Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Sudden Collision (Part 2)
Tang Xiaoquan couldn’t understand his brother’s fiery passion.
In this post-apocalyptic world, they were not a rescue team, so there was no reason nor sense in reaching out to every suffering fellow survivor.
Moreover, given the current situation downstairs, venturing out recklessly could very well put the entire team in danger.
Therefore...
He had to say something. There was no way he could let everyone go down with Wang Qiang to take this risk.
Determined, Tang Xiaoquan suddenly lifted his head, but when his eyes saw the people standing on either side of Wang Qiang, the words of persuasion he had prepared stuck in his throat.
No need to ask further. Wu Chao and Wen Quanxin’s positions clearly indicated their stance.
In addition, Hu Xiaodong was also answering with his own actions, organizing his gear.
As if feeling the intense gaze from behind him, Hu Xiaodong quickly slotted the quiver into place, sheathed his cleaver, then grabbed the compound bow lying across the corner and turned to stand in front of Tang Xiaoquan.
"Xiao Tang! I understand your thoughts, but... watching a girl die in front of me, as a man, I simply can’t do it!"
His calm words lacked any emotion. With great seriousness, Hu Xiaodong patted the young man’s shoulder, turned around, and waved to the brothers behind him: "Let’s go! We’re saving someone!"
"Sigh!" With a bitter long sigh, Tang Xiaoquan looked at the only one left in the living room, Du Jiancheng, and all he could offer was a helpless bitter smile.
"So, um, Brother Quan, what should we do now?" A-Cheng took a few steps towards Tang Xiaoquan. He could clearly sense the anger radiating from Tang, so his question was unusually cautious.
Indeed, Tang Xiaoquan was angry, but his anger wasn’t from the disagreement with his opinion, but from the eyes treating him as a coward.
Yes, who wouldn’t want to be a brave hero? But this is a post-apocalyptic world; being a hero can get you killed!
He wanted to rush out and shout at those leaving, but he forcefully suppressed his wrath because he knew that venting without thinking would only exacerbate the problem, leading to a bigger division among the team.
Therefore...
Taking a deep breath, having reached this point, Tang Xiaoquan could only grab the cleaver and follow the others out.
Undoubtedly, surviving in the post-apocalypse requires a plan! This is the unyielding rule he’s learned from multiple brushes with death.
And it’s precisely this rule that allowed him and his team to survive until now.
Nearly catching up with the others, Tang Xiaoquan immediately organized a brief action plan in his mind. Without hesitation, he called out loud to stop the others speeding down the stairs: "Everyone, wait a second!"
Indifferently turning his head, Wang Qiang glanced at Tang Xiaoquan rushing down and with a dismissive tone, scoffed: "Hmph, I’m telling you, don’t come along, lest something goes wrong later!"
His brow twitched slightly, Wang Qiang’s mockery was like a steel blade piercing Tang Xiaoquan’s heart, causing a sudden pain in his chest.
Nevertheless, Tang Xiaoquan endured it, acting as if he hadn’t heard, and said to the group with determined clarity: "Listen to me, we can’t rush out like this, we need a plan!"
Involuntarily nodding, Hu Xiaodong had been pondering the next steps along the way, but unfortunately, his confused mind couldn’t figure it out. So upon hearing Tang Xiaoquan’s words, he quickly latched on: "Do you have a plan, Xiao Tang?"
If it had been someone else, they might have taken this opportunity to show off, to retaliate against the earlier criticism.
But Tang Xiaoquan opened his mouth calmly: "I do have a plan! We’ll do this: Qiang, me, Hu, head out to rescue; Wu Chao, you handle the door; Xiao Wen stays at home; and A-Cheng, your job is heavy, stand on the balcony to monitor the zombies’ movements, and if a horde appears, notify us immediately!"
Like a rapid-fire, he laid out his thoughts without pause, taking only a few seconds to arrange the rescue mission.
With sincere admiration, Hu Xiaodong silently gave a thumbs up for the young man’s performance.
"That’s the overall plan, but before that, I hope everyone can understand something." Tang Xiaoquan swept his gaze over everyone, then continued seriously:
"I hope everyone remembers the purpose of this trip: we’re saving someone, not sacrificing ourselves! So, the man trapped in the car, we can’t help him, the girl is our target!"
Everyone exchanged glances, although they still felt it was somewhat cruel, the reality was, as Tang Xiaoquan said, that a choice had to be made between the man and the woman.
After making these points, the team moved once again.
This was their first rush out of the corridor, and once outside, they heard a woman’s screams in the distance.
Zombies had already surrounded her!
With no time to check if the surroundings were safe, Hu Xiaodong hurriedly walked to the door, pulled it open, and dashed out with the compound bow.
Undoubtedly, their move was extremely dangerous, but with no other options available, Tang Xiaoquan had no choice but to grit his teeth and follow.
In a single file line, the three of them arrived at the scene, just as a disheveled zombie reached the woman’s side.
Without hesitation, Hu Xiaodong’s fully drawn hand released, and the speeding carbon arrow struck the target dead center in the forehead.
"Thunk!" The zombie collapsed onto the woman, causing her to scream!
"Ah!"
"Damn!" The most feared thing had happened, and Tang Xiaoquan’s heart jumped to his throat.
At this moment, plans and strategies were useless; only time could determine the outcome of this life-or-death rescue.
Tang Xiaoquan tried his best to keep his voice calm, even though he was already terrified: "Listen, miss! Don’t be afraid, we’re getting you out of here now, but you have to stay calm and don’t scream like before, okay?"
Nodding blankly, the girl was clearly frightened out of her wits, but after a moment, she shook her head, turned around, grabbed the car door, and pleaded: "My dad! My dad’s still inside, please, save him, please save him!"