Of course, if he could learn how to make space rings from Xu Nuo, that would be even more perfect, but Park Su also knew that such a skill would probably not be taught freely by Xu Nuo.
One ring had already put him in Xu Nuo's debt for countless meals, not to mention how long he'd have to support Xu Nuo. If Xu Nuo were to teach him how to make rings, what would Xu Nuo ask for in return?
However, if Xu Nuo was willing to teach him, even if it meant a hefty exchange, Park Su would probably agree without hesitation. After all, the price of space rings in the apocalypse was eye-watering, but he also knew that if he were Xu Nuo, he wouldn't share this technique lightly.
Xu Nuo had nothing much to pack since everything he needed was already in his space ring. He followed Park Su out empty-handed, only to hear the noise of zombies outside the moment they opened the door.
Park Su remembered the fight with zombies he had the day before, leaving a lot of blood and decayed corpses outside, which naturally attracted more zombies. The number of zombies in the city was increasing, and many were moving towards the suburbs.
What surprised him was that not a single zombie had tried to break into their yard; it was unusually quiet, which is why he had forgotten about it. He recalled Xu Nuo's words from the night before and turned to him, "This is what you meant by your arrangement?"
Xu Nuo raised an eyebrow, "I've always had confidence in my talismans. Rest assured, they won't detect our scent from outside unless you make a lot of noise."
Park Su's heart skipped a beat at this. If there really were such effective tools, every base would want a few to save themselves from trouble when hordes of zombies approached. No wonder Xu Nuo was so popular among the bases in the apocalypse. Should he try to swindle a couple for his own protection?
Seeing Park Su's excited and thoughtful expression, Xu Nuo burst his bubble, "However, the spiritual energy of this talisman is about to dissipate. You'd better clean up outside the yard, or once its energy is gone, and they discover this door, we'll be in more danger with the number of zombies out there."
Xu Nuo wasn't sure how much his talismans could block the zombies' detection anymore, as these seemed more formidable than the ones he saw at the supermarket entrance. He wondered if his talismans would still work if zombies grew even stronger.
Understanding Xu Nuo's implication, Park Su realized the talisman might only work against lower-level zombies, and he grumbled, "Why didn't you say that earlier? But if you could increase your level and infuse more spiritual energy into the talismans, could they block higher-level zombies?"
Park Su was just speculating since he knew nothing about Taoism. As he spoke, he used his Green Ivy to send out vines to check outside, and what he saw made him jump in shock.
There were far more zombies gathered outside than he had imagined, some feeding on the corpses from the previous night, others wandering, searching for food. Park Su estimated there were even more than those who attacked him last night.
Some zombies had moved to other houses, banging on doors, and there were quite a few of them since only their place was shielded, not the others. Zombies with crystals could easily detect the presence of living beings through sound and scent.
He had reason to believe that some villagers must have met their doom while he was asleep. Swallowing hard, he turned to Xu Nuo, "Are you sure this situation is better than last night? Do you know how many there are out there? I roughly counted, and it's probably over seventy. Are you sure we can handle this?"
Xu Nuo shrugged it off, "Who says these zombies are only our responsibility? What are these villagers living for if not to scheme against us for our resources, yet not lift a finger to kill zombies? You should know, no matter how long you look after them, they won't necessarily thank you for clearing the zombies around them."
Park Su fell silent, unsure how to respond, and Xu Nuo continued, "You must have noticed how many were watching us from their homes yesterday. They know how much resources we have now.
It's been quite some time since last night, and these zombies didn't come in groups; they came one by one or in small batches. If they really wanted these resources, with no one stopping them from taking what was left outside, why didn't they act?
If they were willing, with their numbers, killing a few zombies to take some resources shouldn't be hard, and it wouldn't have led to this situation. But when zombies arrived, they did nothing, just let them wander at our doorstep. Don't you see what they're planning?"
Park Su's eyes darkened; even without Xu Nuo's explanation, he understood their intentions. These people were hoping they would handle the zombies.
The best outcome for them would be if Park Su and Xu Nuo were killed by the zombies, leaving their resources up for grabs. Given Park Su's performance last night, they knew he could handle most of the zombies, and with their help, they could finish off the rest, securing all the resources for themselves. Essentially, they were hoping to gain without risking much.
And even if Park Su and Xu Nuo managed to deal with all the zombies, the effort would exhaust them, giving the villagers a chance to attack and take over their house and resources.
Park Su gave a bitter smile; this was human nature, especially in the apocalypse.
He turned to Xu Nuo, "So what's your plan? We can't just ignore it, can we? Didn't you just say the talisman's spiritual power is about to run out? We need to go out for supplies too, don't we? Besides, it was my fault for not cleaning up outside yesterday, attracting so many zombies."
Xu Nuo raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by Park Su's tendency to take blame upon himself, "I didn't say we'd ignore it. Not doing anything for so long is a lesson for them.
We'll deal with the ones at our doorstep first. As for those people, we won't save them for free. Since they want to scheme against us, we can't let them off easily. We need to make them pay a price so they don't think we're easy targets, right?"
Park Su opened his mouth to protest but then thought of the woman they saved at the supermarket, and his objections died in his throat.
He knew Xu Nuo was right. Having lived through the apocalypse for so long, he understood that some people are worth saving because they'd be grateful and might even repay the favor one day.
Others, however, should not be saved because they wouldn't appreciate it, might even feel entitled, and one day, their ingratitude could turn into a blade in your back. Sun Muyang was the prime example of such a person, and Park Su had learned his lesson the hard way.
Xu Nuo had expected some opposition from Park Su given his personality, but seeing him only open his mouth to then accept the plan, Xu Nuo's lips slightly curved upwards. Indeed, although Park Su could be too soft-hearted and easily fooled at times, he still listened and had some discernment, not a hopeless case after all.
With this thought, he coldly remarked, "Let's go, aren't we supposed to save those people? If we keep dragging this out, more zombies will gather here until it's too much for even us to handle."
With that, he reached out to open the door. Park Su was startled; he wasn't prepared at all. He quickly gathered his wood element ability in his palm and released his Green Ivy, getting into a combat stance.
Xu Nuo was well aware of Park Su's movements behind him. After witnessing Park Su's abilities the night before, he recognized that Park Su was more suited for stealth or assassination-style attacks. He turned back to Park Su, "Don't worry too much, you should trust my strength. All you need to do is stay behind me and strike when necessary." With that, he tore off the talisman from the door.