"During our mission, we stumbled upon a camp established by a Military unit, which also held a group of civilians. We attempted to negotiate with them, hoping to bring them into the Dawn Tower as well. However, once inside, we realized something was terribly wrong. The civilians looked deeply troubled, and upon inquiring, we learned that those soldiers had gone rogue; they were wearing military uniforms but acting like bandits. We knew we had to withdraw immediately, but unfortunately, it was too late. They had already set their sights on the gear we were carrying. After a fierce battle, only Captain and I managed to escape." As Zhang Ming recounted this, his eyes turned red.
"How many of them were there?"
"Roughly over forty armed military personnel, and more than a hundred civilians. Those civilians were living a life worse than death; they were nothing more than tools for those troops. The Captain's intentions were good, but alas, human hearts are unpredictable—it wasn't his fault."
"Over forty people?"
Wang Zhi frowned. To escape from the territory held by over forty armed military personnel, even both being injured, was truly remarkable.
From Dawn Tower's perspective, the decision to retreat and bring back information was undoubtedly the correct one. Rather than a few making a futile sacrifice there, it was better to ensure one person escaped with intelligence so others could take precautions.
"I will avenge this for you," Wang Zhi said after thinking it over for a moment.
"What? Captain Wang, you..." Zhang Ming, lying on the bed, looked somewhat agitated.
Wang Zhi raised his hand, cutting Zhang Ming off.
"I have my own ideas, but now is not the time to discuss them. You all focus on recovering. We can talk in detail once you're ready to leave."
After speaking, Wang Zhi and Fatty turned and left the medical room.
At that moment, Old He and the other two also arrived and stood at the doorway.
"What's going on with Wang Zhi?" Old He asked, approaching as they stepped outside.
Wang Zhi recounted the whole incident to the three of them.
"Avenge them? Why go to such unnecessary lengths?" Su Muying said with some dissatisfaction.
"First, by avenging them, we can ensure Zhang Ming can join our team with peace of mind. Second, there is immense wealth there. Never mind the hundred-plus survivors; their supplies and weapons alone are enough for us to strike it rich," Wang Zhi explained to everyone.
"I think you've gone mad. Do you know what a well-armed force of forty people means? Just the few of us?" Old He interjected.
"Who says it's just the few of us?"
"Are you suggesting we cooperate with other teams?" Old He continued to ask.
"Setting aside whether other teams would stab us in the back, the resource allocation alone would be impossible to settle," Su Muying analyzed from the side.
"Then what exactly is your plan?"
Old He couldn't figure out what Wang Zhi was plotting. He truly didn't understand Wang Zhi's current idea. Dealing with zombies was headache enough; now he wanted to take on an army.
"We won't cooperate with other teams, but we can cooperate with the Dawn Tower," Wang Zhi stated.
"Then how can you be sure that the people from the Dawn Tower won't double-cross us?" Su Muying questioned again.
"Yes, how can you be sure?" Old He echoed.
"Because our value to the Dawn Tower is far greater than the value of this mission. The Dawn Tower spent so many resources cultivating us painstakingly; they wouldn't do it just to betray us, right? They did it so we would always fight and risk our lives for them. If you are still uneasy, I can go find Jie Xi and ask her to help find some trustworthy people for cooperation."
"Hmm... as you put it, that might work, but how will the resources be divided?" Old He pondered for a moment, resting one hand on his chin, before speaking.
"All spoils of war will belong entirely to the Dawn Tower; whatever they can take, they take. We only want the Survival Points for the survivors we rescue. Anyway, we can't use those pieces of equipment and supplies; we would just sell them back to the Dawn Tower as they depreciate sooner or later. We might as well use them as bargaining chips for this cooperation," Wang Zhi explained.
"That Zhang Ming mentioned over a hundred civilians. One hundred people... that's ten thousand Survival Points! Holy crap, even if we don't take any spoils of war, we still get ten thousand Survival Points! Furthermore, these civilians will continue creating value for the Dawn Tower indefinitely afterward. We are hitting the jackpot with the Dawn Tower this time! It's a win-win! Wow! Captain Wang!"
Fatty grew more excited as he thought about it.
"That's right, Fatty is correct. If this operation is successful, we are only getting the small share; the real profit lies with Dawn Tower. Firearms, blades, ammunition, protective gear, food resources, and so on—these are invaluable. Therefore, Dawn Tower has absolutely no reason to betray us; on the contrary, they will work very hard," Wang Zhi said.
"Yes! What a great opportunity, Dawn Tower won't let it pass up," Fatty chimed in.
Seeing that Old He and Su Muying had no objections, Wang Zhi said, "If there are no issues, let's formulate the plan."
After a round of analysis, the two finally agreed to this operation.
For this operation, Wang Zhi intended to buy a sniper rifle! A sniper rifle might be somewhat lacking against Zombies, but against people, precise and effective shooting offers an absolute advantage.
"Fatty, you and Old He go back and take our firearms to the Shooting Range. Sister Ying and I, along with Jia Liuli, will go buy some ammunition, and we'll practice shooting," Wang Zhi finished, heading toward the weapons hall.
Wang Zhi purchased several thousand rounds of various types of ammunition, spending 500 Survival Points for two full crates of ammo.
The three carried the two crates of ammunition, attracting the gazes of various small teams on the way to the Shooting Range.
"As expected of a Level Three Team, they are really this rich?"
"Wow, is Captain Wang heading out again?"
"For training."
"Listen to that! Does that sound like something a human would say? To use so many Survival Points casually for training."
"They are ridiculously wealthy!"
"If only I could join them!"
"Just save it. Sleeping twelve hours a day, and you think you have the nerve to join them?"
Along the way, Wang Zhi listened to the hushed whispers of passersby. From time to time, people would approach him just to strike up a casual conversation—those unfamiliar with him might think they were old acquaintances, but Wang Zhi didn't recognize any of them at all...
Arriving at the third-floor Shooting Range, *thud!* The three of them set the two boxes of ammunition down on the floor.
"Good heavens! It feels great to be rich!" Fatty's eyes lit up seeing so much ammo piled there.
"Sister Ying, go pick out a sniper rifle that suits you; we'll need it later." Wang Zhi said, tossing his Magnetic Card over to Su Muying.
After Su Muying left, the remaining people in the range—the four of them—began their shooting practice.
After firing several rounds, Old He gradually found his rhythm. Within 50 meters, his bullseye hit rate had already reached 80%.
As for Jia Liuli, she missed nearly every shot. It seemed she truly wasn't suited for firearms. However, Wang Zhi insisted she practice. She didn't have to use it, but she couldn't be ignorant of it; knowing how to operate a firearm was definitely not a disadvantage.
After a long wait, Su Muying returned to the range carrying a long, black case.
"You bought it?" Wang Zhi stepped forward and asked.
"Mmhmm. It cost 2,000 Survival Points. Little brother won't feel bad, will he?" Ying said, returning the Magnetic Card to Wang Zhi.
"Damn, that sniper is this expensive?" Wang Zhi exclaimed in shock.
"Tch, what do you know? I used this model of sniper before the Apocalypse. Besides, this one has the classic camouflage pattern, and it comes with the scope, silencer, and bipod! Ah! That familiar feeling." Ying said dreamily while opening the case and touching the sniper rifle inside.