about it, staying idle at home wasn’t productive either, and he had rice to divine his fortunes.
…