"Why did the guy controlling the drone lead the zombies into the district..."
Zhong Xiaoshan watched the mass of zombies crossing the collapsed walls, a chill rising in her heart.
Initially, there were only a dozen zombies wandering within sight inside the district, with surely more lurking unseen among the buildings. They were scattered and not dense, but then suddenly hundreds, if not thousands, were drawn in, drastically increasing the density.
If there was still hope to discreetly slip out from the zombie hoard before, unless you sprouted wings like a drone, even War God would be gnawed into a pile of bones now!
Zhang Su grimly stayed silent without speaking; after a while, he perked his ear and asked, "Listen, what is the speaker shouting?"
As the drone approached Building No. 3, Zhang Su and the others finally heard what the speaker was broadcasting.
"Attention survivors, attention! We're establishing a safe zone on the way to Funing County. We're establishing a safe zone on the way to Funing County. Survivors who can leave Qin City are welcome. Let's work together to get through this!"
"Attention survivors, attention! We are..."
The repeated words echoed from the loudspeaker, resounding over Sheng Qin Home!
The drone, carrying the speaker, flew around everywhere, leading the zombies from the streets into the district. At this moment, three cars sped down the street; as they passed, the loudspeaker abruptly ceased, and the drone flew off in the direction of the cars, disappearing out of sight.
The zombies clawing toward the sky suddenly lost their target, looking around blankly. The crowded mass gradually dispersed, wandering off in all directions, stretching their necks sniffing about, clearly searching for new prey.
What appeared to be an inspiring announcement caused great distress for the survivors in Sheng Qin International District!
The three speeding SUVs stopped at the roadside after passing through the zombie-congested section. The passenger door of the leading Land Cruiser opened, and a man in a leather jacket stepped out to catch the returning drone.
Once he returned to the car, the vehicle continued moving forward.
"A 200,000-yuan drone is the real deal, awesome!"
Handing the drone to someone in the back, the man in the leather jacket proceeded to say to the driver, "Brother Kai, when we brothers hide away at Boss Liu's agritourism, even the end of the world can't touch us, living comfortably, so why bother with other survivors?"
"Exactly, those guys are just useless leeches on our supplies."
A lean man in the back seat chimed in, wearing a vicious grin, the kind that even an old lady wouldn't dare provoke.
"Hahaha, useless?" Laughed the driver cynically, speaking in a somewhat gravelly tone, "Have you already forgotten how we fought our way out?! Without those many being cannon fodder, would we have managed to survive? Or are you volunteering to be the cannon fodder?"
In crucial moments, you don't necessarily need to outrun the zombies, just outrun the other survivors to have a chance to live!
The people in the car realized with a start, and someone immediately clapped: "Right, right, we welcome the survivors warmly!"
"Hahahahaha..."
An insidious laughter erupted inside the car.
In a post-apocalyptic world, everyone and every group has their own survival methods...
In Sheng Qin Home, any survivors who could still move peeked nervously from windows; the sudden news filled many people with hope, rare smiles blooming on their faces.
Qin City had jurisdiction over four counties, with the nearest being Funing County, only about thirty kilometers away, just a short drive. Sadly, these people didn't realize how insurmountably faraway twenty to thirty kilometers could be now!
Given Sheng Qin Home's current situation, fighting their way out of the district was an incredibly challenging task.
"They said... they would establish a safe zone on the way to Funing?!"
Zhong Xiaoshan looked excited, exclaiming urgently, "I'm from Funing County; my parents are in Xiaopu Village!"
Though she didn't say it outright, Zhang Su could tell from her eager eyes what she wanted to express and poured cold water on her hopes: "Drawing a massive horde into the district just to announce setting up a safe zone—do you think those people have good or ill intentions?"
From the skillful way the drone was controlled, Zhang Su guessed this wasn't the first time this group had done such things along the way.
It seemed like a well-intentioned notice for survivors, but in fact, it was clearing the way for their convoy through the city.
In the struggle for survival, right and wrong don't exist, only life and death. Still, Zhang Su believed those resorting to such vile tactics weren't good people, although he didn't consider himself one either.
Zhong Xiaoshan hesitated at Zhang Su's words, knitting her brows in thought. Looking down at the increased horde of zombies, she cooled her excitement, acknowledging Zhang Su's logic.
Zheng Xinyu looked helplessly at the dense zombies occasionally bumping into each other and said, "Brother Su, if ordinary people can organize safe zones, the authorities would've acted already, don't you think?"
"Exactly, with the government's response rate, they wouldn't be slower than civilians in establishing a safe zone, probably in some hospital already!"
Supporting Zheng Xinyu's stance, Zhong Xiaoshan agreed quickly.
Zhang Su shook his head, saying: "You two are optimistic but also a bit naive. Firstly, that group only said they wanted to build a safe zone; they haven't started anything yet. It's just an idea you could have, I could have too!"
"Also, they only said it was on the way to Funing, but it spans 20 to 30 kilometers without a specific location, meaning they don't have a clear target either."
"On the positive side, setting up a safe zone might be their initial intention; negatively, they're using the pretext to draw off zombies on the road, clearing a path through this dangerous section! As for government safe zones, I believe they exist but are likely small, targeted areas irrelevant to us!"
Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshan were not children; they understood the meaning behind Zhang Su's words.
After the brief interlude, among the survivors of Sheng Qin Home, some shared Zhang Su's cautious mindset, some were eager to take action, while others had already started making plans...
By around four in the afternoon, with the sun setting, Zhang Su and his party finished exercising, snacking to regain energy while analyzing how to address various scenarios, potential zombie traits, when the drone broadcast blared through the window once more.
"Burn my calories, goodbye doughnuts..."
A sudden pop song blared prominently in the silent environment!
The three rushed to the window to investigate, unable to see the sound source due to its location, reluctantly running to room 802. From the south-facing window, they finally discovered what was happening.
Someone was imitating the tactic, hanging a speaker on a drone to lure zombies. Yet, this drone's performance was questionable, lacking in speed, altitude, and stability compared to the previous one, wobbling precariously as if it might crash at any moment.