Rotting Land: Survive

"You mentioned before that they have guns. Do you know how many they have?" Tang Xiaoquan asked again.

"One, and it seems like they don’t have many bullets. But they do have quite a few knives, and they’re decent fighters."

"Anything else?"

"Anything else..." Derek thought for a moment, then shook his head: "There’s nothing else."

"Damn, with just those weapons, you guys didn’t dare to resist!?" Wen Quanxin sneered, his eyes full of contempt.

"It’s not that we didn’t want to fight back. The ’Japan’ had gone too far with their actions midway through. A few guys secretly planned to launch a surprise attack on them in the middle of the night when they were resting. Unfortunately, someone leaked the plan, so the ’Japanese’ students found out in advance and were well-prepared. Those guys were caught before they could even make a move. As punishment and a warning, they forced them to hack each other for fun in front of all the students. Since that incident, no one dared to organize such plans anymore, because no one knew if someone next to them might betray them for supplies."

"Damn! Spineless cowards, sacrificing the basic human decency for a bit of profit. The snitch is worse than a pig or dog. If it were up to me, I’d take him out in private!" Wen Quanxin angrily mimicked a slicing gesture.

It’s not surprising. As people struggling to survive in the apocalypse, the most detestable are those who betray the group for their own benefit.

Unfortunately, such trash is everywhere in the apocalypse, which is sadly a reflection on human nature.

Seeing the conversation starting to drift, Tang Xiaoquan gave a timely cough.

After all, now wasn’t the time to discuss ethics and morality; rescuing Zhao Lina was the priority.

"If we want to go to the school, can you get us inside?"

Suddenly shifting the conversation, Derek looked surprised, staring wide-eyed at Tang Xiaoquan, hesitantly repeating, "What, what did you say? You, you want to go to the school?"

What a ridiculous idea, Derek couldn’t believe someone actually wanted to go to that school at this point.

Everyone in the school was wishing day and night for an escape from that hellhole.

Yet the young people in front of him...

"Look... I know you want to rescue someone, but... but you may not realize the situation at the school. It isn’t as easy to get in as you might think."

"Hah, what could be so hard? Just a few Japanese scumbags, right? Back in the day, Huaxia people with simple rifles defeated them miserably. Now! Hmph, it’s just that you guys didn’t have the guts; we could handle them with ease!"

The rest of the Survivor Team nodded in agreement with Wen Quanxin’s bold declaration.

Not to mention anything else, just that history of humiliation made every Huaxia person hate the Japanese to their core.

Derek could only smile bitterly at this. Although he held M citizenship, he grew up in Huaxia Country and immigrated abroad with his family in high school, later obtaining a green card. But his roots were still tied to Huaxia Country.

So he wasn’t a stranger to that humiliating history of Huaxia, and he understood Huaxia people’s disdain for Japanese people.

Especially after experiencing this campus life, Derek had deeply witnessed the brutality and nastiness of some Japanese people.

Many of their actions were indeed as despicable as Wen Quanxin just described—worse than pigs and dogs.

However, this group of survivors clearly underestimated the difficulty of getting into the school, because...

"Folks, I know you’re not afraid of those Japanese students. I’ve seen your skills, and I believe they wouldn’t stand a chance against you in a direct fight..."

"Then stop overthinking it, why are you still talking!?" Wen Quanxin interrupted Derek impatiently.

Because of this, Tang Xiaoquan had to step in to stop Wen Quanxin, "Xiao Wen, could you not cut in for a moment, let Xiao De finish what he was saying."

Once he settled Wen Quanxin, Tang Xiaoquan returned to a gentle smile: "Xiao De, go ahead, don’t mind his words."

Nodding, Derek continued, "The school is basically surrounded by zombies now. Trying to get in is very dangerous, and it’s quite possible that you could lose your lives."

"Hmm, that’s reasonable!" Unlike Wen Quanxin’s bickering, Tang Xiaoquan responded fairly, "However, since you managed to come out of the school, there should be a safe route, right?"

"Well..." Derek smiled wryly and glanced at the survivors in front of him, somewhat hesitantly responded, "I do know a way, but going through it would be quite..."

"No worries, just tell us the truth," Tang Xiaoquan gestured for Derek to proceed without concern.

"Due to the school’s renovations, there is a bricked storage yard surrounded by a single fence. There’s an underground drainage shaft there that leads through the campus directly outside. I usually sneak out from there."

"Hmm, that wouldn’t be a problem for us, we could also crawl through."

"Yes, but before that, you’d have to climb a 10-story classroom building."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xiaoquan fell silent. He then remembered hearing Derek mention he had a unique skill: parkour.

"Each time, I use the balconies, drainpipes, and outer racks for the air conditioning to inch my way down. Honestly, it’s quite dangerous. So if you plan to go..."

Noticing the worry flashing in Derek’s eyes, Tang Xiaoquan smiled. He didn’t answer directly but instead diverted the conversation, "Hmm, that is indeed a problem. Thanks for the reminder, we’ll consider it carefully. But there’s one more thing, if we plan to go to the school with you, are you willing to guide us?"

This was clearly a rhetorical question, as no matter how unwilling Derek might actually have been, he couldn’t refuse in front of such a large group.

However, the young man’s response was swift. He furrowed his brows and thought, "Taking you into the school isn’t a problem, and I do hope you can help us deal with those Japanese bastards. But they have guns, and they’re quite skilled; if you go, I’m afraid, I’m afraid..."

Trapped in his hesitation, yet it was clear Derek was worried about something.

"Xiao De, you don’t need to worry about us. Just lead us to the classroom building, and of course, we might need your help once we’re there, but we will handle the rest. Also, rest assured, if something goes wrong, it won’t implicate you."

Tang Xiaoquan tried to reassure Derek, but without knowing the team well, Derek couldn’t so easily put his mind at ease.

Not to mention he didn’t think they could even manage the climb up the 10-story building, and if anyone were to fall during that climb, it would likely attract the zombies from the courtyard. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)