Rotting Land: Survive

Entering the room where the two women were, Old Xu immediately understood why Lei Tong came down feeling dejected.

It turned out the two women were as they were when he left, still lying on the bed unchanged.

"What, haven’t you put the clothes on yet?" Old Xu looked at the clothes at the bedside that hadn’t been touched and asked softly.

But the two women seemed not to have heard, without making a sound.

Maybe they’ve taken me for that jerk too, Old Xu consoled himself, and then explained, "I know you have doubts in your hearts, but please rest assured we are not bad people. We are not with those animals. We have our own community, although small, it is very safe. If you wish, we can take you there. We have women there, and you’ll be respected. Just when leaving, you must remain calm, listen to our coordinated arrangements on the way, and in case of encountering zombies or emergencies, do not panic. Certainly, after saying all this, we won’t force you, whether or not you want to come with us is your decision."

After saying these words, Old Xu intentionally glanced at Tang Xiaoquan.

He knew the young man must be very concerned about his actions, and telling everything at this moment should ease his mind a bit.

Tang Xiaoquan didn’t speak; he too understood Old Xu was laying his cards on the table with him.

But these things don’t really mean much in the end; it would depend on the two women’s decision.

Hopefully, they’ll be as indifferent as the girls at the school, then I can persuade Old Xu to "let go."

Undoubtedly, Tang Xiaoquan’s thoughts were somewhat selfish.

But in the apocalypse, necessary selfishness is a must.

Besides, Tang Xiaoquan’s style of dealing with strangers had changed drastically since the early apocalypse.

Back then, he was hostile towards everyone except Wang Qiang.

But now, as long as it’s beneficial to the team, he’ll accept anyone vetted by Old Xu and others.

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

After waiting for a moment, the two women on the bed stared blankly, without the slightest intention to respond.

To this, Old Xu seemed a bit baffled.

After all, he had experienced a similar situation at school, where he had Demmi to negotiate for him, but now...

"Ahem," masking the awkwardness with a couple of coughs, Old Xu resumed asking, "Have you made up your minds? Deciding to stay or come with us?"

Nearly 2 minutes of silence ensued, leaving Old Xu truly puzzled.

"If you are willing, please put on your clothes. I’ll give you 5 minutes. If done within 5 minutes, we’ll leave."

Having no choice, Old Xu could only make a final ultimatum.

All said and done, he was a team leader; he had to ensure the safety of those around him.

Thus, he couldn’t linger in this place for long.

After this, Old Xu took Tang Xiaoquan outside to wait.

A second, 10 seconds, 2 minutes, time drifted like sand through fingers.

Old Xu sometimes found himself ridiculous.

Indeed! He was rather ridiculous.

Thinking in this cold apocalypse where everyone was wary of others, a person like him who kindly saved others truly was an anomaly.

And now, those he attempted to save were so "ungracious," even possibly equating him to those thugs like the man with earrings.

Such an outcome, how could it not evoke a sigh?

With a look at his wristwatch, the 5 minutes countdown was just up.

Old Xu sighed softly and went inside, the two women still in the same posture.

Being as it was, Old Xu found himself helpless: "Alright, I respect your decision. I will leave some necessary supplies for you. As for those thugs, I’ll try my best to deal with them for you."

Pausing his words, Old Xu pondered and eventually shook his head: "Alright, take care... Good luck!"

Old Xu wasn’t willing to predict the women’s future, but in the apocalypse, the fate of two mentally devastated weak women is conceivable.

Hopefully, you won’t repeat misfortune, alas...

What needed to be done had been done, what needed to be said had been said, Old Xu tried his best, though the outcome was less than ideal.

But Tang Xiaoquan was relieved by the women’s lack of response; he patted Old Xu on the shoulder and casually comforted: "Perhaps staying behind is their kind of release."

Old Xu chuckled softly, waving a hand: "Let’s go! We should almost leave too."

Returning downstairs, upon seeing Old Xu come back, Lei Tong immediately inquired: "Captain, how about it, are they..."

"They... aren’t coming with us."

"Oh, I see." Without much surprise, Lei Tong wasn’t astonished at Old Xu’s reply due to the two women’s "economy of words."

After answering Lei Tong’s question, Old Xu approached the man with earrings.

The return of the Demon God made his recently calmed mood tense again.

"Hehe, b-boss, you’re back."

"Send a message to your people, tell them we’re coming. The text should say you’ve already arrived home, that there’s two people coming to help you whom you agree to let join them."

Undoubtedly, a sudden venture would surely arouse skepticism from the remaining thugs.

After all, their team leader isn’t the man with earrings, so reporting matters is basic.

Old Xu doesn’t want to recklessly dash to the meeting point, only to end up shot dead.

So, notifying them in advance and probing their stance serves as a precautionary measure for the upcoming actions.

Old Xu spoke, and the man with earrings dared not resist. After carefully choosing his words, he slowly tapped out each word on his device.

Finally, he handed it to Old Xu for review before pressing send.

Approximately 7 or 8 minutes later, a reply returned from the other side.

Honestly, Old Xu was curious about this so-called "Bluetooth" network.

Firstly, the mastermind behind it isn’t simple, likely possessing high technical skills.

Secondly, managing such a thing probably isn’t achievable by one or two people alone.

Not to mention, the mere distribution of these notes already suggests being labor-intensive.

Unfortunately, more important tasks required resolution now, leaving Old Xu no time for inquiries.

Only after completing outside missions could he consult the "China" brothers for research.

"What did they say?"

"Oh, they replied to have the two of you come over."

"Alright, tell them you’re setting it up now."

"Yes!" Almost instinctively agreeing, the man with earrings was more compliant with Old Xu’s orders than Lei Tong or Hua Biao.

No choice, the other party held his life.

After inputting the text, waiting a while, no new instructions came from the remaining thugs.

With this, Old Xu instructed Luo Baochun outside to leave some food supplies for the two women upstairs, then called everyone to depart. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian.com with recommendation or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)