Chapter Eight: The Purpose of Ox-Head Mountain's Existence

Spending 0.125 contribution points and earning back only 0.05—this deal was a downright loss.

“It’s just ten bullets, isn’t it? Later, when you get to the Oxhead Mountain camp, mention my name, Yang Xueli, to the logistics office—they’ll supply you double, no questions asked.” Grateful as she was to be rescued, Yang Xueli’s irritation flared at the sight of the man’s shrewd, merchant’s grin.

“Hey! You think these are ordinary bullets? I wager not a single one in your entire camp matches them!” Lin Lei retorted.

“Is that so? Then tell me how you want to be compensated. After all, you did save my life. As long as your request isn’t outrageous, I’ll definitely repay the favor.” Unwilling to argue further, Yang Xueli decided to cut to the chase.

Why wasn’t she following the script? Lin Lei thought. I claim your camp can’t find a bullet like mine—aren’t you supposed to contradict me, then we bet, and when you lose, you admit defeat, and grudgingly agree to my terms? To have her yield so easily to my momentum—there’s no satisfaction in that.

“Well… Let me think about it. For now, let’s get out of here. Tell me about your camp as we go,” Lin Lei said. He had no desire for things to be settled so quickly; his plan required the cooperation of many survivors.

“Before you ask, shouldn’t you introduce yourself first?” With his affiliation unknown, yet already probing for information about her camp, Yang Xueli’s vigilance was heightened.

“My name is Lin Lei, a zombie hunter. I’ve come specifically to eliminate the zombie horde. From what I know, your Oxhead Mountain camp is about to be attacked. Perhaps we can work together,” Lin Lei offered, using the speech he’d prepared.

“Zombie hunter? Cooperation? How would that work?” Yang Xueli asked, genuinely perplexed.

“Are you authorized to make decisions? I need to know how many combatants your camp has,” Lin Lei pressed.

His plan hinged on the Oxhead Mountain camp having enough strength; otherwise, he might as well act alone, harass the outskirts, and scavenge what he could.

“Our camp has just over seven hundred survivors, with a little over two hundred combatants,” Yang Xueli replied.

At this point, she saw no reason to hide the truth. She knew all too well the state of her camp: mostly families with the old, the weak, and the sick, their fighting strength limited.

“Only two hundred? How do you deal with the zombie horde? Going back now would be suicide,” Lin Lei exclaimed in disbelief.

He’d heard the broadcast urging survivors outside to return and assumed it was a large camp, capable of mustering forces to fight the zombies head-on.

“Who says we’re going to fight them? If we can’t win, we hide. The horde moves; as long as we avoid the worst, we can come out again when it passes,” Yang Xueli explained.

Their camp was divided into two parts: one above ground, where production zones operated without defensive walls, able to handle small groups of zombies; the other underground, sealed off with half-meter-thick steel doors. When a large horde approached, everyone retreated to the underground shelter, sealing the doors behind them.

Zombies only cared about living creatures and rarely damaged equipment or supplies in the manufacturing zones. Once the horde moved on, they would emerge again. The underground shelter’s food stores were limited, but with careful rationing, they could sustain everyone for half a month.

“So if the horde lingers nearby for more than half a month, you’re all doomed. Isn’t this just gambling? Survival dependent on luck alone,” Lin Lei remarked, puzzled.

“That’s right, it’s a gamble. But if we don’t gamble, we’re dead anyway. Since the disaster struck, we’ve fought back five times. The camp started with more than twenty thousand people, over eight thousand in the combat force. Now we’re down to just seven hundred, with barely three hundred fighters, and our weapons and ammunition are spent. If we didn’t hide, we’d have been wiped out! Look at our search team’s gear—all melee weapons, not a single handgun. How are we supposed to fight?” Yang Xueli countered.

Of course, she was playing up their hardship a bit. The camp did have firearms—otherwise, she wouldn’t have mentioned double compensation for Lin Lei’s ammo. But ammunition was scarce, and search teams operated in zombie-rich areas, where making too much noise meant greater danger. Sometimes, a few Molotov cocktails proved more effective than guns.

“If it’s all a gamble, why not risk everything and leave, find a stronger shelter elsewhere?” Lin Lei wondered.

“We’re the only survivor camp in Haifeng City. If we go, Haifeng becomes a dead city for good,” Yang Xueli replied.

Though Haifeng City had fallen, at least the Oxhead Mountain camp remained—a safe haven for passing survivors, a place to receive and help those fleeing from elsewhere.

They couldn’t leave, nor did they want to. This was their home.

As they walked and talked, they soon arrived at the Oxhead Mountain camp.

Before the outbreak, this had been a vacation resort—an adventure-themed one, with many artificial caves dug around the area. Later, it became a gathering place for survivors, who reinforced the caves with steel and concrete, transforming them into underground shelters.

With Yang Xueli leading the way, Lin Lei passed through without being questioned by the guards, weapons and gear intact, entering the camp directly.

Inside, everyone was busy, transporting food and supplies down to the underground shelters.

Near the entrance of one such shelter, a large pot was set up, bubbling with something unknown.

“Good grief! What reeks so badly? Are they boiling excrement?” Lin Lei exclaimed as he removed his tactical helmet, nearly overcome by the stench.

“With your pampered disposition, it’s a wonder you’ve survived this long,” Yang Xueli scoffed. “That’s corpse-repelling grass—a genetically mutated weed. It’s inedible, but its pungent smell masks other scents from the zombies. We boil it to a paste and smear it on the doors and vents so the zombies can’t sense us.”

With hundreds gathered together, their combined scent was intense. If discovered by the zombies, even if the shelter couldn’t be breached, the horde’s prolonged presence would spell certain death within half a month.

“Hurry and take me to whoever’s in charge here.” Even after replacing his mask, Lin Lei could scarcely bear another moment in this place.

How had he survived? He’d only been here half a day, after all. Besides… as long as he had contribution points, he could live comfortably anywhere.

Led by Yang Xueli, Lin Lei arrived at a plaza.

About forty or fifty people were gathered there, checking guns, calibrating sights, loading magazines.

“I thought you were just going to hide?” Lin Lei asked, curious.

It looked like preparations for a fight.

“That’s our backup plan—we need to leave scouts outside. And if the horde doesn’t move on, ten days from now they’ll launch harassing attacks at the perimeter to try and draw the zombies away,” Yang Xueli explained, quickening her pace and calling out to one man, “Uncle Chen, are you leading this guard detail?”

“It’s Xiaoxue! Hey, you’re injured—are you alright?” Uncle Chen asked, concern etched across his face at the sight of the bandage on her arm.

“It’s nothing, just a scratch. By the way, are my brother and Uncle Li inside?” Yang Xueli inquired.

“They’re out front, monitoring the horde. Haven’t returned yet. What’s up?” Uncle Chen replied.

“Well…” Yang Xueli proceeded to introduce Lin Lei’s situation.

After hearing her account, Uncle Chen approached Lin Lei, gave him a thorough once-over, then spoke, “Hello, I’m Chen Haonan, one of the leaders here at Oxhead Mountain camp. If you have something to discuss, talk to me.”

“Pfft~! Ahem! So you’re Brother Haonan—I've heard so much about you!” Lin Lei almost burst out laughing at the name, barely managing to hold it in.

“You know me?” Chen Haonan asked, sounding puzzled.

In this world, there was no such thing as the movie “Young and Dangerous”; naturally, the joke about Brother Haonan didn’t exist.

“Uh… I’ve just heard the name, not exactly met you. Let’s talk about cooperation,” Lin Lei quickly changed the subject. “Actually, it’s more of a transaction. I’ll supply the materials, and you kill zombies for me. Payment will be settled based on the number you eliminate.”