Chapter 919 - 904
Climbing down to the bottom of the well, it was as pitch dark as always. After confirming safety, Old Xu gestured to Derek at the top to come down.
Derek quickly followed, and after both of them were in the well, Old Xu entrusted his back to Derek.
This was a significant change. If Derek understood the style of Huaxia soldiers, he should recognize that Old Xu’s action was a sign of trust.
The bottom of the well was still as foul-smelling as before, each step was either deep or shallow. Moreover, due to the zombie attack on the way here, Old Xu had to remain vigilant against any crisis. Therefore, their speed was repeatedly slowed down, barely faster than a turtle’s crawl.
But fortunately, they didn’t encounter any further zombie attacks until they reached the entrance.
This undoubtedly boosted their morale. Old Xu was always worried about issues arising in the well passage because if that happened, it would mean their only way in and out of the campus would be blocked, making rescue impossible.
Upon successfully climbing out of the well passage, as soon as Old Xu poked his head out, Lin Junfu, who was on duty, immediately woke up Tang Xiaoquan and others who were dozing in the car.
With a drowsy haze, Tang Xiaoquan slowly rose from the cushion. Last night, in order to prevent a zombie attack, the people in both cars didn’t sleep at all.
They had just started dozing off in the morning, only to be rudely awakened by Old Lin’s urgent shout.
"Did the commander return?" Hua Biao poked out his head from the back of the car. As a member of the Sharp Blade Company, missing sleep for a day or two was nothing.
In their last week of hell week at the training camp, they had similar experiences. Back then, the instructors would hunt you through the woods in various ways, with no food, no water, no backup, only the survival skills learned before and the will to survive.
Old Lin didn’t respond, instead, he handed over the binoculars to Hua Biao.
Taking the binoculars, Hua Biao looked through them and indeed saw at the target location, Old Xu was in a half-squat position.
Hua Biao knew that was a standard alert posture, then Derek’s figure appeared in the lens, and Hua Biao instinctively blurted, "Derek’s out."
Five minutes later, emerging from the well passage, the journeying Old Xu and Derek successfully rejoined the main group. After everyone gathered, there was inevitably some small talk. Old Lin was the first to ask with concern, "Old Xu, Derek, what happened to your faces...?"
It was only after Old Lin’s reminder that everyone noticed Xu and Derek both had bruises on their faces. Xu Renjie waved it off and said nonchalantly, "Got bitten by those damn bastards a few times!"
"How about it, are you alright?"
"Heh, if those little bastards were a problem, I wouldn’t be staying with the Sharp Blade Company anymore." Old Xu’s calm attitude assured everyone.
Tang Xiaoquan took out bread and a can of food he had prepared in advance, handing them to Old Xu, indicating, "Old Xu, hurry up and eat something. You probably didn’t eat much yesterday."
"Haha, nothing ever troubles you, Xiao Tang!" Xu Renjie laughed heartily, showing no sign of just having returned from enemy territory, his calm demeanor left Derek astonished.
Unaware of the young man’s thoughts, Old Xu casually divided the supplies he had and gave some to Derek, then continued, "I really am a bit hungry, to be honest."
The subtle actions didn’t escape Tang Xiaoquan’s notice. His intention was to hand the supplies to Old Xu and emphatically said, "Old Xu, you hurry and eat something." His aim was to observe Old Xu’s reaction.
If Old Xu shared the supplies with Derek, it meant that this young man had gained Old Xu’s approval;
If not, it indicated that there was an issue with Derek, at least in some aspects, there was still a distance between him and Old Xu.
It’s a psychological test, because a person’s instinctive reaction often reveals their thoughts.
Old Xu’s immediate act of sharing supplies with Derek nearly instantly confirmed to Tang Xiaoquan that Derek had gained Old Xu’s trust over the last 20-plus hours.
As such, there was no longer a need to avoid certain topics with Derek around.
With this in mind, Tang Xiaoquan began questioning, having thought through many things thoroughly last night, summarizing all the details he had previously overlooked due to the rush. So...
"What about it, Old Xu, did you see Zhao Lina?"
This was undoubtedly the issue everyone was most concerned about and the highlight of this mission.
"Met her!"
"Her condition..." Tang Xiaoquan intentionally elongated the tone, probing for more information.
"Not very good, long-term malnutrition from lack of food, she had a fever when I arrived. She’s slightly better now."
Hearing this, the rescue team members who had been cheered by Old Xu’s previous sentence immediately turned serious, and the atmosphere became heavy.
"Well... what about other aspects?" Tang Xiaoquan was unsure how to express himself, but Old Xu, being a smart person, immediately understood Tang Xiaoquan’s intention and replied solemnly, "No, Zhao Lina hasn’t been defiled by those bastards, but the other girls... sigh!"
Thinking of what he witnessed last night, Old Xu angrily punched his thigh. His comrades like Hua Biao, who had shared life and death moments with him, understood their commander’s feelings very well.
It’s important to know that in the enemy-occupied zone, they often encountered similar incidents. But this time, on their own land, seeing their own women being violated by foreigners, putting aside a man’s responsibility, the national humiliation alone was enough to make any Huaxia soldier furious!
To avoid affecting everyone’s mood, Old Xu quickly adjusted his state of mind, turning to slap Derek on the shoulder, "Little Zhao being able to preserve her innocence was largely due to you risking your life for her. Little Zhao, your effort is noted, and I thank you on behalf of Old Zhao and all our Survivor Team members for everything you did for Lina. Rest assured that those damn bastards will get what they deserve!!"
His words were firm, Old Xu’s eyes filled with fury.
Tang Xiaoquan was very familiar with the anger Old Xu emitted at this moment, recalling the last time he saw this look was when Luo Yi and others were missing.
Undoubtedly, Tang Xiaoquan could almost foresee the impending doom of these "Japanese" bastards. Yet, how to perfectly complete the rescue without harm still posed many challenges.
The suddenly redirected focus by Old Xu towards Derek caught him somewhat off guard as he was busy eating, causing Derek to nervously swallow his food and respond, "It, it was nothing, it’s, it’s what I should do."
Saying this, Derek felt somewhat ashamed internally because if it weren’t for Demmi’s insistence, Derek hadn’t planned to save Zhao Lina.
After all, saving Demmi was because she was his woman, and he couldn’t stand watching his own woman being abused by others. But Zhao Lina... for an unrelated outsider, to bear more risk, was undoubtedly a burden for Derek back then.
However, now he felt fortunate about his previous decision and finally understood a proverb from Huaxia Country, "What goes around, comes around." (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your votes, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)