You were supposed to hoard supplies, why the heck did you hoard zombies!

Darkness enveloped everything.

A sudden roaring broke the silence of the deserted street.

The Mutant Canines wandering in the middle of the road didn't even have time to scatter before they were hit and sent flying.

Ding Zhixiong sat in the vehicle, his gaze fixed on the right-side rearview mirror until the silhouettes of the zombies and the sounds by his ear gradually faded away, and his tense heart finally began to relax.

"Phew."

He heaved a sigh of relief.

His attention then turned to the weapon in his hand.

It was a black military pistol that, until then, he had only seen on television.

And they had brought back at least a dozen of such pistols today, not to mention many more Shen Zhou-made military rifles with automatic fire, and even a significant number of grenades and similar projectiles.

These items were not just simple weapons that could be replicated.

They were a key.

Once Zhang Ye and other senior executives of the company found out about this, it would surely ignite certain fantasies in some people's minds.

The consequences would be no less than opening Pandora's Box.

The person driving also relaxed, but was soon overtaken by the excitement brought about by this discovery.

"Brother Xiong, think of the stir we'll cause when we bring these back," he said.

"What kind of reward do you think Minister Xu will give us?"

Minister Xu?

Ding Zhixiong suddenly felt uneasy.

He remembered clearly that the Combat Department's Minister Xu Lin used to be a genuine police inspector, which was no longer a secret within the company.

Because Xu Lin himself didn't seem interested in hiding his past.

As a government official who had worked for the Shen Zhou government for many years, what would he do if he learned about the traces of the military in Jiangnan District?

With this in mind, Ding Zhixiong immediately made a decision that seriously violated the Combat Department's protocol.

That was to report directly to Zhang Ye about this discovery after getting back.

And not to Xu Lin.

Past the intersection ahead was the bridge crossing the river.

A half-hour drive westward would lead them to the third sector controlled by the company.

The teammate beside him was excitedly discussing the potential rewards they might receive but suddenly heard, "Tell everyone, go straight to the company's headquarters."

"I want to see Director Zhang."

————————

Zhang Ye was suddenly awoken from his sleep by a woman's voice.

As he opened his eyes, he found it was Ai Bing.

"Wake up, there's someone outside to see you," she said.

"Who?" Zhang Ye asked impatiently.

"Can't it wait until tomorrow?"

"In the middle of the night..."

While he said this, he was already sitting up in the bed, his gaze somewhat irritated as he looked at Ai Bing, who was only wearing a light nightgown.

Ai Bing, however, had a serious expression on her face and spoke softly, "It's Ding Zhixiong, head of the first action group of the Combat Department."

"He just came back from Jiangnan District."

"Jiangnan?" Zhang Ye was immediately puzzled as he looked at her.

He wanted to ask what the matter was, but her expression clearly indicated that it would be best if he went to see him now.

Five minutes later.

In the company's senior management meeting room.

The moment the door opened, the middle-aged man sitting inside immediately stood up with a nervous expression.

"Director Zhang, I apologize for disturbing your rest so late," he said.

"If you know you're disturbing, why come at this hour?" Zhang Ye was not in the least bit cordial as he sat down in his own seat and forcefully suppressed the irritation in his heart as he looked at the man and said:

"Group Leader Ding, you'd better give me a reasonable explanation," Zhang Ye demanded.

"Otherwise..."

Ding Zhixiong hurriedly agreed, just as he was about to speak, he noticed that Ai Bing, dressed in casual attire, was still standing behind Zhang Ye.

His gaze suddenly became evasive, with an expression of having something to say but hesitating.

Zhang Ye immediately understood.

He said patiently,

"Speak directly."

"Do you have to pretend you don't know who she is?"

"Yes, yes, I overthought it..." Ding Zhixiong immediately apologized with a remorseful face, and then began to talk about their discovery on the expressway.

As time ticked by, second by second,

Zhang Ye, initially impatient, grew increasingly solemn.

In contrast, Ai Bing, who had taken a seat next to him, seemed as calm as ever, as if she had already anticipated something.

"All those corpses were lying in one direction."

"Based on my calculations, it's very likely that there was a remnant military troop that fled from that direction, but..."

Ding Zhixiong paused mid-sentence, seeming to weigh his next words carefully.

Just then, a voice picked up where he had left off: "But you found a horde of corpses there, so you're not sure if your speculation is correct?"

"Right! That's exactly what I mean!"

He looked at the calm woman in surprise and spoke.

He thought to himself that it's no wonder she was rumored to be the highly intelligent Director Ai.

She had guessed his thoughts so quickly.

As Ding Zhixiong finished speaking, Zhang Ye's face also showed a contemplative look, clearly pondering the same issue.

Since there was a horde of corpses exactly in the direction where the remnants of the military were fleeing,

there were probably two possibilities.

Either the military troop had been caught up by the horde of corpses while fleeing, eventually running out of ammunition and supplies and dying miserably on the expressway,

or there were a large number of civilian survivors escaping with the troop,

who either partially or completely met a tragic death and mutated on the way.

Honestly, the likelihood of either possibility occurring was about equal, considering that Shen Zhou's military exists to protect the people of this country.

If a zombification indeed occurred on the expressway, then protecting the nearby civilians would definitely be the army's priority.

Of course, protection is one thing, but whether they could escape alive is another.

The specific circumstances might require further searching.

Perhaps the survivors were nearby?

Thinking this, Zhang Ye was about to call over Xu Lin to discuss, but then he stopped as he saw Ding Zhixiong's face — a portrait of ingratiating fear — and hesitated.

"I remember the Combat Department has a rule against reporting tasks out of chain of command, doesn't it?"

"Yet you came directly to me."
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"Where's Xu Lin?"

Ding Zhixiong's face flashed with panic, but he quickly forced himself to settle.

His expression rapidly turned serious and earnest.

He declared with his head held high,

"Director Xu should be resting right now."

"Besides, I believe that given his former status, he is not suited to be the first to know of this discovery."

Zhang Ye watched him intently, then suddenly laughed.

A prompt had appeared before him.

[Would you like to add Ding Zhixiong to your employee list?]

[Yes.]

Could this man actually be considering the company's interest?

Or rather, was it for Zhang Ye himself?

The human heart is indeed strange.

Xu Lin gave him a new lease on life, yet at the end of the day, Ding Zhixiong, who seemed most loyal, turned out to be the first to doubt his own superior.

Truly, the human heart is mysterious.