Rotting Land: Survive-Chapter 487 - 482: The Eerie Giant Turntable (Part 1)
"How could it be like this?" murmured Tang Xiaoquan to himself, his peculiar action catching Xu Renjie’s attention.
Xu Renjie halted his steps downstairs, turned around, and moved back toward Tang Xiaoquan.
Once he was close, he gently patted Tang Xiaoquan’s shoulder and asked softly, "What’s up, Xiao Tang? Did you notice something?"
Tang Xiaoquan was still lost in his thoughts and instinctively replied, "Something’s not right."
"Oh?" This immediately piqued Xu Renjie’s alertness. He quickly raised his binoculars to look around, while he kept inquiring, "Where? What’s the situation?"
Coming back to his senses, Tang Xiaoquan didn’t rush to respond but raised his arm to gesture around them, then asked, "Old Xu, haven’t you felt something?"
"Felt what?" Xu Renjie’s suspicion grew even more serious. He promptly turned his head and stared intently into the young man’s eyes.
Tang Xiaoquan replied calmly, "Silence, it’s too quiet here! I looked around; not just here, but there’s not a single zombie in sight around the large roundabout. This feeling... this feeling is just like..."
As if he realized something, Tang Xiaoquan’s expression suddenly turned solemn, which made Xu Renjie tense up, and he couldn’t help but ask further, "What does it feel like?"
"Like the situation at the gymnasium we encountered before!"
"Buzz!" A buzzing noise seemed to explode in his mind, and without a doubt, the nightmare at Yuhuan Gymnasium was the last thing Xu Renjie wanted to recall.
He dazedly raised the binoculars in his hands, looked around as the young man said, and quickly found himself frozen in place.
Indeed, just as Tang Xiaoquan said, not a single zombie could be seen around the entire main road.
This unusual situation immediately made Xu Renjie vigilant.
"I suspect these disappearing zombies have been lured away by Liu Yunpeng’s father’s factory."
This was the conclusion Tang Xiaoquan came to after a brief pondering.
After all, the only area with human activity around here was Liu Fugui’s food processing factory.
Moreover, recalling the failed rescue attempts for Liu Yunpeng as mentioned in the radio broadcast, it wasn’t hard to analyze that the siege of zombies caused this result.
Xu Renjie nodded indifferently, having steadied himself from the initial shock.
Based on the current situation, leaving immediately was undoubtedly the safest choice.
But Xu Renjie didn’t intend to do so, at least not before confirming the actual situation at the factory.
There was only one reason: the base’s supplies were running low, and they had prepared for this mission for such a long time, with the target location right in front of them.
Retreating just because of a conjecture would leave anyone feeling dissatisfied.
So Xu Renjie’s response was, "Here’s the plan: let’s find a higher spot to verify, and if the factory is indeed encircled by zombies, we will think of something else."
Tang Xiaoquan had no objections to this. Since there weren’t many zombies nearby, staying a while longer to observe the situation seemed a feasible option.
With this decision, the two immediately raised their binoculars and began searching for a "vantage point."
Logically speaking, finding a "high point" in a county town should be an easy task, but it was rather awkward for the team at this moment.
They were currently in the outskirts of DZ county, and from the residential rooftop where they stood, all they could see were low-rise buildings and overgrown greenbelts, with no structure taller than two stories.
Tang Xiaoquan, a local, couldn’t help but sigh inwardly at the stagnant development of his hometown over the years.
As a result, they couldn’t find a sufficiently tall building for observation.
In the end, left with no other option, Tang Xiaoquan turned his gaze to a bronze statue at the center of the roundabout. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
"Old Xu, do you think that statue could be used for climbing to get a better view?"
Following Tang Xiaoquan’s pointing finger, Xu Renjie looked over.
The statue was situated right at the center of the circular roundabout and was one of the landmark structures built by the DZ county government back then. However, due to the ravages of time, its surface had been so eroded that it was no longer identifiable.
Xu Renjie didn’t care about the identity of the statue’s owner, but its towering height of nearly seven meters perfectly met the criteria for a "vantage point."
Furthermore, upon closer observation, he noticed that some of the design ornaments and naturally carved indentations on the statue could serve as footholds for climbing.
So as long as he utilized these features wisely, climbing to the top of the statue wouldn’t be an issue.
With a plan in mind, Xu Renjie immediately gave an affirmative response, "Yes, that statue can serve as an observation point!"
However, just saying so and actually climbing it by hand were two very different aspects. It wouldn’t be as easy as it seemed from afar.
At least, that’s how Tang Xiaoquan perceived it, as the time spent climbing would be a concern.
This wasn’t due to his doubts about Xu Renjie’s capabilities; it was just that the statue wasn’t like climbing a straight-up-down drain pipe, so reaching the top would definitely take time. Additionally, the statue’s location at the roundabout’s center meant there was little cover besides the quick barrier fence around it.
Frankly speaking, if Xu Renjie climbed the statue, he’d essentially be exposed to the surroundings, and if spotted by zombies, the consequences would be dire.
Tang Xiaoquan estimated the distance between them and the statue, which wasn’t very far, about a hundred meters or so.
Driving over would take less than a minute, but doing that would be inappropriate.
Because, although there was no sign of movement at the large roundabout ahead, who could guarantee that the rumbling engine wouldn’t cause some commotion?
Walking over could reduce the risk of noise, but the level of safety was significantly lower. Coupled with the terrifying speed of the "runners," Tang Xiaoquan felt a chill run down his spine.
"What should we do then? How can we reach the statue both safely and quickly?" Wang Xinquan pondered, gently tapping his face with his fingertips in pensive rhythm.
This kind of deliberation made Wang Qiang, who had been restless in the car for a while, unable to sit still.
After all, he and Li Huiru were not on good terms, and now stuffed in the car, the atmosphere was awkward beyond imagination.
So, after muttering a silent curse of "damn dawdling," Wang Qiang stepped out of the car.
"Damn! Are you done yet? How much time has passed already? Either do it, or let’s head back! Quit dawdling, alright!" After saying this, Wang Qiang carelessly flicked a small stone towards himself and then kicked it hard with his foot.
The stone rolled and accurately hit an empty soda can in the corner, making a crisp "clang" sound before bouncing away. (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) and vote for it. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)
