Rotting Land: Survive

Chapter 816: Chapter 801: Ambushed on the Road (13)

"Old Lin, look at the time, the commander hasn’t come back yet, and there’s no response from the hand-held radio. Do you think this is normal?" Lei Tong leaned his hands on the round table, his anxious expression was obvious.

"Yeah, and the commander went out with Liu Fugui. I found it strange at the time. Why take Liu Fugui to cut trees instead of us brothers?" Hua Biao frowned, his eyes fixed on Old Lin, the morning’s events making him suspicious of the commander’s actions.

Zhang Zhicai was more straightforward, getting straight to the point: "This concerns the commander’s life, Old Lin, please approve us to go out and search."

Facing the forceful trio, Lin Junfu felt utterly helpless. This was the third time in an hour that they appeared before him. He had already turned down their previous requests to go out with various excuses, but now...

"Everyone, I understand how you feel. I have the same questions. I can explain some things. Old Xu took Liu Fugui out, not just to cut trees—he wanted a quiet place to talk privately with Liu Fugui about some sensitive topics. I’m sure you’re curious why Liu Fugui ended up in such a dire situation, but discussing such matters in front of everyone would be too difficult. That’s why Old Xu thought of this method. As for the hand-held radio, it’s likely Old Xu didn’t want to be disturbed and left it in the car." Old Lin racked his brain for this explanation, yet it still felt inadequate.

"Bang!" Lei Tong unexpectedly slammed the hand-held radio onto the table, the thud expressing his displeasure with Old Lin’s inaction: "Old Lin, you say the commander didn’t respond to the hand-held radio, maybe because he didn’t want to be disturbed and left it in the car. Alright, even if what you say is true, but look at the time—it’s been hours since he left. What could take so long to discuss or cut trees for hours?"

"Yeah, with the commander’s personality, there’s no way he’d leave the hand-held radio behind, right? This isn’t just a 10 or 20-minute situation; it’s been hours without any news or response!"

"Old Lin, doesn’t this indicate a problem? What are you waiting for? Approve us to go out."

To approve or not, Old Lin felt it was no longer up to him to decide. Seeing Lei Tong and the others’ persistent attitude, he realized they were already being quite polite in seeking his opinion.

If he continued to make excuses, he would indeed be asking for trouble.

However, letting Lei Tong and the others leave wouldn’t resolve the matter and might even put them in danger.

After all, they didn’t know the truth. He couldn’t reveal everything now, as that would only complicate things further.

"Old Lin, give the order, don’t hesitate." Almost simultaneously, Hua Biao, Lei Tong, and Zhang Zhicai demanded in unison.

Being stuck in a difficult position was really uncomfortable. Old Lin glanced at them with distress: "Well... let’s wait a bit..."

"Old Lin, this is Old Xu. Please respond quickly! Over."

"Dear mother!" Right at this awkward moment, hearing Old Xu’s familiar voice, Old Lin was so excited he almost shouted.

He picked up the hand-held radio with trembling hands and hurriedly asked: "I... this is Old Lin, how’s the tree cutting going? Why is it taking so long? The brothers are worried sick! Over."

Old Lin said a lot, heavily implying his meaning, and Old Xu immediately picked up on it from his tone.

There were obviously outsiders around him, meaning he couldn’t speak plainly and had to "act." "Oh, don’t even mention it, you probably wouldn’t believe it if I told you. This trip was a bizarre one; not only did we run into Old Zhao and his group, but we also encountered Huang Yong!"

"Huang Yong?" Old Lin’s exclamation genuinely startled Old Xu, who kept thinking to himself how good an actor Old Lin was, as no one would suspect he knew the whole story all along: "You mean you ran into Huang Yong? Over."

"Haha, yes! Surprised?" Old Xu spoke in a very relaxed tone, aiming to ease the group’s animosity before reaching the villa: "And guess what, there’s someone else with Huang Yong you’d never guess. Over."

Old Lin feigned a puzzled look at Hua Biao and the others in front of him, seeking their input on how to respond to Old Xu’s question. Yet, the three of them were too shocked, staring wide-eyed as if they’d seen a ghost.

Lei Tong raised his brows, prompting Old Lin to hurry and ask more. The latter nodded gravely, "Old Xu, who is it? Over."

"Yao Ruyi!"

"Ah! What, Yao Ruyi, isn’t he the one trying to kill..."

"Kill General Liu, right?"

"Yes! How did you end up with him..."

"Haha, it’s all a misunderstanding, a huge misunderstanding from start to finish!"

"A misunderstanding? What... what is going on?"

"Sigh, it’s a long story, too complex to explain over a call. I’ll explain everything once I’m back. Over."

"Where are you now? When are you heading back? Over."

"We’re already on the road, should be back to the villa in about half an hour. You could ask Wei Yang to prepare more food as we have guests coming. Isn’t it a pleasure to have friends visit from afar? Over."

"Here’s some good news: Old Zhao and his group brought back supplies, so we can last a bit longer now. Over."

"That’s fantastic. Alright, I won’t say much more here. Be safe on the road, we’ll discuss everything in detail when you return, and you’d better explain thoroughly what’s going on. Over."

Xu and Lin performed this act together flawlessly, with Lei Tong and the others not noticing any discrepancies.

Lin gently placed the hand-held radio back on the table. Despite his calm facade earlier, he carried immense pressure.

Afraid of any slip-up in his interaction with Old Xu, the resolution of this issue felt like a huge relief. If Old Xu’s call had come a moment later, he might not have been able to stop Hua Biao and the others from going out.

"Alright, everyone can be at ease now. Go back to your stations. I also need to get Wei Yang to prepare some food. We’re having a feast today, so make sure to eat plenty! Haha!" Old Lin chuckled, patting Hua Biao and the others on the shoulder as he led them towards the exit. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)