Jumping off the vehicle, the group quickly split into three teams as planned.

The location was about 500 meters away from the village entrance, and apart from the incessant buzzing of cicadas, there was no other sound.

The reason for choosing this spot to park was mainly to avoid attracting zombies with the engine noise when entering the village.

Besides, considering the seclusion of this place, once everyone left, the guarding work for Zhao Yunhai and A Cheng would be relatively simple and safe.

Each person took out the walkie-talkies from their waists, one of which was picked up by Tang Xiaoquan and others from a police car on the highway, and the other was a standard issue for Lin Junfu as a traffic cop.

Looking at how they brought out all the gear for this mission, it was evident how much the survivors valued the mission itself.

Adjusting the radio frequency to the preset channel, Hu and Zhao spoke a few words into the walkie-talkies, confirming smooth communication.

Time was tight, and everyone was hoping to complete the scouting plan before the scorching sun fully exerted its power.

After another brief emphasis on the mission’s process, grouping, and precautions, Hu Xiaodong and others bid farewell to Lao Zhao and A Cheng, then proceeded onward to the west towards the village.

Leading the way were Dazhuang and Wang Daguo, both locals familiar with the surrounding environment and routes, so it didn’t take long for everyone to arrive at the village entrance.

“TL Village,” Tang Xiaoquan saw a wooden carved sign as far as his eyes could reach. Behind the sign was a somewhat worn-down dirt road, with a few mud-brick and stone-tiled houses sitting there lonely, like children waiting for their owners to come home.

Dazhuang showed a look of grief, memories surged up in his mind at that moment, his hand unconsciously tightened around the double scythe he held, revealing a strong aura of determination and seriousness in his gestures.

“Are you alright, Dazhuang?” Feeling the oddness from the person beside him, Hu Xiaodong asked with concern.

Without answering, Dazhuang just stood up, confirmed the direction to enter the village, then waved his hand and charged forward alone.

I hope this guy considers the bigger picture, Tang Xiaoquan sighed lightly, feeling slightly helpless.

Frankly, if it weren’t for the need for guides for both groups on this mission, he absolutely wouldn’t have included Dazhuang in the action team.

After all, for someone who just witnessed the tragic death of his parents, returning to the village was undoubtedly something that could easily cause emotional turmoil.

And if he couldn’t control his emotions and stay calm during the operation, the consequences…

Shaking his head to dispel the negative thoughts, Tang Xiaoquan realized there was no turning back once the arrow was released. Other than choosing to trust Dazhuang, he had no better options at this moment.

Readjusting his mindset, Tang Xiaoquan glanced at the black shadow moving further away and quickly followed with his cleaver in hand.

“Whoosh, whoosh,” Two sharp whistles slicing through the air as Hu Xiaodong precisely took down two wandering zombies blocking the village entrance.

After confirming nothing unusual in the surroundings, Hu Xiaodong crouched and approached the two “unlucky fellows” he had just killed.

Black blood trickled down the arrow shafts, the hollow eyes lifeless and pale, “messengers of hell” truly returning to their origin this time.

Coldly pulling out the arrows, Hu Xiaodong felt no guilt from the slaughter he had just caused.

Two weeks ago, he was still troubled by whether he had the right to execute such beasts.

But now… he seemed more and more accustomed to such a “habit.”

But whether this habit stemmed from the extinction of human nature or a call of justice, perhaps only the person involved could truly understand it.

Retrieving the precious arrows, Hu Xiaodong and the others sneaked a few meters ahead into the village, soon spotting a T-junction directly in front of them.

According to the information Dazhuang provided during the meeting, the survivors knew this was the spot where they would commence their group actions.

Without a word, the captains of the two teams exchanged eye contact, then led their respective teams along the designated routes, continuing the advance.

Hu Xiaodong closely followed Dazhuang, his expression solemn. Thanks to Dazhuang’s familiarity with the area’s paths and environment, their journey was quite smooth.

Using the trees and houses around for cover, they hardly had direct encounters with too many zombies. If there were a couple of unwelcome creatures showing up, they were mostly killed by Hu Xiaodong’s precise archery before making any “calls”.

On Tang Xiaoquan’s side, however, they weren’t as fortunate as the right-turning team.

Due to going straight and deeper, the density of village houses noticeably increased, leading to mutated villagers being visible everywhere.

Behind them lay no fewer than ten corpses, perhaps seven or eight.

Tang Xiaoquan understood his team’s primary task was to collect scythes this time, so advancing further held no meaning. He timely called off Wang Daguo’s guiding journey and quickly scanned around. Soon, he identified the target location.

It was a two-story building enclosed by iron railings, its walls painted red, which looked very festive from afar.

Moreover, from the scale of the courtyard and its grandeur compared to surrounding buildings, Tang Xiaoquan concluded that the owner of this self-built house must be a prominent figure in the village.

Sure enough, before he could take action, Huang Daguo beside him said in a deep voice, “Why don’t we go there? That’s the village chief’s house!”

The scene of beating the landlords in films involuntarily flashed through Tang Xiaoquan’s mind, and he decisively nodded in agreement, “Alright, let’s go there.”

He poked his head out to look both ways on the dirt road, leg-dragging zombies wandered around aimlessly. Their leisurely demeanor might genuinely make one mistake them for villagers who came out to enjoy the sunshine.

Wang Daguo showed unusual courage, stepping forward to dash out without any consideration. However, before he could step forward, his arms were pulled back by someone, and as he turned around, he saw Tang Xiaoquan shaking his tense face at him repeatedly.

Undoubtedly, if they rushed out recklessly like this, it would certainly draw the zombies’ attention, and if unfortunately discovered by them, the group’s mission would basically be declared a failure.

Therefore, they needed to find a way to sneak silently into the shadows on the other side, then climb into the courtyard via the iron railings.

But in such a situation, how could one “quietly enter with no shooting”? Tang Xiaoquan couldn’t help but frown.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep