Chapter 779: Chapter 764: Factory Anomaly (Part 1)
Before long, a small stack of dishes and two steaming hot buns were placed in front of Liu Fugui.
"Mr. Liu, we just have some simple fare here, nothing compared to the gourmet meals your professional chefs can make. Not sure if it suits your taste," Xu Renjie remarked.
"Captain Xu, to be honest, when I was homeless on the streets, my biggest dream was to eat a white bun like this every day. But later, as I made something of myself, I rarely had the chance to eat such things again." Liu Fugui picked up a bun, took a small bite, and then gave a thumbs-up with admiration, "Mm, not bad, this is the taste. This was the goal I worked so hard for back then."
"Hahaha!" Lin Junfu teased with a smile, "What do you call this, a bun that triggers memories?"
As expected, Lin’s summary again resulted in a chorus of laughter, as Wang Zhongyu and others wiped the blood off themselves and entered the living room saying, "Old Xu, the bodies have been taken care of. Can Xiao Wen and I set off?"
"What? Captain Xu, are you planning to deal with those bodies today?"
"Yes! Mr. Liu, although the temperature is low now, providing a freezer-like preservation effect on the bodies, to be on the safe side, it’s best to dispose of the food that attracts zombies far away, in case they are drawn to it later, which could be really troublesome." Xu Renjie explained, eyeing Liu Fugui as he chewed the bun, hoping to discern something from his expression.
Unfortunately, Liu Fugui did not realize the former was testing him. For him, the threat of zombies was indeed greater than that of Spring Xiu and the others. Therefore, while Old Xu’s decision would indeed lower and disrupt the villa’s defensive deployment, it could avoid a direct confrontation with a zombie horde.
Liu Fugui said no more, merely offering a few kind words reminding the departing pair to be safe, and resumed eating his bun.
"Did you hear that? Mr. Liu is right, you must be careful on the road. Alright, you can set off. Report any situation in a timely manner on the road."
Aside from Liu Fugui, who was still having breakfast due to his difficulty in moving, everyone in the living room went outside to see off Wen Quanxin and Wang Zhongyu.
Old Xu shouted out the specific route and precautions to the departing team members once more, his voice so loud that it reminded Liu Fugui of that bastard He Lei.
At the moment, he mumbled a few words under his breath, seemingly cursing someone. Little did he know, Xu Renjie’s intent was to make sure he heard clearly, preparing well for testing him later.
After bidding farewell to Wang and Wen, everyone went about their tasks separately, and Old Xu and Old Lin also greeted Liu Fugui before heading upstairs.
Once in the monitoring room, Old Xu quickly took out the hand-held radio to contact Old Zhao and the others, intending to inform them that all preparations on his end were complete. But before he could speak, Old Zhao’s voice came through: "Old Xu, this is Old Zhao, respond if you hear me, over!"
"Old Zhao, this is Old Xu, over!"
"We’ve arrived at the factory, how are your arrangements over there? Over!"
"Everything is ready, the hand-held radio has been given to Liu Fugui, and I’ve arranged for Xiao Wen and the others to set off. What about you? Any discoveries at the factory? Over!"
"The guards around the factory, identified by Xiao Tang and me, are all former subordinates of Liu Fugui. We haven’t seen any outsiders, over!"
Old Xu’s heart sank instantly, Old Zhao’s response was enough to indicate that Liu Fugui had lied to him, and now the latter seemed like a ticking time bomb buried in the factory, unpredictable as to when he might go off.
"Old Xu, this is Tang Xiaoquan, we cannot rule out the possibility that Liu Fugui’s subordinates may have defected to Spring Xiu’s group, so it’s all up to his next actions. On your end, make sure not to alert him. Over!" Tang Xiaoquan feared that Old Xu, upon learning of the situation at the factory, might rashly confront Liu Fugui, rendering his arrangements meaningless.
Not only that, if it turned out as he feared, that the factory personnel were indeed the defectors from Liu Fugui’s side, they might lose Liu Fugui as a temporary ally altogether.
"Okay, I understand, I’ll keep an eye on the Liu family duo’s actions. If there’s anything unusual, I’ll notify you immediately, over!"
"Wait, Old Xu, while you arrange surveillance on Liu Fugui, also increase defenses. I worry that if Liu Fugui has ulterior motives towards us, with his wily nature, he might directly contact Spring Xiu. And in that case, I won’t be able to provide you with an advance warning from this end. Over!"
Exactly, Liu Fugui has always been someone who seeks to maximize his interests. He would definitely contact Spring Xiu first, unless the other party was unwilling to act today, in which case he might mobilize his people: "I’ll be careful on my end, you guys also be vigilant, don’t let the other side discover you, safety first. Let’s keep in touch, that’s all for now, over!"
With the communication ended, what remained was to wait. Monitoring in this snowy and windy weather was not a comfortable task.
Old Zhao and his team were positioned at least a hundred meters from the factory. But to prevent being observed by the other party through binoculars, Old Zhao and his team had to crouch down, huddled under the windowsill.
Time flew by in this painful waiting, and as the saying goes, good things come to those who wait. After about fifteen minutes, there were signs of activity on the factory playground.
Old Zhao quickly grabbed the binoculars, and through the lens, he saw several people coming out of the hallway. What shocked him more was that these people had tied two things, crawling on the ground, with ropes. Upon closer inspection, they were actually human, which made him furiously curse, "Animals!"
Tang Xiaoquan, unaware of the situation, asked, "Old Zhao, what’s going on? What have you found?"
Moreover, as those people moved, they kicked and punched the two crawling individuals frequently, appearing to derive pleasure from the abuse judging by their expressions.
Unwilling to continue witnessing their atrocities, Old Zhao placed the binoculars aside and cursed, "Are those guys even human? Toying with living people like dogs, aren’t they afraid of retribution!"
Tang Xiaoquan picked up the binoculars and took a closer look, and it was no wonder Old Zhao was so enraged, as what those people did really went against humanity.
However, Tang Xiaoquan wasn’t too surprised by it, as he had grown accustomed to witnessing murder and arson in this post-apocalyptic world, let alone people who found joy in abusing others.
Alas, he wasn’t a hero, nor a superman, and had no power to save those in suffering. So, besides praying for them a bit, he could only hope they would find their own blessings. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile readers, please read on m.qidian.com.)
