Rotting Land: Survive

The work of barricading the village is undoubtedly a matter of great importance for the survivors’ residence.

To reward everyone for their hard work over the past week, Wei Yang and Old Zhao specially prepared a lavish dinner for the survivors.

The first phase of the task has come to an end, and during the dinner, Old Xu outlined the second phase for everyone.

Of course, the main topic still revolves around the safety construction of the residence.

First, the construction of a lookout tower, which is vital for spotting enemies early, so it must be completed quickly.

Second, the stacking of stone walls, which is particularly important too.

After all, the current barricading more prevents general threats, but if faced with a large group of zombies, only stone walls can block them.

Finally, there’s the matter concerning accommodation. Although the survivors’ houses have been screened.

But the village itself is too backward, so even the screened houses have damage to their doors and windows, to some extent.

If it were before, it might not have been a big deal, a sleeping bag and an extra quilt might get you through the winter.

But now it’s the apocalypse, and everything needs to be considered for safety.

In a house where even doors and windows can’t be guaranteed, if zombies sneak in at night, the consequences are unimaginable.

Old Xu can’t possibly assign someone to stand guard outside each house every night; living like that, what quality of life would there be?

So next, Old Xu not only needs to repair the damaged doors and windows of each house but also equip them with necessary protective grilles. Truly achieving "internal and external perfection," allowing team members to live in the village without worry.

Naturally, the survivors had no objections to Old Xu’s task plan.

What they have now is time, and having something to do is undoubtedly a very fortunate thing.

This seems somewhat absurd, after all, normal people would always desire not to have work, to live as they please.

Yet in the apocalypse, when all this truly happens, you’ll desperately miss the past days. You’ll long for the busyness of past work because the boredom and dullness of the apocalypse are beyond imagination.

After dinner, Wenchuan Xin and others, with nothing to do, habitually clamored to start a few rounds of card games.

Since starting the "village barricading" project, they turned the card games into gambling.

The stakes are simple and practical, the loser has to massage the winner’s legs and feet.

This "battle" ultimately ended with victories for Wenchuan Xin and Wang Zhongyu.

With the card game over, everyone retreated to their rooms, tidied up briefly, and then went to bed one after another.

Soon, the secluded village, bustling all day, quieted down, with only the occasional snore from inside indicating a presence of life.

Tang Xiaoquan volunteered to guard the first shift as usual, leaning idly by the window, his eyes unfocused.

On such quiet nights, thoughts often become complex, and the longing for home is always an eternal topic.

Instinctively, he pulled out a notepad from his pocket, and carefully took out the old yellow photo inside. His parents’ young faces called forth many emotions for Tang Xiaoquan.

Remembering Yao Ruyi’s previous confessions, Tang Xiaoquan’s heart tightened.

Dad, Mom, Sister, where are you all now? Are you okay?

No one can answer Tang Xiaoquan’s question, and just as he was lost in sorrow, something suddenly rubbed against and moved his foot.

Instinctively glancing down, Tang Xiaoquan discovered that it was not something else but the little dog "Coal Ball" tugging at his pant leg.

Hugging "Coal Ball" tightly, Tang Xiaoquan began to stroke the little one’s fur.

After more than two months of growth, "Coal Ball" was notably bigger than when the survivors found it.

"What’s wrong, Coal Ball, are you homesick too?" Tang Xiaoquan murmured forlornly.

Unexpectedly, "Coal Ball" desperately struggled, which left Tang Xiaoquan greatly surprised.

What’s going on? Although "Coal Ball" is particularly wary of strangers, Tang Xiaoquan is certainly not one of them.

Even if "Coal Ball’s" affection for him doesn’t match that for Wang Qiang, it wouldn’t outright dismiss him like this.

Tang Xiaoquan continued to pat "Coal Ball’s" fur, attempting to calm it down through this action.

But today, "Coal Ball" seemed determined not to yield to sister Tang Xiaoquan. Its entire body was moving wildly, struggling to break free from Tang Xiaoquan’s embrace.

Helpless, Tang Xiaoquan could only give up. He bent down to place "Coal Ball" on the ground.

Thinking that if "Coal Ball" didn’t want to play with him, he wouldn’t force it.

But instead of leaving by itself after landing, "Coal Ball" continued to circle around Tang Xiaoquan, pestering him. Whether bumping or jumping, scratching or clawing, it wouldn’t let Tang Xiaoquan settle peacefully.

Had it been someone else, they might have been impatient and frustrated by now, but Tang Xiaoquan was thoughtful. "Coal Ball’s" overly abnormal behavior aroused his suspicion.

Undoubtedly, due to Wang Qiang’s influence, "Coal Ball" had been near him all this time.

Frankly, even when relieving themselves, the two would accompany each other.

But now, "Coal Ball" suddenly left Wang Qiang to run outside, and was extremely agitated playing with him.

This itself was very odd!!

Recalling the details Hua Biao once shared with him: Dogs are very sensitive animals, they can often sense things humans cannot. When a dog displays unusual behavior and emotions, it could very likely be alerting you to impending danger.

Could it be... There’s trouble in the village!?

Tang Xiaoquan’s heart sank, he reached out to put away the photo on the table, then stood up.

Sure enough, as soon as Tang Xiaoquan stood, "Coal Ball" eagerly rushed towards the door.

Seems like there really is something happening outside!!

Grabbing the cleaver from the table’s edge, Tang Xiaoquan gestured to little "Coal Ball" to stay quiet.

Under Hua Biao’s careful training, Coal Ball obediently lay still upon observing Tang Xiaoquan’s gesture, though its eyes remained fiercely wide open, firmly fixed on the direction of the door.

If it were really a horde of zombies sneaking in during the night, given the current condition of our houses, stopping them would be wishful thinking.

With an anxious heart, Tang Xiaoquan slowly walked to the door and listened carefully outside for a while, but the result... Apart from hearing the howling north wind, there wasn’t any other sound.

Could Coal Ball have been mistaken?

It’s not impossible, after all, animals can also have emotions; perhaps Coal Ball, affected by Wang Qiang’s mood, got a bit out of control.

Now Tang Xiaoquan genuinely hoped Coal Ball had "gone crazy," but adhering to the principle of safety first, he still approached the window and quietly pulled back a small corner of the curtain.

Within the village, it was pitch dark, the howling north wind sweeping over the dilapidated houses with a "crackling" sound, making the whole scene eerily like a gathering place for ghosts in horror movies.

Tang Xiaoquan scanned the surroundings and his heart relaxed. In the places his eyes scoured, he saw nothing unusual; everything seemed safe.

Looks like Coal Ball really was just acting up, Tang Xiaoquan let the curtain drop slowly, preparing to return to the chair and resume his thoughts.

But just as he was about to turn around, a black shadow suddenly flashed out from the dark corner behind the house! (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote and give monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users are welcome to visit m.qidian.com to read.)