Chapter 1109 - 1097:

Chapter 1109: Chapter 1097:

He glanced at his wristwatch: 11:34.

Almost time!

Hu Xiaodong picked up the hand-held radio and spoke: "Everyone get out of the car. Brother Huo, Dazhuang, Qiang, patrol the surroundings, then clear the snow off the cars. Luo, you check the car’s condition. That’s it, over!"

After giving the orders, Hu Xiaodong went to the back of the car to retrieve a military tent, then called for the young man to help pitch it.

Through their interactions, whether it was Huo Yuankai or the young man, they had all become familiar with the Survivor Squad.

The previous fear and suspicion had faded with recent wilderness survival, and the deadly fight that almost cost lives was completely forgotten.

Having spent a night cramped in the car, everyone was sore, so to alleviate this, starting the day after Tang Xiaoquan and Hua Biao left, Hu Xiaodong pitched tents at noon and packed up after dinner at dusk.

This allowed the team enough time to lie down and rest.

Everything proceeded as usual, Huo Yuankai and the others busy with the surroundings patrol, then clearing the snow off the vehicles.

With nearly a week of cleaning, several small snow hills had already formed around the camp.

Luo Baochun once joked that if there was no news from the camp, they’d create a second Qinghai-Tibet Plateau here.

Undoubtedly, Luo Baochun’s words were exaggerated, but it was undeniable, the snow was indeed heavy.

"Alright, dinner is ready, everyone come and eat."

A pot of noodles and a pot of boiled beef; although Hu Xiaodong had stupidly stayed outdoors for a week, their meal was quite sumptuous due to provisions from four carriages.

At least compared to the camp’s "watery soup," it was practically a paradise.

"Slurp slurp!" Wei Dazhuang’s noodle slurping was truly "pleasant," paired with the "grating" sound of him chewing beef, it was like a serenade.

"Oh, looks like no news from Hua and the others today either." Wei Dazhuang continued speaking while he "played".

Upon hearing this, Wang Qiang hung his head, a slight heaviness on his face.

Hu Xiaodong, walking alongside Wang Qiang from the start, understood his thoughts thoroughly.

Not showing any emotion, he nudged the oblivious Wei Dazhuang, then cleared his throat twice: "Ahem, it’s not a rush, they need time to come and go, and prepare to return. Anyway, if there’s still no news by today, tomorrow morning you and Qiang head back."

"Alright, it can only be this way now." Wei Dazhuang wiped his mouth, and not long after, he had consumed a large bowl of noodles, with not a drop of broth left.

With Wei Dazhuang finished eating, the tent immediately fell silent.

Hu Xiaodong and others savored their delicious meals slowly. Just then, Huo Yuankai suddenly turned his head to look towards the window with the curtain.

"What’s going on?" Huo Yuankai’s abrupt action drew Hu Xiaodong’s attention, prompting him to ask.

Unable to speak, Huo Yuankai gestured outside with his hand.

Seeing this, Hu Xiaodong speculated, "Something outside?"

"Yes yes," hearing this, Huo Yuankai nodded repeatedly.

This instantly heightened the tension inside the tent, Hu Xiaodong quickly pressed against the window and peered outside through the transparent rain cloth.

But amid the vast white snow, there was no sign of anything amiss.

"Brother Huo, I don’t see anything out there!"

Yet Huo Yuankai seemed not to hear Hu Xiaodong’s words; he kept his Tang blade, then gestured to the tent entrance, indicating his intention to go out and check.

"I’ll go with you!" With Huo Yuankai’s movements, Wei Dazhuang, having finished lunch, similarly grabbed his weapon, then drew open the tent curtain and stepped out first.

With Wei Dazhuang moving, the others couldn’t remain idle; they immediately set down their bowls and utensils, grabbing their weapons.

"Luo, take the kid into the car and don’t come out! Everyone else, proceed with the usual investigation protocol. Understand?"

"Understood!"

Exiting the tent, a biting cold wind assaulted them; Hu Xiaodong immediately felt his right hand holding the compound bow shiver.

Just then, as Wei Dazhuang went out first, he suddenly clutched Hu Xiaodong’s shoulder, then forcefully pressed him down.

"What’s going on?"

Once the words fell, Hu Xiaodong grasped Wei Dazhuang’s intention.

Though faint, he could hear a sound like something rubbing against the snow from the edges of his hearing.

What’s that noise? Hu Xiaodong furrowed his brow in confusion.

Firstly, it didn’t resemble the sound of a vehicle in motion; if it were, they’d hear the engine noise clearly from afar.

Secondly, the zombies’ movement didn’t match; even for "jumpers," it’d be tough to produce such continuous scraping noise.

This was perplexing.

Nonetheless, Hu Xiaodong picked up the hand-held radio to alert Luo Baochun, watching over the kid inside the car, to ready necessary defenses against unknown threats.

Ending the call, the noise became more pronounced, moreover, the formerly serene snowy field now showed traces.

"What’s that!?" Wei Dazhuang stared at the distant swaying black dots, blurting out.

Hu Xiaodong didn’t answer, grabbing binoculars to inspect.

"That’s..."

"What is it!?"

Not too sure himself, only as the shadow drew closer, Hu Xiaodong eventually responded, "They’re people! On skis!"

"Skis? How many?"

"2!"

"Could it be Xiaotang and Hua?" Wei Dazhuang’s words made Wang Qiang visibly excited, his eyes widened.

Indeed, Hu Xiaodong thought it likely Hua and Tang Xiaoquan arrived.

The problem was these people were on skis, something Hu Xiaodong didn’t recall them having in their camp.

In this desolate wasteland where not even birds come, Hu Xiaodong doubted Hua and Tang could acquire such along the way.

So...

"They’re not Hua and Xiaotang, stay alert, prepare for contact."

Certainly, the direction they were heading would intersect with theirs.

And the freshly cleared vehicle body stood as a giant "welcome" sign.

Surely, upon seeing these four large signs, the newcomers would dare come and investigate.

"Dazhuang, Brother Huo, you two go behind the cars, Wang, go under the car. Once they approach, I’ll engage. Unless absolutely necessary, avoid showing yourselves. Especially you, Qiang, you’re the ambusher. Clear?"

No intention to harm, but it’s best to stay guarded.

Lucky there’s only two of them; even if they had backup, Hu Xiaodong had ways to handle them before they could call for help.

Upon receiving orders, the team promptly crawled to their assigned locations.