Receiving an affirmative response, Huang Yaru felt uneasy. She had just emerged from the shadows of being chased by zombies, only to be asked to face those monsters once again.
In response, she hesitated, she was afraid, and instinctively cast a pleading look at Wang Qiang while also beseeching Tang Xiaoquan, "Well, maybe it's better if I stay. You see, I'm a woman, without much strength or brains. Going with you would just be a burden, so maybe…"
"Yeah! Quan, it's such a simple task, and it's so close by. I think Miss Huang should stay. We can handle it!" Wang Qiang eagerly chimed in, forgetting the argument from the morning.
Tang Xiaoquan paused silently, letting the rice in his mouth crunch as he chewed.
He raised his chin high, his eyes narrowed into slits, staring at Wang Qiang with a smile, making the latter uncomfortable.
Once the final grain of rice was swallowed, Tang Xiaoquan finally spoke, "Qiang, regarding whether Miss Huang should go, we discussed it this morning. I'm following your suggestion, aren't I? Am I right?"
"Well..." Wang Qiang deeply understood the meaning of the saying about shooting oneself in the foot.
Indeed, he had insisted in the morning on taking Huang Yaru along, but he hadn't realized how close the destination would be. His reason at the time was simply the fear of never seeing her again after the trip.
So…
On one side was Tang Xiaoquan's questioning words, on the other was Huang Yaru's pitiful gaze.
If he agreed with the former, he would be pulling the latter into danger;
If he agreed with the latter, he would be admitting to the former that his morning actions were groundless.
Faced with this seemingly simple choice, Wang Qiang hesitated.
"Actually, Quan, what I meant this morning was..."
"No need to explain, I understand your meaning!" Tang Xiaoquan interrupted Wang Qiang, saying, "Regarding your suggestion, I've thought it over carefully. You were right; we should take Miss Huang along. After all, we're all together now, and she's part of the team. As a member, she should contribute to the team."
"Of course, Miss Huang, don't be too nervous. Zombies are something you'll have to face sooner or later, so facing them sooner is better than later. By using this relatively safe opportunity, we can all go out together and collaborate once, gaining some experience for the future."
While speaking, Tang Xiaoquan occasionally glanced at Huang Yaru, observing the reaction on her face.
In fact, since he devised the second plan, he had anticipated that Huang Yaru would use the opportunity to evade and certainly drag Wang Qiang into it.
Therefore, he had long thought of responsive measures.
As for why he suddenly changed his mind and insisted on Huang Yaru joining, the reason was very simple: distrust.
Yes, he didn't trust this woman, ever since learning about her profession, he distrusted her.
Moreover, after this brief period of contact, he was even more convinced of his stance.
Thus, to avoid any tricks this woman might play, Tang Xiaoquan preferred to endure the threat of her 'dolphin sound' to keep her close.
After all, if he and Wang Qiang left and this woman blocked the rented house door, they would genuinely regret it.
Having reached this point, Huang Yaru knew continuing to evade would be futile, and it would sow doubt in their minds.
Thus, despite her reluctance, she bit her lip and agreed, "Alright! I'll join you in action."
Nodding quietly to himself, having achieved his goal, Tang Xiaoquan didn't say much more, and everyone buried their heads, eating the rice in their bowls.
The midnight heat was unbearable, and the two men and a woman had nothing much to do while huddled together.
Wang Qiang and Huang Yaru chatted casually, while Tang Xiaoquan quietly contemplated potential crisis situations during the action in two days.
After all, considering an extra point now would mean an extra chance of survival during the action.
Time passed quickly; unknowingly, it was already past midnight, the dense night enveloping the entire city.
Wang Qiang was still boasting away, not caring if Huang Yaru was actually listening, feeling very good about himself.
To this, Tang Xiaoquan shook his head helplessly; he tapped lightly on the table to interrupt his speech, saying, "Qiang, it's getting late. You haven't rested well these days. Tonight I'll keep watch; go back to your room and sleep."
With a casual wave of his hand, Wang Qiang shook his head.
No way; he was enjoying his speech too much to sleep, so…
"Oh, no problem! You should sleep instead; you haven't rested well either. I'm not tired, I'll keep watch here! Go ahead!"
Seeing the mutual evasion between Wang and Tang, Huang Yaru suddenly thought she found a lifeline, hurriedly speaking, "Well, how about I keep watch tonight? I slept well in the morning, and I'm used to working at night. You both should rest."
What Huang Yaru said was true, but her motive wasn't really to keep watch.
Why? Because Wang Qiang's verbose chatter was making her too annoyed.
To know, the people she usually interacted with were mostly successful individuals, and in terms of sights and knowledge, she was far ahead of a typical person like Wang Qiang.
Now, to curry favor, she had to patiently listen to his babbling, which was downright exhausting.
However, her goodwill wasn't welcomed by certain individuals.
Of course, Tang Xiaoquan wouldn't safely hand over the crucial night watch task to Huang Yaru; he worried that she might let zombies in while they sleep deeply, so…
As the saying goes, one should not have harmful intentions, but should be vigilant. Though he didn't believe Huang Yaru would go that far, being cautious never hurt.
"Ah, it's unnecessary, Miss Huang. You should rest too. Among the three of us, you should maintain your energy the most. I wouldn't want you greeting zombies with an 'ah' the day after tomorrow! Hahaha!"
Roaring with laughter, Tang Xiaoquan used a seemingly joking sentence to warn Huang Yaru, advising her not to scream during the action.
With the matter resolved, Huang Yaru would sleep, and Wang Qiang naturally had no reason to persist.
The two returned to their rooms and fell asleep, leaving Tang Xiaoquan alone in the living room, waiting quietly for dawn...