Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Summary
With Wang Qiang’s instant noodles support, everyone finally had a solution for dinner.
And Hu Xiaodong didn’t ask, as Tang Xiaoquan worried, why Wang Qiang only brought out the supplies at this time. Perhaps, in the latter’s mind, he had already guessed the reason but did not mention it due to the face of the two teams.
Lin Bo quickly steamed and cooked the blocks of instant noodles, filling the air with the aroma that made the survivors, who only had a half-full lunch, drool with their stomachs rumbling.
Following Hu Xiaodong’s instructions, Lin Bo cooked all the remaining 6 packs of instant noodles. In other words, the survivors were truly at the end of their resources, and this action of being driven to desperation meant that there was no other way but to risk everything tomorrow.
Steaming noodles under a star-studded sky, disregarding the zombies at the base of the building, the open rooftop scene was indeed warm.
Taking advantage of the gathering for dinner, the survivors once again discussed the food-moving plan drafted in the morning, reminding themselves of the details and assigning responsibilities.
After all, everyone knew that if tomorrow’s action succeeded, it would mean they could stay safely on the rooftop without worrying about meals for a long time.
But if they failed, it would be...
"Lu Rui, tomorrow’s rooftop defense task will depend on you alone. If any emergency arises, take Lin Bo and Huizi’s mother and son and run away. Moreover," pulling out a black marker pen from his pocket, Hu Xiaodong placed it in front of Lu Rui:
"Take this marker pen, and remember to use it to indicate your direction when you flee so we can find and join you later."
Lu Rui hung his head, glanced at the marker lying on the ground, let out a sarcastic snort, and then lazily drawled, "Yes, sir, Boss Hu!"
Seeing his peculiar demeanor, everyone looked at him with a hint of disgust.
Hu Xiaodong was no exception, but considering that they still needed this jerk to protect Lin Bo and Huizi’s mother and son tomorrow, he could only grit his teeth and suppress the urge to scold him.
Six packs of instant noodles were evidently insufficient to satisfy the needs of several strapping lads, who eliminated the entire pot of noodles in almost no time.
To prevent digestive issues due to the spicy broth affecting the next day’s plan, Lin Bo intentionally didn’t add the accompanying seasoning while cooking.
Yet, even so, it didn’t stop the lads from scraping the noodle pot clean.
After finishing dinner and taking a short break, Wu Chao fetched two decks of cards from the tent. Judging by their dirty, creased appearance, they hadn’t played sparingly with these cards.
"Come on, let’s get started. Landlord or eighty points?" Reaching for the cigarettes on the ground, Wang Qiang distributed them while urging Wu Chao to shuffle the cards quickly.
His easygoing personality undeniably made him exceptionally amiable in interactions with strangers. At least, from the perspective of the current team relationship, only Wang Qiang seemed to have established a good rapport with the other side.
Watching the group play a few rounds in boredom, Tang Xiaoquan quickly lost interest.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t play or looked down on such games; it just wasn’t his preference to be in a noisy, argumentative group setting, prompting him to leave soon after.
Back in the tent, instead of resting, Tang Xiaoquan finished the cigarette in his hand and immediately took out paper and pen from his bag.
He intended to record his recent experiences and feelings, and as for the reasons for doing this:
Firstly, to relieve emotions and adjust pressure.
Secondly, in case he died, to provide his family with a way to know what he had gone through.
And thirdly, to summarize experiences, as a bad memory is better than a good pen, and through several confrontations with zombies, Tang Xiaoquan had formed some opinions on these creatures.
So, amidst tonight’s rare tranquillity, he planned to record them promptly to prevent future omissions.
He began the page by writing July 8, 2036, clear sky, and as he wrote this, his thoughts instantly returned to the unforgettable night when the apocalypse erupted.
It’s said that only those with stories can write stories, and it’s true. This week of life-and-death experiences made Tang Xiaoquan, who seldom wrote, understand what it means to write effortlessly.
As he laid down the last punctuation mark and surveyed the page filled with dense text, he couldn’t help but be shocked internally.
But after all, it’s merely a diary. No matter how astonished you are, it can only express emotions but not change anything.
So, Tang Xiaoquan quickly adjusted his mindset, casting his past sorrows aside.
Because he still had a more important task ahead, summarizing his views on zombies.
Bending over, combing through the relevant information, this time, Tang Xiaoquan didn’t write as freely as before. After pondering for a long while, he eventually set his pen to paper cautiously.
Zombie Characteristics:
One, Superior Hearing.
Its notation as the first feature results mainly from several painful lessons of attracting large numbers of zombies with sound.
Though he still couldn’t determine if the zombies’ vision had deteriorated, compared to vision, their hearing was undoubtedly significantly enhanced by the virus.
Two, Blind Obedience.
No doubt, zombies’ intelligence has degenerated to below that of a child, and this very low intelligence renders them accustomed to following their peers’ actions.
Three, Lack of Emotion.
Regarding this point, Tang Xiaoquan drew preliminary conclusions based on Hu Xiaodong’s five kills earlier today. After all, if zombies had emotions, how could they watch their peers fall beside them without reacting?
After listing these three major points, Tang Xiaoquan also noted some minor precautions. Once all this was complete, he closed the notebook satisfactorily and exhaled a long breath.
"Unclear situation, play a pair first, pair against nine!"
"Damn, pair against two ******!"
"****, Wu Chao, aren’t you going to bust his ass? Are you keeping those four heads for incubating baby chicks!"
The bickering outside the tent persisted, Tang Xiaoquan shook his head to himself, then opened the curtain and went out.
Subconsciously lifting his head, he gazed at the enormous silver disk high above, and streams of bright moonlight swept across the ground.
Tang Xiaoquan couldn’t remember when he last watched the moon, but the scenic beauty at this moment led him to murmur, "How beautiful!"
After a moment of reflection, Tang Xiaoquan withdrew his gaze, and when his eyes swept around the rooftop again, a Black Shadow curling in a corner caught his attention...
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