Chapter 1073 - 161: Troublesome Heavy Snow (Part 1)

Chapter 1073: Chapter 161: Troublesome Heavy Snow (Part 1)

After jointly allocating resources, the cement, yellow sand, and other materials in the store quickly piled up into a small mountain on the street.

The store itself was quite large, and the warehouse stock was indeed plentiful.

Although there were only two people, Hu Xiaodong and Wei Dazhuang, their work speed was not slower than the four people inside the store.

One was a former athlete, and the other a farmer who had long been dealing with fields. Coping with Tang Xiaoquan and the other three wasn’t a problem; even if their number doubled, it wouldn’t be an issue.

The only trouble was the van’s load capacity; considering safety along the way, Hu Xiaodong didn’t dare to load the van too full.

After all, the roads in this deserted city are fraught with danger, and no one knows what they might encounter.

So for safety’s sake, it’s best to load conservatively to avoid any real danger down the road where you might lose everything.

However, heaven seemed to especially favor the survivor squad this time. Just as Hu Xiaodong was fretting over the van nearing full capacity, a roaring engine sound suddenly came from not far away.

Hu Xiaodong had never found the sound of a vehicle’s engine so pleasing. He turned his head eagerly and saw Luo Baochun, his face full of excitement, approaching the hood of the car and signaling Wei Dazhuang to get in together.

It worked! This was beyond doubt. Indeed, as the vehicle slowly approached the store, Luo Baochun immediately rolled down the window, stuck his head out, waved, and shouted, "Brother Hu, it’s done. Haha, as per your request, this thing should be enough, right?"

Well, a semi-trailer truck. Hu Xiaodong couldn’t quite figure out how this big guy managed to get into the city center.

But that’s clearly not important anymore. With this thing on hand, Hu Xiaodong believed even moving the entire street wouldn’t be a problem now.

"Well done! Little Luo! You’ve been a tremendous help!" He quickly walked around the semi-trailer truck, genuinely praising it.

With the new vehicle supplement, the survivor squad’s problem with load capacity was greatly resolved.

However, everything has pros and cons. Despite this big guy’s remarkable loading capacity, its fuel consumption is absolutely not optimistic.

Fortunately, the survivor squad had seized a significant amount of fuel from the earring man’s group before, so now they’re not afraid of the semi-trailer’s big appetite.

"Let Little Luo fill up this big guy, other people continue to transport goods."

Time ticked away as the survivor squad mechanically repeated the same actions.

Soon, the reserves of the first store were moved, and the survivor squad members began to raid the second one.

And as the transportation continued, the team members’ physical strength began to show signs of fatigue.

Understandably so, anyone would experience the same situation if they kept doing the same physical labor.

"We can’t go on like this." Seeing the efficiency gradually reduced, Hua Biao demanded, "Come on, line up, let’s pass it around like a drum, save strength."

Hearing this, everyone immediately adjusted their thinking and started taking action according to Hua Biao’s proposal.

Indeed, this seemingly inconspicuous adjustment gave the team members a great chance to catch their breath.

The efficiency just lost was gradually regained.

The cargo hold at the rear of the semi-trailer truck increased in height at a visibly fast speed. Once the cement, yellow sand, and other necessary building materials were settled, the survivor squad members began collecting miscellaneous parts such as glass, wire, and nails.

These things may not seem eye-catching, but they are essential elements in large constructions.

Who knows how long the tossing went on; anyway, once finished, the previously bright sky gradually darkened.

It appeared that last night’s storm had not ended, and a heavy rain was about to arrive.

"The sky looks bad, it’s going to rain." Luo Baochun raised his eyes to look at the sky, squeezed his arm, and spoke worriedly.

Hu Xiaodong nodded, "Yes, we’ve done about all we need to. In case the materials get wet, quickly, where’s the rainproof tarp just unloaded from the car? Get it to cover the car."

Trucks usually carry rainproof tarps, especially these open ones; to guard against adverse weather, drivers always buy one to keep on hand.

"Deal! Brother Hu, you and Dazhuang wait in the car, I’ll throw the tarp to you."

Covering with a tarp is definitely a skillful job. Not only that, but it also requires significant physical effort.

Fortunately, there were plenty of people in the survivor team, and working together, it posed no major issue.

Luo Baochun, being an old hand at running cars for years, naturally took up the role of coordinator.

With his coordination, he saved the team a lot of trouble.

After ten minutes or so of fuss, the massive rainproof tarp finally covered the top of the truck bed.

Now, even a torrential downpour wouldn’t worry Hu Xiaodong and his team about the inner supplies getting wet or damaged.

At this point, the survivor team’s collection of building materials concluded.

"Where should we head next?" Luo Baochun asked instinctively after finishing up.

He hadn’t considered the complication that the question implied.

Upon hearing it, Hu Xiaodong scratched his head and glanced at Huo Yuankai under the car, revealing a somewhat embarrassed expression.

According to the plan, they should be returning to the base now.

After all, the things they were supposed to gather on this trip were basically done.

The most pressing task now is to head back for unloading and then start preparing for Old Xu’s rescue.

But Huo Yuankai’s presence made the matter a bit delicate.

Because they promised him to help find two missing kids along the way upon departure.

And right now, while the kids haven’t been found yet, they have gathered plenty of resources.

Leaving under these circumstances would be unreasonable both emotionally and logically.

Though with Hua Biao around, Hu Xiaodong found it genuinely hard to speak up.

Just at this awkward moment, Tang Xiaoquan spoke up: "Uh, I think next we should accompany Brother Huo to find the kids, seize the time while the weather hasn’t changed."

Without Huo Yuankai’s previous life-saving intervention, Tang Xiaoquan might never have said such a thing.

Because, among the team, he was the most alert about Huo Yuankai’s presence.

Though he tried hard to include him in the team, Tang Xiaoquan’s vigilance hadn’t lessened in the slightest.

This was an instinctive habit, a defensive measure.

But after Huo Yuankai used a knife to save their lives, Tang Xiaoquan’s attitude towards him took a complete 180-degree turn.

Of course, this didn’t originate from trust but from the mere fact of facing a lifesaver, Tang Xiaoquan couldn’t afford any petty thoughts anymore.

Moreover, having completed their mission, driving a few circles nearby wasn’t something impossible to do.

Considering these reasons, Tang Xiaoquan planned to do Huo Yuankai a favor.

One, it demonstrates the team’s sincerity, showing the other side they can keep promises.

Two, it somewhat repays Huo Yuankai’s life-saving grace and avoids burdening themselves with this pressure in the future.

As for the third reason, it’s merely to reduce the rift between the teams and bring their squads closer.

Hu Xiaodong, who was feeling troubled about speaking up, found Tang Xiaoquan’s suggestion just right to promptly respond, affirmatively stating, "Uh-huh, what Xiao Tang said is correct. Let’s quickly get in the car and try to find the kids before the storm breaks."