Xu An was waiting for the snake to come out of its hole, while Hao Cheng on the other side was not as comfortable.
He opened the electronic screen in front of him as usual and looked at the entry and exit records of the past week.
"Damn it, the Dead Men's Guild is getting greedier. Last week it was just two people, now it's doubled and they want more."
"More? It's the apocalypse, has Liu Chen been bitten by a zombie? Where does he get so many new survivors?"
Although Hao Cheng's bunker had quite a few survivors, only a minority could settle here. He relied on the "rent" paid by these people to survive.
If he really killed everyone here, and people knew this bunker was unsafe, no one would come. What would he eat, where would he get people to order around for free?
"Who was sent out today?" Hao Cheng asked absentmindedly.
The man beside him stooped, his face, marked by burn scars, showing no expression.
"The first to leave the base this morning, according to the records, were three women. Two of them are new, and one is an old resident."
"Fuck!" Hao Cheng cursed when he saw the information on the screen, recognizing a familiar face.
"Why the hell did you send Lin Zhuoran over!"
The old man's face remained expressionless. He showed no reaction to Hao Cheng's scolding.
"The selection was random." He then changed the subject, a hint of mockery in his tone, "Are you smitten?"
"If I remember correctly, this woman was brought back by you."
"Smitten my ass!" Hao Cheng wished he could feed this unremarkable old man to the zombies.
"Lin Zhuoran was someone I saved. She owes me a favor, and among those following me, she's quite capable. She just formed a team in the bunker, and I was counting on her to develop it!"
Sima Zhao's intentions were clear to everyone. Lin Zhuoran was indeed beautiful, but not to the extent of making Hao Cheng fall for her.
More than women, Hao Cheng truly desired to be free from control.
His cooperation with Liu Chen was mainly because Liu Chen not only had zombies he could command but also a group of desperate followers.
Hao Cheng, however, had a bunker but no armed forces.
This was why it had become a transfer station for survivors.
The weak would be preyed upon; similarly, a base without its own armed forces would face forceful takeover.
He hid at the bottom, occupying an entire floor, his greatest fear being someone taking advantage of him.
The old man, however, did not care.
Since the person had already been sent out, Lin Zhuoran might have already become fodder for zombies. What was the use of talking about it now?
But the thought of him cutting off Hao Cheng's right-hand man, the burned, deformed eyes glinted with malevolence.
When the entry and exit records on the electronic screen met Hao Cheng's gaze, he was so startled that he crushed the water cup in his hand.
The glass shards scratched his palm, but the sharp pain stimulated his nerves even more, as if telling him.
Lin Zhuoran had truly returned.
"Uncle Liu, she... how did she return? What's going on? Didn't the Dead Men's Guild hunt today?"
Uncle Liu looked at the entry records on the screen, "First, check if she returned by herself or if all three of them returned. I'll contact Liu Chen."
After speaking, he left the control console with a solemn expression and walked towards a black instrument behind him that resembled a generator.
Hao Cheng calmed himself and brought up all the entry and exit records for the day. As expected, he saw the photos of Xu An and Zhou Haimei clearly displayed on the screen.
Among these three, besides Lin Zhuoran, whom he recognized, the woman named Zhou Haimei was the most eye-catching, with her long red hair, making it impossible to forget her.
But now, all three women reappearing in the bunker, safe and sound, made Hao Cheng even more fearful.
"Did you find out? What happened? All three of them are back!" Hao Cheng's face showed obvious anger.
"No one answered. Something must have happened on their end. This has never happened before."
"Do you think it's possible that Liu Chen didn't show up today, and that's why the three women returned?"
"Do you believe that yourself? Even if Liu Chen forgot, would those zombies forget? Today is the zombies' hunting day. Without food, they would turn on Liu Chen and his people."
Uncle Liu's words made the meaning very clear: there was only one possibility now, that Lin Zhuoran and these two women had actually escaped from Liu Chen.
"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible! They are just three women, how could they escape from the mouths of zombies? I don't believe it!" Hao Cheng looked a bit manic, muttering constantly.
It was as if the world he had built all along had collapsed, leaving him bewildered.
On the other hand, Uncle Liu was still calmly analyzing, "Nothing is impossible. Although we know Lin Zhuoran, we know nothing about the two new women who appeared beside her. Furthermore..."
"Furthermore what? It's already this late, and you're still being cryptic." Hao Cheng was very anxious.
"Have you forgotten about upstairs?" Uncle Liu did not finish his sentence, but pointed his finger upwards, making a throat-slitting gesture, his voice carrying an unprecedented coldness.
"If people from upstairs came, it wouldn't be strange for them to escape from Liu Chen. However, if they are indeed from upstairs, we'll have to find a way to eliminate them."
"You're saying the two new women came down from the lighthouse? But didn't the people who came down from the lighthouse go towards the northeast? Where did these two women pop out from!"
"An insider said that the main force followed a man named Qin Chuan to execute their mission towards the original target, but many experts among them went to search for targets individually, breaking into smaller groups, scattered completely, and their whereabouts were untraceable."
"Useless!"
"All useless! They can't even keep an eye on one person. Damn it, if they really are from the lighthouse, they might discover our secret. Uncle Liu, what should we do!"
Uncle Liu sneered inwardly, mocking him, "You have a day like this too." But outwardly, he still maintained a respectful demeanor.
"It's fine. It's better if no one knows they are here. That way, she won't be able to call for help from the lighthouse, and will still be at our mercy."
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
"Since these women have returned, they must have come prepared. If they want to lure the snake out of its hole, we'll do the opposite and trap them in a jar!"