"This fool actually thinks there's some unspeakable plot unfolding here."
Wen Wen, hiding amongst the women, looked dismissively at the tall, stout man.
For scumbags like the stout man, simply dying here once wasn't enough. Wen Wen would later erase his memories and send him to other places to be an extra.
If he repeatedly showed malice, his job as a jailer would be over.
Not in the sense of releasing him, but of letting him exert himself to his fullest, to realize his value as scum.
If Wen Wen wished, the containment facility's one-stop service could truly make him useful to his very last particle, leaving nothing but dust.
He could be sent to Hu Youling first, then have his blood drawn for the vampires, and his ashes could even be scattered in the彼岸花 (Bǐ'àn huā) fields as fertilizer.
This fellow, being tall and stout with abundant yang energy, would surely be favored by Hu Youling.
The more Wen Wen thought about it, the more excited he became, his lips curling upwards involuntarily, making his expression somewhat resemble Wen Li's.
Luan Xing glared at him abruptly. Wen Wen hastily suppressed his smile, pretending to tremble again.
"You... why are you smiling?"
Wen Wen acted as if startled, immediately shaking his head innocently. "I... I, how could I be smiling? My facial muscles are just well-developed; when I express a lot, it looks like I'm smiling."
Observing Wen Wen's flustered expression, they indeed saw that from certain angles, it did resemble a smile. They all assumed Luan Xing had seen incorrectly earlier.
Luan Xing didn't press further, but he knew what he had seen. He had always thought this guy hiding at the back was just a coward, but this guy might actually be a hidden viper!
Surviving here for a month would be far from easy.
Because of the matter with the corpse, everyone fell into a panic. Luan Xing cleared his throat and said:
"As everyone has seen, danger lurks everywhere here. If we remain as disorganized as we are now, no one will make it to the end."
"Therefore, I propose that everyone contribute their strength and wisdom. We will unite as one, divide labor, cooperate, and help each other, so that we can all leave here safely."
Luan Xing didn't say some things aloud, but everyone understood his intentions.
For Luan Xing's proposal to be realized, among the remaining eighteen people, there would inevitably be a leader, and that leader would undoubtedly be Luan Xing.
"Luan Xing is right. If we continue to be scattered, look at the corpse above; that will be our fate," the security captain stated, stepping forward.
Geng Xingshu remained silent, but by standing beside Luan Xing, he indicated his stance. This was the outcome they three had discussed the previous night.
Had the stout man not died, this proposal would surely have met with opposition, and others would have stepped forward to compete with Luan Xing.
But with the tragic corpse serving as a deterrent, everyone realized that what they needed most was someone who could lead them out of here alive, and Luan Xing was the most suitable.
Moreover, looking at the attitudes of the others, even if they disagreed, the outcome would not change.
Luan Xing breathed a sigh of relief. "Then, everyone's first task is to get that corpse down and cremate it. Otherwise, if left for too long, it might cause an epidemic."
There was one thing he didn't say: if the corpse wasn't dealt with, it might just pop out in a couple of days and try to kill them.
In fact, Luan Xing didn't know that these corpses, like the giant bear, would not undergo further changes after death.
If it weren't for Jideluo intentionally maintaining them with his power, they would have turned into shattered glass fragments and disappeared within minutes of death. However, given the lack of information, Luan Xing's method was the most prudent.
Luan Xing, being a minor captain in the armed forces, directed the men and women. In just one day, the place transformed.
The dilapidated wooden house was simply reinforced, leaky spots were sealed, and some dry grass was spread inside. At least they wouldn't have to sleep directly on the floor at night.
Simple barricades were set up at several entrances, at least preventing beasts as large as brown bears from approaching silently.
Looking at the refreshed place, everyone felt a sense of accomplishment. However, Luan Xing wasn't overly optimistic. The possibility that the tall, stout man was killed by a monster weighed on him like a mountain.
"Ding ding ding, ding ding ding..."
The massive screen lit up again, and the mask-wearer's detestable face appeared on it.
"It's mealtime again. Five food crates will be randomly dropped. This time, the food is... a four-hundred-kilogram Siberian tiger!"
Cold sweat beaded on Geng Xingshu's forehead. Siberian tiger... did it mean the Siberian tiger? Would tomorrow be a polar bear?
After five loud thuds, the masked man said, "The food crates have been dropped. Please cherish your food." Then the screen went black again.
This time, the crates did not appear within their safe camp but outside it, which brought a temporary sigh of relief to everyone. At least they wouldn't have to venture out to kill a Siberian tiger again.
However, at that moment, Luan Xing stepped forward and said, "I propose that tomorrow morning, we organize a few people to explore outside the safe camp... I will lead the team."
"Why? We are safe here. Who knows what we'll face if we go out," the security captain asked in surprise.
Luan Xing said in a deep voice, "Yesterday it was a brown bear, today it's a Siberian tiger. What will it be tomorrow? A polar bear... or something even more terrifying? Can we really rely on our current camp to survive these thirty-plus days?"
"We know nothing. If we don't go out and see, then we are handing our fate over to luck."
"Now is the best time to venture out. Otherwise, in a few days, the outside will be swarming with ferocious beasts, and you might find the brown bear cute then."
Geng Xingshu knew that Luan Xing made a lot of sense, but this time he remained silent.
Luan Xing presented a possibility, but he didn't want to lead a team on an adventure before actually encountering danger.
Wen Wen let out a cold scoff. Luan Xing's idea was sound, and it was the optimal solution to their current predicament.
But he was being a bit too fanciful. These people wouldn't agree with his idea unless they were pushed to the brink.
As Wen Wen expected, only the gloomy, short man Li Wei stood beside Luan Xing.
Luan Xing sighed. To go out and explore, just two people wouldn't suffice, so the plan had to be shelved for the time being...
The next few days were relatively peaceful compared to the first two. Many people had let down their guard, but Luan Xing always felt it was the calm before the storm.
In the initial few days, loud roars could still be heard from outside. But starting two days ago, those sounds had all vanished, as if all the fierce beasts transported as 'food' had died off!
This silence was a hundred times more terrifying than the previous clamor!