Rotting Land: Survive-Chapter 505 - 498: Back to My Hometown (Part 3)

The short man spoke faster and faster, his words becoming increasingly incoherent. Seeing that the other man seemed on the brink of a breakdown, Xu Renjie withdrew his cleaver, leaned down, and lightly patted the short man, who was still rambling nonstop, and comforted him softly, "Alright, young man, calm down. The situation isn’t as bad as you think!"

The short man continued to repeat himself, "Big brother, I really didn’t mean it! I was really forced to! Don’t arrest me!"

"Enough! I’m not here to arrest you. Now, let me ask you, is the guy you killed just like this beast?"

The short man was momentarily taken aback. He was somewhat surprised that Xu Renjie referred to the dead body on the ground as a beast, but he still nodded obediently and replied, "Yes!"

"Yes, big brother, the monsters I killed were just like it! They are devils, they eat people, they..."

Just as he thought, having obtained the answer he wanted, Xu Renjie basically understood the entire situation.

Most likely, the short man had killed some infected and mutated zombies amidst the crisis for survival. And due to the fire that ravaged the area and the remote location, the isolated little town, he had no idea that the world had already plunged into the apocalypse.

The short man probably thought he had killed normal humans, so he had been hiding in this desolate town all along. And today, at the sight of a stranger, his instinct was to run away.

Especially after hearing about Xu Renjie’s military background, he became visibly tense and fearful.

Understanding the situation, Old Xu felt there was a need to explain the situation to him. Otherwise, in such a harsh apocalyptic environment, living with this unfounded sense of guilt was indeed cruel.

So, he simply sat down cross-legged and patiently started a little science lecture for the short man.

Five minutes later, after listening to Xu Renjie’s concise summary, the skinny man gasped, clearly finding it hard to believe Old Xu’s words. He hesitated before asking, "So, I... I didn’t kill the wrong person, and you... you won’t arrest me?"

"Ha ha, of course not!" Xu Renjie smiled and tried to look as kind as possible. "I already told you, these people have been infected with the virus, they aren’t human! And not only did you not kill the wrong person, you did a good job! Alright, it’s not safe here. Come with me, let’s get out of here."

He reached out to help the limp short man to his feet. The latter was about to refuse but reconsidered after weighing their strengths and recalling the other’s kindness in saving him, deciding against running away again.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Tang Xiaoquan and Wang Qiang, who had run down from the small building, met up with Hu Xiaodong and Wei Dazhuang, who had lost track of their target.

Indeed, given how quickly things happened, Tang, Wang, Hu, and Wei reacted appropriately at the first moment.

But they still lost Xu Renjie’s trail, which made the four of them extremely anxious.

After all, standing in this eerie little town, the appearance of the short man was itself an anomaly.

Although he was human, a survivor, in the post-apocalyptic world, the human heart is unpredictable, and often, humans themselves are scarier than zombies.

After all, zombies are ultimately just mindless beasts driven by the virus to bloodlust and rampage.

But humans are different. Humans didn’t reach the top of the Earth’s food chain merely through intelligence but because there is a devil lurking deep in everyone’s heart.

And this suppressed devil only needs the right soil to burst forth.

No one knew if the short man was already possessed by the "devil," and Tang Xiaoquan and the others couldn’t predict whether Old Xu had met a misfortune.

The four searched frantically for Xu Renjie with weapons in hand, but in a town with countless alleyways like this, finding Xu Renjie with just the few of them was no easy task.

Tang Xiaoquan surveyed the surrounding situation, deciding to stop the aimless search temporarily, and instead called out to Hu Xiaodong a short distance away, "Brother Hu, give me that guy’s backpack!"

Receiving the backpack from Hu Xiaodong, Tang Xiaoquan unzipped it and, without hesitation, turned it over, shaking all its contents onto the ground.

In no time, a variety of sundry items fell like raindrops to the ground, prompting Wang Qiang, watching from the side, to click his tongue and say, "Wow! This guy is a scavenger, stuffing anything and everything into his backpack!"

Indeed, as Wang Qiang marveled, the contents the skinny man discarded from his backpack were truly random, with supplies for eating, clothing, and other daily needs all mixed in.

However, through these seemingly useless supplies, Tang Xiaoquan drew some conclusions:

First, this guy must have a base nearby because the supplies in his backpack clearly aren’t suitable for long-distance travel.

Second, the packed mess of supplies suggests the short man is likely a scavenger. In other words, he doesn’t have the capability to set traps and attack them.

After all, if he were really like a bandit gang led by someone like Dai Sha, there would be no need to carry such a shabby bag filled with such worthless things.

So, with the analysis of these two points combined, Tang Xiaoquan, who was initially somewhat anxious and uneasy, instead calmed down.

Just as he was about to share his thoughts with his companions, a slightly complaining voice came from around the alley corner.

"Hey! What are you doing! Those are my things! How can you rummage through other people’s stuff!"

The survivors turned their heads in unison upon hearing the voice, and Hu Xiaodong immediately raised his recurve bow, the sharp arrowhead of a feathered arrow pointed straight at the short man’s forehead.

"Xiao Hu! It’s fine! It’s me!"

"Old Xu!" Seeing Old Xu coming out from around the corner, the three of them, including Hu Xiaodong, all let out a subconscious sigh of relief.

"Where did you go? We’ve been looking for you!"

Facing Wang Qiang’s inquiry, Xu Renjie shrugged with a bitter smile and pointed to the short man beside him, saying, "Where else, chasing this kid!"

The short man completely ignored their words and walked over to the pile of "trash" on the ground. He silently picked up the abandoned backpack and carefully put the "trash" back into it one by one.

Watching the short man’s meticulous actions, Tang Xiaoquan, who had started the rummaging, couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed.

Perhaps sensing the awkward atmosphere, Hu Xiaodong casually picked a topic and said, "Hey, are you from around this town?"

"No!"

"Then how do you end up in this town?" Clearly, the short man’s previous answer aroused some suspicion in Hu Xiaodong.

Not just him, the remaining survivors also curiously glanced at the short man, especially Tang Xiaoquan, who was anxious to learn about the whereabouts of his parents.

However, beyond everyone’s expectations, the answer that the short man provided next was somewhat...(to be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)