Infinite Ebullience

Upon their arrival at the tenth floor, the bedraggled duo gave everyone quite a start, with Lin Weiguo's prison uniform slashed and smeared with blood, and a horrendous mix of sweat, dust, and fresh blood covering Tang Zheng, concealing his original appearance. He was even reeking in a horrible stench and his steps faltered due to exhaustion. If not for Lin's support, he wouldn't even make it here - the zombies would have caught up much earlier.

As Hu Qiong and the high school student saw them in their filth, they hesitated for a bit before lending a hand. By the time Qin Yan and Li Xinlan stepped forward to help, they had already collapsed onto the ground.

"So, did the tactic work out well?" The high school student asked anxiously, frequently glancing towards the stairs below.

The bald man, Wu Xudong, in contrast, was utterly professional - he held onto his Type 95 rifle and firefighter axe, pulled back the bolt once, and swaggered his way down the stairs without further words.

"Any injuries? Xinlan, you take care of them," Qin Yan, though sympathetic, understood there were more pressing demands at the moment, so she instructed Li Xinlan and then descended the stairs with her own firefighter axe in hand.

"What are you doing standing still?" Lin Weiguo glared at the indecisive high school student, scolding him, "Go kill those zombies."

"Oh... yes!" The high school student reacted subconsciously and dashed downstairs. Hu Qiong gritted her teeth and followed.

"I'm fine," Tang Zheng gasped for breath and moved away Li Xinlan's hand, which held a piece of tissue ready to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Then he turned to Lin Weiguo and thanked him, "I owe you one. I wouldn't have survived this without you."

"I have to admit, I'm impressed. That final hit was remarkable," Lin Weiguo couldn't help but grin. Then he sat up straight and started reloading his rifle.

"You're too generous, let's go downstairs and aid them. Xinlan, hand me that axe." Tang Zheng quickly unzipped his travel bag and fished out a half-full bottle of mineral water from inside. After handing it to Lin Weiguo and advising him to moisten his throat, he picked up the axe and attempted to make his move downstairs. However, Lin Weiguo grabbed hold of him immediately.

"You can help them now, but can you care for them forever? In times of adversity, everyone has to survive on their own. No one can help with that."

"But since I chose them, it's now my responsibility to see that they return safely," Upon hearing Lin Weiguo's words, Tang Zheng frowned and replied, while trying to wriggle his arm free. Nevertheless, Lin held him tightly, giving him a reproachful look.

"If their lives matter, doesn't yours? If we encounter another Hunter zombie, can you ensure your own safety?" Lin Weiguo exclaimed, voicing his genuine concern for Tang Zheng. Ever since they entered the Silver Trojan's room, he had been observing Tang Zheng's performances and admired his trustworthy nature. He didn't want to see him sacrifice himself, so he tried to convince him again, "You have done more than enough for them, always taking the lead and facing the dangers head-on. Yet those two - the flight attendant and the high school student – they wouldn't even lend a hand. What are you still fighting for?"

Tang Zheng fell silent, but Lin Weiguo did not let up.

"That Zeng Xue, Xu Lu, and that…um…"

"Cheng Chen." Li Xinlan interrupted, knowing that Lin Weiguo was struggling for Cheng Chen's name.

"Yes, Cheng Chen, they have belittled you time after time. Doesn't that infuriate you? And then there's the maintenance guy. I know why you didn't select him. It's because he has a wife and child at home. If he falls, his household follows, am I right?"

Upon hearing Lin Weiguo's words, Li Xinlan looked at Tang Zheng in surprise and realized from his silence that Lin had guessed correctly. Still, she couldn't help questioning, "But why pick the high school kid? Won't his parents be devastated if he doesn't make it? And what about Zhao Jingye? Why not him?"

"Heh, Tang Zheng probably gathered that the kid wouldn't make it till the end. Compared to the maintenance worker, his cocky nature and frail physique, among many other things, make him less suitable. Nevertheless, Tang Zheng has been striving to assist him, even arranging him to stay at the relatively safer rear-end of the group and cover the retreat; what retreat from barely any zombies at all? But does the kid appreciate the efforts? As for Zhao Jingye, Tang Zheng wanted to retain a stronger fighting force for the rest of you to ensure your safety. Can an old lecher fend off the zombies? I bet he would run faster than the flight attendant when zombies approach."

Li Xinlan had nothing to say. Indeed, given the performance of these people, the ones with the greatest chance of surviving were Tang Zheng, Lao Lin, and the Bald Man.

"Why aren't you speaking? Run out of things to say?" Lin Weiguo glanced at Tang Zheng and spat, "Play the good man to the bitter end, and deliberately put on a cold face that keeps people a thousand miles away. If you're not asking for trouble, what is it?"

"Alright, I surrender." Tang Zheng forced a bitter smile. He was indeed not good at expressing his emotions, but he immediately counterattacked, "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking, you want Xinlan to tell these things to the stewardesses, right?"

"You kid, haha, that's exactly what I mean. Apart from relying on one's own efforts, the help others can give is limited." Lin Weiguo unscrewed the cap of the mineral water bottle, gulped down the water, and said, "Saying all this makes me feel a lot better."

"Were you caught by the zombies?" Tang Zheng noticed the torn marks on the prison uniform on Lin Weiguo's arm, his brow furrowing enough to crush a crab.

"Got scratched during the melee, hey, a special infected really is life-threatening. Your decision to choose the protective clothing was absolutely right." Lin Weiguo noticed that Tang Zheng's shoulder, where he had been bitten and clawed by the hunter zombie, was intact, and couldn't help but appreciate the durability of the protective clothing, he laughed bitterly, "This is my occupational disease, when I see a gun, I want to grab it first."

"Don't tell them you've been scratched by a zombie, or they will surely isolate you." After Tang Zheng finished speaking, his gaze shifted to Li Xinlan, who immediately understood, waved her hands and said, "I won't say it, I promise."

"Haha, with your words, I suddenly feel that even if I die now, it's worth it." Lin Weiguo tossed away the empty mineral water bottle, joked, "I said so much, haven't you been moved by meeting someone who understands you?"

"No." Tang Zheng was clearly lying. To be honest, being able to detect his own actions by Lin Weiguo, he really had the impulse to die for those who knew him. He never tried to let those people understand his feelings. It was just a persistence in his heart that made him not give up on them. If he could be cruel and used a few cannon fodders, Tang Zheng fully believed that he could get food by safer means.

"When we get out, I'll definitely invite you for a drink, at least for three days and three nights." Lin Weiguo stood up, laughed boisterously, "Let's go, I believe the other three have also been stained with blood, I don't want Wu Xudong to bear too much pressure."

"By the way, I have a question?" Tang Zheng quickly followed Lin Weiguo downstairs and asked, "Is your military dagger snatched from the prison guard when you escaped?"

Lin Weiguo's step paused, his eyes fixed.

"No." The two words, echoing in the stairwell, were filled with a manly decisiveness that was like a promise nailed to an unyielding spine.

"I believe you!" Tang Zheng's response was equally succinct, but filled with a gallantry brimming from deep camaraderie.

In that moment, tears streamed down the face of the hulking Shandong native walking in front. A sentence that was already on his lips seemed to lose its need to be uttered.

"In my life, I've never done anything heinous. I was in prison for five years because my daughter was seriously ill and needed money, and with no other option, I took 70,000 yuan to take the fall for someone else!"

.............

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