Rotting Land: Survive

It’s a person! Moreover, a living person!

The black shadow crouched low, sneaking under the cover of night, with a steel blade in hand gleaming with a chilling glow.

Seeing this scene, Tang Xiaoquan subconsciously pinched his arm to confirm he wasn’t experiencing a fatigue-induced hallucination.

Since it wasn’t a hallucination, the question arose.

When did the enemy discover our base? Was it from the start, tailing us all the way, or did they just happen to find us today?

If they had been tailing us from the start, it means the enemy planned this attack, possibly He Lei, Spring Xiu, and the gang.

Moreover, having discovered one person, does the enemy have other accomplices hidden in the shadows?

Thinking about the possibility of a sudden attack by the opponent, Tang Xiaoquan couldn’t help but tense up.

There was no doubt that judging by the silent hand-held radio, it seemed the entire team, aside from himself, was unaware of the situation.

No wonder, without the unusual behavior of "Coal Ball" as a reminder, Tang Xiaoquan probably wouldn’t have caught this mouse sneaking into the village.

Not daring to delay, Tang Xiaoquan slowly moved back into the house, picked up the hand-held radio from the table, and pressed the call button: "Old Xu, Old Xu, please answer if you receive! Please answer! Over!"

"Sizzle!" A burst of static pulled Old Xu out of his reverie as he was burying his head in writing.

Hearing Tang Xiaoquan’s slightly urgent low voice, Old Xu’s brows furrowed instinctively.

Sensing something amiss, he quickly put down the paper money, grabbed the radio, and replied: "Xiao Tang, Xiao Tang, this is Old Xu. What’s up? Over!"

"There’s a mouse in the village! There’s a mouse in the village! Over!"

What! Upon hearing "mouse," Old Xu immediately became tense.

The "mouse" here was obviously not a conventional rodent, so Xu Renjie promptly asked, "How many, and where? Over!"

"Exact number is unclear, I’ve found only one for now, positioned 50 meters across from the house I’m in! Over!"

"Are they armed? Over!"

"A cleaver, a backpack, the rest is currently unclear! Over!"

Hearing the report, Xu Renjie grew silent for a few seconds. Undoubtedly, this person entering the village with a blade was certainly not here for friendly negotiations: "Listen, Xiao Tang, stay in the house and watch over Wei Yang, Fangfang, and the others. I’ll handle this matter! Over!"

"Roger! Over!"

Since Old Xu gave the order, Tang Xiaoquan naturally complied.

He knew when it came to nighttime raids, the Sharp Blade Company soldiers were the best, so the outside matters were best left to them.

He follows Old Xu’s instructions by staying in the house, maintaining his guard, and avoiding rashly charging out where hidden foes might pick them off one by one.

After all, what you see isn’t necessarily the truth, and nobody knows if this solitary figure in the village is a decoy, just waiting for carelessness before a full trap is sprung.

Luckily, Tang Xiaoquan’s Survivor Team wasn’t something to be trifled with. Leaving aside the bloodshed and turbulence they’ve endured, just a few Sharp Blade Company soldiers were enough to deal with any incoming enemies.

Gripping the radio, Tang Xiaoquan slipped into the inner room, waking Wang Qiang, Zhang Zhicai, and Old Zhao, then quietly briefed them on the situation.

Upon hearing, everyone immediately got up from bed, even Wang Qiang somehow regained his former "courage."

This both pleased and worried Tang Xiaoquan.

He was glad his brother finally regained his spirit;

But worried, fearing Wang Qiang was experiencing "one last lucid moment."

Knowing well that many stimulated patients under special circumstances suddenly become normal.

But such normalcy is often very dangerous, as they’re still under stimulation, and excessive excitement could easily push them toward total collapse.

Tang Xiaoquan certainly didn’t want Wang Qiang rampaging due to unknown reasons, so for safety, he ordered Xiao Zhang and Wang Qiang to stay inside, while he and Old Zhao took their blades to the front.

"Are we not waking up Wei Yang and the others?" Old Zhao, abruptly awakened, still bore fatigue.

Tang Xiaoquan shook his head: "Not for now! Old Xu and the others outside will handle it, shouldn’t be much of a problem."

Of course, this was Tang Xiaoquan’s ideal scenario; he refrained from waking Wei Yang and others to avoid possibly agitating He Jing.

Similarly, Tang Xiaoquan learned from books, that night is when emotions are most fragile and susceptible.

So sneaking in and waking Wei Yang and others might inadvertently scare He Jing.

If He Jing loses control, the present setup would be fully exposed.

Along with that, Old Xu and other Sharp Blade Company soldiers out on scouting would be endangered.

Similar awakenings occurred in other Survivor Team huts, with the night guards waking their sleeping comrades through radio transmission.

Unbeknownst, a hunting and hunted battle between survivors and villains quietly began.

Yet it seemed this village, cloaked in silence and darkness, was already riddled with peril.

Knife bearers held their knives! Bow shooters held their bows!

Despite unknown villain specifics, survivors equipped with house shelter, facing them head-on, wouldn’t shrink back.

"Have Old Xu and the others set out?"

Wen Quanxin, with a compound bow, crouched beside Hu Xiaodong.

Hu Xiaodong nodded.

"Where are they? Can you see?"

Hu Xiaodong shook his head.

Yet unbeknownst to Hu and Wen, as they failed to perceive, Xu Renjie had already crouched low behind a wall within their view.

Raised a hand, signaling with fingers, and in an instant, a silhouette flashed between buildings.

In preparation for zombie attacks, as per Tang Xiaoquan’s suggestion, the village connected houses with wooden panels.

Thus if any house ended up trapped, people could use these panels to aid and retreat.

Yet Tang Xiaoquan hadn’t anticipated the plan designed against zombies would be useful in human combat.

Li Xiaoxin, like a Spiritual Monkey, ghostly forward, then quickly halted, crouched low, merging seamlessly into the dark night; if not close, walls might seem barren.

After settling, Li Xiaoxin scanned carefully, eventually finding the black shadow Tang Xiaoquan described.

"Ha! Caught you!!" Upon confirming his target, Li Xiaoxin used hand gestures to signal Xu Renjie across.

Receiving the signal, Xu Renjie turned, revealing Hua Biao lying on the ground behind him.

No words were exchanged; intentions relayed through customary hand signals, and grasping the situation, Hua Biao nodded, slipping around the back of the house, vanishing into the night. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, visit m.qidian.com to read.)