Chapter 34: Chapter 34: A Curious Atmosphere (Part 1)
The next day, Tang Xiaoquan got up early. To not disturb Wang Qiang’s sweet dreams, he tiptoed out of the bedroom, gently closed the door behind him, and headed directly to the living room.
Who would have thought that just as he reached the doorway of the living room, a dull noise gave him a fright? When he looked towards the source of the sound, Tang Xiaoquan couldn’t help but shudder!
In his eyes, a burly man was lying face-up, arms hanging naturally, and his two thick legs spread out in a big letter X. Whether he had some practice in this or not, one couldn’t tell, but the fact that he was able to maintain this bizarre sleeping posture, with only half his buttocks on the stool, without falling, was truly astonishing.
Drool hung from the corner of his mouth, sparkling, while his ever-expanding and contracting nostrils produced a rhythmic crescendo and diminuendo. If it weren’t for the loud raindrops outside, this "variations concert" alone might have attracted quite a few admirers.
Tang Xiaoquan sighed helplessly; clearly, relying on himself was better than relying on others. In the end, strangers were still strangers.
Fortunately, nothing happened last night; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Once again raising his brow to glance at the slightly parted lips of the big man, Tang Xiaoquan weighed his options and decided to wake the man up.
After all, who could guarantee that leaving the man to snore away in this un-soundproofed living room wouldn’t attract the attention of the zombies outside? So, to be safe, it was better to end the man’s "concert".
"Hey, Brother Du!" With his palm slightly raised, Tang Xiaoquan called out softly. But before he could do anything, he saw the big man suddenly startle awake, instantly sitting upright and swinging the iron axe in his hand forward.
"Ah! Who, who, who!"
The cold light grazed past his chest, nearly touching him, and Tang Xiaoquan could even hear his own heartbeat.
Just a moment ago, when the man startled awake, his body instinctively stepped back, and that less-than-half-a-meter step was what spared him from the tragedy of being cleaved open by the axe.
The big man was panting heavily, and Tang Xiaoquan was also breathing hard, the two of them as if they had just finished a 5-kilometer run, so out of breath they were almost exhausted.
"What the heck, what’s going on with you two!" Wang Qiang appeared in the living room, at some point.
Earlier he had heard the commotion outside and immediately came over.
Now seeing the disheveled state of Du Wang and Tang Xiaoquan, naturally, he was utterly confused, clueless.
Tang Xiaoquan coughed twice, knowing that someone needed to step up and explain the situation, and the negligent big man was clearly not suitable for this role, so...
"Ah~ well, I was just exercising with Brother Du for a while, preparing for escaping in the future!"
With that, Tang Xiaoquan forced a smile.
Yet, his excuse was quite fitting, as at least Wang Qiang didn’t harbor any doubts.
He nodded nonchalantly, then earnestly agreed, "You really should train. Just look at your skinny frame, sigh~"
With a troubled expression, Wang Qiang turned and headed to the bathroom.
As soon as Wang Qiang left, the big man immediately thanked Tang Xiaoquan.
Although the latter didn’t fully explain, the big man wasn’t a fool; he was already 40-something years old, after all. How could he not know what Tang Xiaoquan intended by his actions?
So aside from gratitude, he felt a bit more guilty inside.
Tang Xiaoquan waved it off like it was nothing, his face expressing nothing beyond "it’s no big deal".
But in his heart, Tang Xiaoquan had considerable issues with the man’s irresponsible behavior last night.
After all, he was gambling with the lives of the entire team.
"Haha, Brother Du, don’t mention it. In the end, I didn’t think things through enough last night, didn’t realize your mental pressure was so great. I should’ve taken shifts. Sigh~ I’m sorry!"
Tang Xiaoquan unexpectedly took all the blame upon himself, but it was precisely this gesture that made the big man feel even more ashamed.
Recalling the ecstatic moment from last night, the big man awkwardly averted his gaze.
The time slowly passed in boredom. Trapped, with nothing in the rented house, the group of survivors struggled to find anything to do beyond staring at each other.
The stifling heat was difficult to endure. Wang Qiang, knowing that everyone needed to wash their clothes for the night, went on his own to the bathroom to wash the dirty clothes everyone had taken off last night.
The big man, being bored, soon fell asleep face-up again.
But Tang Xiaoquan stayed huddled in the corner, his brows furrowed, lost in thought.
Quickly, it was noon. The rain cleared, and the afternoon was leisurely and pleasant. Gentle sunlight seeped into the small room, casting dappled patterns.
Huang Yaru slowly opened her eyes. After a moment of settling, she abruptly sat up straight.
Why? Because as the storm receded, the sounds of undead activity, previously drowned out by the rain, surged back.
And that was undoubtedly frightening for this woman with a psychological shadow.
In a hurry, she got dressed and rushed out of the bedroom.
"HI, Yaru, you’re up. Did you sleep well last night?" Wang Qiang, just done hanging clothes to dry, brightened immediately seeing the woman he admired, cheerfully greeting her.
But Huang Yaru, contrary to her usual warmth, coldly responded with a "hmph" and left without looking back.
"Hiss~" Wang Qiang took a deep breath, slightly scratching his head in disappointment, "What’s wrong with her? Did I do something to upset her?"
While Wang Qiang was racking his brain, Huang Yaru had already arrived in the living room.
"Brother Du, still sleeping?"
The soft voice reached the big man’s ears, causing his eyebrows to twitch. His eyes reflexively squinted into slits, then quickly opened wide, sitting up in shock.
"Ah~ uh~ Yaru—oh no, Miss Huang, you, you’re up early, hahaha!"
Seeing the big man’s flustered expression, Tang Xiaoquan was stunned.
What’s going on? Why is the man so excited?
How could he have known that these two seemingly unrelated people had taken advantage of the night to fulfill a covert encounter while they were all asleep?
"Cough cough cough!" Huang Yaru suddenly coughed violently, and her heaving chest immediately sparked concern from the big man.
The big man frowned right away, "Miss Huang, you should put on a jacket, don’t catch a cold!"
"Hehe!" Huang Yaru raised her eyebrows slightly and, with implied meaning, replied, "Yes, I should be careful. Maybe it’s because I wore too little last night, that I caught a chill!"
With those words, Tang Xiaoquan’s suspicion grew even stronger. Could it be that these two really...