Rotting Land: Survive

Chapter 528 - 521: Hidden Black Shadow (6)

For safety’s sake, Old Xu arranged for the task of cutting and reinforcing the iron plates to be done indoors, and the best place for the work was undoubtedly the garage of the villa next to Piling.

Due to previous car modifications and site renovations that consumed a lot of metal sheets, the heavy metal sheets that the survivors had previously brought from Bieyuan District were now almost depleted.

In the end, out of necessity, Old Xu discussed with Old Zhao and others, deciding to dismantle the Brabham car in the garage.

After all, in the apocalypse, besides consuming fuel and being showy, this thing was of no other use.

After measuring the material needed for several windows, Old Zhao indicated to Yue Guishan and Wang Zhongyu to remove the front and rear end covers of the car, then cut them into evenly sized strips to serve as reinforcement materials.

Meanwhile, in the monitoring room, Tang Xiaoquan, Bi Dahu, and Lin Junfu were patiently waiting for Li Zhong and Li Guo to assess the damage to the monitoring equipment.

The room was still permeated with the stench of corpses; although Wei Yang had tried hard to clean up, the sticky black blood flowing from the wounds of the baby zombies stubbornly lingered inside.

Despite enduring the foul stench, brothers Li Zhong and Li Guo each performed their duties, one checking the wiring setup, the other verifying the smashed display equipment. Once done, the two whispered a few words between them, then walked over to Lin Junfu and others who had been waiting.

"How’s it going? Can you fix it?" Old Lin couldn’t wait to ask.

The two brothers exchanged a glance, then the elder brother, Li Zhong, sighed softly: "The damaged wiring is easy to handle, but the surveillance equipment, alas!"

He shook his head slightly: "We’re definitely capable of fixing it, but look at the display screen and some of the pipes inside, they’re all broken. Unless there’s a replacement, there’s no way."

After a moment of silence, Lin Junfu apparently gave up as well, sighing lightly: "Well, forget it, asking you to fix this stuff is really making it hard for you, let’s go!"

Seeing the other party’s expression, Li Zhong felt uneasy, worrying that Old Lin might shun him and others because of this.

After all, both Xu Renjie and Tang Xiaoquan had previously said that they don’t keep freeloaders here. In other words, if he and his brother couldn’t fix the monitoring devices this time, the other’s opinion of them would surely change, which would greatly threaten his and the second person’s future destiny.

Li Zhong’s thoughts, though akin to a villain suspecting a gentleman, were actually quite human nature.

Yet it was precisely such chaotic thoughts that spurred Li Zhong into wanting to overcome all odds to fix the badly broken monitoring devices.

"Wait!" Raising his hand to stop Lin Junfu from leaving, Li Zhong furrowed his brows, suddenly changing his previous gentle demeanor as his gaze sharpened.

Old Lin was slightly taken aback, somewhat surprised as he met Li Zhong’s eyes, a bit puzzled: "What’s up?"

Others might not know why Li Zhong acted this way, but his brother Li Guo understood very well. He knew his older brother had decided to fix the monitoring equipment.

And indeed, as Li Guo predicted, Li Zhong solemnly replied: "I want to ask if you have computers here?"

"We do!" Old Lin answered very confidently.

Upon hearing this, Li Zhong nodded indifferently: "Since there are computers, I want to try repairing these devices. If all goes well, I should be able to restore their functionality!"

"Alright!" Old Lin patted Li Zhong on the shoulder: "Then go ahead and try, we won’t be using the computers here anyway, downstairs, big ones, small ones, there are about 7-8 machines, feel free to use them."

After saying this, Old Lin left first, while Tang Xiaoquan took Li Zhong and Li Guo downstairs to select suitable tools.

Time ticked away as the survivors busily attended to the tasks at hand.

Old Zhao and others, having cut the steel strips, began installing the window bars, while Li Zhong and Li Guo in the monitoring room were also busy.

As the sky slowly darkened, a bright moon quietly rose to the Milky Way at some point, and the starry night sky was dazzling. The survivors finally finished a day’s labor and gathered in the ground floor hall to enjoy a rare dinner.

The two groups of people reported the afternoon’s situation to Old Xu one after another.

Firstly, Old Zhao’s team had completed the reinforcement of all the windows on the 3rd floor.

Secondly, although Li Zhong and Li Guo had not yet rebuilt the monitoring room, based on their efforts throughout the afternoon, they were confident about restoring the monitoring equipment’s function.

Lastly, Zhang Zhicai also reported on He Jing’s condition, which was overall stable, providing some peace of mind to the survivors.

"Very good! Now let’s finalize tomorrow’s tasks!"

"I was thinking, it’s been several days since Liu Yunpeng proposed a trade, and to prevent him from changing his mind or adjusting the price, I believe it’s best to settle this matter quickly."

After hearing Old Xu’s words, Zhao Yunhai instinctively nodded: "Yes, this matter should indeed be prioritized, otherwise once winter arrives, venturing out will be extremely risky! Old Xu, when do you plan to take action?"

After a brief pause, Xu Renjie looked around at his brothers, then spoke two words slowly and firmly: "Tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?" Old Zhao repeated noncommittally, "Should we rest for a day? After all, everyone has been busy without a break lately."

"No! It’s better to address this matter sooner rather than later!" Xu Renjie’s attitude was decisive.

Seeing this, Old Zhao still compromised with an echo: "Alright, then tomorrow!"

"Regarding personnel, Wang Qiang, Hu Xiaodong, Wei Dazhuang, Tang Xiaoquan, Zhang Zhicai, Li Zhong, you five will come with me, and the others will stay and guard the base!"

Considering the safety of the base, Xu Renjie decided to leave almost all warriors at the base this time, as the base was the foundation, and he had to ensure the safety of the foundation.

Additionally, he intentionally included Li Zhong.

Of course, this was not because Xu Renjie valued the former’s capabilities. Quite the opposite, he had no confidence in the latter’s ability to react in the field.

His reason for including him was to send Li Zhong and Li Guo away, to prevent any mischief when he was gone.

Thus, even if they harbored ill intent, they would have to consider the other person’s safety.

Xu Renjie didn’t want the Yuhuan Gymnasium tragedy to happen again!

Regarding this, Wang Qiang naturally was happy to raise both hands in agreement.

And Wang Zhongyu, from the same family as him, echoed the hope that Old Xu would let him drive along.

However, Old Xu still tactfully refused Wang Zhongyu’s suggestion.

Indeed, the latter’s driving skills were undoubtedly excellent, having him driving with them would undoubtedly elevate their safety several notches.

But precisely because his driving skills were the best in the team, Old Xu placed him at the base to prevent unexpected events.

With him in the team, he could control the group.

And regarding the base, if he wasn’t around, Xu Renjie wasn’t assured, hence placing the strongest force here to ensure the safety of those at the base.

After arranging the personnel, everyone made a detailed list and summary of the supplies they needed to gather.

That’s all, as everyone returned to their rooms early to rest and recharge for tomorrow’s journey. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets at Qidian.com, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.qidian.com.)