Zhang Xiaoqiang's heart tightened as he continued to ask. Obviously, this topic made the others' faces even uglier. The crowd behind Huang Quan automatically parted, and four members of the search team came in front of Zhang Xiaoqiang with a body bag. Looking at the heavy body bag, Zhang Xiaoqiang's worst guess appeared. The person who died was not a militia, but an official member. Looking at the mark on the body bag, he was even a squad leader.
"How is that possible … If he was killed by those things, how could you guys snatch his body?"
Zhang Xiaoqiang could not accept it. He had set out from the base with 50 official members. They had experienced many hardships and countless battles to reach the base. What kind of dangerous situation had they not encountered? What kind of desperate situation had they not encountered? They had never lost a single person. They were the best, and they were Zhang Xiaoqiang's life and death brothers.
"Zhang Xiaoqiang … He committed suicide … His only last words were to bring him back and bury him on Osmanthus Mountain …"
"Bullshit … What haven't my people experienced?
All of them struggled for their lives in the apocalypse. They barely survived. What kind of situation have they not seen?
What kind of danger have they not encountered?
Even when they were surrounded on an isolated island and ran out of food and ammunition, they did not feel depressed, nor did they think of committing suicide. Tell me honestly, how did he die … Did you kill him … "
Zhang Xiaoqiang was very emotional. His eyes were fierce as he stared at Huang Quan, demanding an explanation. Every soldier who had sworn an oath with Zhang Xiaoqiang was a priceless treasure. They were his life and death brothers.
"Zhang Xiaoqiang … Captain Huang Quan is right … Our squad leader committed suicide. Those things had already rushed to the front of the fortifications. The angle of the heavy machine guns was not enough, and those things were very powerful. Captain ordered to retreat and wait for reinforcements.
When Squadron Leader Huang Quan arrived with his men, we organized a counterattack. However, we still couldn't take back the dock. Another fight broke out at the campsite. Left with no other choice, Squadron Leader Huang Quan ordered a retreat. On the way, we ran into the militia. We knew that Zhang Xiaoqiang was trapped there.
We knew that the whole island was filled with these things, and the dock was our only way out. The captain thought that it was a mistake to give the order to retreat. Because of his mistake, hundreds of people on the island died. He didn't dare to live anymore, so he pulled out his pistol in front of us and ended his own life … "
Zhang Xiaoqiang fell silent, and so did the people around him. The one who died was the captain of the search team. There were only two search teams, one led by Huang Quan himself, and the other led by his deputy. The one who died was his deputy.
Zhang Xiaoqiang's hard work was very complicated. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say. The task of the search team was to search and be alert. If they encountered an enemy, they would warn them immediately, and then retreat to a safe area to meet up with the main force. Therefore, the captain had done the right thing. He had tried his best to preserve his strength.
However, under the bigger picture, he was wrong, because they were guarding everyone's escape route. Once it was taken away, everyone would be trapped on this dangerous island. No one could say for sure how many people would lose their lives in the next moment. Once Zhang Xiao Qiang admitted that the team leader was not at fault, then he would have died in vain, and it would be worthless.
However, once Zhang Xiaoqiang admitted that he had made a mistake, then he would be charged as a deserter. He couldn't be sent back to the base's Osmanthus Mountain. He would be thrown on the ground and eaten by those things.
"Take him … Let's go …"
Zhang Xiaoqiang didn't want to make any more decisions, so he simply pretended to be confused. The dead would lie in the bag, and the living would continue to struggle on this dangerous island to see the sun tomorrow.
This time, the members of the search team went out to investigate. Zhang Xiaoqiang and the others silently followed behind the search team. The raging fire in the distance didn't show any signs of weakening. Instead, it was burning more and more fiercely. The night wind from the river intensified the fire, blowing away the sparks and landing in other places. The fire reignited again. The wind never stopped, and the fire never stopped. Flames were everywhere, spreading from the center of the island to both sides.
The area of the island was very large. If they wanted to circle around the island within half an hour, they would have to drive a car. At the same time, the island didn't have any complicated terrain, nor did it have enough depth. It didn't even have a high vantage point. There were mutated shrimps everywhere, making their situation even more difficult. Hundreds of people walked on the bumpy ground in the dark night. Other than the sound of wood cracking in the distance, the only sound in the silence was the footsteps of hundreds of people walking on the ground.
The sound of footsteps was very messy. From time to time, people would fall on the ground, and the supplies they were carrying would fall on the ground. The people beside them would pick them up in a mess, unintentionally delaying the progress of the large group. Hearing the messy footsteps beside him, Zhang Xiaoqiang felt like he could hear the panic in their hearts.
Zhang Xiaoqiang secretly sighed. Compared to the order during the day, the militia and the team members were clearly separated now. Those who were panicking and falling were all militia members, while the team members automatically walked at the outermost, carefully guarding against everything in the dark. Although they were also afraid, they weren't as messy as the militia members. They knew that Zhang Xiaoqiang was with them. As long as Zhang Xiaoqiang was by their side, they wouldn't be afraid.
Not all the militia members were in a mess. The retired armed police also performed well. They automatically stood at the outermost, filling up the gaps between the team members. They formed a circle with all the team members, surrounding the others in the middle.
"Zhang Xiaoqiang … Not good … There are mutated crayfish in front and on both sides, but the number is unknown. What do you think?"
Huang Quan came back from the front and reported to Zhang Xiaoqiang in a low voice. Zhang Xiaoqiang raised his right hand, and the continuous team stopped one by one and stood at the same place to rest.
Zhang Xiaoqiang and his team had been walking in circles for half an hour. They wanted to find the weak point of the mutated crayfish and circle behind them. When dawn came, they could deal with the mutated crayfish during the day and display their power.
But now, Zhang Xiaoqiang was in a predicament. There were mutated crayfish in front and on both sides. Once they encountered them, Zhang Xiaoqiang believed that the mutated crayfish wouldn't be friendly with them. At that time, it would be another chaotic battle. However, it was night time, and the mutated crayfish had the home ground. It was inevitable that they would suffer heavy losses.
"The front team will change to the back team. We will turn back and ask your team members to run further away. Once they find an opening, use the electric light to send a signal. We have to …"
When Zhang Xiaoqiang said this, he hesitated. If they found an opening and circle behind the mutated crayfish, it might not be a good idea. They didn't know the exact number of the mutated crayfish. What if the number of the mutated crayfish was more than 100,000, or even millions?
The terrain was unclear, and they only landed on the island at dusk. Without detailed investigation, they didn't know where they could take advantage of.
"What do you think … We should directly break through the encirclement, run to the other side of the island, cross the river, and go to the land? At least we don't need to run around in this small circle. Who knows if we will be surrounded or not?"
Zhang Xiaoqiang was talking about the other side of the island. After crossing a small river, they could reach the land. For the current situation, he would rather go to the land and fight with the zombies than fight with countless mutated crayfish in the dark.
"Zhang Xiaoqiang … We don't know the width and depth of the small river. We also don't know if there is a big boat on the other side that can accommodate so many brothers at the same time …"
Huang Quan didn't reject Zhang Xiaoqiang's proposal. He just gave Zhang Xiaoqiang an analysis of the problems they might encounter. The first step was to break through the encirclement. Needless to say, it was inevitable. The further they went, the less room for maneuver. Rifles were useless, and relying on a small number of heavy weapons wouldn't help. However, the choice after breaking through the encirclement was a big problem. Once they reached the river, there was a natural moat in front of them and a group of crayfish behind them.