Rotting Land: Survive

Chapter 644 632: Backwater (Part 3)

While the Survivor Squad was discussing the situation, the elderly zombie near the iron gate began pounding on the door. The huge noise would inevitably attract the nearby zombie horde in no time.

"Damn, it's so noisy! All of you damn bastards, shut up!" Unable to bear the noise from the beasts, Wang Qiang raised his hand crossbow and shot an arrow towards the gate.

The gate, being bound by iron chains, was forced open by the zombies' onslaught, creating large gaps, as these creatures urgently pushed forward to savor the taste of the three prey inside.

Wang Qiang's target was the elderly zombie at the front of the group, whose face was severely deformed. Yet, despite his intentions, the arrow—well, it hit the iron gate panel beside the gap instead.

There was a "clang" sound as the arrow bounced off the gate panel and fell to the ground.

In fact, Wang Qiang didn't expect much from the arrow; he was just irritated by the chaos outside. However, it backfired, causing the beasts to push even harder after hearing the noise.

"Damn it, let's go, let's go! We'd better go inside quickly to avoid attracting more of these creatures!"

Wang Qiang waved his large hand twice, signaling Tang and Zhao to enter the house, but they weren't moved by his urgency.

In contrast, Tang Xiaoquan and Zhao Yunhai exchanged a glance, both showing an expression of seriousness.

In this post-apocalyptic world, what worries survivors the most? Anyone who has endured painful experiences would surely choose humans.

Yes, humans, not the bloodthirsty, violent zombies. At least in the eyes of Tang Xiaoquan and his group of survivors, humans are way more terrifying than zombies.

To them, zombies are just a bunch of infected, mindless, and physically strong mutant beasts. Dealing with such creatures simply requires a sharp weapon to smash their skulls and end their lives.

But humans are different; this species, which has ruled the earth for millennia, possesses a developed intellect.

They can think and use tools, and scarily enough, many have twisted their souls under the baptism of the apocalypse, committing unimaginable, beastly acts for survival.

Therefore, Zhao and his team had reasons to suspect that the house might hide such bloodthirsty survivors. If true, entering rashly would likely land them in a trap and get treated as intruders.

So, Old Zhao whispered to Wang Qiang, patiently explaining the current situation.

After calming Wang Qiang's emotions, Zhao Yunhai adjusted his wrinkled clothes, stepped forward to the door, then rhythmically knocked on the door and politely called, "Hello, is anyone inside? We are survivors from afar and wish to stay for a night as it's getting dark. Can you accommodate us? We mean no harm."

Wang Qiang disapproved of Old Zhao's humble knocking style. He believed past setbacks were due to being too softhearted in many situations. In initial contact with the other party, they had no need to be so polite and could show more dominance.

There's truth in the saying "nice people are taken advantage of"; excessive kindness is merely a weakness for others to exploit.

Even after Zhao knocked for a while, there was no movement inside. Unyielding, he placed his ear against the iron gate to listen intently, but the noise from the zombies' ruckus outside was too loud, making it impossible to discern any movements inside.

"How's it?" By Old Zhao's expression upon turning around, Wang Qiang could guess the situation. Picking up a piece of brick, he motioned and said, "I told you, doing those useless things is pointless. Breaking the window and entering is enough."

With a silent smile exchanged between Zhao and Tang Xiaoquan, though they disagreed with Wang Qiang's method, reality left them no choice but to follow it.

The village was poor, so any protective measures were meaningless, as no foolish thief would rob this desolate place, considering the uncertainty of recovering travel and fuel costs.

Therefore, not a single household installed anti-theft windows, let alone entire and undamaged glass windows, which were luxuries.

From their observations during the round, the shantytown house they were in had relatively complete facilities.

Without a word, Wang Qiang picked up a brick and threw it at the window, shattering the glass instantly and stirring up the zombies outside the gate.

Zhao and the others were accustomed to such situations. With the solid iron gate holding back the older zombies, they focused entirely on the matter at hand.

"Qiangzi, I'll go in first, you cover the rear; Old Zhao, as you're tall, it's inconvenient for you to crawl through the window, so wait until we open the door for you after entering." Tang Xiaoquan quickly made the arrangement.

Out of concern for his friend's safety, Wang Qiang, feigning discontent, asked in return, "Why should you go first? Quan, I admit you're smart, but let me handle the risky stuff."

Tang Xiaoquan, knowing Wang Qiang wasn't intentionally making things difficult, explained with a smile, "You've misunderstood, Qiangzi. I'm not planning to take risks by going in first. I'm reliant on your remarkable archery skills to watch my back once I'm inside if anything sudden happens."

Predictably, Tang's words hit home with Wang Qiang, who nodded with a grin and thumped his chest, "Of course, rest assured, my archery techniques are known to all of you!"

Watching the banter between the two brothers, a silently noting Old Zhao thought they'd make great stand-up comedians.

As for Tang's decision for him to enter last, Zhao Yunhai had no objection. He instinctively felt the room wouldn't pose great danger, and since Tang and Wang could handle it, he'd be spared the trouble of bending down and crawling: "Alright then, Quan, I'll take it easy outside, waiting for you to open the door."

"Haha, no problem!" Tang Xiaoquan replied, wasting no further words. He bent and crawled through the window, shortly followed by Wang Qiang.

Upon entering, they immediately had to cover their noses against the intense stench of rotting corpses flooding toward them.

"Damn! What the hell is this smell, so awful?" Wang Qiang scrunched his eyebrows into a pretzel.

What smell? While repulsed, Tang Xiaoquan became alert.

The smell was familiar, like decaying flesh, and able to emit such a stench inside this house—could it be? Instinctively, he tightened his grip on the hatchet, gesturing for Wang Qiang to hold his silence while quietly reminding him, "Shh, no talking, stay alert. I sense something's amiss with this room."

Chilled by Tang's words, Wang Qiang hastily readied his hand crossbow and stared intently forward. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit qidian.com to cast your recommendation and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)