Rotting Land: Survive

Chapter 654 - 643: Small Town (Part 2)

The foot traffic that comes and goes in the town is significant, which directly determines the number of people infected after the outbreak.

The zombies here are absolutely not comparable to those elderly zombies at the second refuge. The old soldiers there, restricted by their physical limitations, have long become frail and sluggish. Without the support of the zombie virus, they would likely find it difficult to walk for a long time, let alone burst out with astonishing strength.

But the town is different, with a mix of people, both young and old, so there are plenty of Runners and Climbers. They often easily break through to attack the Survivors at the front due to their speed and climbing advantage, such that the opponents have no time to react before getting knocked down and feasted upon.

At this moment, Zhao Er and the others are suffering attacks from Runners from multiple directions; they had initially hoped to use Wang Qiang’s hand crossbow to slow down these evolved creatures that have adapted to their bodies.

However, the harsh reality shattered this little wish of theirs. Even though Wang Qiang tried very hard to aim at the running zombies, his pitiful accuracy is embarrassing even under normal static conditions, let alone with moving targets.

Watching the crossbow arrows shoot out aimlessly, Wang Qiang grew more anxious. But the more anxious and flustered he was, the less accurate the arrows became, resulting in a vicious cycle where the Runners kept getting closer to them.

Seeing this, Zhao Er assessed the situation and knew they must retreat immediately; otherwise, if they stayed for a few more minutes, they would surely be surrounded and killed here.

So Zhao Er made a decisive decision, promptly moving towards the Jianghuai car, and shouted to Tang Xiaoquan, who was still inside the building moving goods, "Quan’er, stop moving stuff, retreat quickly! If we don’t retreat now, we’ll be surrounded by these damn creatures."

Just after picking up a bag of rice, Tang Xiaoquan understood the crisis outside from Zhao Er’s tone, and he immediately and without hesitation threw away the rice bag on his shoulder and ran out, carrying his machete.

By this time, the Jianghuai car had been started by Zhao Er, the enormous roar of the engine intertwined with the zombies’ growls, making a terrifying scene.

Wang Qiang leaned against the rear compartment door, covering Tang Xiaoquan as he quickly dashed onto the vehicle, giving Wang Qiang a pat on the shoulder and said, "OK, Qiang, let’s go!"

The Survivors’ coordination under the pressure of the apocalypse has become quite skilled; Wang Qiang immediately flipped into the car and smoothly closed the door.

Meanwhile, Zhao Er also promptly stepped on the gas pedal, and the Jianghuai vehicle immediately roared like a tiger rushing downhill, making a sharp turn and straightening itself.

Nearby, a few zombies were completely unafraid of the speeding Jianghuai vehicle; they mindlessly waved their arms, roaring and flinging themselves at the car.

They clearly didn’t understand what this big chunk of metal was, but undoubtedly, the delicious feast they had longed for had truly hidden inside this chunk, making them furious.

"Bang bang!" With a few dull thuds, the brainless zombies that charged forward were directly knocked away, followed by the crunching sound of limbs breaking.

After a series of reckless charging and wild breakthroughs, the Survivors successfully rushed out of the encirclement.

Breathing a long sigh of relief, Zhao Er picked up the hand-held radio and asked, panting heavily, "How was our harvest today?"

Wang Qiang, holding the machete, pointed at the sacks in the compartment with some annoyance and replied, "Damn, we only got 9 bags, not even an even number."

The main reason Wang Qiang was so frustrated was due to his powerlessness when dealing with the "Runners." He was very aware that if his hand crossbow accuracy was half as precise as Hu Xiaodong’s, the materials in the car would definitely not be as pitifully sparse as they were now.

"Alright, Qiang, accumulating bit by bit, as long as there’s harvest, it’s good." Tang Xiaoquan noticed Wang Qiang’s self-reproach, but in his view, Wang shouldn’t be blamed. After all, he practiced the hand crossbow for a short time, and this was a team operation, not something that could be changed by a single individual.

"Indeed, Wang, this time we mainly surveyed the area, knowing the place now, it’s just a matter of running a few more trips next time, no problem." Zhao Er also timely voiced consolation.

But the words from Wang and Zhao made Qiang only feel worse; the more he thought about those "Runners," the angrier he got, and he burst out cursing: "Damn it, those zombies are truly disgusting, running, running, running for what?!"

Upon hearing Wang Qiang’s complaint, Zhao Er chuckled and said, "Alright, Wang, it’s not the first time we’ve encountered Runners. In the end, we should be content at least these creatures don’t have brains. Imagine if they had intelligence someday, then that would truly make surviving impossible."

"But you know what’s strange?" Wang Qiang continued, "these recent outings, I’ve noticed that the number of ’Pacers’ has been increasing! Previously, there were only a dozen or so, but now they are swarming!"

Wang Qiang’s suspicion was also what Tang Xiaoquan was pondering, "Qiang, you are observant, I’ve noticed this issue too. My greatest concern now is that as time goes by, this situation might become normalized, and as these creatures deepen their familiarity with bodily control, more unpredictable abilities might emerge."

"Damn it! If that’s really the case, what chance do humans have to survive? If these creatures keep evolving, wouldn’t it be like the biohazard game, with various mutant zombies appearing?"

Wang Qiang, a homebody obsessed with games, never lacked imagination about the future zombie forms, yet he never wished the zombie prototypes in his mind would run into reality.

In response, Tang Xiaoquan gently patted Wang Qiang’s shoulder, smiling playfully, "Hehe, Qiang, isn’t there something that scares you? Don’t worry, even if the crisis scenes in real life appear, you shouldn’t be overly concerned. You mustn’t forget, the climax of every game ends with a human victory."

"Carpe diem, let what’s to come arrive, and what’s not, no point in worrying. Comrades, stop being anxious about the future. Let’s just focus on getting through the present." Zhao Er’s words hit the point; in this world now, though the various systems have collapsed, one thing remains unchanged: the common people are ultimately still common people. Perhaps those with some skills can seize land, establish their own realm, but fundamentally, they still can’t change the core issue.

For instance, how to eliminate the zombie virus, how to deal with possible further biochemical disasters in the future. Clearly, these matters still rely on those so-called expert institutions to resolve.

Just as Zhao Er said, for this Survivor Team, resolving the immediate robber problem and the upcoming harsh winter is the top priority.

As for things like zombie evolution mutation, these are unfounded topics and entirely meaningless to discuss.

After all, even if all went as they anticipated, what could they do? Facing is unavoidable, so better to adjust the mentality and live each day well. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations or monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)