Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Close-Range Observation
Upon hearing this, the survivors stopped their scavenging actions, and without hesitation, Hu Xiaodong immediately zipped up his backpack, called out to the two beside him, and together they ran towards the main entrance.
Compared to his decisiveness, Wang Qiang, who was on the other side of the supermarket, was much more hesitant.
The snakeskin bag in his hand was just filled to less than a third of its capacity, far from his anticipated full load, which naturally caused Wang Qiang to have a few opportunistic thoughts.
He thought that if he held on for a few more seconds and filled the bag before leaving, it wouldn’t be a big deal.
However, Law of Survival Rule 19 clearly states that a plan is a plan, once made, it should be executed unwaveringly; otherwise, not only will it not achieve the expected result, but it might also put the team in danger.
"Hey! Wang! Stop packing, let’s go!" Tang Xiaoquan urged urgently after peeking again at the zombies’ commotion outside the supermarket.
According to the original plan, during the retreat, the survivors would use the ringtone of a mobile phone to distract the zombies, and this time, the location they set was inside Meilizi Supermarket.
So all of them had to get back to the SUV before the first phone stopped playing.
And Wang Qiang’s actions at the moment were undoubtedly planting a huge risk for the smooth implementation of this plan.
At this critical moment, Hu Xiaodong couldn’t care about anything else; without saying a word, he rushed to Wang Qiang and then forcibly snatched the tightly held snakeskin bag from his hand, pushing and pulling him to the supermarket entrance.
"Tang, is the ringtone start time set?" Hu Xiaodong didn’t bother with Wang Qiang’s displeased look; his mind was entirely focused on the retreat.
"Got it done!"
"Good, hand it over!"
Handing over the pre-set Samsung phone, Tang Xiaoquan discreetly glanced at the disgruntled Wang Qiang and sighed inwardly.
Frankly speaking, Hu Xiaodong’s series of actions seemed tough and overbearing, but given the tense situation, they were indeed the correct measures.
After all, no matter what reasons Wang Qiang had, he shouldn’t ignore the team’s interests, especially in matters of life and death.
So this time, Tang Xiaoquan didn’t comfort his brother as usual; he simply patted the latter’s shoulder indifferently and then called everyone to leave the supermarket.
"I hope you can mature a bit!" Tang Xiaoquan silently hoped in his heart.
Undoubtedly, maturity and growth are issues that every survivor in the apocalypse cannot avoid.
Because only by constantly maturing and growing can you have the ability to cope with various sudden crises and dangers.
Approaching the supermarket entrance, Wu Chao’s steps suddenly halted; he seemed to have remembered something and turned back to Hu Xiaodong: "Hey, Brother Hu, you go to the car, leave this to me!"
With a slight pause, Hu Xiaodong turned his head somewhat inexplicably; upon seeing the worried expressions on the other’s big face, he immediately understood the reason.
Warmth rose in his heart, and Hu Xiaodong smiled gently: "No need, Xiao Wu, you go to the car, I can handle this."
"But you..."
"Don’t worry, it’s safe under the car; I won’t be in any danger!" Hu Xiaodong cut off Wu Chao’s concerns promptly, leaving these words behind as he turned away.
His gaze swept around the supermarket for a moment; Hu Xiaodong urgently needed to find a suitable spot to place the phone.
After a brief consideration, he targeted one shelf at the far end.
Tiptoeing lightly, Hu Xiaodong smoothly threw the phone to the top of the shelf, and after doing this, he quickly rushed out of the supermarket.
Time was running out, but fortunately, his companions were already seated in the SUV.
Seeing him exit the supermarket, Wu Chao hurriedly opened the slightly ajar car door, ready to call him up.
But at this critical moment, how could Hu Xiaodong comply? He quickly dodged and restrained the former’s movements, simultaneously calling to Wang Qiang beside him: "Wang, lend me your wooden spear!"
"Oh~ okay, here!" Wang Qiang handed over the Long Spear without hesitation, taking the other’s backpack and snakeskin bag in return.
"As I said, no matter what happens outside, do not react; you must live and bring these supplies back."
"But, Brother Hu you..."
"Click!" A gentle knock on the door, Hu Xiaodong ducked under the car before Wu Chao could finish speaking.
Almost at the moment Hu Xiaodong slipped under the car, Vitas’s once resounding and high-pitched singing suddenly stopped as if it had vanished into thin air, plunging the street into dead silence.
Tang Xiaoquan courageously uncovered half of the rear window curtain, then squinted outward through the small gap.
"Hey, Quan! Are you crazy? If those beasts spot us, we’re done."
Tang Xiaoquan ignored Wang Qiang’s reprimand, for based on the current distance between the zombie horde and the SUV, he was confident they wouldn’t be noticed.
So, he intended to take advantage of this rare opportunity to observe the zombies up close, hoping to discover something unknown about them.
In his line of sight, the gathered zombies seemed puzzled and directionless due to the sudden disappearance of music, some looked around, others wandered aimlessly, but keen-eyed Tang Xiaoquan still spotted a few unusual ones among them.
These few zombies, although moving aimlessly with the horde, occasionally cast vacant glances, suggesting something seemed to be attracting them here.
Could it be that these beasts have discovered our presence? Tang Xiaoquan’s nerves tightened, but he quickly dismissed the idea.
After all, if they had discovered our presence, they would have moved towards us immediately, but...
However, just as Tang Xiaoquan was pondering why the zombies were glancing their way, Vitas’s song started again, only this time from inside the supermarket.
"What’s happening? Are the beasts outside moving?" Wang Qiang didn’t reprimand his brother’s actions; instead, he too uncovered a corner of the curtain and started peering outside.
"Damn, these beasts don’t seem to be reacting much! Could it be they’ve gotten tired of the same song?" Based on human interest characteristics, Wang Qiang quickly concluded.
Tang Xiaoquan frowned slightly, turning around slowly; he suddenly realized a very serious problem...