The Trembling World

ED: Oz

“Let’s do as you have suggested.” Liu Gan had no qualms with Zhang ShengLi’s suggested plan, as he had no counterplay against this hallucinogenic Variant Zombie. However, he was not ready to resign himself to fate just yet. After Zhang ShengLi arranged the personnel duties, he and Yin He would set out on the offense. Right now, he was thinking of the possible ways to kill this type of Variant Zombie.

“Let everyone rest up, separate into a few teams, and rotate to do night guard duties. Everyone must remain in the Lobby, so don’t think about leaving! It is only a Variant Zombie that has a hallucinogenic-inducing ability. It isn’t some spirit or ghost, so there is nothing to be afraid of! As long as you can keep watch of this place then it can’t get to us!” Zhang ShengLi dished out orders to everyone else after he understood Liu Gan’s plan.

“Yes, that is a great idea. We should remain in the lobby until morning. Once it is daylight, we will consider again if we will continue to remain here or take the yacht and leave.” Wang DeCheng and Han GuangMing chimed in. Their hesitation was negated after hearing Zhang ShengLi convey Liu Gan’s wishes. Since they had decided to follow Liu Gan, they would support his wishes regardless of what it was.

Before fully settling into the lobby, Zhang ShengLi led some people to investigate the four corners and surrounding area to confirm that the doors were locked, and that the windows were shut. They were planning to completely seal off the room that they had broken into through the window. Additionally, Zhang Shengli led some people to the second floor to lock the rooms off as well, and seal the windows. Essentially, the idea was to completely seal off their location.

When Zhang ShengLi returned, everyone started getting to work. The team members were moving the respective beds out of the rooms, adjoining them in the lobby with the couches together to form one giant bed that everyone could rest on together.

Even though sleeping like this wasn’t too comfortable, it still beat sleeping on the floor for a night.

“For tonight, there will be three teams standing guard, and each team will have four people. My team; Wang DeCheng’s team; and Han GuangMing’s team.” Zhang ShengLi arranged their roles neatly.

“I don’t think I can sleep too well tonight, so I will lead the first shift.” Wang DeCheng told Zhang ShengLi.

“Okay. Sounds good.” Zhang ShengLi was extremely tired, so he didn’t want to take the first shift. Since Wang DeCheng was willing, Zhang ShengLi would obviously not decline.

“I also will have a hard time sleeping tonight. I will join the first team.” Xu ChangHui and Zhou MingLiang walked over to Wang DeCheng.

“Okay!” Wang DeCheng nodded. He also called over Zhao Meng, making the four of them the first team to take the night shift.

Finally, when everyone in the lobby settled down in order to sleep, Liu Gan and Yin He walked over to the lobby door.

“Elder Liu, you still want to go out?” Zhou MingLiang fixed his eyes in the direction he was guarding as he asked Liu Gan.

“You guys will be safe here, but I can’t just sit here and await an opportunity. We are prepared to go and lure this Variant Zombie out and kill it. Staying here will be safe, but the moment we leave this location, I can’t promise your safety.” Liu Gan replied.

Liu Gan’s purpose on this island was for the secret laboratory. If he couldn’t find the key to open up the round alloy door, he definitely wouldn’t be satisfied. Even if he had to stay a few more days here, he would be willing to do that. So unless he killed off this Variant Zombie, staying here on the island would be dangerous for him since he could get ambushed at any moment. Therefore, he chose to go on the offense and rid himself of this uncertainty.

Liu Gan and Yin He left the lobby. Wang DeCheng and Zhao Meng sat together on the corner of the centralized congregation of beds and couches, each staring into two different directions. However, Xu ChangHui and Zhou MingLiang were only sitting on two chairs that were a few meters away from the mass of beds stacked together, as they looked on in their respective directions.

“This Liu teammate seems to have been hiding something from us.” Xu ChangHui whispered lowly to Zhou MingLiang.

“I can also feel that.” Zhou MingLiang nodded.

“I am not relying on my feelings; it is when we were in the restaurant. Him and Little He went out to discuss something. I snuck into the male bathroom and heard their conversation. They said something about laboratory and conducting experiments. I suspect that he wants to use us as lab rats, and experiment on us.” Xu ChangHui continued to talk to Zhou MingLiang.

“No way. It can’t be that horrifying?” Zhou MingLiang gasped in a shocked expression.

“You don’t believe what I said? Don’t you feel like he has been strange the whole time? Not only does he not listen to us, but I’ve been watching him closely. He says that he doesn’t like flattery, but he’s been brainwashing those close to him. These youngsters here have all been brainwashed into believing what he says. We are adult, so how could I fall so easily for his theatrics?” Xu ChangHui shook his head.

“Ah, I also feel that him and Little He are very strange. So they have been trying to brainwash us. You are right! We, adults, won’t fall so easily for that.” Zhou MingLiang agreed with Xu ChangHui’s statement.

“Just like right now, don’t you feel as though he made us stay here so we can await our death? Him and Little He left this location to kill the Variant Zombie? It sounds as though we are bait for the creature to attack. Then, they can take their chances to fight, and if they win, then good. If not, then they will take the chance to slip away on the yacht. Leaving us behind and incapable of resisting the Variant Zombie. Then we might end up like the bodies we found earlier, dying from fighting against one another, and eventually our brains will get eaten.” Xu ChangHui spoke his mind. Normally, Xu ChangHui wasn’t the type of person to speak much. He enjoyed observing people more and came up with his own deductive reasoning for everyone.

Liu Gan didn’t want the laboratory secret to be revealed too prematurely to the team members, but with his suspicious late night activity leaving the team, it gave off a feeling that something secretive was happening behind the scenes. Zhou MingLiang seemed to have considered everything Xu ChangHui had said as the truth.

“So what do you suppose we do now?” Zhou MingLiang asked Xu ChangHui.

“I feel like we shouldn’t remain here any longer. We should take this chance and rush over to the dock. Steal the yacht before they get back. Otherwise, we really will die on this island.” Xu ChangHui seemed to have had this idea planted in his head a long time ago.

“Do you know how to operate the yacht?” Zhou MingLiang asked Xu ChangHui.

“Of course I know.” Xu ChangHui continued to convince Zhou MingLiang with his treachery. Xu ChangHui gave a solid pat on Zhou MingLiang’s shoulder. Previously, Xu ChangHui secretively observed Liu Gan on how he operated the yacht, committing to memory the range of motion on the steering wheel, and it didn’t seem too difficult to him.

“Elder Liu told us to remain here. Don’t go anywhere else. We better not do anything rash.” Zhou MingLiang glanced at Wang DeCheng’s direction and hesitated.

“When you were scolding him, didn’t you hear his attitude towards you? Don’t you understand? We are disposable to him. He might even treat us as cannon fodder!” Xu ChangHui continued to encourage Zhou MingLiang.