Chapter 58 Reappearance of Civilization
Worried that the indigenous people might be hesitant or embarrassed, Wei Yanqing simply served them, filling eight large bowls to the brim.
From the very first bite, everyone buried themselves in their food and ate heartily.
Rong Yi picked up a morel mushroom; the mushroom's own rich flavor was even better after absorbing the meat juices. She nodded happily to Wei Yanqing, then picked up a radish; its sour, spicy, and fragrant taste completely whetted her appetite.
The eight people found that they were full when there was still a little bit of rice left in their bowls, but they insisted on eating it all. Afterwards, they sat on the ground and leaned back to relax their stomachs.
Rong Yi and Wei Yanqing's appetites surprised them; the two of them finished half a pot of rice together.
Rong Yi, still wanting more after finishing his meal, said, "I'll pay for your food. Cook something for me next time you have the chance. It was so delicious."
The boxed lunch was tasty, but it couldn't compare to this meal.
Wei Yanqing put away the pots and pans. "Okay."
Several indigenous people had become accustomed to their ability to collect things freely and considered it a kind of supernatural power.
After eating and drinking their fill, Rong Yi decided to continue fighting zombies. The natives cleared out a place for them to sleep, giving the bedroom to the two who had done the heavy lifting. They found cushions in the closet and laid them out, deciding to take as many as possible with them the next day.
Amid the rhythmic gunfire, Wei Yanqing turned to look at the doorway. Soon, a man with greasy hair and a stubble beard peeked out, his eyes meeting Wei Yanqing's. Wei Yanqing was so frightened that he shrank back.
He patted his teammate on the shoulder. Rong Yi stopped after firing the last shot. "What's wrong?"
Wei Yanqing raised his chin. "Someone is coming down from upstairs."
Rong Yi put away his gun. The man at the door peeked out again. Seeing that both of them had noticed him, he stepped forward and asked, "Um... are you from the base?"
Rong Yi: "Base?" That's a good word.
Now it was the man's turn to be surprised, followed by a slow rise of fear. "I'm sorry, I thought you were a rescue team sent by the base."
A group of armed men entered the residential area in an orderly fashion, accompanied by ordinary people who were clearly fleeing, and spent a lot of bullets killing zombies. No matter how you looked at it, it would be a misunderstanding.
If it wasn't the base's rescue team, where did these people get their guns? What if they had pointed them directly at him...?
The more the man thought about it, the more afraid he became.
Wei Yanqing sensed his fear. "Although we weren't sent by the base for rescue, that's our destination. However, the zombie horde is blocking our way, so we have to deal with them before we can leave."
Hearing this, the man's fear lessened a bit. "I see... then, can we follow the group?"
Rong Yi and his team really couldn't make a decision, after all, there were still eight squads left. "We'll have to ask the others tomorrow how many of you are still here."
Although he didn't agree immediately, this was within the man's expectations. As long as it could be negotiated, there was still hope. "There are twenty-six people. The rest have all run away in the past few days."
"Then why didn't you run away?" Wei Yanqing asked him.
The man sighed as he spoke, “At first, we thought the chaos was temporary and that the authorities would handle it. But the next day, we found that the situation was even worse. Some people chose to run away, but many of us saw with our own eyes that some of those who tried to escape were bitten and eaten alive by monsters. We were so scared that we didn’t dare to go out. Two days ago, there were many more zombies here, so it was even more impossible to escape.”
As the man wallowed in self-pity, Rong Yi asked, "Then where did you get this information about the base you mentioned?"
"Oh, this is something a young man upstairs who likes to tinker with retro stuff heard. He has a radio and heard that the military in Jin'an District had established a security base, and the broadcast asked people in Baiquan City to find a way to get there."
"Where is that person? Is the radio still broadcasting this news?" Wei Yanqing wanted to hear the broadcast himself.
The man nodded hurriedly, "It's upstairs. That radio plays for 12 hours a day, and it hasn't stopped yet."
Hearing the commotion, the indigenous people next door opened their door and found people from upstairs. Upon hearing that there was a base, they were all so excited that tears welled up in their eyes.
Ten people went upstairs one after another, while the residents trapped inside cautiously peered through a crack in their doors.
The young man the man was talking about was named Su Zhishang. He was in his early twenties, had a distinctive medium-length hair, and was wearing a floral shirt with jeans. He was quite handsome with thick eyebrows and big eyes.
He stood at the top of the stairs, and when he saw Rong Yi and the others coming up, he went up to them and stared at the stubble-faced man, asking, "From the base?"
The bearded man didn't speak, he just waved his hand. Rong Yi noticed the radio in his hand, "Is it still broadcasting?"
Unsure of the situation, Su Zhishang honestly replied, "It's broadcasting. You're not from the base?"
Wei Yanqing beckoned, "They're not from the base, can we listen to them?"
Su Zhishang, puzzled, handed him the radio. It clicked, emitted a few buzzing sounds, and then a voice announced: "This is the Jin'an District Security Base, built by the 106th Reinforced Regiment of the 7th Army. Residents who hear this broadcast, please proceed to Jin'an District..."
The radio broadcast a long message repeatedly, clearly stating the location of the base and that troops were patrolling and clearing out areas south of Jin'an District.
Rong Yi handed the radio back to Su Zhishang and said briefly, "Thank you. Our destination is Jin'an District. We'll set off after dealing with the zombie horde. As for whether you can come along, we'll have to ask the other teams tomorrow."
Hearing this, Su Zhishang wasn't disappointed. He had heard the gunshots earlier but dared not go downstairs because Rong Yi and the others hadn't gone upstairs to check if anyone was alive after they came in; their purpose was unclear, and no one dared to take the risk easily. "Alright..."
·
On the other side, Ning Qiuhe and the unconscious man were with Xu Ziqiang's group.
The people in that building were the bolder ones; upon hearing the gunshots, they immediately ran downstairs, shouting as they ran, "Is the base coming to rescue us?!"
The shouts drew a few more people downstairs, but when they reached the second floor, they saw a group of people carrying guns but dressed in various ways, and immediately fell silent.
Four burly men were carrying an unconscious person. The players here didn't have Wei Yanqing's abilities and couldn't tell if anyone was living on the second floor. Just then, a resident came down and asked in a gruff voice, "Is anyone living on the second floor?"
Players spend years fighting in dungeons, and their fierce demeanor gives them the air of villains.
"We don't know either..."
Xu Ziqiang called out to the door, "Is anyone inside? We need to use the room."
Apart from the roars of the zombies downstairs, the building was completely silent. Xu Ziqiang took charge: "Break down the door."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door on the right opened, and a young man in pajamas stood in the doorway. "Don't smash it, don't smash it, we'll just borrow it."
On the other side, there was still no sound. Two players took out iron hammers that were half a person tall and smashed them against the door. In a few blows, the door frame fell off. The enhanced player pulled slightly and the door was removed.
The room was indeed unoccupied. Four burly men carried the unconscious person inside, and Ning Qiuhe pushed the two children by the back to let them in.
When Xu Ziqiang entered, he found that there was a lot of food stored in the living room. No wonder he hadn't dared to open the door before. The young man stared at him nervously.
"We're just borrowing the room; we won't touch your things."
The young man breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
While the residents who had run downstairs were busy going into their rooms to find a place, they quietly ran back upstairs.
Xu Ziqiang saw that there were still people inside the building and realized that after dealing with the zombie horde, he would have to decide whether these people should join the group.
(End of this chapter)
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