In the past, Zhou Zheng would have been indignant and walked away in a huff. But the Zhou Zheng of today is no longer the same as before.

As a man, who wouldn't yearn for and aspire to handle firearms? Before crossing over, Zhou Zheng was just an ordinary person, with a modest family fortune that barely placed him in the lower middle class—a typical homebody with no opportunity to come into contact with guns.

Now, it's different. In training, he's handled a wide array of firearms, probably over a hundred different types.

"Great!"

Zhou Zheng's expression returned to normal, a look of excitement appearing on his face.

"Uh!" Yan Boxun hadn't expected Zhou Zheng to agree, and this unusual scene left him stunned. It wasn't just him; even those training alongside them were somewhat surprised. No matter how good one was at shooting, it was still considered inferior to martial arts. How could the son of a leader switch to practicing with guns?

Zhou An and Lan Xi's expressions changed, wanting to stop Zhou Zheng, but ultimately, they just moved their lips without taking action, recalling Zhou Zheng's situation.

The firearms on the training ground were strictly prohibited from being used without approval.

Zhou Zheng, however, didn't care about this. He picked up an automatic rifle from the weapon rack and began to examine it with great interest, his hands constantly caressing it. It was his first time being so close to such a standard weapon. With his limited knowledge, he recognized it as a Type 95 automatic rifle.

"A Type 95, huh?"

The gun was somewhat old, likely from quite some time ago.

The previous owner also played with guns, but his skills were terrible. Using the previous owner's memories, Zhou Zheng fiddled with it a bit, then put it down, aimed at a distant target, but didn't fire. He placed the gun back where it belonged, turned around, and left with his hands behind his back.

"Zhou An, Lan Xi, let's go back."

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Yan Boxun was a bit puzzled. How was today's Young Master Zhou so different from before?

***

After wandering around the Siege City, they returned to the courtyard, and it was already noon.

After lunch, Zhou Zheng didn't go anywhere, staying in his room to rest.

By evening, Zhou Hongqiang sent a servant over.

"Young Master, the Master wants you to come over."

Zhou Zheng got up from the bed, washed up briefly, and then followed the servant downstairs.

Downstairs, the large dining table was filled with dishes, mainly meat. In this post-apocalyptic New World, it was considered a very luxurious meal.

In front of the dining table, Zhou Hongqiang was already seated, holding chopsticks. To Zhou Zheng's surprise, Yu Jianzhong and Yan Chuan were also present. Seeing Zhou Zheng come down, Zhou Hongqiang frowned slightly, then relaxed, nodding with his chopsticks, saying, "Greet your Uncle Yu and Uncle Yan."

"Hello, Uncle Yu, Uncle Yan!"

Zhou Zheng stood on the stairs, somewhat at a loss. Generally, when the three major figures of the Siege City gathered, it was definitely to discuss something important. Why would they call him?

After all, it wasn't an official institution. Decisions on some matters in the Siege City were made quite casually. Things Zhou Hongqiang decided were rarely opposed. Comparing the Siege City to Zhou Hongqiang's private property might be a bit much, but it wasn't far off. Many decisions were often made at the dining table at home.

"Aren't you going to come over and sit?"

Zhou Hongqiang's face showed a bit of displeasure as he snorted at Zhou Zheng.

Yu Jianzhong and Yan Chuan were somewhat surprised. Zhou Zheng was usually not allowed to appear in such settings. But neither of them said anything, only nodding slightly at Zhou Zheng.

Zhou Zheng came over and sat down. The servant brought a new set of bowls and chopsticks and served a bowl of rice.

The atmosphere at the dining table wasn't very good, and Zhou Zheng could only eat his meal cautiously.

After a while, halfway through the meal, Zhou Hongqiang slowed down, took a sip of red wine, and said, "Jianzhong, during this period, you'll need to handle more. From the information, the surrounding area isn't very peaceful. Some Toxic Corpses have appeared within the range of the Siege City, which isn't a good thing. I need to take people to confirm it."

Yu Jianzhong nodded and said, "Leader, this information must be taken seriously."

Last year, there was an attack by Toxic Corpses. A horde of thousands of Toxic Corpses appeared out of nowhere, and the Siege City paid a heavy price to finally eliminate them.

The nearest old city to the Siege City is over twenty kilometers away, and Toxic Corpses generally don't travel such distances.

Since the scouts sent out brought back this information, it means the Toxic Corpses have entered the alert zone of the Siege City, and it must be taken seriously.

Compared to Mutant Beasts, although they are powerful, people would rather face them than Toxic Corpses. They often move in large groups, in vast numbers, with no sense of fear, possessing near-immortal bodies, ignoring all attacks and advancing relentlessly towards their target.

"Should we have the people in the fields withdraw?"

It was Yan Chuan who spoke, responsible for the food supply.

Zhou Hongqiang hesitated for a moment, then shook his head, "No need. The Toxic Corpses move slowly and won't arrive in the short term. Let them continue; we can't afford to run out of food."

Yan Chuan replied, "Understood, Leader!"

Watching them converse, Zhou Zheng looked at Zhou Hongqiang, but the data he got was blank. Not just Zhou Hongqiang, even Yu Jianzhong and Yan Chuan were blank, beyond what Zhou Zheng could discern.

Zhou Zheng frowned. In his memory, this Yan Chuan was only a Second-Stage Martial Artist, but now it showed blank, which was unusual.

"Zheng'er, what's wrong? Don't you like the taste of these dishes?" Zhou Hongqiang asked.

"No, Father, they taste great," Zhou Zheng replied.

Now Zhou Zheng understood Zhou Hongqiang's intention. Even if Zhou Zheng couldn't become a powerful martial artist, he might become someone with excellent management skills. By involving Zhou Zheng now, he was trying to cultivate Zhou Zheng's ability to be a leader and what kind of decisiveness he should possess.

It wasn't just about the Toxic Corpses; many matters of the Siege City were resolved at this dining table.

Initially, Zhou Zheng was somewhat interested, but later, he became indifferent to what they were discussing, focusing instead on the feast before him.

In this post-apocalyptic New World, Mutant Beasts vary in strength. The strong ones are avoided by humans, while the weak ones become a delicacy on the dining table. Compared to the chicken, duck, and fish of the past, the taste of beast meat is more delicious, with a stronger texture, making it a rare delicacy.

Even more precious is the fact that Mutant Beasts contain something called Star Crystals, which can be used to absorb Star Power during cultivation, speeding up the process.

Unfortunately, only Mutant Beasts of at least the third tier produce these Star Crystals, and they aren't easy to obtain.

***

Dinner lasted for over an hour before it ended.

With Zhou Hongqiang's permission, Zhou Zheng didn't linger and returned to his room early.

Lying on the bed, Zhou Zheng pondered.

Since the Rogue character had crossed over with him, there must be something he could utilize. Zhou Zheng also noticed the experience required for leveling up under his attributes. Perhaps Toxic Corpses and Mutant Beasts could provide experience? This was just Zhou Zheng's guess, but he decided to give it a try.

Outside the Siege City was full of dangers, especially with the recent movements of the Toxic Corpses. Zhou Zheng didn't know if he would be allowed to go out.

In his memory, except for laborers and martial artists working outside, ordinary people needed to apply to leave the city.

---

Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan