Chapter 1059 - 1044: Walls Have Ears (Part 1)

Chapter 1059: Chapter 1044: Walls Have Ears (Part 1)

After several rounds of persuasion, and even Hu Xiaodong personally stepping in, they finally barely managed to convince Hua Biao.

Tang Xiaoquan let out a long sigh and collapsed into the seat. After regaining composure, he picked up the hand-held radio and instructed Qiangqiang: "Qiang, please inform Old Xu that we’re heading out first. Tell him not to worry, we will complete the mission, and ask them to patiently wait. Within a week, we’ll return with the equipment to rescue them."

Moments later, Wang Qiang received Old Xu’s reply, containing just four words: "Safe travels."

Illuminated by the moonlight, Old Xu and Lei Tong watched as two vehicles slowly departed into the distance. ℯℯ𝑙.

Only after the vehicles vanished from sight did Old Xu breathe a sigh of relief.

They left! Finally left!

What Old Xu was worried about ultimately did not happen, which allowed his mind, long on edge, to slightly relax.

He closed the partially opened window tightly, drew the curtains, and the bedroom fell into darkness.

"Plink!" A weak flame flickered as Lei Tong timely lit a candle he had scavenged.

The flickering flame stretched the figures of the people long, creating an indescribably strange atmosphere.

"You’re hungry, right? Let’s make something to eat."

Pulling out some chocolate, Old Xu handed one to the boy.

The boy looked at Old Xu, without moving, seemingly hesitant.

Old Xu responded with a smile: "Man is iron, food is steel. No matter what happens, never be too hard on yourself. Remember, being alive gives you the capital to talk about anything else. I’ll leave the food here for you. If you’re still worried and want to search for those people, then eat it yourself."

Leaving those words, Old Xu led Lei Tong out of the bedroom.

As a company level officer, Old Xu had "reformed" quite a few troublemakers.

Now, the reason he’s treating the rescued boy with such "indifference" is precisely because he feels a strong affection for the boy.

So, he resorted to cold handling methods. However, Lei Tong understood that his captain was intentionally honing the boy to teach him the way to survive in the apocalypse.

Starting a fire and cooking is an incredibly ordinary affair that’s not a matter at all in our normal life.

But in the apocalypse, in the extreme environment of power and water outages, even simple tasks become infinitely complex.

Fortunately, both Old Xu and Lei Tong were experts in wilderness survival; they quickly used the resources at hand to create a makeshift fire pit.

"I’ll go upstairs to gather the rainwater, you use this bottled water to cook some rice first."

Considering the variety of supplies and the scarcity of water.

Old Xu decided to first consume the non-portable rice, then move on to packaged snack foods.

As for retrieving the rainwater collected on the rooftop, it became essential because, for Old Xu and Lei Tong, food supply was still adequate, but the water source was truly insufficient.

With responsibilities arranged, Old Xu headed up to fetch the water, while Lei Tong was below lighting the fire and preparing the meal.

Considering the shortage of water, Lei Tong deliberately cooked more rice at once.

After all, it was the middle of winter, with low temperatures, turning the entire room into a natural refrigerator.

Once cooked, they could just grab some to mix and eat whenever hunger struck, effortlessly satisfying their appetite.

After bustling for half an hour, Old Xu and his companions finally ate the first "feast" since departing from the base.

Of course, the so-called feast was merely some plain rice, though they had scavenged a few bits of small dishes in the residence.

But given the situation, Old Xu and the others didn’t touch those resources.

After the meal, Old Xu and Lei Tong thoroughly checked the doors and windows of the house.

After making sure there were no issues, they returned to the bedroom.

Thankfully, the residence’s soundproofing wasn’t too bad; staying indoors, the zombies’ irritating dragging footsteps outside weren’t as clearly heard.

"Rest if you’re tired. Let us know if you need anything." Knowing the boy wasn’t much of a talker, Old Xu didn’t say much, just pointed to the bed and said two simple sentences.

"Captain, we’ve settled down for now, but I’m not sure about that group of scoundrels’ situation?"

Hearing Lei Tong’s inquiry, Old Xu lifted his face; he’d been so focused on finding a place and communicating that he honestly forgot about that band of scoundrels.

Now with Lei Tong’s mention, Old Xu started thinking again.

"I guess they were all taken care of by the zombies." Without waiting for Old Xu’s reply, Lei Tong added his own thought.

Old Xu nodded, agreed that those creatures likely couldn’t break through and survive.

After all, given the circumstances, Old Xu believed that Hu Chao’s crew’s chances of breaking through were nearly zero.

However, just as Old Xu and Lei Tong were confident in their judgment, a strange noise caught their attention.

It was the sound of something falling, though fleeting, and not especially clear, both Old Xu and Lei Tong heard it, almost simultaneously exchanged a look, then Old Xu quickly moved to the bedroom wall.

As it was certain the sound didn’t come from their room, the remaining possibility could only be next door.

With ears pressed against the wall, Old Xu held his breath, adjusting his heartbeat to the lowest frequency.

Lei Tong, meanwhile, waited nearby, also remaining completely motionless and still.

Quiet, a deadly quiet filled the survivor’s bedroom!

If someone were passing by right now, they would certainly mistake the three people indoors for a group of statues.

"Damn it, are you trying to get yourself killed?! Don’t you know there’re zombies outside? Do you feel uncomfortable if they aren’t attracted here?"

Upon hearing this, Old Xu instantly withdrew his ear.

Lei Tong observed Old Xu’s solemn expression and instantly inferred: "Could it be those scoundrels are still..."

Slowly nodding, Old Xu raised his finger to his lips, signaling Lei Tong to stay quiet.

"Damn it! If you weren’t useless, we’d have already finished off those two fools."

"Uh, B-Brother, c-calm down. Actually, actually it’s not all that bad. Look, those two idiots are hiding upstairs, though the zombies haven’t gotten them, but they have no food or drink. I reckon, at most two days, they won’t hold out anymore."

"******! They won’t hold out! Do you think we’re going to hold out, you damn fool? I’ll tell you all, tomorrow morning, you better come up with ways to raid the next room for supplies, or you can wait to ****!"

Hu Chao’s tirade reached Old Xu’s ears word for word; he had no interest in the scolding itself, but Hu Chao’s final directive forced him to pay attention.

To scavenge supplies from the next room... the next room... that’s right where I am!

Thinking of the potential trouble from engaging with the other side, Old Xu’s nerves tightened.

No doubt, Old Xu wasn’t intimidated by a confrontation; back in the restaurant’s rear hall, the terrain forced him to retreat.

But now, here in this house, holding the upper hand, Old Xu was certain of victory.