Chapter 1075 - 163: Troublesome Heavy Snow (Part 3)

Chapter 1075: Chapter 163: Troublesome Heavy Snow (Part 3)

"Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock." As usual, it’s three long, two short, two short, three long.

But after both sets of codes were tapped, the expected sound of the door opening didn’t occur.

Huo Yuankai, unwilling to accept this, knocked again, but the result remained the same.

Huo Yuankai was about to try again, but this time Hua Biao stepped in to stop him.

The situation was obvious; if the children had really returned, there’s no reason they wouldn’t open the door when the code was clear.

Unless...

Pulling Huo Yuankai over, Hua Biao stepped forward, then bent down, avoiding the peephole, pressing his ear against the door to listen inside.

Moments later, he pulled back his ear, his expression growing increasingly serious.

No sound!

There are three possibilities: first, the children have returned, but because of external factors, they can’t open the door.

This factor could be twofold:

One, they’ve all become zombies, but since there was no reaction to the knocking, this can mostly be ruled out.

Two, they’re being held hostage, resulting in restricted movement.

Another possibility is the children haven’t returned, and the people inside are someone else.

Finally, there’s simply nobody inside.

However, at the moment, Hua Biao couldn’t determine the specifics.

Since that’s the case, he has to assume all possibilities exist.

"Brother Huo, don’t act rashly yet. I’ll go downstairs and inform the team about the situation here. Wait for me to come back, then we’ll move forward! OK?" Knowing that it’s impossible to pull Huo Yuankai away now, Hua Biao could only try to calm him.

Huo Yuankai nodded without much to say, but from his trembling lips, Hua Biao could still see the man’s anxiety.

"Remember to wait for me to return!" With final blessings, Hua Biao headed downstairs.

From downstairs, Hu Xiaodong and the others witnessed the situation upstairs clearly.

They all saw Huo Yuankai knocking on the door without getting a response from inside.

"How was it, Hua Biao? Did you hear anything?" As soon as Hua Biao settled downstairs, Hu Xiaodong asked urgently.

"No, didn’t hear a sound."

"I see..."

"Later, I’ll have Huo Yuankai open the security door while you stay here. If things go south, we’ll retreat back to the car immediately. Oh, by the way, Hu, does that surveillance you just set up work? If it does, take a look at it to confirm the situation outside."

Upon hearing this, Hu Xiaodong reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a portable tablet.

Swiping across the screen, the software he had opened was still running in the background.

With some simple operations, Hu Xiaodong remotely controlled the camera to rotate 360 degrees.

Through the footage returned by the camera, Hu Xiaodong confirmed that there was no unusual occurrence on the street outside.

"Good, keep monitoring!" With the confirmation, Hua Biao felt somewhat relieved; if the street outside is clear, at least it means they’re not being tailed.

This slightly reduces the chances of a fight breaking out.

But regardless of external factors, Hua Biao still kept his guard up, then headed back to the 2nd floor.

Huo Yuankai kept to Hua Biao’s instructions and didn’t act impulsively, but the anxiety in his heart hadn’t diminished a bit.

He’s not foolish, and he’s analyzed a series of conjectures himself.

No matter which possibility, for him, none was desired.

"Brother Huo, when the door opens later, you must remain calm and don’t rush in. I know you’re definitely worried about the children’s whereabouts now. But for your safety and the children’s, listen carefully: after we enter the room, we need to proceed cautiously and check each room thoroughly. Remember, only by staying alive can we talk about anything else. If you die, then there’s really no hope for the children. Don’t forget, your son is still waiting for you."

Intentionally mentioning "son," indeed Hua Biao’s subtle strategy achieved the expected effect. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

After hearing, Huo Yuankai’s right hand, gripping the knife, involuntarily trembled slightly.

Seeing this, Hua Biao knew it was time to act.

"Alright, Brother Huo, remember what I said! We must cooperate. Open the door!" Quickly retreating to the side, Hua Biao held a knife in his right hand, while pulling out a ready-loaded 54-handgun with the left, then pointed at the door lock, signaling Huo Yuankai to take action.

Without a moment’s hesitation, the impatiently waiting Huo Yuankai swiftly pulled out the key, skillfully inserting it into the lock, and with a slight twist of his finger tips, a series of clicking sounds from the lock followed.

Tightening his grip on the weapon out of instinct, once the door unlocked completely, Hua Biao swiftly pulled Huo Yuankai behind himself.

This was a habitual maneuver, as Hua Biao, tasked with protecting hostages and rescuing operatives, had developed the instinct to safeguard others.

So the series of reactions just now were entirely a product of years of trained instinct.

With a flick of the knife, the door barely creaked open as the blade stirred, and unexpectedly, the door emitted a shrill howl.

In ordinary times, survivors undoubtedly preferred not to hear such sounds.

But now, Hua Biao didn’t mind it at all; on the contrary, this noise served as a warning to those inside; if zombies were present, they should be reacting now.

Yet after the sound echoed, the room inside remained silent.

Hua Biao waited for about ten seconds, then peeked inside the room, scanning to confirm there was nothing unusual in the living room, before signaling Huo Yuankai to enter.

Following Hua Biao, Huo Yuankai quickly dashed into the room, and the two proceeded as previously planned, slowly moving into the inner room.

Luckily, the residence wasn’t very large, and soon, they had finished searching.

It turned out the room was empty, prompting Hua Biao to exhale in relief, while Huo Yuankai stood somewhat lost.

Being aware that the team downstairs was still waiting, Hua Biao didn’t comfort the disheartened man but turned to leave.

Upon returning, he went forward, patting Huo Yuankai’s shoulder, giving a sigh, and gently advised, "No news is often the best news, Brother Huo. The kids aren’t here, but it doesn’t mean they’ve encountered trouble. Perhaps they’re hiding somewhere outside."

"Yes, as long as we haven’t seen them, there’s still hope. Brother Huo, you can’t collapse now."

Although those words were spoken, Hu Xiaodong and Hua Biao both knew that in this Post-apocalyptic Ruins, with a day gone by, the survival chances of those two minor children even if they were hiding somewhere, remain grim without food and water.

Listening to the advice of Hua Biao and Hu Xiaodong, Tang Xiaoquan knitted his brows slightly.

Yes, the absence of news indeed meant there was still hope. But given the current situation, Tang Xiaoquan didn’t wish the team would give Huo Yuankai any more hope.

It’s not that Tang Xiaoquan is cold-hearted, but because there are more pressing tasks at hand that need their attention now.

If they waste resources and effort chasing after something so uncertain,

Aside from the expenditure of fuel, time won’t permit it either.

Furthermore, in terms of prioritization, as far as Tang Xiaoquan is concerned, however pitiful the children might be, they don’t outweigh the importance of Lei Tong and Xu Renjie’s lives.

After all, the latter are their brothers, while the two children are but strangers.