Rotting Land: Survive-Chapter 344 - 343: First Transport Encounter (10)

On the way back, Tang Xiaoquan didn’t sit in the front passenger seat like before.

Instead, he huddled in a corner at the back of the vehicle with Xu Renjie, whispering about something.

Another soldier found it strange, but managed to restrain his urge to inquire.

After all, it was his responsibility to remain vigilant, so adhering to the principle of focusing on one task, he kept his eyes outside rather than on the "mysteriously" conversing Tang and Xu.

Wei Dazhuang did a good job today. At least during the subsequent investigation by Dai Sha and the people at the base, his final "three-point maxim" truly pleased Dai Sha, earning him some decent favor.

However, Dazhuang himself didn’t care about how Scar viewed him. In his opinion, it would be more practical for the latter to reward him with a few pounds of flour rather than hold him in high regard.

The noontime sun grew increasingly fierce, and the sudden shift to high temperatures made the survivors, who had just adapted to the refreshing autumn weather, feel extremely uncomfortable.

Wei Dazhuang sat reclined in the tent with his legs crossed. Due to poor air circulation, the spacious tent now felt like an enclosed furnace, roasting him until he was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with sweat pouring nonstop.

Left with no choice, he opened a corner of the tent flap slightly to disperse some of the heat inside.

In contrast to Wei Dazhuang’s restlessness, Zhao Huilong seemed exceptionally excited today. Ever since he returned, he had been humming tunes continuously.

But no wonder he displayed such excitement. After all, he had been playing the submissive role among the lower ranks for much too long, and today was a rare opportunity for him to strut around, pointing fingers and shouting at others. That liberating "boss-like" feeling left him a bit dizzy with delight.

Suddenly, the previously bright tent turned dark, and in his half-sleep, Dazhuang noticed the light was blocked for a moment.

Instinctively, he opened his eyes to see a shadowy figure standing right in front of him.

"Lin... Junfu!" Zhao Huilong blurted out in surprise at the unexpected visitor’s appearance.

Yes, it was indeed his once-close friend Lin Junfu standing outside Wei Dazhuang’s tent.

"What are you doing here? Is there something you need?" Without waiting for Wei Dazhuang to speak, Zhao Huilong, acting almost like an official spokesman, cautiously asked.

Lin Junfu shot a contemptuous glance at Zhao Huilong. Like many others, he didn’t have a good impression of the "traitor," so he let out a cold snort and ignored him, turning his attention instead to the still-reclined Wei Dazhuang and questioned:

"Hey! Wei Dazhuang! I ask you, did Xu Renjie come to the base today?"

"Hmm!" He let out a light hum, but even with this soft response, Wei Dazhuang seemed quite impatient.

"Did little Tang and the others come?"

"Why are you asking this? Does whether they came or not matter to you?"

The calm, ripple-free counter-question left Lin Junfu momentarily speechless.

"Can’t answer, can you? Fine! If you can’t, I’ll say it!" Getting up abruptly, Wei Dazhuang took a large step forward, bringing himself nose-to-nose with Lin Junfu, coldly saying:

"Do you remember what you told me three days ago? You said we had no further ties, and you told me to scram!"

"Fine! I scrammed! What the hell do you mean coming to me now?"

"Ha, treat me like a dog you can summon when needed and dismiss when done! Your wild calculations are a bit too spot on, huh?"

"What do you think I am, Wei Dazhuang? Your lapdog?"

"I’m telling you, Lin, get lost while I’m still holding my temper, get out before I explode!"

The final word "get out" Wei Dazhuang nearly roared, his spit flying onto Lin Junfu’s face in his excitement.

He couldn’t believe that the once honest, simple man had fallen to such an "unfriendly" state, trembling uncontrollably.

He almost raised his fist to punch the guy in front, but considering the man’s current position and the safety of his group, Lin Junfu swallowed his urge, stared firmly into Wei Dazhuang’s eyes, and after saying "take care," turned and left without looking back.

Returning to their dwelling, Zhao Yunhai and the others were already anxiously waiting. They hadn’t known that Sang Biao’s deliberate stalling had delayed the unloading much longer than expected.

But regardless, the team returned safely and smoothly.

After a brief recounting of today’s delivery, old Zhao promptly served the prepared meals to the table for everyone.

Gathered around, the survivors chatted and laughed as they "devoured" the table full of dishes.

Thanks to the successful mission, everyone’s mood was especially relaxed.

Even though the mission hadn’t managed to rescue their brothers from inside, they could at least confirm that they were safe for now.

However, everyone also understood that this safety was only relative.

In other words, if the survivors couldn’t quickly resolve the base problem, there was no guarantee that Scar wouldn’t harbor murderous intentions one day.

After all, someone who’s stayed in a high position for long tends to develop an inflated sense of self.

Take Scar for instance, though he currently feared Xu Renjie’s tactics, decadent living would gradually corrupt him over time, and his once-alert mind would become blindly arrogant.

Though such an outcome might result in a lack of base defense, it also increased the likelihood of him targeting the three soldiers, or even Lin Junfu and others.

In summary, while relaxation was permissible, it must be remembered that it was just to adjust their spirits.

For the ultimate victory, they still had to devise feasible plans.

On this note, the survivors launched a new round of discussions.

"So, this means we’re back to square one!" Wang Qiang ruefully rubbed his head, seeing no hope with the continually rejected proposals.

"Yes, the biggest problem is still our lack of knowledge about the base, especially the distribution of guards within it. So..." Shaking his head, Tang Xiaoquan was also at a loss.

The logic was clear: if the survivors couldn’t timely perceive changes within the base, each supply delivery would be merely an idle "errand," let alone future rescue plans.

Despondency began to spread uncontrollably through the survivors, as though all hope for the future had vanished.

Yet just then, Wang Zhongyu, counting the rice grains, suddenly slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Got it! We can do this!!"