Chapter 218, why did they leave?

Chapter 218, why did they leave?

Another convoy?

Hearing this, the other leaders also looked at the subordinates who had rushed in.

Seeing them all nodding, it was clear they had come to report the same thing.

Ma Zhiyong signaled everyone to quiet down and asked, "Which shelter are they from, and how many people?"

A subordinate said, "Not sure, the convoy didn't get close. They're mostly trucks and SUVs, quite a few of them."

"How many vehicles?"

"Not sure, at least more than ten."

Another person added, "There are five or six trucks, with buses and SUVs in between, all reinforced with steel plates and bars. Looks like they're from a large shelter."

Five or six trucks, plus so many SUVs.

If it was just for transporting people, why would they need trucks?

If they encountered a horde, they'd just climb into the truck bed.

This setup really didn't seem like something a small shelter could pull off.

But it didn't seem like any known shelter was of this scale.

"Could it be that group from the auto repair shop? They seemed quite interested in this matter last night," the only woman speculated.

"Not sure." Ma Zhiyong shook his head, stood up, and said, "Let's go out and take a look. No matter which shelter it is, it's a good thing for this operation."

As they reached the door, Ma Zhiyong paused and reminded, "Loot will be divided equally, that's in everyone's best interest."

"Understood."

The group nodded and walked out of the cement house together.

......

The cement house was located in a driving school training yard.

The spacious yard was filled with vehicles from several shelters, and many members stood on the walls, peering out.

Ma Zhiyong and the others walked to the wall and looked down the road.

The first thing they saw was a military truck reinforced with steel plates, with a ram at the front and grid-like steel bars on the windshield.

The truck had been transformed into a steel beast.

Behind the truck was a long convoy of buses, SUVs, and more trucks.

"Damn, did they force their way through the city?" one of the shelter leaders exclaimed.

The others quickly realized, noticing the blood and bits of flesh hanging from the truck, and the clear red tire tracks it left behind.

Given the route, they likely plowed through the city.

When did such a powerful shelter emerge?

The others glanced at Ma Zhiyong.

Even the disaster relief commander appointed by the central station looked surprised.

It seemed this convoy was even stronger than the Flame God Shelter.

At least, they wouldn't choose such a direct approach.

"Never heard of this shelter before."

"Their goal is probably the same as ours. Maybe we can get them to draw the zombies away, and we might actually take the factory."

The female leader sneered, "Do you think they're stupid? Draw the zombies away so we can grab the loot? Just hope they don't use us instead."

"What's the problem? If we work together, we have just as many people as they do."

The group muttered in low voices, starting to argue.

Suddenly, someone shouted, "The convoy's turning! They're all turning, not coming this way!"

The group looked up sharply and saw the lead truck turning at an intersection, heading back the way they came.

Then the rest of the vehicles followed, one by one, making U-turns.

They drove away.

The scene fell silent in an instant.

Then it became chaotic again.

"What the hell, why did they leave?"

"Were they just passing through? Or did they sense danger and leave immediately?"

"They can't leave! If they leave, how are we supposed to fight?"

Just a moment ago, they were discussing how to unite and have the others do more of the work.

Now it seemed the other side had no intention of joining them at all.

The convoy had turned around and left before even arriving.

If they left, wouldn't that leave this group with no way to deal with the situation?

Ma Zhiyong immediately said, "Hurry, catch up to them and find out what's going on."

Then he quickly added, "Speak politely, don't anger them."

Two people nodded and quickly climbed into an off-road vehicle.

They sped out of the training yard, chasing after the convoy.

......

Inside one of the buses in the convoy.

Li Yanhong curiously asked, "Why are we turning back? Weren't we going to attack that factory?"

Wu Heng replied, "They've only gathered a little over 100 people, and we'd have to take care of them if we joined."

As the convoy approached, he had sent Xiaoxiao ahead to scout.

There were only a handful of people in the training yard, and they didn't have the strength to take the factory.

If they got involved, they'd end up having to lead the charge, and there might be disputes over dividing the spoils later.

It was better to turn back and wait until they were gone.

Then they could head to the factory and take it over themselves.

"Oh, so they've been talking for so long, and that's all they gathered?" Li Yanhong remarked, then asked, "So are we heading back now?"

"We'll head back for now, and after they leave, we'll go attack the factory."

Through the perspective of the ghost, he saw the map on the table.

Coupled with an aerial view of the surrounding buildings, he had already located the factory.

"Alright, that works," Li Yanhong said.

At that moment, a voice came over the radio.

"Sister Hong, one of their cars is following us."

Li Yanhong pressed the radio, "What do they want?"

The reply came, "They're waving their hands as if they want to talk."

Li Yanhong glanced at Wu Heng in the passenger seat and spoke into the radio again, "Slow down the convoy and ask them what they want. Be cautious."

"Got it!"

The convoy began to slow down, and the last vehicle rolled down its window, maintaining speed to communicate with the trailing car.

Soon, a message came back over the radio.

"Sister Hong, they're asking if we're here to help clear the factory and why we're leaving."

Li Yanhong replied, "We were just passing through. We don't know anything about the factory."

"Understood!"

Then the radio crackled again, "We told them, and they've left."

Li Yanhong pressed the radio again, "Keep moving forward, turn right at the next intersection, and slow down."

The convoy sped up again, putting more distance between them and the area.

......

Back at the driving yard.

The off-road vehicle returned, kicking up dust as it stopped.

Everyone had seen the convoy leave, and it was clear that the conversation hadn't gone well.

But Ma Zhiyong and the others still came over and asked, "What did they say?"

The car doors opened, but the two inside didn't answer, sitting there stunned.

"What did they say? Why are you sitting there in a daze?"

The driver snapped out of it and said, "They said they were just passing through and had other business to take care of, so they were in a hurry to leave. They didn't know anything about the factory."

Didn't know?

Then why did the convoy come here?

Were they looking for a new shelter location?

As the leaders frowned, thinking this over.

The driver continued, "They weren't transporting goods?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"When we were leaving, the truck sped up, and the wind blew the canvas covering the bed. We took a peek inside and... it was full of...," the driver's face darkened as he trailed off.

Ma Zhiyong urged, "Full of what? Just say it!"

"It looked like skeletons, packed tightly, wearing ancient armor and holding weapons. When the wind blew the canvas, one of the skulls even turned to look at us, with blue flames flickering in its eye sockets."

Everyone frowned deeply.

Ma Zhiyong looked at another person, "Did you see this too?"

The person nodded.

Skeletons wearing armor, holding weapons.

Both people saw the same thing, so it clearly wasn't a trick of the eye or a hallucination.

In this world now, talking about skeletons standing up.

It wasn't impossible.

The female leader thought for a moment, "I remember the leader of the auto repair shop was called King of Hell, right? There was a time when someone mentioned skeletal monsters near the shop, but then there were no more reports."

Everyone looked at her.

"Are you saying they're from the auto repair shop?"

The woman shook her head, "I'm just guessing. Clearly, they didn't want to cooperate with us. Whether they're from the auto repair shop or not doesn't matter—they've already left."

Ma Zhiyong sighed helplessly, "Looks like we've all come here for nothing. I'll keep people watching the factory. If the zombies leave or we find a good approach, I'll inform everyone."

"Sigh~! That's all we can do. Next time, let's get a headcount before coming so we don't waste the trip," someone said.

"Yeah."

Although they were reluctant, there wasn't much else they could do.

They needed to get back to their shelters before nightfall.

After a few more words, they gathered their members and left.

Soon, the driving school was completely empty.

......

Half an hour later.

The convoy returned from afar, glancing at the now-empty driving school training yard.

These people left pretty quickly.

The convoy didn't slow down, heading straight for the factory marked on the map.

Soon, the lead vehicle reported they were approaching the destination, and through the reinforced window bars, they could see the sign on the factory gate: "Wanyang Transportation Group."

Transportation group?

Sounds like a road construction company!

The convoy stopped in the distance, and through the open gate, they could see zombies wandering inside the factory.

Wu Heng released Xiaoxiao again and said, "Xiaoxiao, go scout the factory, check for any dangers or strange zombies, and report back."

"Okay, Uncle!" Xiaoxiao responded, phasing through the vehicle and heading off.

About half an hour later.

Xiaoxiao returned, pointing at the right side of the factory, "There are two ugly monsters in that building. One is a crawler, and the other looks like it has a big head."

Then she pointed at the "Terrorclaw Skeleton" and "Big-Head Skeleton" in the bus.

Two mutated zombies?

One of them is a Big-Head Zombie.

Xiaoxiao tilted her head, thinking, then added, "But it doesn't seem exactly like Big-Head."

Not the same?

Wu Heng said, "Come, let me take a look."

Xiaoxiao flew into his body, and the image of the factory appeared in his mind.

......

Entering through the factory gate.

The first thing was a five or six-meter tall yellow decorative stone with the red words "Wanyang" written on it.

The factory was even larger than it appeared from the outside.

Office buildings, dormitories, workshops, and rows of other buildings.

On the cement roads, dozens of various vehicles could be seen.

Trucks, cranes, and even ladder trucks.

This factory must have been a key industry for the region.

There were also many zombies wandering inside the factory.

Groups of three to five roamed around, even more than what had been mentioned in the Flame God Shelter's discussion.

Xiaoxiao passed through one building after another.

She began inspecting the interiors of the buildings.

As she passed through an office building.

She saw two mutated zombies.

One was a "Terrorclaw," with grayish-white skin, massive size, and walking on all fours with thick, sharp claws like those of a beast.

The other was a grotesque Big-Head Zombie.

Its defining feature was still its oversized head.

Its shoulders and chest seemed covered by a pus-filled mass, with only tiny arms and a lower torso visible.

It wobbled slightly as it walked, but it wasn't as clumsy as it looked.

Then, in the next second, the Big-Head Zombie suddenly turned its head, its closed eyes looking directly at Xiaoxiao's position.

Its body shook violently, as if roaring in anger.

Xiaoxiao was startled and immediately phased through the wall and fled.

Is it a third-tier zombie?