Rotting Land: Survive

Chapter 559 - 549: Juli Sports Arena (Part 1)

Wei Yang instinctively struggled for a moment, but Tang Xiaoquan's actions were so decisive that any resistance on her part was futile.

Finally, realizing her struggles were in vain, Wei Yang slowly extended her arms and gently placed them on the latter's back.

In the silver moonlight, the man and woman held each other tightly, feeling the most genuine heartbeat of the other's soul.

"Promise me, you'll pull yourself together, okay?"

"Yes! I promise you!"

"No matter what happens, I will be strong!"

"Okay! Don't worry! For you, I will live strong!"

...

Love is simple and genuine. Money and flowers may add color, but true longevity comes from the exchange between hearts.

This night was destined to be a sleepless one. The next morning, when Tang Xiaoquan appeared in the villa's hall with red eyes, almost all his companions were already packed and ready to go.

After a simple breakfast and a brief rest, it was finally time for the group to set off.

This time, there wasn't an overly emotional farewell. To avoid putting pressure on Tang Xiaoquan, everyone just laughed and joked around before watching the few board the vehicle.

Only the little coal ball appeared upset and unhappy, but that's understandable, as Wang Qiang had just returned the previous day.

They barely shared a short reunion before the master had to leave again, which made the barely two-month-old coal ball very sad.

And how could Wang Qiang not feel the same way? But this journey concerned the important affairs of his old friend's parents, so he was obliged to go along.

Old Lin swiftly started the car, and under everyone's waving send-off, they drove away from the base.

JZ County is located in the hinterland of western Anhui and the central region of Da BS, with waterways that have been navigable year-round, and boasts numerous provincially and nationally significant cultural relics and scenic spots.

Moreover, speaking of JZ County alone, apart from Wang Qiang, others like Lin Junfu, Hu Xiaodong, and Tang Xiaoquan had all been to this town before.

Whether for travel or business, they were not unfamiliar with the town.

But finding the "Juli" Sports Arena shelter that was previously mentioned by Niu Lizhan in such a county is rather challenging.

After all, in a county, there can be multiple sports arenas, and finding the specific one would be time-consuming, fuel-consuming, and possibly even overlooked.

Fortunately, Xu Renjie did thorough research and analysis before the action, methodically marking several probable sports arenas on the map.

Now the small team only needs to follow the marked locations on his map for confirmation.

Currently, the survivors' target destination is the largest sports arena in JZ County—the "Juli" Sports Arena.

This arena was initially constructed in the 1990s and, despite its age, has seen significant improvement in facilities and environment through several renovations.

Tang Xiaoquan picked up the DZ county city map given before departure, carefully identifying the routes and giving directions to the driver, Lin Junfu.

There's no denying that Old Lin, being a former traffic policeman, could accurately navigate the intricate turns of this unfamiliar city.

The map by Old Xu was clearly marked, not only specifying the routes but also pinpointing some landmark buildings along the way.

With such guidance, the small team only needs to follow the map and compare relevant landmarks to accurately find their target.

However, neither Old Xu nor the directing Tang Xiaoquan considered the relative accuracy of the map.

No, to be precise, the map wasn't wrong. It's just that in recent years, local governments eager to enhance their achievements increased land development and construction, demolishing and expanding rapidly, with flyovers built faster than rockets, roads widened more than giant ships, and commercial and residential buildings rising abruptly. These actions led to the most direct consequence: locals sometimes get lost in unfamiliar neighborhoods, let alone an action team.

Old Lin quickly realized they were circling the city. He even started to suspect whether Xu Renjie's map was a counterfeit. Frustrated, he made an emergency stop, pressed down the map in Tang Xiaoquan's hand, and said:

"We can't keep driving aimlessly like this."

"What should we do then?" Wang Qiang rubbed the sore spot on his head from the quick stop. By his character, he would have yelled accusations, but today he was uncharacteristically calm.

Old Lin didn't answer. He took the map again, examining it closely, and formed a rough idea in his mind.

Through this inspection, Old Lin clarified two things:

First, regardless of the map's usefulness, the location of the sports arena itself wouldn't move, so he only needed to drive in that direction.

Second, while road conditions might differ from the map due to reconstruction, the previous circling helped Old Lin confirm landmark locations.

Next, he merely had to recall the landmark nearest to the arena and explore from there.

"Let's head there, the Wanlong Grand Hotel!"

With the target selected, Old Lin restarted the car. Though he couldn't guarantee immediately finding the Juli Sports Arena, he believed this was the most reliable and effective method available.

Despite JZ County being relatively backward, the city area still had towering buildings and lined shops.

It was a shame, however, that the scene here was like every city they'd seen—pervasively decrepit.

Once pristine streets were now covered with thick dust and withered leaves, with the shuttered shops unknown for how long.

Occasionally, wrecked supermarkets marked the endeavors of survivors who once struggled here.

The Jianghuai car cruised slowly through the city's streets, and soon, with Old Lin's superb memory and sense of direction, they found the landmark building—the Wanlong Grand Hotel.

The primary reason for choosing this hotel was its proximity to the sports arena on the map, just a few kilometers away.

From this point, Old Lin only needed to expand his search around the hotel.

Quickly, Old Lin's strategy proved effective because shortly after, he spotted a roadside directional billboard that boldly stated: "Evergrande VS Guo'an." Below, the path to the sports arena was clearly outlined.

Ordinarily, this would be a moment of great excitement and joy, but Tang Xiaoquan, seated in the passenger seat, frowned as he surveyed the surrounding vehicles! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendation tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)