Chapter 1081 - 169: Troublesome Heavy Snow (9)

Chapter 1081: Chapter 169: Troublesome Heavy Snow (9)

Courteous, vigorous, and methodical, Tang Xiaoquan’s remarks fundamentally dispelled everyone’s concerns about the material supply.

And this was precisely what Hu Xiaodong was most worried about, so once this matter was settled, his anxious heart relaxed half way.

As for Old Xu and Lei Tong, firstly, the other party’s supplies were sufficient for a month; secondly, with their survival abilities, Hu Xiaodong believed they were capable of handling various crises.

Thus, this time, without waiting for Hua Biao to express opposition, Hu Xiaodong first gave his approval: "Yeah, Xiaotang, to be honest, what you just explained makes quite a bit of sense. We really don’t need to rush the supply management at the base. With what we have at home, if we use it sparingly, we can still get by for a week. So you should go with Hua Biao. The principle is six words: no rush, but stable."

After speaking, Hu Xiaodong continued to reassure Hua Biao: "Hua, Xiaotang definitely can’t match up to you in terms of physical strength, coordinate with each other on the road, but don’t be too hasty with your journey. As I just mentioned, we can still last at home, the forty kilometers of road can be done in three days, so rest when needed, there’s no need to rush."

"Makes sense! Makes sense!" Wei Dazhuang’s straightforward nature means he doesn’t take sides; whoever convinces him, he supports.

Currently, evidently Tang Xiaoquan’s explanation convinced him more, so without further ado, he also agreed to the young man’s request to accompany them.

Due to the urgency of time, Hua Biao couldn’t spare time to argue with Tang Xiaoquan. Since everyone found it meaningful for the latter to accompany, he was also too lazy to say more.

"Alright! So the two of us together. Come on! Let’s pack up!"

In the next few minutes, everyone started preparing supplies and equipment for the two.

Considering the amount they could carry and the satiety factor, survivors tried to equip high-calorie, easily digestible supplies.

Such as instant noodles, compressed biscuits, chocolate, and other items.

Once the two packages of supplies were packed, Hua Biao pulled out a portable tent.

Originally, he didn’t plan to carry this heavy item to add trouble since he was initially intending to travel alone.

But with Tang Xiaoquan following, he was sure the latter’s stamina wouldn’t last long.

Resting in the snow, especially at night, without a place to shield from wind and snow, relying on Tang Xiaoquan’s ability wouldn’t have him withstand the night.

So in order to ensure Tang Xiaoquan survives the entire journey, Hua Biao could only spare extra physical strength to carry one additional tent.

"Hey! Hua, can you handle carrying such two large bags?"

Hua Biao didn’t answer, he tried to carry it and felt okay, so he shrugged and replied: "No problem, it’s lighter than our military field training loads, but it’s Xiaotang who’s probably suffering."

Bitter smile! Being underestimated like this made Tang Xiaoquan a bit helpless.

But helpless as it is, his physique indeed can’t be compared to Hua Biao.

Once ready, Hu Xiaodong handed over the weapons to the two, thinking carefully and solemnly said: "When you start this journey, you might lose contact with us. In any case, ensure your safety. If things don’t seem right, retreat. Don’t push yourself, understand?"

"Don’t worry Hu, we’ll be careful, but you have to protect these supplies well."

No matter how hard Tang Xiaoquan and Hua Biao work, ultimately, the survival of the team at the base depends on these four carloads of supplies to live.

Hu Xiaodong certainly understood this principle and nodded vigorously.

After bidding everyone farewell, Hua Biao led Tang Xiaoquan on the first step of a long expedition.

Slowly moving forward one after the other, in no time the two figures disappeared from Hu Xiaodong’s sight.

As the snowflakes completely masked their figures, he then turned back to give orders: "Circle the cars, we’ll set camp here!!"

Due to the loss of Hua Biao, the driver, arranging the four cars turned out to be a real hassle for Hu Xiaodong and the others.

As Hu Xiaodong was having troubles with parking, Tang Xiaoquan on their side was being tormented by the heavy snow unbearably.

Having walked barely 500 meters or so, Tang Xiaoquan began regretting his decision.

Walking on snow was far more challenging than he imagined; not mentioning the snow blockade, even the cold temperature had Tang Xiaoquan’s eyebrows frosted, his lips turning purple.

Since they were traveling by vehicle, Tang Xiaoquan and the others didn’t equip specialized snow goggles.

Hua Biao managed fine, but Tang Xiaoquan was suffering.

With each step deeper or shallower as he trudged on snow, Tang Xiaoquan never felt this way about walking so difficult.

Practically every step required him to muster all his strength to move forward; he had no choice, given the snow was knee-deep.

To put it nicely, he was walking.

To put it bluntly, he was uprooting radishes.

However, words once spoken are like spilled water; despite the difficulty, he had to swallow down this hardship.

Besides, fundamentally all this was for Wei Yang, Tang Xiaoquan could only grit his teeth and persist.

Hua Biao held a tent bag in one hand and a bamboo pole in the other, poking it into the ground.

He did this to prevent zombies hiding beneath the snow.

Since, according to the current data survivors have, there’s still no evidence proving zombies can’t survive in oxygen-less environments.

So just to be safe, Hua Biao would prod the snow with the pole every step forward, checking for any foreign object before placing his foot down.

By doing so, it inevitably slowed down their advance, but given Tang Xiaoquan’s slow turtle-like steps, Hua Biao’s delay in paving the way could be entirely ignored.

"How are you holding up? If you can’t, speak up, don’t push yourself!" Although he had anticipated Tang Xiaoquan being ’inept’, the latter being weak to this extent was quite beyond Hua Biao’s expectations.

Boiling down to it, Tang Xiaoquan knew he’d only walked less than 3 kilometers, still far from the target location "countless miles away".

Deep down, Tang Xiaoquan really wanted to find a place to rest, but remembering his determined departure, he was too embarrassed to speak up.

After all, if not being a drag, Hua Biao probably would have already walked a long way.

"I’m fine! Hua, I’m still okay, let’s continue onward."

Shaking his head, Hua Biao let out a light sigh, initially planning to persuade; thinking of Xu Renjie and Lei Tong trapped in the abandoned city, he immediately dismissed the thought.

"Alright! Then let’s continue, remember, speak up if you can’t, there’s no embarrassment between brothers!"

Turning around, Hua Biao exerted force with the pole into the snow, then continued clearing the way.

You don’t say, Hua Biao’s cold treatment had some impact; despite Tang Xiaoquan being exhausted, he persistently followed behind closely, relying on his will to keep going for almost half an hour.

After half an hour, the overwhelmed Tang Xiaoquan finally conceded and actively called for rest.

Following that, Tang and Hua, in the rhythm of walking and pausing, made their way inch by inch towards the base.

After about 2 hours, Tang Xiaoquan only felt dizzy in front of him, Hua Biao noticed something unusual in the latter, stopped and asked: "What’s wrong? Want to take a break?"

Tang Xiaoquan gasped heavily, shaking his head: "No, I’m fine, I can still keep going, it’s just my eyes feel off, seeing things swaying."