CHAPTER 74: CHAPTER 31 POWER DISTRIBUTION_1

Upon seeing that everyone was seated, Zang Pengfei stood up and spoke loudly to all present.

"We have distinguished guests in our camp today. I won’t bother with words of welcome or thanks. We’re short on supplies in Chaihe Town, so today I propose a toast with tea instead of wine."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zang Pengfei picked up the steaming cup of tea and drained it in one gulp.

Seeing this, Wen Yu blinked. Isn’t it hot? he wanted to ask.

Witnessing Zang Pengfei’s subordinates empty their cups in imitation, Li Quan’an and the others also followed suit. Wen Yu, however, focused his gaze on Zang Pengfei.

This guy is really more than meets the eye, Wen Yu thought.

He then casually downed his own tea. The water was very hot, but for Wen Yu, there was no scalding sensation at all. The superior physical constitution of a Level 2 professionist meant that this water, piping hot and unbearable for ordinary people, felt no different than spring water to him.

This was Zang Pengfei’s way of gauging the physical constitution of Li Quan’an and his men. Li Quan’an drank the hot water without any issues, but his men struggled. One of them barely managed to swallow it, scalding his tongue and repeatedly sticking it out, while the others didn’t even finish their tea. The disparity in strength was evident.

A glint of understanding flashed in Zang Pengfei’s eyes. Ignoring Li Quan’an’s subordinates, he nodded at Li Quan’an and said directly, "I see the gentleman beside Brother Wen Yu is also quite remarkable. He must be a prominent figure in Hualin Town, then?"

Li Quan’an laughed it off, repeatedly saying, "You’re too kind, too kind. Right now, our whole group is completely reliant on Brother Fei."

As an astute person, Li Quan’an understood the importance of staying low-key in a foreign place.

Zang Pengfei nodded at Li Quan’an without asking further questions and sat down. Turning to Wen Yu, he said, "Brother Wen Yu, I wanted to meet you today to understand the current situation in Hualin Town."

"I heard from Dalong that he already told you a lot about our situation here on your way, so you probably have a general understanding. My first question is, can we pass through Hualin Town and reach Mudanjiang City?"

Zang Pengfei’s expression was extremely serious; this was a matter of life and death for everyone.

Wen Yu shook his head and replied calmly, "It will be very difficult. If you truly intend to do that, aside from myself and that Sun Aotian from earlier, the chances of survival for anyone else would be very slim."

Zang Pengfei didn’t look particularly disappointed. Sun Aotian had already experienced the power of Hualin Town’s mutant vines, and Zang Pengfei himself had a general idea of their might. He had only asked this question because he was still clinging to a shred of hope. And now, Wen Yu had shattered that illusion. It was time to face reality!

Zang Pengfei beckoned to the woman named Xiao Wen to refill everyone’s cups before saying, "In that case, Brother Wen Yu, we’re all in the same boat now."

Wen Yu took a sip of his tea, nodded, and waited for Zang Pengfei’s next words.

"Then let me give you a detailed account of the current situation in Chaihe Town," Zang Pengfei said, standing up and beginning to pace back and forth in the small room.

"Currently, in Chaihe Town, besides our group of survivors, there’s another. They might still be in Chaihe Town, or they might have fled in the opposite direction. I truly hope they managed to escape because if not, their situation would be far worse than ours."

"As for the conditions of our gathering place, you saw it when you arrived, so I won’t elaborate."

Li Quan’an and his men swallowed hard. A situation even worse than this camp? That was beyond Li Quan’an’s imagination.

"That’s the current situation for humans in Chaihe Town." Zang Pengfei paused briefly before continuing, "Our biggest enemy right now are the zombies occupying the town. Little Sky has investigated and found a leader among the zombie horde. Its strength isn’t quite Level 3, but it’s still not something Little Sky can handle. Most importantly, this zombie can command other zombies. This means we’re no longer facing mere mindless, shambling corpses, but a fearless army."

"These zombies have Chaihe Town locked down, making it difficult for us to get in. Moreover, these creatures harass us every few days, causing significant casualties each time. If this continues, an optimistic estimate is that we’ll all be wiped out within ten days."

When he finished, Zang Pengfei stared intently at Wen Yu.

After listening to Zang Pengfei, Wen Yu nodded slightly and said, "If I get the chance, I’ll assess that Zombie King’s strength. If it’s not Level 3, then I’m confident I can deal with it."

Wen Yu was quite confident in his own abilities.

Zang Pengfei’s curiosity deepened. Is this man just bluffing, or does he truly possess such power?

"By the way," Wen Yu spoke again, "what about the mutant creatures?"

A flash of helplessness flitted across Zang Pengfei’s eyes. "They’re all in the nearby mountains. That’s a forbidden zone. We never know when they’ll come out. We only know that once they do, every one of us, humans and zombies alike, will die. They’re not opponents we are equipped to face. To us, they are Death itself."

After hearing Zang Pengfei’s words, Wen Yu sighed silently. This was the post-apocalyptic scene he was familiar with. Humans, regardless of numbers or strength, were no match for mutant creatures. Fortunately, the infighting among mutant creatures was far more brutal and direct than any human conflict.

"Let’s set aside the mutant beasts for now," Wen Yu said directly. "Let’s talk about the zombies in Chaihe Town first. Crises must be dealt with one by one."

"Boss! Boss! Something terrible has happened! Er Gang... he’s been killed!"

Zang Pengfei was just about to speak when one of his subordinates burst into the room, interrupting him.

"What? What did you say?" It seemed Zang Pengfei hadn’t heard clearly.

"Boss," the man who had entered said hesitantly, "Er Gang is dead. Someone killed him."

This time, Zang Pengfei heard him loud and clear. As the man spoke, the air in the small room seemed to grow heavy, to solidify.

"What? Who dared to kill Er Gang? Who dared to kill *my* brother, *Zang Pengfei’s* brother!" A murderous aura surged from Zang Pengfei as he roared, his fury making those present feel as if they were facing a raging bear.

The messenger stammered, "It... it was Brother Tian."

CRACK.

A faint sound came from Zang Pengfei’s hand; the worn teacup had been shattered by his crushing grip.

Zang Pengfei’s face turned livid. Gritting his teeth, he snarled, "That brat! He’s gone too far!"

Ignoring the stunned silence of the others, Zang Pengfei barked at the messenger, "Take me to him!" and strode out of the room.