Chapter 731 - 602: They Saw Us Early On

"Someone’s coming!"

Zhang Su took off his sunglasses and looked eastward in the direction of the railroad bridge. At the edge of his sight, more than twenty figures were stumbling along the tracks.

"What is it?"

"People?"

Everyone gazed in the direction Zhang Su was looking; they wouldn’t doubt Zhang Su’s warning because the probability of error was exceptionally low.

Sure enough, far in the distance, silhouettes were moving. In the current environment, anything that moves is worth being cautious about!

Wild animals are nearly extinct, and domestic animals, except those bred at the camp, have long since died out in the village. There’s not even wind, which means not even a plastic bag can be seen drifting by...

It’s difficult to determine the exact distance of the suddenly appearing crowd; it feels roughly four to five kilometers, similar to the straight-line distance from Celestial Horse Island to the railroad bridge. Plus, with various debris obstructing vision and the gloomy weather, you can’t spot them unless you carefully focus.

Someone wanted to grab binoculars but found that today’s task didn’t call for them, so they weren’t brought. Luckily, they had a gun on their back; quick to react, they immediately raised their guns to aim into the distance.

"Quite a few people..."

"Seems like refugees?"

"Darn, I can’t see too clearly; the scope is a bit blurry..."

"Guys, come on, maybe we should hide for now?"

Temporary member Zhou Haotian shook his head towards the direction of the maintenance platform, a look of nervousness on his face.

Of course, no one listened to a temporary member’s suggestion; everyone looked towards Zhang Su.

Zhang Su smirked and walked towards the platform without saying anything, while everyone else slowly left the tracks and moved to the maintenance platform, using the terrain to block their view.

"Brother Su, didn’t you have eye problems? Did they... turn into binocular vision?"

Qi Xiaoshuai leaned against the railing, joking with a broad grin.

This made the group even more impressed with Zhang Su’s alertness; he had spotted the group just as they emerged from behind obstructions, while they couldn’t see them clearly even through scopes—truly impressive!

"Got hit with some old fists, turned my nearsightedness into farsightedness. Do anyone want to try?"

Zhang Su clenched his fist, his gloves creaking audibly.

Everyone laughed and waved their hands in dismissal, except Ju Mumio, who wore a contemplative expression. However, she never smiled, so no one paid much attention to her face.

"Why now, when they could’ve come earlier or later—we’re on the railroad bridge for the mission, and here they come..."

Liu Tianji, looking at the monochrome world, frowned slightly.

"Maybe survivors often escape along the railways, but we didn’t have lookouts nearby and rarely came here, didn’t notice it."

Zhang Su spread his hands, realizing they had overlooked the issue. While many restrictions on the ground might prevent long-distance movement, following the rail lines from one city to another could be much simpler.

"So what should we do now? Retreat first, and wait for them to pass before going up?"

Zheng Xinyu asked.

If it were anyone else suggesting it, Zhang Su wouldn’t consider it, but coming from Zheng Xinyu, he still thought about it, especially since she had a record of successful evasions. Yet, due to last time’s misjudgment, he felt some issues shouldn’t be judged subjectively.

"Currently, besides us, there shouldn’t be any large survivor camps north of Qin City. I can’t see clearly, but it feels like there are no fewer than twenty people—a considerable group. We can’t let them stroll through freely; we should make contact and inquire about their situation!"

Zhang Su said cautiously.

"The big brother is right. This vast land should be ours—Celestial Horse Island. If they come down the railroad bridge from anywhere unnoticed, it’s definitely inappropriate!"

Zhao Dezhu was the first to agree with Zhang Su’s decision.

Afterwards, several people nodded, believing it necessary to make contact. Between unfamiliar survivors, due to resource issues, there’s inherent hostility; noticing them, there’s no reason to ignore it.

Zheng Xinyu shrugged, "I have no objection; should we wait for them or go towards them?"

"Don’t always raise questions; then tell me, is it better to wait here or go up to them?"

Zhang Su was frustrated; he was about to ask, but Zheng Xinyu spoke his lines first.

"Hey, can’t I even ask questions? You’re bullying me!"

Zheng Xinyu was vexed; others could ask questions, but not her.

"I’m not bullying you; I just wanted to test your judgment. Come on, tell me—is it going or waiting here?"

The Yama Corps members smiled amusedly at Zhang Su and Zheng Xinyu’s banter; they didn’t think Zhang Su was bluffing—only the speaker knew...

Zheng Xinyu gave Zhang Su a strange look and furrowed her brow, deep in thought for a few seconds: "If there’s no conflict, both options are equivalent. If conflict arises, obviously moving away from the railway is better—if the train gets damaged and the zombies inside jump out, it’s bad for everyone!

Additionally, I thought of an ambush plan: there’s little cover on the railroad bridge; perhaps hiding under the cars would work?"

"Hide? You think the others really haven’t seen us?"

Zhang Su shook his head, outright rejecting Zheng Xinyu’s final suggestion.

"Huh?"

Zhou Haotian was stunned; earlier, he was proud of suggesting they hide, only to feel doused with cold water hearing Zhang Su’s words.

"Does their team have an ’eagle eye’ too?"

Zhou Haotian cleverly used the word "too," implying that to him, Zhang Su is akin to having an "eagle eye," trying to ease his embarrassment through flattery.

Zhang Su chuckled and said: "Eagle eyes they may lack, but if I were leading the team, I’d definitely have someone scout ahead—given we’ve seen their main force, do you think they’ve seen us too?

Besides, even if they haven’t seen us, the neatly arranged cars below the bridge are quite visible; anyone who isn’t blind can spot them!"

"Heh, then why bother hiding, Xiaozhou, you’re making a redundant effort with that!"

"Indeed... Brother Su’s right. Well, no more talk, shall we?"

"Hold on!"

Zhang Su signaled everyone to pause: "Drop your tools here, highest alert mode—if the other side shows any sign of trouble, no questions—shoot and eliminate! Old Tan, got it?"

As the camp grew stronger, Zhang Su’s attitude toward unknown strangers became more cautious and cold. Several branches of survivors were strangers, but comrades from past battles served as bridging links, making them somewhat familiar.

Confronting truly unknown survivors affects not only personal safety but the entire camp!

"Huh? Oh, okay!"

Tan Huajun knew why Zhang Su singled her out; determination flashed across her chubby face.

Everyone hesitated no longer, throwing their tools onto the maintenance platform, putting awkward-looking hats on their heads. Used so frequently, they didn’t want to integrate bulletproof fabric into a helmet anymore; the hat was more convenient, fitting, and disguising.

Zhang Su greeted Jia Shiqin guarding the car below; after everyone checked their guns, unlocked the safety, they marched forward holding guns high, as if stepping onto a battlefield—except for three.

Ju Mumio held two daggers; they were the long and short daggers found in Gong Chengming’s room, with a beautiful, dazzling blade even in gloomy weather. She previously gave them to Yi Xiaoling, who felt they’d serve as splicing knives decently, but thinking it wasteful, took them back...

Her grip appeared casual, but in reality, she could throw the short dagger in her right hand as a flying knife at any time. With sufficient proximity, it can be deadly within twenty meters, almost hitting what she aims for.

The last two are temporary members Zhou Haotian and Ke Zhiyu, each carrying only a small pistol instead of a rifle.