Chapter Eight: Densen's Gift

"Cooperation? Between us?" Deng Sen was incredulous. Just a moment ago, these people were his enemies; now, they were proposing a partnership. "I'm sorry, but after everything that has happened, I have no intention of participating in any war-related activities. Besides, I don't think I have any value left for you."

In the past few hours, Deng Sen had endured too much. The string of defeats had sobered him from the madness of his ambition. He had once laughably believed that the resources at his disposal would lead him and Jianglu down a path entirely different from others, but in the eyes of these professionals, what he possessed was nothing more than a pile of oversized toys.

Furthermore, beyond the conquest of other survivors, Deng Sen was far more worried about the friends he had left behind at the Jianglu Machinery Plant. Deng Lei had warned him more than once not to do this, yet he had insisted on his own way, taking all his assets out to wage this so-called war. The result was a crushing defeat that had turned the Jianglu Machinery Plant into an undefended, isolated island.

"I think you might have misunderstood," Zhao Qiang said with a smile, clearly aware that Deng Sen was still full of suspicion. Looking at it from another perspective, if one had launched a military campaign to conquer someone, only to be defeated and taken prisoner, and then the victor proposed cooperation, Zhao Qiang knew he would have assumed the intent was the same as his own—to launch another war against a different survivor camp.

"How about this? I'll take you for a tour. Perhaps that will clear up the misunderstandings between us." Zhao Qiang extended his hand in a friendly gesture and pulled Deng Sen up from the bed.

A group of children was curiously surrounding the tanks Deng Sen had brought. The mischievous little Zhang Yu had even climbed onto a tank turret, his face beaming with an innocent, carefree smile. Seeing Zhao Qiang approach, the boy jumped down and, skipping ahead of the other children, dove into Zhao Qiang's arms.

"See these children?" Zhao Qiang walked forward, holding the boy, while Deng Sen followed in silence. "They are our hope—the hope of humanity. I feel fortunate that in this world, we still possess such a luxury as hope."

Everyone who passed by Zhao Qiang greeted him with a kind smile, as if nothing had happened just a few hours ago. Deng Sen was very familiar with this feeling; back at Jianglu, he had enjoyed the same treatment among his own people.

Zhao Qiang walked on, occasionally pulling snacks from his pockets to make the little boy giggle. "Do you know? Before you launched this attack, we had already prepared a comprehensive contingency plan. That was one of the reasons for your failure."

Deng Sen began to wonder. He didn't understand why Zhao Qiang wanted him to see these things. To him, what he saw every day at Jianglu looked similar, but he knew Zhao Qiang would soon unravel the mystery for him.

"Thousands of years of civilization, thousands of years of war—we have seen too much conflict. Now, we have a common enemy: the zombies out there. They don't care if we kill each other; they are simply waiting, waiting for the last human to disappear from the earth, provided we keep slaughtering one another."

"Believe me, we do not want war, but we fear no form of it." After walking through most of the prison, Zhao Qiang handed the now-sleeping boy to his mother. He turned to face a bewildered Deng Sen and said, "If it weren't for Deng Lei, who told me everything about you, I think I would have finished you off without hesitation. Do you realize that because of your impulsiveness, the Jianglu Machinery Plant suffered the most severe zombie attack in its history?"

Zhao Qiang was not lying. Deng Sen had taken every armored vehicle capable of moving from the plant, leaving those who remained behind at Jianglu with no way to mount an effective defense. After the distress signal was sent, the only ones with the capability to rescue them happened to be the very target of Deng Sen's ambition: the Changsha Prison.

"What?" Hearing this, Deng Sen stared at Zhao Qiang, stunned, then roared, "That's impossible! If you have any grievances, take them out on me, don't hurt them! They are innocent!" The Jianglu Machinery Plant had not suffered a large-scale zombie attack for a long time, and the fact that the zombies chose the exact moment he left to attack seemed illogical. The only thing Deng Sen could think of was retaliation from Zhao Qiang's side. He was now filled with immense anger and pain; his family and friends were paying the price for his mistakes, and he was filled with deep, gut-wrenching regret.

Zhao Qiang ignored the anger. "The zombies had planned this attack for a long time; they launched it as soon as you and your troops departed."

"Impossible!" Deng Sen countered. "They have no consciousness. They couldn't have executed such a maneuver." Deng Sen had always believed that zombies lacked the awareness to carry out such intelligent actions.

"Based on my experience, there must be at least one 'Wise One' near the Jianglu Machinery Plant. As long as it is there, everything is possible," Zhao Qiang said calmly.

"Then why are we standing here doing nothing?" Deng Sen realized that Zhao Qiang had no reason to lie to him.

Zhao Qiang continued, "We have already dispatched our best soldiers, and they are now on their way back."

Deng Sen, who had been slumped on the ground, felt a spark of hope reignite in his eyes. He scrambled to his feet and asked, "How is Jianglu?"

"I can only say that you are very lucky," Zhao Qiang softened his tone. "By the time we arrived, the damage caused by the zombies was still within manageable limits. Your people are now with our soldiers. As for the Jianglu Machinery Plant, I am afraid it is no longer suitable for living."

Hearing this, Deng Sen finally let out a sigh of relief. It didn't matter if the plant was gone; the important thing was that the people were safe. The other side had returned good for evil, not only failing to hold him accountable for invading their home but also reaching out to help when his loved ones needed it most. It seemed he had truly misunderstood them; he had assumed they were just like him.

"So, about the cooperation?" Deng Sen asked. He did not doubt Zhao Qiang's words, for as they spoke, a long convoy was slowly driving through the prison gates, and the people jumping out of the vehicles were all familiar faces.

"We plan to establish a Survivor Alliance," Zhao Qiang said. "There are too many survivors who need help, and we cannot help everyone on our own. Therefore, establishing a reliable alliance will be very beneficial for our future."

Deng Sen's eyes brightened, then dimmed again. "Forget it. We lost our factory; it's too late for anything."

"What do you mean, 'forget it'? Tell me more." Zhao Qiang detected a deeper meaning in Deng Sen's words.