nycdaug Chapter 42 Brother Wang
Chapter 42 Brother Wang
Meanwhile, in the town center, in a relatively intact two-story building, a faint fire flickered in a room on the ground floor.
This small team of twelve or thirteen survivors has settled here.
The leader was a middle-aged man known as Brother Wang. He was around forty years old, with a robust build and broad frame. His entire body was wrapped in a thick, stained military green overcoat, but one could still discern a certain sharpness in him. His face had strong features and rough skin, bearing the marks of long-term exposure to wind and sun. His eyes, illuminated by the firelight, appeared unusually calm and sharp, habitually scanning his surroundings.
Brother Wang had served in the military for many years. After the apocalypse, with his excellent skills and relatively clear mind, he gradually became the core of this spontaneously formed survivor team.
Surrounding him were seven or eight men and women, who were the backbone of the team. They were all partners who had struggled with Brother Wang in the apocalypse for quite some time and had developed a certain level of trust and understanding with each other.
The others were scattered in the corners of the room, some resting, others quietly packing their belongings. Among them was a middle-aged couple, who appeared to be husband and wife, with a little boy of about seven or eight years old, also bundled up tightly. The child nestled in his mother's arms, looking tired and listless.
"Everything has been checked. The doors and windows have been reinforced. The second floor has a good view, so we've arranged for Xiao Sun and Lao Li to take turns keeping watch at night." A young man wearing worn-out glasses, who looked somewhat refined, reported to Brother Wang in a low voice. His name was Zhao Ming. He used to be a programmer, but now he was the team's "technical consultant" and recorder.
Brother Wang nodded, his voice deep and hoarse, carrying an undeniable composure: "Yes, the rules can't be broken. In this awful weather, even though those things have become lazier, there's always the chance some starving or other things might sneak over. Let everyone take the time to rest, eat something, and we'll leave once we've recovered."
"Understood, Brother Wang," Zhao Ming replied, turning to make the arrangements.
In the center of the room, a makeshift stove, made from a salvaged tin bucket, was burning wood salvaged from discarded furniture. A blackened pot sat on the fire, bubbling away. A man in his fifties, with mostly gray hair, known to everyone as "Old Chen," was carefully stirring the food in the pot with a wooden spoon.
The room was filled with a faint aroma, a mixture of smoke and food. In the pot was a thin porridge made from rice and other grains, with bits of shredded, dark dried meat and a few withered vegetable leaves floating in it. This was their dinner for the night, and their usual meal for the past few weeks.
"Old Chen, make the bottom of the child's bowl a little thicker." A woman who was tidying up her fan-shaped snow boots looked up and said to Old Chen. Her name was Wu Xiujuan, the wife of the couple, and her face showed signs of overwork.
Old Chen didn't say anything, he just nodded silently.
"Mom, I'm not hungry," the little boy mumbled softly in his mother's arms, but his eyes couldn't help but glance at the steaming pot.
"Nonsense, we've been walking all day, how could we not be hungry?" Wu Xiujuan patted her son's head, her voice filled with tired gentleness.
A burly man with a faint scar on his face next to him clicked his tongue and complained to Old Chen, "Old Chen, this porridge is too thin. It'll be gone in a pee. What good is it?" His name was Da Niu. He was straightforward, strong, and one of the main combat forces in the team.
Old Chen didn't even look up, and said slowly, "That's all the rice we have left. If we eat it sparingly, it'll last us until Jiangcheng. If you want dry food, go hunting yourself."
Da Niu choked for a moment, then rubbed his nose sheepishly: "Where can we hunt in this freezing weather? Even the mice are hibernating."
A woman sitting by the fire, silently wiping an old wood-chopping knife, chimed in, "It's good enough to have something to eat, don't be picky. Think about that group we encountered before, they even gnawed on tree bark." Her name was Sun Xiaoyun. She didn't talk much, but she was ruthless and was another formidable figure in the group.
Da Niu fell silent. Everyone deeply understands the hardships of the apocalypse.
Brother Wang walked to the pot, glanced at the thin porridge inside, his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, then relaxed. He picked up a chipped enamel bowl from the side, and Old Chen ladled half a bowl for him.
Brother Wang carried the enamel jar to the window, peered warily through the crack at the dark, quiet street outside, and then returned, squatted by the fire, and sipped the porridge, the grains of rice almost countable.
"Brother Wang, are we really going to search this town tomorrow?" Zhao Ming, also carrying a bowl of porridge, leaned closer and asked in a low voice. He held a worn notebook with a rudimentary map drawn on it. "The map shows that Qingsongling Town was repeatedly looted several times in the early stages of the disaster, and there seems to have been a significant conflict afterward. Apparently, all the useful things were taken away long ago. We're short on time, so...?"
Brother Wang swallowed the mouthful of "rice soup" that was almost devoid of rice grains, his gaze sweeping over the team members sitting or lying down in the room, their faces pale and sickly, especially the little boy curled up in his mother's arms. He slowly said, "Maps are static, but people are dynamic. Even the emptier the town, there are bound to be corners we've overlooked, or places that later arrivals might have missed. Even finding a few pieces of unrotted wood to keep the fire burning a little longer, or a couple of rusty cans, would be good."
He paused, lowering his voice even further: "Besides, as you've seen along the way, the closer we get to Jiangcheng, the more 'fellow travelers' we encounter, and the more complicated the situation becomes. The group we met yesterday looked at us suspiciously. We need to replenish our supplies as much as possible, even if it's not much, it might come in handy at a critical moment. Before we enter the shelter, we can't place all our hopes on others."
Zhao Ming adjusted his glasses and nodded: "Understood. Then I'll take two people tomorrow to focus on searching places that might be overlooked, such as basements or more remote detached houses."
"Okay, be careful. Focus on reconnaissance and don't get scattered. If anything seems amiss, retreat immediately," Brother Wang instructed. "We're just resting. We must set off once everyone is in good condition. It's still about ten days' journey to Jiangcheng, so we can't afford to delay."
Although the two spoke in hushed tones, they could still be faintly heard by those nearby in the quiet room.
In the corner, the husband, a silent man named Wu Jianguo, sighed softly and whispered to his wife, "Hopefully we'll have some success; the kids' shoes are almost worn out."
Wu Xiujuan tightened her grip on her son's arm, saying nothing, her eyes filled with worry and uncertainty about the future.
On the other side, Da Niu and Sun Xiaoyun were also whispering to each other.
"Brother Wang is being too cautious. This town looks so lifeless, what danger could there be?" Da Niu said dismissively.
Sun Xiaoyun glanced at him and said coldly, "Better safe than sorry. Have you forgotten what happened at the abandoned gas station? If it weren't for Brother Wang's quick reaction, we would have been ambushed by those bastards. In this world, sometimes the living are more terrifying than the dead."
Da Niu was clearly recalling that harrowing experience; he shrank back and said no more.
The flickering firelight illuminated weary, wary, yet hopeful faces. They drank thin porridge that reflected their images, chewed on hard jerky, and whispered among themselves, planning what to search for tomorrow.