Rotting Land: Survive

Chapter 634 623: Safe House (Part 2)

The long-missed sun finally peeked over the horizon, and the gentle rays allowed the survivors in the villa to feel a touch of warmth from nature's gift.

Wei Yang was undoubtedly the happiest among them all, seeing the room full of un-dried clothes and bedsheets, she intended to take advantage of this rare opportunity to dry them all outside.

To avoid impacting normal patrol observation, Old Xu assigned two soldiers to assist Wei Yang in moving the clothes and bedsheets that needed drying to a vacant piece of land behind the building. As for the drying rack, Liu Fugui's family had a ready-made all-in-one folding rack, which only needed simple stretching to be set up.

After helping Wei Yang settle the clothes drying, Old Xu hurriedly gathered Old Lin and Old Zhao together to brief them on what he and Tang Xiaoquan discussed last night.

Lin and Zhao both reacted with surprise upon hearing Tang Xiaoquan's plan to search for a second refuge for the villa's residents with Wang Qiang. Old Zhao immediately rejected the idea, saying, "Old Xu, this is not appropriate. Given Wang Qiang's current state, I feel he's not suitable for this mission."

Old Lin silently nodded in agreement, "Yes, I share the same view as Old Zhao. Wang Qiang suffered quite a blow from the factory visit. Didn't Tang Xiaoquan keep him company with drinks last night? Given his mental state, going out might easily lead to problems."

"Yeah, initially I thought as you do. However..." Xu Renjie relayed Tang Xiaoquan's views from last night to Lin and Zhao, which they found quite reasonable upon hearing. Thinking it over, forcing Wang Qiang to stay in the villa might indeed hinder him from alleviating his depression.

So, after weighing the pros and cons, Zhao and Lin both nodded in agreement to Old Xu's proposal. Furthermore, Old Zhao expressed willingness to participate in the mission. He added, "This outing is imperative and the sooner the better. While we're out, we should find a second refuge and also look for ways to gather more resources for the villa."

"Right, I'm thinking the same, but given this plan, wouldn't you three be taking on too much risk?" Old Xu looked solemnly at Old Zhao.

Undoubtedly, Old Xu's words were rather reserved. The three present all understood that with so few people, not only finding resources but even locating a suitable refuge posed significant risks.

Yet, despite the daunting challenges, Old Zhao maintained a calm demeanor, smiling confidently, "Hehe, no worries, we'll just be careful when the time comes."

"Alright, then, Old Xu, when do you plan for them to set off with this matter?"

"The sooner the better. I estimate those bastards might act soon, so finding an escape route early would be best." Old Xu briefed the two.

"Good! I agree, but being today might not be suitable. For one, time is tight, so we need Old Zhao and them to prepare a bit. Secondly, it seems like Tang and Wang had quite a lot to drink last night. Maybe they should sober up first."

"Alright! If everyone has no objections, let's proceed on this track!"

Old Zhao thought for a moment, finding nothing missed, and nodded in agreement. Suddenly, Old Lin remembered, "By the way, who's going to inform Tang and Wang about this?"

"No need, I discussed all this with Tang last night; he's clear about the situation. As for Wang Qiang, Tang will talk to him. If they have any objections, we can discuss it further."

"Okay, once their side settles, we'll reconvene and finalize the action direction. That way, we have a target."

"Yes, we must clarify these details tonight; for now, that's it!" Old Xu made the final wrap-up and ended the brief meeting.

Wang Qiang slowly opened his eyes. Although the alcohol concentration in his body after a night had diluted and the drunkenness had significantly reduced, the headache remained intense.

He tried recalling yesterday afternoon's events, but no matter how he pondered, he vaguely remembered Tang Xiaoquan visiting his room, and both drank a lot. However, he completely forgot what happened afterward, especially if he carelessly said anything.

"Knock knock!" A knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Wang Qiang asked weakly, feeling even a little louder would split his head with pain.

"Qiang, it's me, are you up? Open the door, I need to talk to you."

It's Quan! Coincidentally, Wang Qiang intended to ask him about last night too, so despite his reluctance, he forced himself to crawl out of bed: "Coming!"

The door opened, and as soon as they faced each other, the strong alcohol odors made them wrinkle their brows.

Wang Qiang stepped aside to clear the path, asking, "What's up?"

"Oh, we'll talk inside!" Seeing Wang Qiang initiating conversation first pleased Tang Xiaoquan; at least last night's drinking plan had some effect, making his own ordeal somewhat worthwhile.

"Alright! Speak!" Once seated, Wang Qiang immediately inquired, "What's the matter?"

"It's like this, barring any unexpected events, we'll need to leave the villa for a period tomorrow."

"What? Where to?" Although Wang Qiang seemed downcast after Yunpeng's blow, it didn't mean he was slow-minded. He was clear about the villa's current situation, and leaving now would be ridiculous.

However, after Tang Xiaoquan patiently explained, Wang Qiang gradually understood the motive, nodding to show he got it: "So it's just the two of us going out this time?"

"No, probably Old Zhao will join us, but it needs Old Xu's approval to finalize."

"Oh! Alright then!" Having mostly grasped the situation, Wang Qiang nodded, "So when do we leave?"

"I don't know either; it still depends on Old Xu's meeting result. But I presume, if it's quick, tomorrow may be it, so we should prepare and adjust ourselves beforehand!" Tang Xiaoquan meant to subtly suggest Wang Qiang should try to chase away any negative emotions affecting his mindset and be in the best shape for the outing.

Wang Qiang completely ignored Tang Xiaoquan's hints with underlying intentions, lazily lying back on the bed, casually asking, "What did I babble after getting drunk yesterday?"

"Huh?" Tang Xiaoquan was visibly surprised by the question, unexpecting Wang Qiang to ask about it.

"Damn! What are you saying, dude? I'm asking you what I blabbered after getting drunk yesterday!"

"I don't know!"

Tang Xiaoquan wasn't foolish enough to recount their brotherly conversation from last night. Doing so wouldn't aid Wang Qiang in improving his mood, so he feigned ignorance, saying: "You got me pretty hammered last night, and now you have the nerve to ask what you said!" (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to qeidian.com to vote and give monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)