novelraw Chapter 172 126: We're All His Relatives
Chapter 172 126: We're All His Relatives
The sky was overcast, with no sun in sight, making the passage of time seem somewhat blurry.
Zhang Su and his group spent over an hour finally clearing a street. There were forty households on both sides, but some were clearly newly built houses with no occupants, likely because the residents had gone to the city to work. Shuwa Village had more than ten such streets.
"Let's block this intersection with something and leave the rest for later. Our vehicle's carrying capacity is limited, and we can't fit all the provisions from the thirty or forty households on this street alone, so let's not be greedy!"
While they were speaking, two zombies wandered over from other streets, and a few team members casually took care of them.
Zhang Su had another consideration in making this decision: zombies roaming the village not only obstruct them but also hinder any newcomers, acting as an alternative kind of guard. If later people are too afraid to clear out the zombies, the provisions stored in other parts of the village can still be preserved.
Although provisions will eventually spoil, they should last for at least a year and a half without issue.
The others had no objections to Zhang Su's decision and began to dismantle the previous barricades, using the zombie corpses as sandbags to set up a new barricade.
Once everything was set up, it was time for the most anticipated harvest!
"Uncle, this house, this house has an old well!"
Pang Dakun stood happily at the doorway of a house, waving.
The group went over to see, and sure enough, as Pang Dakun said, there was an old hand-pumped well.
Pouring water and pushing and pulling the arm with force, the sound of gurgling came from the bottom of the well, exciting everyone for a moment. Immediately, the refreshing underground water sprayed from the spout, splashing onto the ground with a rush.
"Water, water!"
"Hahaha!"
Everyone was overjoyed when they saw the flowing water, as the craving for the source of life was engraved in their bones.
"Brother, come, have a cup, it's better than wine! Eh? What's wrong, is there a problem with the water?"
Zhao Dezhu found an enamel mug from somewhere, filled it with water, and handed it to Zhang Su, only to find Zhang Su frowning at the gushing spout.
"No..." Zhang Su quickly waved his hand when he saw everyone tense up at Zhao Dezhu's words. "I'm just thinking about how to get this water into the water tanks."
"Just connect a pipe. It's not that difficult, right?" Zhao Dezhu felt relieved, knowing it was just this matter.
"It's not about the pipe... The two vehicle water tanks can hold several tons of water. Dakun, is there a more advanced well?"
Zhang Su was troubled by the efficiency problem. With this old well, it was possible to fill the two vehicle water tanks, but it was labor-intensive.
"Huff, huff..." Pang Dakun stopped turning the handle, straightened up, and pointed westward, "Uncle, three houses west, that's my fourth uncle's house. His well has a pump, but without electricity, it won't start."
"Electricity? That's no problem!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Su immediately led the team to the fourth uncle's house, while instructing others to bring over the vehicles.
If electricity can solve the problem, there's no need for manpower...
The two RVs parked outside Pang Dakun's fourth uncle's yard, with thick water pipes connected to the tanks. Tan Huajun connected the generator to the pump. In less than twenty minutes, all water tanks of the two RVs were filled.
When the showerhead gushed hot water, almost everyone couldn't help but cheer, agitating the zombies on the neighboring street.
"Alright, don't force anything in if it won't fit; it'll be more troublesome if the vehicles break down!"
While they were filling the water, others were busy moving provisions from villagers' homes. Zhang Su silently calculated the load, and with more than ten households left to go, the vehicles were already at their limit. It was frustrating but unavoidable.
There were two cars parked in the village, but they couldn't find the keys. They forcefully opened the fuel tank caps and siphoned out the fuel.
The main haul in terms of provisions consisted of flour, peanuts, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, along with small amounts of cabbage, pickled vegetables, and meat.
Zhong Xiaoshan and Yu Qing originally planned to tally the current team's total food reserve, but Zhang Su thought it was premature and suggested they wait until they found a stable place to settle down.
"Let's eat. How about a shooting competition after lunch?"
After everything was done, Zhang Su was in a great mood. Seeing the open fields nearby, he thought it was time for everyone to handle a gun.
Including himself, none of them had used a gun before. This was a shortcoming, and even though the current firearms weren't enough for everyone, familiarization was necessary, as those on watch duty would be equipped with firearms. Dropping the ball at a critical moment would be disastrous.
"Sure, sure, I've been wanting to fire a few shots!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's start now; I'm not hungry!"
"Brother, how many bullets do we each get to play with?"
The enthusiasm among the men was high, and even the women were very proactive. Firearms, unlike cold weapons, were equally deadly in the hands of women!
"Guns? Uncle, you have guns? Then why didn't you bring them out earlier? It's much quicker to kill zombies with guns!" Pang Dakun questioned in confusion.
Zhang Su gave Pang Dakun a chuckle and said, "We just found the guns and haven't used them. Our shooting skills are crap, and there are only a few hundred bullets. Using them to kill zombies would be a waste; they're not as simple as you think. Come on, let's eat first!"
However, just as everyone was eagerly preparing to eat, Pei Lan, standing watch on the roof of the fertilizer shop, shouted, "Brother Su, there are people coming, someone from the field is coming!"
Hearing this, everyone turned their heads in the direction Pei Lan pointed.
It wasn't close, but they could vaguely see a group of people approaching.
"Xiaopang, is there another village over there?"
Zhang Su was quite surprised. Based on his previous observations, there were only fields and greenhouses over there, and then a river. How did a group of people suddenly appear?
Pang Dakun's face darkened: "There's no village. Those guys are from our village, they must have sneaked back from Beiliang Village across the river!"
"Across the river? I thought the bridge was blown up. How did they come over?"
Tan Huajun asked.
"Aunt Pang, you don't know. The river's water level is low now, and there are large rocks thrown in along one part of the riverbed. If you're careful to avoid the zombies, you can walk across!"
The realization dawned on everyone that while vehicles couldn't cross, people could still manage. As for the zombies that fell in, there must be ways to deal with them.
"These guys don't seem friendly, don't get careless. Quick, finish eating!"
Zhang Su instructed, taking a bite of the bread in his hand before asking Pang Dakun, "Xiaopang, if a conflict arises, will you help them?"
"Ha?" Pang Dakun chuckled nastily, "Uncle, if you hadn't stopped me, I'd love to beat them to death. How could I help them!"
"Alright, we'll handle it later; you keep quiet," Zhang Su patted Pang Dakun's arm.
The group of people walked out from the field, and their threatening demeanor was evident even to an idiot.
Zhang Su didn't say much. He put the unfinished bread in his pocket, took the crossbow from his shoulder, and fired an arrow into the field.
Puff!
The crossbow arrow embedded itself into the field ridge under the astonished gaze of the newcomers, leaving only a small part sticking out, with a slight vibration.
The crowd, led by a tall, strong man, stopped in their tracks, not daring to advance easily.
"Da Tie, they have a crossbow gun!"
An astonished middle-aged man said, quickly holding his shovel across his chest, afraid the other side might attack him.
"Who are you people? Speak from there; it's rude to come closer!"
Seeing the newcomers stop, Zhang Su spoke loudly. The two sides were about fifty to sixty meters apart, and speaking in a quiet environment wasn't difficult.
"We're villagers of Shuwa Village. I saw you moving a lot of village supplies just now. You're a bunch of bandits, looting in our village and not allowing us to approach. Are you crazy?"
Immediately, someone was discontent with Zhang Su's words. The crossbow was intimidating, but there was only one, and it reloaded slowly, so its deterrent was limited.
"Real villagers would defend the village by clearing out zombies and purifying the environment, like what we did. Where did you come from? You can't possibly be villagers of Shuwa Village. Get out of here!"
There was no way Zhang Su would fall for their ploy, and he outright turned the accusation back on them.
The leading strong man chuckled coldly, holding a crane-beaked shovel in his hand, and said, "You're a bunch of fake Shuwa Village villagers. Stop talking nonsense. If you dare to take a single potato today, I'll make sure you all stay here!"
"We are genuine Shuwa Village villagers, not only doing work for the village but also related to him. I'm his uncle." Zhang Su pointed to Pang Dakun behind him with a grin.
"That's right, I'm his brother!" Lu Yubo joined in the fun, wrapping an arm around Pang Dakun's shoulder with an insidious laugh.
Zhao Dezhu patted his chest, "I'm also Uncle Pang Dakun, his second uncle. What, you don't like it?"
Following suit, everyone claimed to be Pang Dakun's relatives...