Rotting Land: Survive

"Answer the question!!" The icy gaze resembled a hellish specter, causing the man with the earring to involuntarily swallow his saliva.

"Speak!! Is your leader someone else?"

"Yes!" Under the overwhelming pressure of Old Xu, the man with the earring almost instinctively blurted out.

But he quickly added, "I’m not the boss of the team, but my words do hold weight. If you need anything, just speak up, I assure you I’ll accomplish your goals."

"Hmph? Really? Are your words truly useful?"

"Useful, absolutely useful!" Concerning life and death, the man with the earring couldn’t refuse.

"Alright! Useful, right? Then call them all back now!" Tang Xiaoquan’s lips slightly smiled. Undeniably, if he could bring the enemy here, it would be advantageous for both battle safety and initiative.

After all, they had thoroughly inspected the two-story building and found no danger inside or out.

As long as the remaining thugs came, they could take the initiative, setting an ambush to catch them off guard.

Upon hearing Tang Xiaoquan’s demand, the man with the earring, initially confident, visibly paled.

Indeed, he held some authority in the team, but before "that person," his words...

Thinking for a moment, the man with the earring lamented, "Big brother, calling them back might be a bit..."

"Difficult?" Raising his brows, Tang Xiaoquan displayed a harmless smile.

But to the man with the earring, the smile sent chills down his spine.

"No, no, no, I didn’t mean that."

"Then what do you mean?"

"I mean..." A flash of inspiration amidst the life-or-death crisis gave the man with the earring a pretext.

Grasping it like a lifeline, he quickly explained, "Well, big brother, if I call them now, they’ll likely refuse claiming they’re on a mission. Insisting will arouse suspicion, and if something goes wrong, I fear it’ll cause unnecessary trouble for you all."

"Hmph, you sure are considerate. According to you, we’re afraid of your bunch?"

"No, no, no, big brother, please don’t misunderstand me. I’m genuinely worried about stirring up trouble, please don’t..."

"Enough!" Old Xu interrupted the man’s nonsense with a frown.

Thinking for a moment, Old Xu acknowledged that the man’s explanation was indeed a self-preservation excuse, but it held some truth.

If they really demanded them to return, it could raise suspicion.

What started as an initiative could backfire and become a disadvantage due to this demand.

Considering this, Old Xu continued, "Now tell them you encountered a zombie attack at the gas station and were rescued by us. You’re in flight and want to join them. Make sure they give you the location."

Seeing Old Xu’s serious expression, the man with the earring knew he had only one chance.

After brief contemplation, he slowly typed on the keyboard, revised a few times, and finally clicked the send button.

Now was the waiting period for the reply, and silence filled the living room.

Everyone seemed to have agreed to stay quiet until the man’s cellphone beeped.

It’s here!

The sound made the man with the earring shudder.

This text message directly concerned his life or death. With a deep breath, his fingers trembled as he pressed the button; it was his first time realizing that reading a message could be so nerve-wracking.

He hoped those guys wouldn’t ramble and would damn well provide an exact location.

With a heartfelt prayer, his thumb finally landed on the open button.

Then, the screen changed, and a line of dense text appeared.

"How is it?" Old Xu’s deep voice sounded like a death knell.

The man with the earring quickly read the message’s content, then excitedly turned his tense face to say, "They replied, replied, they replied, the address, they replied with the address."

Like a child receiving a holiday gift or tasting a delicious summer drink, his expression blossomed like a blooming flower.

In contrast to his previous near-death stupor, the man eagerly handed the cellphone to Old Xu, flaunting his success.

Old Xu glanced at the screen, indeed seeing an address, but he wasn’t very familiar with the location and wasn’t clear where the text indicated.

"This place, do you know where it is?"

"Yes, I know, big brother, if you want, I can lead the way." Eager to reunite with his remaining brothers, the man saw a chance for comeback. Hence, he was eager to volunteer when asked.

But Old Xu, being who he was, wasn’t easily deceived with casual words.

Judging by the man’s somewhat excited and anxious behavior, Old Xu knew he had a hidden agenda.

Yet he wasn’t worried about this; in fact, the more the man schemed, the easier it was for Old Xu’s plan.

After noting the address, Old Xu nonchalantly asked, "You leading the way?"

"Yes, if you don’t know the location, I can lead you."

"Great, is this place far?"

"Not far, about three blocks, at most ten minutes by car."

"Hmm." Glancing at his brothers, Old Xu spoke up, "I plan to head over, any objections?"

"I think we’ve got the supplies, and there’s no need to meet those guys," Having spoken, Tang Xiaoquan straightforwardly clarified his stance.

Previously at the gas station, killing thugs was self-defense and eliminating future threats.

Then coming to the thugs’ base was primarily for looting.

Now that the goods were secured and the thugs absent, it was indeed fortunate.

Thus, Tang Xiaoquan believed there was no need to risk approaching them, even though they now held the initiative.

But who could guarantee unforeseen eventualities in actual action?

Besides, in this Post-apocalyptic Ruins, they faced multiple enemies, not just the apparent nine thugs.

The real threat remained the city’s current true rulers: Zombies!!

"Does anyone else agree with Xiao Tang?"

Old Xu shifted his gaze to Hu Xiaodong.

As Hu Xiaodong opened his mouth, Lei Tong decisively spoke first, "No! Captain, I’ll go with you! Those bastards might still harm others. If we hadn’t seen it, fine, but now... Captain, don’t forget our Sharp Blade Company’s training, such scum must not remain!" (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)