Rotting Land: Survive

Chapter 695 - 684: Do You Dare? (Part 1)

Wang Qiang was in a very good mood at this moment. He swaggered out of the bedroom, humming the once-popular tune: "The Mouse Loves the Rice!"

Seeing Wang Qiang so excited, Old Zhao and Tang Xiaoquan couldn’t help but exchange a smile. Tang Xiaoquan jokingly said, "Hey, Uncle Zhao, what do you think is so magical about this hand-held radio that it can suddenly turn a downcast person into someone as energetic as if they’ve taken drugs?"

Old Zhao cooperatively replied with a straight face, "Hehe, Xiao Tang, you don’t understand. It’s not because of the radio, but the person on the other end."

"Oh, so that’s how it is! No wonder!" Tang Xiaoquan deliberately drew out his words and looked at Wang Qiang, his eyes brimming with teasing.

As for Wang Qiang, he still maintained that delighted expression, but his response carried a hint of smugness: "What are you talking about! Yang Xue was just asking about what we’ve been doing here. What’s wrong with a girl having a heavy sense of curiosity?"

"Sure, of course!" Tang Xiaoquan nodded rapidly, almost touching his chin to his neck: "But the point is, why does the girl always come to you with questions?"

"Nonsense, how would I know? I guess that’s just charm. Don’t be jealous!" Wang Qiang shamelessly bragged, which immediately elicited a disgusted look from Tang Xiaoquan: "Man, I’ve seen disgusting people, but never as disgusting as you. Charm, huh..."

"Alright, buddy, don’t be so resistant. Facts speak louder than words!" Wang Qiang felt uncommonly comfortable in his spar with Tang Xiaoquan. He noticed Tang Xiaoquan still lounging on the wooden bed, feigning anger, and pulled a long face to reprimand him: "Look at you, not a shred of manly spirit. Stop lounging around, time’s tight, and we have a lot of work on our hands. Get up and get to work."

Old Zhao went to the window, lit a cigarette, and pleaded, "Xiao Wang! Let your Uncle Zhao rest for a bit. I can’t keep up with you young folks."

"So, Xiao Tang, have they made any progress?" This remark from Old Xu was directed at Yang Xue, who was returning the radio. She had approached him twice in a day under the excuse of wanting to contact the team outside, which surprised him.

"Yang Xue?" Yang Xue seemed to have something on her mind, standing stiffly in place, ignoring Old Xu’s question.

"Hey, Yang Xue!" Old Xu got up and gave her a pat, which startled her, making her take a step back in surprise: "Huh?"

"Xiao Yang, what’s wrong? Is anything the matter?" Yang Xue’s string of reactions worried Old Xu about the team outside.

"Oh, nothing, nothing, hehe, sorry, Captain Xu, I was just lost in thought for a moment." Yang Xue’s evasive eyes made her look embarrassed.

"Oh, as long as it’s nothing. Did you manage to contact Xiao Tang and the others?" Old Xu asked suspiciously.

"Yes, I did!"

"Are they all alright?"

"Everything’s normal. They didn’t leave today; it seems they were cleaning the rooms at the base." Yang Xue replied truthfully.

Since they hadn’t gone out on any errands, generally the risk wouldn’t be too high, which slightly eased Old Xu’s tension.

"Captain Xu, I won’t disturb your work any longer. I’ll come to bother you next time I need to use the radio, hehe!"

"Sure, no problem!" Sending off the distracted Yang Xue, Old Xu found a quiet corner and turned the knob on the radio: "This is Old Xu, please respond if you hear this, over!"

Old Zhao, who hadn’t had the chance to take more than a couple of puffs of his cigarette, hurriedly stubbed it out to take Old Xu’s call.

"Received, Old Xu, anything the matter? Over!"

"Old Zhao, did Yang Xue contact you guys recently? Over!"

"Yes! Why? Over!"

"Uh, nothing much. Xiao Yang asked to use the radio to contact you twice today, which I found a bit strange, so I wanted to ask. Over!"

Old Zhao chuckled, glancing at Wang Qiang, who was tense: "Don’t worry, it’s nothing. Xiao Yang contacted us mainly because we have a charming guy here. Over!"

"Charming guy?"

"Pfft!" Tang Xiaoquan couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter, making Wang Qiang feel embarrassed.

At this moment, Old Xu understood who was being referred to, chuckled twice, and ended the conversation.

The next day, Liu Yunpeng arrived at He Lei’s room as promised. As soon as he entered, he anxiously asked, "Lei, have you come up with a way to convince my father?"

He Lei, of course, had thought of a plan long ago, but wasn’t in a rush to reveal it. Instead, he carefully observed Liu Yunpeng.

He Lei’s mind was filled with doubts. After all, when Liu Yunpeng first heard about this yesterday, he was very reluctant. How could he have changed so much in just half a day? Something must have happened to change his mindset.

Liu Yunpeng, seeing He Lei silent, anxiously pressed him: "Brother Lei, say something! Is there a way or not?"

"There is!" He Lei quickly gave his answer, but he had more to say: "But you might not have the guts to do it."

"Oh man! Brother Lei, let’s not worry about that for now. Just tell me your plan!"

"Haven’t you heard that Mr. Liu has been particularly concerned with a certain matter recently?"

Liu Yunpeng thought deeply for a moment and then said, "I’m not too sure about that, but I did hear Huang Yong mention something about recruiting survivors in private."

"Hmm, that’s right." He Lei seemed ready to explode when the topic came up: "No idea what’s going on, but Mr. Liu suddenly decided to drop the idea of dealing with those people. I suspect Huang Yong is behind this."

"Why would my father give up?" Liu Yunpeng asked curiously.

"He said something about not having enough manpower at the base. Anyway, he found an excuse to shelve this matter, and now I’m stuck at the factory, unable to leave." He Lei’s words dripped with dissatisfaction.

Watching this unfold, Liu Yunpeng naturally fanned the flames: "Damn it, Brother Lei, you don’t need to say any more. This has got to be Huang Yong’s doing. My father isn’t one to easily change his mind. Huang Yong must have said something to him, making him worry and thus cancel the original plan. In fact, I think Huang Yong did this solely to undermine your power, Brother Lei. And you see, now he’s succeeded! He’s not only tied you down at the factory but also taken your authority. That’s how he can act high and mighty, running the factory with impunity. We really can’t let this continue. If we don’t strike while his foundation is still unstable and show him what’s what, it’ll be much harder to deal with him once he’s fully established." (To be continued. If you like this work, please go to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please head to m.qidian.com to read.)