Rotting Land: Survive

Chapter 652 - 641: The Nightmare Begins (Part 3)

"I imagine you’ve lived in the warehouse for a while, and you can see how difficult it is for a survivor to make it out there, so you need to prove yourself with your actions, showing that you have the strength and ability to protect yourself. Only then will Boss Liu have the confidence to entrust the young master to your care."

Li Huiru found this statement somewhat baffling. Aren’t men supposed to protect women? How did it turn into women protecting men here?

However, despite her inner disagreement, she did not show the slightest bit on her face. On the contrary, she nodded affirmatively to show her agreement.

Seeing Li Huiru’s acceptance, Huang Yong continued, "To put it simply... you need to undergo a series of trials."

"Trials?" Li Huiru found the term unsettling as it was usually associated with relatively dangerous things.

Huang Yong ignored her surprise and continued, "Now that the apocalypse has descended, dangers are everywhere, and zombies roam all around. Although our factory is sturdy, it is not an impregnable fortress. So, as they say, better safe than sorry. Boss Liu fears that one day, due to this or that reason, we might be forced to abandon this place, and by then, you and the young master won’t be able to enjoy such a comfortable life, with plenty to eat and drink as you do now. To avoid such a tragedy, Boss Liu needs you to start going out with the supply-seeking teams regularly, to experience and learn survival skills out there. Only in crucial moments you won’t become a burden to the young master. Do you understand?"

Li Huiru’s glassy eyes widened enormously, Huang Yong’s explanation greatly exceeded her expectations.

In her view, the trial would likely involve her facing a zombie or two head-on, allowing her to understand the difficulty of outdoor survival.

But now, Liu Fugui was actually asking her to leave the factory to gather supplies outside, which always carried the risk of losing her life.

Huang Yong noticed her reluctance and, to dispel Li Huiru’s concerns, softened his previously indifferent attitude and said gently, "There’s no need to fear anything, rest assured. Since Boss Liu has decided to accept you, he won’t casually let you lose your life out there. He’s already instructed me to have the accompanying brothers protect your safety. If anything happens to you, they will be thrown to the zombies. However, I must privately advise you, the opportunity Boss Liu gave you is entirely because of the young master’s desperate insistence. In other words, your existence is a weakness for the young master. If you ultimately cannot meet Boss Liu’s requirements, I believe having this weakness die young is better than watching it grow slowly, isn’t it?"

Upon hearing this, Li Huiru’s face changed dramatically, her heart turbulent as a river and difficult to calm.

Indeed, she didn’t expect Liu Yunpeng’s desperate insistence to become her biggest hidden danger.

However, as Huang Yong said, no father would want his child to become infatuated with a woman to the point of being willing to die for her.

So now, in Liu Fugui’s eyes, she’s likely a massive thorn. Whether this thorn will be ruthlessly removed or driven in further depends on the results of this so-called ’trial.’

At this point, Li Huiru finally understood. She resolutely responded, "Thank you, Brother Huang, for clarifying things. I understand Mr. Liu’s intentions now, and I will work hard to meet his requirements. In the future, please take care of me more! I’ll stop disturbing your work now and head back to my room. Otherwise, when Yunpeng wakes up, he might worry because he can’t find me."

Li Huiru intentionally stared at Huang Yong with her enchanting eyes, but Huang Yong remained unmoved like a ’dead man.’

He returned to his initial cold demeanor and replied sternly, "I forgot to mention earlier that your trial officially starts today."

"Ah! Today!!"

Li Huiru was completely unprepared for this, no joking around—it’s not just a stroll; there are merciless killers out there.

Even if Liu Fugui wanted people to feel the atmosphere and build courage, he should at least let them prepare.

Moreover, she’s still a woman. Li Huiru quickly tried to find an excuse to delay, saying, "Brother Huang, I haven’t greeted Yunpeng yet since I left the room early this morning. I’m afraid if I leave now, and he can’t find me, he’ll start worrying unnecessarily."

Li Huiru cleverly used Liu Yunpeng as a shield, evidently implying that her sudden disappearance might cause Liu Yunpeng to misunderstand that Liu Fugui is after him, potentially making him resort to desperate measures, which would ironically worsen the situation.

However, how could Huang Yong be fooled by such little tricks? Unmoved, he calmly said, "Don’t worry about the young master; I will personally explain the situation to him. Besides, your trip won’t be too long, at most 1 to 2 hours, so nothing significant should happen."

Li Huiru still wanted to create a fuss, but Huang Yong’s words left her no choice but to abandon the idea of using Liu Yunpeng as leverage. After all, continuing to resist would only mean questioning Huang Yong’s authority.

Seeing that this trick failed, Li Huiru quickly switched to another tactic. She pointed to her shoes, "Brother Huang, look at these shoes of mine, they really aren’t suitable for this task. Why don’t you let me go back and change into a pair?"

Li Huiru made up her mind. As long as the opposite party agreed to let her go back to change shoes, she would definitely tell Liu Yunpeng about her imminent departure from the factory. Believing that the latter would pressure his father upon knowing this situation, thus increasing her bargaining power for safety.

But evidently, Huang Yong wasn’t going to give her that chance. He remained stony-faced, no matter how vulnerable she pretended to be, saying coldly, "Change shoes? Hmph, I don’t think it’s necessary. Today is your first time going out. We won’t assign you any specific tasks. All you need to do is sit quietly in the vehicle to feel the atmosphere and keep a lookout. Everything else is not your concern. But next time there are such actions, you’d better prepare everything in advance for me, or if something happens to you later, the brothers accompanying you would be implicated."

Seeing that her tricks had no effect on Huang Yong, Li Huiru felt anxious and helpless, so she spoke frankly: "Brother Huang, don’t you think this is all too sudden? I’m not mentally prepared at all. Can I have some time to adjust myself? That way, I can perform better in action."

After listening, Huang Yong sneered unceremoniously, "Hmph! So basically you think everything I just said is nonsense? Do you think Boss Liu’s orders are a joke? You want time to adjust? Does survival in the apocalypse offer you time to adjust? If you don’t want to go, fine, I won’t force you, but you’ll have to join me in explaining the situation to Boss Liu. I’m not authorized to decide if you can or cannot go!" (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)