"Big brother, don't worry, I can guarantee that those zombies won't climb over."
"Guarantee? On what fu**ing grounds do you..." The words suddenly stopped short. When the big man glanced back and saw that beautiful figure, the curse stuck in his throat and was swallowed back down.
It seems that being pretty does have its advantages, at least in Tang Xiaoquan's eyes. If those words had come from him, the outcome would likely have been very different.
"It's like this, big brother. I was once chased by zombies to the balcony, but later I escaped thanks to the folding bed that Tang Xiaoquan set up on the balcony. In the following two days, that zombie didn't climb over after all. So..."
"So we can boldly conclude that although these zombies have mutated into fierce, bloodthirsty creatures, their decayed limbs and reduced intelligence aren't enough to support many human behaviors, like crawling or climbing!" Seizing the moment, Tang Xiaoquan continued, following up on Huang Yaru's explanation.
"Conclude!" Hearing these words, the big man sneered and then sharply raised his head, harshly questioning, "What if your conclusion is wrong? What if those beasts do climb over? What then? Do we just wait to die?"
"Heh, as for that, I can't answer you. But one thing I can tell you clearly, big brother, is that if you go out now, the entire building's zombies will go berserk, and we'll end up being trapped with no way out, eventually dying here." Unfazed, Tang Xiaoquan retorted without backing down, losing all prior patience.
Because he understood that if he backed down here, the only thing awaiting them would be a path to death.
Perhaps finding some sense in Tang Xiaoquan's words, A Cheng, who always obeyed the big man, this time stood opposed to his uncle. He said timidly, "Um... Uncle, how about you listen to him? If zombies really do come over, it won't be too late for us to leave then."
Everyone was taken aback, clearly surprised by A Cheng's stance.
The big man turned his angry head, giving his nephew a sidelong glance but refraining from scolding. He lowered his head, pondered for a moment, then nodded, "Alright, I'll trust you this once. I hope your conclusion is right!"
Receiving this positive reply, Tang Xiaoquan let out a long sigh of relief.
To be honest, during the past few minutes, he wasn't as composed as he appeared.
He was genuinely afraid the big man would insist on going out despite advice, and if that were the case, he'd have to face the choice of falling out with him.
Fortunately, thanks to Huang Yaru's timely intervention, the tense conflict was nipped in the bud. This was perhaps the luckiest thing that happened today.
"Alright, Qiang, now that the big brother agrees not to go, let's not just stand here. Let's check out the inner room to see if we can find any useful supplies." With that, Tang Xiaoquan turned back and patted Wang Qiang's shoulder. He didn't want this hard-won resolution to result in another crisis, so saying so, he pulled the wary Wang Qiang away, leaving the big man murmuring as he watched them go.
"Looking for supplies?" he muttered instinctively. The big man's eyes darted around, and suddenly, as if realizing something, he grabbed his nephew's sleeve and ordered energetically, "A Cheng, let's go look for supplies too!"
The whole apartment was only about 50 square meters, and its layout was similar to the one rented by King Tang and the others, so their search didn't last long. It ended within just ten minutes.
"What the he**? This place is fu**ing poor, can't even afford a pack of instant noodles?" Wang Qiang didn't stop cursing after coming out of the bedroom. To him, no matter how down and out one was, one should at least have a few packs of instant noodles at home.
But after half a day of searching, all they found in the bedroom were some moldy clothes, and nothing more.
Like Tang Wang's group, the results were equally disappointing for the big man and his nephew. The kitchen was their focus, but the outcome was just...
Frustrated, the big man threw two porcelain bowls onto the table and sighed heavily.
He'd originally hoped to rustle up some rice or other grains from the kitchen, but all he found were these two broken bowls.
Raising his eyebrows subtly, he glanced at Wang Qiang and the others opposite, seeing their hands similarly empty, finding nothing as well. The big man's brows furrowed even more.
Tang Xiaoquan was also in a foul mood. Though he hadn't held high hopes for this place, such meager results were still far beyond his expectations.
But facts are facts. It was now very clear that their mission had failed, and resupplying their materials was still unresolved.
And to make matters worse, they were being besieged by zombies, utterly trapped in this nearly empty, rundown house.
The atmosphere in the living room was stifling; everyone hung their heads, lost in their thoughts as time slipped away silently until the city's clock struck the hour of twelve.
"Dong dong dong!" Listening to the relentless chiming of the clock, Tang Xiaoquan's somewhat dazed eyes slowly cleared up.
The zombies continued to stir endlessly next door, seemingly never feeling fatigue.
But Tang Xiaoquan and the others, being human, were already physically and mentally exhausted from the morning's troubles. So filling their bellies and replenishing their energy was now a priority.
Stretching his stiff neck, Tang Xiaoquan signaled Huang Yaru to pass him the survival bag, then took out the rice and a small pot from it.
Seeing his friend acting like this, Wang Qiang knew he intended to cook, so he immediately volunteered, "Qiang, take a break, I'll handle the cooking!"
"Cooking?" Hearing Wang Qiang's words, the big man suddenly lifted his head, staring intently at the bag of rice on the floor opposite him.
He almost instinctively swallowed hard. Not only him, but his nephew beside him was also eagerly staring.
They hadn't had a grain of rice since morning, so...
"Hey! You're planning to cook, right? Well, make extra, 'cause we need to eat too!"
Heck, their faces must be made of bricks! Wang Qiang's eyelid twitched. He'd never seen such shamelessness as exhibited by the big man!
Without another word, Wang Qiang dropped the rice bag and leapt up...