Chapter 477: Chapter 426: The Mutated Zombie Appears
"Hey, hey..."
Liao Youzhi stopped hesitating, tapped the microphone, and there was a burst of static from the speaker, followed by his voice: "Which one of you over there is Zhang Su from Celestial Horse Island? Step forward and speak!"
As soon as he finished speaking, two people stepped out from either side of the lead FJ Cruiser. One was an older man wearing a felt hat, and the other was a tall, burly man with an earflap hat on his head.
The distance of about two hundred meters wasn’t far. Even without any optical tools, one could get a rough idea. Liao Youzhi was puzzled because, judging from the two, the older man’s presence and aura were more like a leader, but Zhang Su’s voice didn’t sound like an older person...
"Is the one speaking over there Liao Youzhi? You’ve been dawdling for more than ten minutes. Are you testing my patience?"
Zhao Dezhu’s voice was thunderous and very loud.
"Huh?"
Liao Youzhi frowned, expecting Zhang Su to be the big guy, but the voice seemed off.
He turned to look at Li Zongkai standing behind him and asked, "Is this guy Zhang Su? Why does the voice sound different than before?"
Li Zongkai looked at Liao Youzhi with a calm expression and nodded lightly as if it were obvious: "That’s right."
"Something’s wrong!"
Liao Youzhi waved his hand to have someone bring the communication device previously used to contact Zhang Su and said, "Hey, Zhang Su, your voice is not very clear. What’s going on?"
Soon, he saw the person on the other side raise his hand to his mouth, and then he heard the voice on this end.
"Can’t you hear my high-definition speaker? Are you the descendant of the deaf?"
The words almost made Liao Youzhi explode with anger. The voice was unmistakably right, and so was the foul mouth!
Zhao Dezhu stood at the front of the convoy, almost bursting into laughter at Liao Youzhi’s expression.
He wasn’t worried about any danger in speaking for Zhang Su, as his entire body was well-protected. Even inside the cotton hat, there were two layers of petrified zombie skin, and with a slight movement of his body, it was hard for the other side to aim. But he was very worried about his identity being exposed, which would be awkward. He brought his father-in-law along to deal with unexpected situations.
But after seeing the other side’s reaction, he realized that Liao Youzhi really couldn’t recognize him. The world is full of surprises...
He completely overlooked the fact that without the internet, humans’ ability to obtain information quickly and accurately was greatly diminished!
"Hey, Zhang Xin, come here!"
Liao Youzhi waved at the distance, still uncertain, planning to ask his subordinates to verify.
Standing among the crowd, Zhang Xin, the captain of the third Vanguard Team, was utterly stunned. Such a grand scene was the first time in his life. He was contemplating the possible scenarios of an outbreak and how to deal with them when he suddenly heard his name called by the boss. Quickly, he rushed over to the pickup truck.
"Leader Liao, what’s up?"
Liao Youzhi pointed across and said, "When you went north to investigate Fu Weijun, you met Zhang Su, didn’t you? Is that him?"
Upon hearing the voice, Zhang Xin immediately knew it couldn’t be Zhang Su. He was quite familiar with Zhang Su, and this kind of trick was very much in character.
Squinting his eyes to look over, he also picked up the binoculars to get a better view, and uncertainly said, "Leader, actually at that time, I only saw Zhang Su from afar, he looks similar in build, but I don’t know the specific details."
To avoid making Liao Youzhi suspicious, Zhang Xin chose to be vague.
"Get lost!"
Liao Youzhi waved dismissively.
Gong Chengming, who had been standing calmly by the pickup truck, was already in turmoil inside. Others might not know about Zhang Su, but Li Zongkai and Zhang Xin certainly did, as well as himself and the members of the first Vanguard Team. Especially Xiao Xuejian!
He exchanged glances with Xiao Xuejian, and both saw a string of question marks in each other’s eyes.
It made sense for Li Zongkai to deceive Liao Youzhi, but for Zhang Xin to also keep it from him was puzzling. Moreover, none of those from the third Vanguard Team spoke up. Could it be that these guys had all sided with Celestial Horse Island?
If that were truly the case, it would be a bad sign for Gong Chengming!
"Sound equipment affects voice, Old Liao, your voice also changed."
Gong Chengming walked over to the pickup truck and said to Liao Youzhi.
When he said this, several people nearby nodded in agreement.
"Is that so?"
After triple-checking, Liao Youzhi had no choice but to suppress his doubts and pick up the microphone again: "Zhang Su, let’s cut to the chase. I have some bad news for you. Just now, eight members of the Civilization Guardian have defected to us, which means I have eight fewer hostages!"
He deliberately didn’t mention the specific number, only stated the reduction of eight, intending to withhold Li Zongkai at the last moment.
"Come and go as they please, only those willing to stay are brothers. Stop wasting time, let’s proceed with the exchange!"
After speaking, Zhao Dezhu made a gesture, and Ju Mumio brought forward ten hostages.
Liao Youzhi didn’t hold back either: he waved his hand, and the Guard Team members brought twelve members of the Civilization Guardian to the front of the convoy.
"Nothing else!" Liao Youzhi picked up the microphone and said sternly, "I have only one request: sincerity. I hope your Celestial Horse Island doesn’t make trouble during the exchange. We don’t want war, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have the strength to fight!"
After that, Liao Youzhi clenched his fist and made a swinging motion.
Bang!
With Liao Youzhi’s movement, the side door of a box truck suddenly opened, and the iron plate slammed heavily on the ground, making a loud sound.
Not only were the people from the Apocalypse Corps and the Little Eagle Association startled, but many from the Survivor Alliance were also unaware of what was hidden inside the box truck. When everyone’s eyes fell into the truck, many faces showed expressions of shock!
When the Survivor Alliance convoy appeared, Zhang Su noticed that special box truck. In the cold weather, generally, vehicles emit heat from the hood, which is normal. But which box truck releases significant heat waves from the entire cargo hold, distorting the surrounding air? There must be something precious inside!
A body that emitted a scorching aura all over, with skin like the cracked rocks of a volcano, and flesh like boiling lava. Though its chest didn’t rise and fall like a normal person’s, the flesh flowed like the molten lava beneath rocks, exuding a faint red glow.
The intense heat ensured it didn’t wear any ordinary material clothing. The peculiar body was fixed to a large metal "X" frame, wrapped in thick chains around the neck, waist, wrists, and ankles. The chain against the skin was glowing red, hinting at its temperature.
Above the neck, a heavy metal box tightly encased the head; due to the heat, the metal had a slight red hue, making frying an egg with a little oil effortless!
Before the box truck opened, the crowd already felt a slight warmth. Now as it opened, waves of heat rolled out from the box truck, making the minus thirty-degree temperature seem like a summer afternoon’s hot breeze.
"What the heck is this... a mutated zombie?"
Liu Yao stared in shock at the fiery body, subconsciously swallowing.
He had only heard of the existence of mutated zombies, never seen one before; this was his first time.
Before setting out, he hadn’t even seen this vehicle, completely unaware when Liao Youzhi brought out this secret weapon. As soon as the box truck opened, a wave of heat hit face-on. The terrifying power made him feel scared. His face felt warm, but the soles of his feet were cold.
Yang Xinqi was also startled. Like Liu Yao, he’d only known of mutated zombies by name, never in person. Previously within the Apocalypse Corps, he always boasted, claiming no matter mutated or not, a single shot would solve them. Now he was silent; he swallowed twice, eyes serious.
His thoughts mirrored Liu Yao’s: a mutated zombie was one thing, but it being controlled by the Survivor Alliance was another.
Before, he thought that as long as the Apocalypse Corps united with either the Civilization Guardian or the Little Eagle Association, they could resist the Survivor Alliance. Now it seemed that might not be the case; they had a secret weapon!
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