Rotting Land: Survive

Chapter 599 - 588: The Final Preparations

The dates on the calendar in the meeting room have been crossed off with red markers by the survivors, a sign that the agreed delivery date with the bandits is drawing ever closer.

Today is the third to last day before the final delivery deadline, and after dinner, the survivors are gathered in the living room for their daily routine meeting.

"Everyone's been working really hard during this training period, and I think the training has given us confidence to defeat those bastards."

"No need to say more, Uncle Zhao, if those jerks dare come at us hard, we'll make them crawl away." After the previous round of training, Ah Cheng's initially immature personality has undergone quite a transformation, with his muscles now more robust than before. Even his manner of speaking has gained a certain boldness unexpected for his age.

But this sense of boldness is not mere bragging; it truly stems from a genuine enhancement of his capabilities.

"Well said, Xiao Yan!" Old Xu looked at Ah Cheng, who was waving his fist, and smiled:

"When rivals meet, the brave wins! It's this kind of energy and spirit that we need from Ah Cheng. We can't always think about how many people the enemy has or how strong their power is. Even if they're formidable, they're still just ordinary people like us, each with only one head! And as long as they're people, they have weaknesses, they fear, they dread! So what we need to do is stir up their fears, let them know that the wealth in this villa isn't something they can easily acquire with a few threats. We must not be lambs to the slaughter, we must be wolves, a pack of meat-eating wolves! They need to understand that if people don't provoke us, we won't provoke them, but if they dare provoke us, they'll face our retaliation."

Old Xu seized every opportunity to boost morale and encourage the group. After all, claiming to be not nervous in the lead-up to such a showdown is pure bravado, so helping everyone reasonably relieve stress is a necessary quality for a good leader.

"Exactly! We don't even fear those living dead outside, why should we fear a few living birds? I wasn't here last time, otherwise, I would have cut them down!"

Wang Qiang, with his straightforward nature, always speaks without filtering his thoughts, saying whatever comes to mind. He didn't consider how his remarks might have struck a blow to all those in the villa at the time.

Fortunately, everyone was aware of his personality and didn't bother to argue with him, except for Wen Quanxin, who gave two clearing coughs from the side.

"Strategically, we ought to despise the enemy, but tactically, we must take them seriously. Besides having the courage to face them without fear, we must also have necessary strategies for dealing with them. In the past few days, I have discussed with Old Lin, Old Zhao, and Xiao Tang to formulate some response plans, and we'll have to conduct drills according to them. Next, I'll explain the specific assignments to everyone."

Old Xu picked up the teacup on the table and took a couple of sips to moisten his throat for the long speech ahead:

"We currently have a total of 24 people, subtracting 4 female comrades, leaving us with 20 people, roughly divided into groups of 5, forming 4 small teams. The first team will be led by Old Zhao, primarily responsible for sniping the enemy from the 3rd floor and observing enemy movements. The second team will be led by Old Lin; Old Lin, you'll be responsible for negotiating and communicating with the enemy leader. If you can persuade them to change their minds, all the better. The other members of this team will be responsible for the second-floor area, also focusing on sniping enemies. The third team will be primarily led by me, keeping guard at the villa entrance on the first floor. Xiao Tang, the fourth team you'll lead is a mobile unit, rescuing wherever danger arises, and also tasked with monitoring the control room. That's the villa's 'eyes,' so you have to keep a close watch on the enemy's movements."

Xu Renjie values Tang Xiaoquan's team so highly partly due to the element of surprise. After all, power outages have become a consensus among all lucky survivors in this post-apocalypse, so no matter how much the bandits might think, they couldn't anticipate that when they attack, the people in the villa wouldn't need to show themselves to know their every move.

This implies the deterrent effect of their firearms will be greatly reduced.

Moreover, to achieve a solid defense, the villa's windows are either welded with iron bars or blocked with boards, impairing the originally open view. So relying solely on the windows to observe enemy movements is somewhat unrealistic.

Thus, the multiple monitors in the control room become crucial for determining the battle's outcome.

Tang Xiaoquan clearly understood Old Xu's intentions and promptly replied with a firm gaze: "Old Xu, don't worry about my area; I'll give it my all."

"Good!" Old Xu nodded reassuringly.

"And us? Old Xu, why have you only assigned tasks to the men? Don't forget that women hold up half the sky too! What are our tasks?" Seeing others assigned tasks, Wei Yang showed an anxious look.

To this, Old Xu responded with a smile:

"Xiao Wei, don't be in a hurry; your responsibilities are by no means light. You have to keep a close watch on Fangfang and He Jing. Because once the fight begins, I might not have the manpower to care for them, so I'll have to trouble you."

"Old Xu, don't worry; I'll look after Xiao He and Fangfang."

"Well then! Oh, right, also the logistics work, once the battle starts, the food supply task will also fall to you."

Saying this, Old Xu realized that assigning so many tasks to Wei Yang alone might be unfair, but he truly had no spare manpower at the moment.

But what Old Xu didn't expect was that Wei Yang didn't take it amiss at all; on the contrary, he was quite pleased to be given such responsibilities and replied with a smile:

"Old Xu, I guarantee to complete the tasks."

"Good!!" Xu Renjie was never one to fuss about trivialities. Since Wei Yang had the confidence to complete the tasks, he proceeded: "Next, I'll distribute the personnel for each team. First group: Lei Tong, Hua Biao, Li Xiaoxin, Shen Lian, Duan Chengwu, you five follow me."

"Yes, Captain."

The first team is tasked with guarding the living room on the first floor, arguably the most dangerous and stressful area after contact with the enemy, so Old Xu arranged for soldiers under his command; he didn't want a repeat of civilian casualties.

The second team consists of Old Lin, Wei Dazhuang, Yue Guishan, Bi Dahu, and Ah Cheng. Among them are members from the police force and a rural brute, coupled with Ah Cheng's bow and arrows, prepared for both near and far encounters, possessing commendable skills. Once the first floor is breached, they'll directly engage in close combat with the enemy.

For the third team, Old Xu assigned Wang Qiang, Hu Xiaodong, Wen Quanxin, and Wu Chao to Old Zhao. This team can be said to be a true sniper squad, bearing the heavy responsibility of sniping the enemy, preventing them from approaching the villa.

As for the remaining Zhang Zhicai, Wang Zhongyu, Li Zhong, and Li Guo, they were assigned to Tang Xiaoquan as a mobile group. Their task is to provide timely support during crises on all floors and to ensure the safety of the villa's rear.

Wang Zhongyu is further tasked with being ready to drive the bus for evacuation, while Zhang Zhicai shoulders the duty of medical support.

"That's the personnel distribution. Does anyone have any opinions?"

Old Xu recited everything from the script seamlessly, and the group had no objections to his distribution. After all, everyone would participate in this battle regardless of which group they were in.

"Alright, since no one has any objections, later please consult your team captain for specific action details, so I won't elaborate here."

Each team, led by Old Xu and the others, has a corresponding training plan. They'll conduct cohesion training over the next two days. (To be continued. If you like this work, you're welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com); your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)