The car came to a steady stop, and everyone could clearly see through the windows a row of white-body green-roof factory buildings made of sandwich panels.

A red banner with white lettering hung under the eaves of the factory roof, with the slogan "Focus on Effectiveness, Improve Management, Enhance Quality, Create More Benefits" written on it.

It seems the owner of this factory is quite dedicated to management, Tang Xiaoquan mused to himself as he tidied his somewhat disheveled clothes, preparing to get out of the car and meet the deep-voiced man he spoke to over the radio earlier.

But... who would have thought, just as he was about to reach for the car door with his left hand, he heard a man's sharp shout from within the factory area.

"Hey, people in the car up front, where are you from? What are you doing coming here?"

The man's voice was slightly rough, with a strong local accent, suggesting he was likely a resident from around these parts.

"Damn, what the hell is this! Didn't they invite us here themselves? Damn it, now we're here, and they're putting on airs! What's the deal? Are they messing with us? No way! I'm going to have a word with them!" With this, the hot-tempered Wang Qiang bent down to get out of the car and argue. Seeing this, Tang Xiaoquan quickly reached out to stop him and hurriedly explained:

"Calm down, Qiang! I think they're not intentionally making things difficult for us, it's probably just routine questioning. After all, it's the apocalypse now, so it's normal for people to be suspicious! Let me explain it to him!"

Patting his brother on the shoulder, Tang Xiaoquan cleared his throat and, to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings, signaled Zhao Yunhai to open the sunroof. Then, with a harmless smile, he slowly poked his head out.

"Hey, big brother over there, please don't misunderstand, we're not bad people, we don't mean any harm. Everyone in our car is a survivor! We're the group that talked to Mr. Lin from your place earlier!" Using a very friendly tone, Tang Xiaoquan deliberately emphasized the name "Mr. Lin" at the end, as he clearly remembered the man on the other end of the radio mentioning this name before, and the tone suggested that this person held significant authority within their group.

Sure enough, just as Tang Xiaoquan predicted, upon hearing "Mr. Lin," the man behind the wall hesitated for a few seconds, then leaned down to whisper to his companion, before saying...

"Tell me, how many people are in your group?" The man appeared especially cautious, not letting the survivors enter right away.

This somewhat surprised Tang Xiaoquan, prompting him to wonder: could it be that the countryside has become as chaotic as the city?

Tang Xiaoquan, too, came from a small place, so he knew that the smaller the place, the stronger the connections and familiarity among its residents.

At least in rural areas, he believed it was impossible for situations like in cities to occur, where people are trapped by concrete prisons and closed-off mindsets, never interacting with so-called neighbors, or not even knowing each other's names for years.

While Tang Xiaoquan was pondering the absurdity of rural "self-destruction" theories, the man's impatient voice quickly resounded in his ears: "What are you doing? I asked you a question! How many of you are there?"

"Ah~ 8, including me, there are 8 of us, hehe!" Tang Xiaoquan quickly replied with an apologetic smile, scratching his head and bowing slightly to express his apologies.

The man slightly furrowed his brows, seemingly a bit displeased, but he still pointed to the factory gate and shouted, "Listen up, open all your car doors, get out in order, and line up at the gate! Got it?"

"For crying out loud!" Wang Qiang's brows furrowed into an eight-shape, and if it weren't for Wei Yang stopping him in time, he might have rushed out with a string of curses.

"Got it, got it! Big brother, please wait a moment!" With a cupped fist gesture, Tang Xiaoquan quickly ducked back inside the vehicle and said:

"Alright~ Everyone heard that, right? I suspect they're going to inspect us!"

"What? Inspect?" Wang Qiang, who already had a belly full of anger, was now even more furious, exclaiming, "Who the hell does he think he is! A cop? Why should I let him inspect me!"

"Because it's their territory! Because you plan to stay here for the night!" Unmercifully, Hu Xiaodong retorted with a cold, emotionless tone, not sparing Wang Qiang's feelings at all.

Evidently not expecting the older brother to admonish him, Wang Qiang's fiery temper immediately cooled a bit.

The saying that nothing can suppress something else proved true, and upon seeing his brother humbled, Tang Xiaoquan couldn't help but chuckle. Quickly mastering his amusement, he said, "Haha, their cautiousness is for our safety, after all. This proves that Mr. Lin wasn't lying to us, and their security measures are indeed well done. Alright, let's stop talking and get out, so we don't make them suspicious."

With that, Tang Xiaoquan took the lead, opening the car door and stepping out first.

Upon exiting, he immediately felt the intense, scorching heat bearing down from above.

Following the man's instructions, the survivors lined up single-file, and once in position, the man opened his mouth again: "Roll up your sleeves and pant legs, then go through security check in order. If there's no problem, hand over your weapons and stand in that area; otherwise, you'll stand over there!"

The man pointed to two spots in front of the factory gate and gestured to Hu Xiaodong, who was in the first row, "You, come over here!"

Fearlessly stepping forward, Hu Xiaodong handed over a small knife he carried, then rolled up his sleeves and pant legs, slowly turning around on the spot. Once he received confirmation from the person inside the gate, he followed the instructions and moved to the designated spot.

"Next!" The man once again waved his hand.

Suppressing his anger, Wang Qiang sauntered over lazily, spun around in place, and stood behind Hu Xiaodong.

"Next one!"

"Another one!"

Everything proceeded smoothly, with Tang Xiaoquan and Wen Quanxin both passing the factory personnel's limb inspection until...

Dragging his feet, Ah Cheng hobbled to the gate, sweat dripping from his face due to the pain in his knee.

Seeing him in this state, the man holding the scythe and leaning against the wall slightly furrowed his brows. He glanced doubtfully at Ah Cheng's bloodstained knee and then...

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