Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Grain Transport Operation (Part 2)
Hu Xiaodong’s facial change was clearly observed by Tang Xiaoquan. To be honest, his gaze had been entirely focused on the former throughout the journey, never once moving away.
Thus, seeing the other’s unusual expression now, he immediately felt a sense of foreboding.
Could it be...
With doubts in his heart, Tang Xiaoquan quickly turned his body and shifted his gaze to the "Xianghe Noodle Restaurant" just a stone’s throw away.
"Oh my God!" His eyes gradually widened, Tang Xiaoquan felt a tingling on his scalp, and every pore on his body contracted rapidly, as if doused with ice water.
He didn’t have time to count the number of zombies, but based on rough estimation, there were at least dozens of staggering zombies wandering around Xianghe Noodle Restaurant at this moment.
"How could... this happen!" Wang Qiang almost instinctively blurted out. He also glanced at the unusual behavior of Tang and Hu, then stood up and looked across, but just that glance left him horrified.
After all, he vividly remembered that during his desperate escape just yesterday, there were only a few scattered zombies at Xianghe Noodle Restaurant across the street, but now... overnight, how could things turn out like this?
For this outcome, Wang Qiang was clearly struggling to accept it.
Not just him, the rest of the group also showed expressions of disbelief.
"Sigh~ If I’m not mistaken, these beasts should have gathered there following our escape route." Tang Xiaoquan sighed weakly, then slid down and sat on the ground, folding his arms in front of his knees, slowly closing his black eyes.
Undoubtedly, the current situation was extremely demoralizing. The sudden appearance of zombies was like a hefty mace, delivering a heavy blow to the confidence of the survivors.
"Brother Hu, what should we do? Should we fight them once?" Wu Chao tightened his grip on the golf club in his hand, a hint of determination on his palm-sized molded face, evidently showing his unwillingness to give up.
Yes, should they fight once? Hu Xiaodong faced the second difficult decision in his life history.
He vividly remembered the last time he faced such a decision, seven years ago. At 23, young and wild, he had to say goodbye to his beloved archery following an unexpected accident.
Because of it, he **, lived in decadence for a while, but eventually, he stood up again.
He chose to fight against fate, thus venturing into the world using another way to continue his dreams and passions.
What he never expected was that after seven years, the once shy and immature youth, now a sturdy man in his thirties, was again pushed to a life-and-death decision by fate’s roulette. This time, the difficulty surpassed his past decisions because his choice would directly affect the life and death of six people around him.
Sweeping his gaze over everyone, even though they hadn’t been together long, Hu Xiaodong subconsciously viewed these brothers facing life and death together as his family.
What should I do? Should we advance or retreat?
Hu Xiaodong was really at a loss. Truly, with a team of 6 including himself, but compared to the walking dead across, they were still underpowered.
Moreover, he wasn’t fully aware of the strength of the newly joined survivors, rash actions would only brink everyone’s lives to death.
But if they give up, what about food and supplies?
Remember, he instructed Lin Muye to cook all the instant noodles yesterday, intending to act with the attitude of not stopping until the goal was achieved today.
So...
Headache, quite the headache, Hu Xiaodong felt his head splitting.
Because no matter how he chose now, it seemed like a dead end.
The atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive, all eyes focused on Hu Xiaodong except for Tang Xiaoquan, silently waiting for their leader’s final instructions.
But...
"Brother Hu, we must abandon the original plan!" A voice devoid of any emotion broke the silence, Tang Xiaoquan slowly raised his head.
However, before he continued, Wu Chao interrupted him, "If we abandon it, what about our supply of goods?"
"Yes, Quan, without food, starving for a day or two is fine but where would we find the strength to fight those zombies?" Wang Qiang quickly added.
And after his words fell, the others nodded in agreement, clearly understanding the powerless feeling caused by hunger.
Hu Xiaodong continued knitting his brows, not speaking, his eyes intensely watching Tang Xiaoquan, hoping this young man could offer some constructive advice.
Tang Xiaoquan lowered his head in contemplation for a while, then lifted his head, eyes bright, "I’ve got it, Brother Hu, we can do this..."
Using the memory of his journey, Tang Xiaoquan identified a place he believed they could gather food from.
Hu Xiaodong paused briefly, then asked noncommittally, "Are you sure your plan will work?"
Touching his nose, Tang Xiaoquan sighed lightly.
No need to ask, no one dared assure a hundred percent success in their plans in this apocalypse. Tang Xiaoquan was honest as well, showing an eight with his hand, and said solemnly, "80%, I’m 80% sure!"
"Let’s do it, Brother Hu!" Wu Chao once again preemptively shouted, it seemed his personality was rather impatient.
Hu Xiaodong swept his consulting gaze over everyone present, and once receiving their nod of approval, he solemnly decided:
"Alright, Xiao Tang, let’s proceed according to your plan then."
With the plan established, the survivors found their direction once more, reigniting their recently cooled morale.
Led by Tang Xiaoquan, they returned the way they came and soon arrived at a bus stop sign.
Using the huge billboard advertisement on the platform as a cover, six survivors lined up, just enough to hide their figures within.
"That’s the place!" Tang Xiaoquan peeked and quickly retracted his head, adding, "12 o’clock direction, Meilizi Supermarket!"
Hu Xiaodong simply acknowledged with "Hmm," then followed his pointed direction, quietly questioning, "Are you sure you mean Meilizi Supermarket? Can we break through that place?"