Rotting Land: Survive

Chapter 542 - 533: Night of Terror (6)

"I think everyone has seen the situation downstairs. Let's continue discussing. If anyone has a good plan, feel free to suggest it, and we can all figure it out together!"

Throwing out the difficult problem, Xu Renjie had no choice. He originally hoped that the zombies, satisfied after a night's meal, would disperse on their own. But who would have thought these creatures, still unsatisfied, continued their "waiting game."

Although Old Xu mulled over it all night, he couldn't think of a reliable solution. So now, he could only seek collective wisdom to see if they could find a breakthrough.

"Damn it! What else can we do! With so many zombies, we can only risk charging at them!" Wang Qiang, being straightforward, had a simple view. Either break out and take a chance, or stay holed up in this beauty salon waiting to die. It was one or the other.

Wei Dazhuang nodded in agreement with this opinion.

However, Hu Xiaodong immediately opposed the two's suggestion: "Charge? How? You've seen how many zombies are out there. As soon as we open the door, they'll rush and drown us!"

"Then... what do you suggest?" Maybe because it was Hu Xiaodong speaking, Wang Qiang refrained from being too aggressive. He just raised his eyebrows, showing his dissatisfaction.

"Well..." Hu Xiaodong scratched his chin, "Why don't we contact home first, and let Old Zhao think of a way to send a rescue team over?"

At this, Wang Qiang slapped his forehead, immediately beaming, "Right! Brother Hu, this idea is good. Let Old Zhao and them come, find a way to lure the zombies downstairs away, then we can get out."

Yet before Wang Qiang could enjoy his excitement for another two seconds, Xu Renjie interrupted forcefully.

"No! We absolutely can't tell Old Zhao about this!" Xu Renjie's tone was unusually firm.

Wang Qiang straightened up, questioning, "Why?"

"Haha, Old Xu doesn't want to drag family into this danger, right, Old Xu?"

You could see from Tang Xiaoquan's inference that Xu Renjie didn't deny it. He nodded indifferently, "That's right, Xiao Tang made a correct assumption. We all know Old Zhao and Old Lin's temperaments. If they knew our situation, they would undoubtedly risk everything to come rescue us. But Qiang, have you thought if they encounter accidents on the way? Also, if they leave, who will guard home?"

Facing Old Xu's question, Wang Qiang was left speechless, understanding the importance of home despite his straightforward nature.

"So what do we do now? Can't charge, can't call for help; do we just sit here stupidly waiting?" Wang Qiang slapped his own head and then fell onto the bed, frustrated.

The others also wore worried expressions, except Tang Xiaoquan remained relatively calm.

He knew well that worrying was pointless. Only figuring out a solution was urgent.

Frowning and pondering for a while, he turned to Old Xu beside him, asking: "Old Xu, how many days can the food supply we brought support us?"

"Two days!" Intended for a one-night stay here, the survivors avoided unnecessary transportation and did not bring Wei Yang's five-day provision inside.

"What if we stretch it out?" Tang Xiaoquan hoped to buy more time.

Xu Renjie thought carefully, "Four days at the limit!"

"Alright then, starting today, we'll skip breakfast, halve lunch, and keep dinner the same. Let's stay here for two days and then decide based on the zombies' movements."

Tang Xiaoquan's plan was a desperate move, considering there were no other options for the survivors.

Xu Renjie contemplated, then stood up and waved his hand decisively: "Okay, let's follow Xiao Tang's plan. We'll see what happens in the meantime. Maybe the zombies will leave on their own in two days!"

Even saying this, Xu Renjie himself did not believe it.

But as a commander, he had to give his men a glimmer of hope; otherwise, in such adversity, their mindset might incline toward despair.

Such thoughts are often more terrifying and formidable than the zombies below. After all, no matter the plan after two days, once morale collapses, everything is in vain.

To avoid that outcome, Old Xu had to plant a seed of hope for the team to sustain.

In the following days, the most excruciating aspect, besides the stomach discomfort, was the idleness.

The survivors, like being confined, were restricted to this 80-something square-meter store, doing nothing but eating and sleeping. Every newspaper and magazine in the store was turned over numerous times by them. Even the introductions of shampoos and skincare products became boredom relief material.

This ordeal led Wang Qiang to silently vow that if he survived this time, he would definitely bring entertainment items for future outings.

Regardless, time passed by second by second, minute by minute.

During this period, Old Xu checked the second-floor windows multiple times a day to scout the zombies' movement.

But the results were disappointing; the zombies seemed determined to linger, showing no signs of leaving.

With the two-day deadline approaching, on the last evening, as Old Xu went to the window again, he finally saw movement.

Old Xu was delighted to see the previously packed horde of zombies starting to thin out, especially at the beauty salon entrance. Perhaps the cars there affected their movement range, causing the zombies to retreat quickly.

"Could it be that zombies are also afraid of crowds?"

Such unrealistic thoughts briefly flashed through Old Xu's mind. Sticking close to the wall, he looked towards both ends of the alley. Most zombies were moving towards the street outside the alley.

But even so, the congested street was still not suitable for breaking through.

Unless more zombies left the vicinity and the alley, opening the door would attract them back in an instant.

At that point, they would end up trapped here with no way out, forced to fight to the last man.

Alas! If only the delay could last longer, the chances of breaking through would surely increase!

But now, their resources were running out!

With that thought, Xu Renjie regretfully punched the wall, blaming himself for not moving enough supplies into the store.

Had they brought Wei Yang's five-day stockpile, would they fear the current stalemate! (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote and recommend your support. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)