Rotting Land: Survive

The final floor, upon reaching it, both Lei Tong and Old Xu came to an abrupt halt.

Despair! The brink of death!

As far as the eye could see, in the corridor, five rooms on each side, still showed no signs of being opened, just like the bottom floor.

Lei Tong stepped forward, tugging at each door handle, and by the time he reached the last one, he shook it furiously until Old Xu called his name from behind, finally halting his actions.

"What do we do? Commander! There’s nowhere left to hide; we can only fight them!"

Yes, what should we do? Old Xu’s brows furrowed tightly together.

The current situation was incredibly unfavorable for him and Lei Tong.

They were outnumbered and under-equipped compared to the ruffians below.

Even if they managed to deal with the pursuing ruffians, how would they handle the zombies that would follow?

Meanwhile, the survivors a hundred meters away were also discussing strategies.

Just as Tang Xiaoquan was worried about persuading Hua Biao to stop the idea of rushing forward for support, unexpectedly, Old Xu and Lei Tong had just turned into the building.

Taking this opportunity, Tang Xiaoquan’s words temporarily calmed Hua Biao’s emotions.

But barely a few minutes had passed before the zombies that had broken through doors and followed made the atmosphere in the second survivor vehicle tense again.

"Xiao Tang, what else is there to say? Look at the situation over there, Old Xu and Lei Tong’s retreat is blocked. If we don’t go to help, they’ll die in there!"

Of course, Tang Xiaoquan understood Hua Biao’s worries.

But the problem was, how could so few of them rescue them?

Charge in? Perhaps they could carve a path, but after reuniting with Old Xu and Lei Tong, how could they break out of the building again?

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Let’s not forget, this is a ruined city, where the zombies are in overwhelming numbers.

For every one you kill, two more will take its place. The longer you delay, the more zombies will gather.

Looking into Hua Biao’s almost devouring eyes, Tang Xiaoquan felt a bit helpless.

He knew opposing the rescue opportunity at this critical juncture would lead to scorn from the brothers.

But given the reality, Tang Xiaoquan had no choice but to persevere with a firm stance: "Hua Biao, I understand what you’re saying, but the premise of our rescue must first be feasible. Look over there, see the number of zombies. Let’s not mention going into the building to save them, can you believe we can handle the zombies surrounding the building with just our people?"

"Handle it, why can’t we handle it? If you’re scared, stay in the car, I’ll go by myself!"

Hua Biao’s words were certainly hurtful, and Tang Xiaoquan felt a tinge of anger rising.

But considering the bigger picture, he took a couple of deep breaths, calmed himself, and retorted: "Hua Biao, we’re all brothers, Old Xu and Lei Tong have saved my life! Although I haven’t been with them as long as you, I am just as worried about them. However, charging in now is practically suicidal! I know you’re not afraid to die, but if you and I both die, then who will Old Xu rely on? You say you can fight, barge in — then tell me how you plan to do it. If you can lay it out, I, Tang Xiaoquan, will not stop you, and I’ll be the first to rush and fight alongside you!"

Since he couldn’t convince him, he decided to let him convince him instead, smartly shifting strategies. Anyone could see Hua Biao’s rash words were merely the product of being hot-headed, with no practical feasibility.

He wanted to turn passive into active; this was what Tang Xiaoquan aimed to achieve as he solemnly stared at Hua Biao once he finished speaking.

"I, I, I, what else can I do, naturally grab whatever we have! We have knives and guns, why can’t we fight? I used to go behind enemy lines with thousands of men, and now you’re saying I can’t get into a single building?" Hua Biao’s eyes were bloodshot, very dissatisfied with Tang Xiaoquan’s questioning.

"Ha!" Tang Xiaoquan coldly laughed, shaking his head: "Hua Biao, I don’t doubt your past exploits, and I believe you navigated enemy lines fluently. But don’t forget, what you dealt with before were thinking enemies. Now we face tireless, flesh-eating, brainless zombies. You say we have knives, guns, that we can hack, we can kill. But how many bullets do you have? How many zombies can you cut down by yourself? Look at the base number of zombies there — can we really clear them with what we hold?"

"Nonsense, so according to you, we just sit in the car and do nothing?! Can we settle the zombies that way?" Hua Biao retorted sharply, face growing increasingly unpleasant.

"Of course not! I’m not saying we sit here waiting to die, just hoping you’ll see reality for what it is! Even rescuing needs a plan, recklessly rushing in dooms us all! If we’re all doomed, we won’t even mention Old Xu. What about the brothers back home? If we don’t return for long, what would they think? Don’t forget we came out to gather supplies, without which chaos will ensue back home."

Mentioning the base, Tang Xiaoquan stood firm.

"Heh, heh, heh, good, you sure can talk! If that’s your take, what do you suggest we do!?"

Though Hua Biao wasn’t sincerely asking for advice, it gave Tang Xiaoquan the chance to explain.

Thinking, Tang Xiaoquan cautiously said: "Old Xu and Lei Tong went into that building, surely with their plans in mind. They probably realized competing in the streets with zombies and ruffians is too much of a loss, hence deciding to use the building as a hideout. Indeed, entering the building blocked their escape route. But every situation has two sides; once inside, Old Xu and Lei Tong would undoubtedly find a room to hide quickly. Those ruffians may want to search, but it will take time. In our current scenario, time is precious, so as long as Old Xu and Lei Tong find safety in a room, the ruffians can then be left to the zombies that follow."

"Right, the ruffians left to zombies, but what about Old Xu and Lei Tong? They still can’t escape, right?"

"Yes, they can’t escape, but at least they’re safe, aren’t they? Compared to forcibly rescuing now, don’t you think this situation I’m proposing is the best?"

This truly silenced Hua Biao, but that wasn’t Tang Xiaoquan’s intention. He understood Hua Biao’s frenzy was entirely due to his worry for Old Xu inside.

So...

"Hua Biao, no one here knows Old Xu’s capabilities better than you. Relax, once he settles down, he will definitely find a way to contact us. For now, we just stand guard here, and as for everything else, we wait for a signal from Old Xu’s side."