Rotting Land: Survive

Chapter 633 - 622: Safe House (Part 1)

"No, Old Xu, I've slept enough already, and my head... ha ha."

Tang Xiaoquan laughed bitterly. He didn't want to toss and turn in bed counting sheep any longer. Instead of continuing to suffer, he thought it would be better to find something to do, to distract himself and alleviate the various discomforts caused by the alcohol:

"Hey~ Old Xu, why don't you go rest? Anyway, I can't sleep. If you need anything done, just let me know, and I'll help you with it."

Although Tang Xiaoquan meant well, Old Xu wasn't bold enough to entrust the important task of patrolling the villa to someone who was drunk. Besides, such tasks were part of his responsibilities, and he would only delegate them under exceptional circumstances when he couldn't continue himself.

Otherwise, no matter how tired he was, he insisted on completing them himself. So he politely declined, saying, "Quan, you don't need to worry about this matter. However, I do have something I want to discuss with you."

"Oh? What is it?"

"It's like this, you and Xiao Wang didn't come down to eat just now. We discussed it briefly, and considering the recent actions of the bandits, I'm concerned they might make countermeasures against our defenses. Moreover, Liu Fugui's stance is still unclear, so I think to be safe, it would be best to send out a small team to find a second refuge. That way, if anything happens to the villa, we won't be left with nowhere to go."

As Xu Renjie finished speaking, the words "safe house" immediately popped into Tang Xiaoquan's mind.

He learned about this term recently while studying survival guides, and it had a similar concept to Old Xu's current idea. In plain language, it meant leaving yourself a way out before a crisis breaks out, to prevent being unprepared when disaster strikes: "Old Xu, your idea is good, but given the current situation, can we spare people to handle this task?"

Tang Xiaoquan's concerns weren't unfounded. After all, finding a safe house, the second refuge for the villa survivors, naturally involved extensive scouting to ensure the site and personnel's safety.

Old Xu had also considered this carefully, but the situation was urgent. They didn't know when the bandits might attack, which was why he was eager to plan and send someone out to find a second refuge.

Unfortunately, after an hour of discussion last night, they still couldn't come up with a reliable plan. Now, taking the opportunity of meeting Tang Xiaoquan, he raised the issue again, hoping that this young man could come up with a good solution: "Sigh, Quan, what you mentioned is something I've been considering as well. The weather is getting worse. If the villa faces a crisis and we have to decisively evacuate, but without a prepared escape route, our situation will be dire if we retreat."

Tang Xiaoquan quietly bowed his head in thought. It was indeed a dilemma.

If they sent people out, they would likely be at a numerical disadvantage in future battles with the bandits, further worsening their already weaker position.

However, if they stayed put and didn't send anyone, the outcome wouldn't be favorable either. Because, as Old Xu analyzed, if the villa fell, everyone would need to have a clear plan about where to go next.

"Ah, this really is a tricky issue, Old Xu. It seems we can only weigh the pros and cons and choose the course of action with the greatest benefit."

"Hmm, so according to your opinion, where do you think we should start?" Old Xu's words were cautious, and for a good reason, as what they were discussing concerned the villa's future survival plan.

Tang Xiaoquan shook his head with a wry smile, helplessly saying, "If we don't send anyone out temporarily, we have a 50% chance of holding the villa, but if we fail, we'll be homeless for a while. Even if we eventually find a suitable place, we are so many people, and with the vast number of zombies in the city, our survival prospects are worrying."

Tang Xiaoquan looked seriously at Xu Renjie, and Xu Renjie, with furrowed brows, nodded at him, indicating for him to continue.

"But if we take the risk and send people out, regardless of whether the villa falls, we'll at least have a way out, right? Besides, having a team out there looking for a second refuge, if everyone knows, it will give them more confidence when fighting the bandits, right?"

After Tang Xiaoquan's analysis, Old Xu smiled. The other party had used a simple probabilistic approach to present the options clearly, making it easy to grasp a situation that was difficult to decide on.

This excited Old Xu, who patted Tang Xiaoquan on the shoulder, "Good boy, well said. Then let's dispatch a team to find a second refuge."

"So, Old Xu, do you have any thoughts on the personnel aspect?"

Xu Renjie shook his head, "We just decided on this, so I haven't thought it through yet."

"Oh, then how about I go with Wang Qiang?" Tang Xiaoquan suggested.

"Just... you and Wang Qiang, the two of you?" Staring at Tang Xiaoquan in disbelief, Xu Renjie was full of surprise, "I might approve of you going, but given Wang Qiang's condition... it doesn't seem suitable."

"No, Old Xu, it's exactly because of Wang Qiang's current condition that I want him to come with me for this. You see, if we don't find something to keep him busy and forget Yunpeng's drama, I'm afraid he'll stay like this and struggle to pick himself up again!"

Old Xu carefully considered it and acknowledged that the young man had a point. Indeed, if Wang Qiang were left to his own devices, he might drown his sorrows in alcohol and become completely despondent, and that was certainly not what Old Xu wanted to see.

Especially considering Wang Qiang's experience of going out multiple times, he was indeed suitable for this task, so...

"Alright, I agree on my part, but I'll need to discuss it with Old Lin and the others to see what they think. Besides, just the two of you won't be enough; I'll consult Old Zhao, see if he's willing to go along."

Xu, Lin, and Zhao formed the leadership of the entire group, so they always discussed any major issues and only proceeded when there was consensus.

As for asking Old Zhao to accompany them, Old Xu was worried that two young people alone might lack experience.

If Old Zhao were willing to go with them, his age and authority should be able to ensure the team's safety.

Tang Xiaoquan naturally had no objections to this. After discussing the matter, they chatted casually about various trivial matters before Old Xu left to continue his patrol. (To be continued. If you like this work, you're welcome to recommend it and vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)