Rotting Land: Survive

Chapter 540 531: Night of Terror (Part 4)

Back in the massage room, Tang Xiaoquan, who had been holding it in for a long time, couldn't care less and randomly found a washbasin, undid his belt, and began discharging the "essence of liquid" inside. To minimize the noise of urine hitting the basin, Xu Renjie had even tossed two towels into it.

Tang Xiaoquan was stunned by this; it was the first time he saw Xu Renjie being so cautious.

As the "essence of liquid" was released, Tang Xiaoquan felt a sense of relief all over his body.

Once the soreness and pain faded away, he glanced at Xu Renjie, who was silent.

Noticing that the other was looking at him too, he immediately asked, "Old Xu, what do you think about tonight's events?"

Old Xu didn't answer but instead threw the question back to Tang Xiaoquan: "Why don't you tell me what you think first?"

"Me?" A bit taken aback, but Tang Xiaoquan quickly replied, "I'm not well-versed in combat matters, but from what I observed earlier, the opponent's skills seem pretty good."

Old Xu nodded his head, thinking to himself that the opponent's skills were more than just pretty good; they were highly trained.

"Also, I don't think this is a simple murder or revenge case. Look at how ordinary those two victims were dressed. Would you need such professional assassins for something like that?" Tang Xiaoquan admitted that he couldn't take on the opponent, but any remaining member of their team could easily handle the two deceased.

It's strange that the other side would use such a well-equipped team to deal with these "rookies," suggesting there's more to it.

"Moreover, the dirt on the victims suggests they were fleeing from being hunted for some time. Also, the assassin was very cautious, even firing additional shots after the initial kill, indicating that the deceased knew something important. All signs point to this being a silencing operation. As for the purpose..." Tang Xiaoquan furrowed his brows, shook his head, spread his hands, and said, "I have no idea."

Old Xu nodded in satisfaction; the young man's thoughts aligned well with his own. Xu Renjie agreed in a low voice, "Yeah, it's hard to understand why these foreigners killed them."

"What!" Tang Xiaoquan exclaimed in shock, repeating in disbelief, "You mean... they're foreigners!"

No wonder Tang Xiaoquan was so surprised. After all, without binoculars and given his average eyesight, coupled with the night's cover, he had only vaguely seen a large figure moving in the dark.

As for the big guy's skin color and appearance, he had no clue.

If what Old Zhang said is true, and the attackers were indeed foreigners, then this is truly significant.

Imagine, in an apocalypse, a well-equipped foreign unit infiltrating inland to kill someone. It's clear there's a hidden agenda here.

However, Tang Xiaoquan wasn't too concerned. After all, he was just an ordinary man at the bottom.

He had neither the ability nor the means to confront the unidentified team, nor did he ever see himself as some savior or superhero.

He was confused because there were things about this event that puzzled him, but as long as they didn't threaten his survival or his team's safety, what did a few deaths matter?

But it was different for Xu Renjie. He was from the army, and now right at his front door, watching two defenseless compatriots being brutally shot by foreigners, he felt powerless and indifferent, which filled him with guilt as a veteran educated by the Party and the military.

Tang Xiaoquan noticed Old Xu's somber expression and guessed that he was probably guilty for not helping.

He wanted to offer some comforting words but eventually held back.

Because he understood that sometimes, certain things are deeply rooted in the soul.

For soldiers, their core belief is loyalty to the Party, loyalty to the people, loyalty to the military.

Quietly, he lay down. Since they couldn't roam around freely, Tang Xiaoquan decided to get some sleep.

Perhaps due to earlier stress, he felt a wave of overwhelming fatigue.

But just as he lay flat and was about to pull a blanket over himself, a troublesome thought struck him, causing him to jump up like a startled grasshopper from the massage bed.

"Damn!" The simple exclamation slipped out.

Xu Renjie, startled, raised his brows in vigilance and asked, "What is it, Little Tang? Did you think of something?"

The room was too dimly lit for Xu Renjie to see the young man's expression, preventing him from noticing the other's alarm.

"No, Old Xu, I'm not thinking about the murder. Right now, I'm worried that if those two unfortunates' bodies aren't dealt with promptly... well, then!"

"Hiss!" Xu Renjie gasped and immediately felt a shiver run through him.

Yes, Tang Xiaoquan was right. He'd been focused on the sinister motives of the murderers and completely overlooked the corpses.

Freshly dead bodies, combined with the enticing smell of blood, were practically an open invitation for the nearby zombies to feast. Before long, these beasts might have already surrounded the area.

Thinking this, sweat instantly started to drip from Xu Renjie's forehead, rolling down his cheeks and forming tiny droplets on the sheets.

"No! I have to go check!"

Old Xu abruptly stood up; having zombies block the alley wasn't something to mess with. If both ends were blocked, they'd be trapped like mice in a pot, which would be a huge problem.

Even though he felt like ants on a hot pan, Old Xu managed to keep his cool and didn't recklessly rush to the window to see outside.

The reason was simple: he feared a sniper's bullet might already be waiting for him.

As a current service member, he knew the skill and patience of snipers all too well, especially professionally trained ones. He wasn't about to gamble with his life.

Tiptoeing to the wall, Xu Renjie pressed his ear against it to carefully listen to the movements below.

Sure enough, soon he heard a series of footsteps scraping the ground from below.

"No, I have to check it out!" (To be continued. If you enjoy 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 visit m.qidian.com to read.)