Chapter 8 Temporary Team Leader

By dusk, the roaring zombies on Long Street had finally quieted down, either aimlessly wandering or standing still. Yet, if you were to think they were non-aggressive, you would be severely mistaken. The moment a sound was made anywhere, they would swarm to that location. Only after biting and killing their target would they resume their aimless wandering. Otherwise, they would persist in hunting down their prey without rest.

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows of an Oasis Hotel suite, Qin Yan had already seen many survivors trying to escape, only to be cornered by large hordes of zombies in various narrow terrains. They were torn to shreds and devoured. Even those inside cars were not safe. The untiring zombies were highly persistent. Everyone witnessed them taking a relentless five hours to smash the glass of a bus and eat all the passengers inside.

Five hours of torment. The thought of those passengers trapped in the bus, surrounded by thousands of zombies awaiting their death, sent chills down the spines of the flight attendants. Even the acerbic Zeng Xue had to admit that it was incredibly lucky to have heeded Tang Zheng's advice and taken refuge in the hotel.

However, seeing Tang Zheng sleeping soundly on the sofa, their anger flared. Apart from Lin Weiguo, even the bald man dared not sleep. How could they, when three zombies have been scratching at the door incessantly?

They had been in Los Angeles for nearly eight hours. The group felt not only tired but hunger was also beginning to take its toll. The rumbling of their stomachs was intermittent. Luckily, there was water in the suite to tide them over slightly but that only seemed to make them feel hungrier later.

The high school student once suggested searching for food, but Zhao Jingye remained silent. With a sense of self-awareness, the flight attendants did not take up the proposition either.

Actually, everyone wasn't fooling themselves. The ones with the highest combat power here were Lin Weiguo and the bald man. However, the prisoner's identity made everyone uneasy. No one was willing to act with them. So, the ones left were Tang Zheng and Zhao Jingye. From what they could see now, no matter how plausible Captain Zhao's excuses were, they did not change the fact that he was a bit of a scaredy-cat.

Having sensed the group's gaze on him turning strange, Zhao Jingye felt uneasy. He secretly pinched Xu Lu's thigh next to him. When she looked over, he gestured like he was picking up a water glass and smashing it – Xu Lu immediately understood.

Click, click, click, the glass water cup repeatedly tapped on the tea table, creating a rhythm. Cheng Chen's eyes lit up. She picked up the high school student's discarded remote control, turned on the television, and turned up the volume significantly.

No one stopped them – everyone was fuming at the sight of the soundly sleeping Tang Zheng. After all, he had eaten the canned beef while they were still going hungry.

"Tang Zheng, if you don't wake up, a water glass will soon hit your head," said Lin Weiguo, who had been pretending to sleep. Seeing Xu Lu's actions, he couldn't help but want to laugh. "It's about time. We should get moving."

"What do you mean 'it's about time'?" Qin Yan turned off the TV because she knew that Tang Zheng wouldn't be able to sleep anymore. This was a good opportunity to put finding food on the agenda.

"Didn't you hear the three zombies outside the door taking a break? Could you make less noise? What if you attract them here again?" Tang Zheng sat up and laughed, "Are you all starving?"

Everyone listened intently – indeed, the scratching sounds had stopped. It seemed even the zombies had a rest period. As for the latter part of Tang Zheng's question, everyone felt embarrassed and chose to selectively ignore it.

"You didn't sleep half a day just to wait for the zombies to calm down, did you?" Bai Guo asked curiously, then shook her head and added, "I don't think you could have predicted that. If they had continued to scratch, what was your plan?"

"Tang Zheng, does what you said this morning still count? Whoever goes with you to find food gets to eat the canned beef?" Hu Qiong, who had a bad temper, didn't have so much patience and interrupted Bai Guo's question.

"Of course it counts."

Everyone immediately perked up, but their enthusiasm was stifled by Tang Zheng's next statement.

"To ensure you don't sit idle after finishing the canned beef, I've decided to only give the canned beef after we've reached the tenth floor."

"You're forcing our hands," Kang Songde loudly rebuked Tang Zheng. He had originally planned to eat the canned beef and then shirk off. He would then find an excuse like a stomach ache to avoid searching for food. Now, it was clear that this plan was not going to work.

"That's more like it." Hu Qiong nodded and exclaimed, "I'm in."

"Good. Who else?" Tang Zheng looked at Hu Qiong as he asked. The girl was about 1.7 meters tall, had regular features, and her facial contours were rugged like a boy's. But what drew the most attention were those eyes - very resolute. People with such eyes, once they made up their minds, usually wouldn't change their decision easily.

"Of course, you can't leave me out." The bald man was fearless and asked, "Could we negotiate a bit? Could you let me have a bite of the canned beef first? I'm starving."

Tang Zheng laughed, opened his travel bag, took out a can of beef, and threw it to Wu Xu Dong. It was true that the bald man was a bit cunning, but he definitely wouldn't be underhanded about these things.

"Heh, you're quite accommodating. I like that." As expected, due to Tang Zheng's actions, the bald man's opinion of him improved greatly.

"Also, leave some for Old Lin." When Tang Zheng said this, everyone suddenly realized that Lin Weiguo was also going. Now, they were gathering the three strongest individuals for the trip. It might be safer than staying in the room. Thus, the first person to react, Kang Songde, immediately voiced his intention to go. The maintenance worker also raised his hand.

Zhao Jingye stood up. After drawing everyone's attention, he elegantly nodded at Tang Zheng, indicating that he would also join. Then, in order to maintain his image, he added, "Don't worry, I won't eat your canned beef. Save it."

"I won't be eating it either." Kang Songde discreetly swallowed, eager to explain. Actually, he was afraid that the others would assume he was useless and wouldn't take him along. Besides, once they reached the kitchen, why would he have to worry about not being full?

"I will go too." Qin Yan and Zeng Xue raised their hands at the same time, expressing their thoughts. The other flight attendants lacked the courage, their lips moved a few times, but they couldn't utter a word.

"Ha, how come everyone has suddenly become so noble." With the memory of his recent proposal being met with no response in mind, when he now saw Tang Zheng speaking with fervor, the high school student felt irked from the bottom of his heart.

"We don't need so many people; we can't deploy properly. Are we here just to be targets for the zombies?" Lin Weiguo chewed on his beef as he coldly sized up the people. "Don't think about muddling through. Once we're outside, we won't be able to help you. If you're going to hold everyone back, don't blame us for abandoning you to feed the zombies."

Tang Zheng glanced at Lin Weiguo, who in turn looked back at him. He pointed to the canned food in the bald man's hand, nodded, and Tang Zheng understood that he was returning the favor. This harsh statement was exactly what he wanted to say. He knew that people like Kang Songde had no combat power and that, aside from causing chaos, they were virtually useless.

Sure enough, after Lin Weiguo said this, Kang Songde and the maintenance worker lost their enthusiasm and backed down. Zeng Xue also looked embarrassed.

"Me, Old Lin, Baldy, the high school student, Qin Yan, and the two brave flight attendants who volunteered get ready. We'll set off in ten minutes," said Tang Zheng, throwing some canned beef at Qin Yan. "Change into the protective gear in the bedroom, and the three of you stock up on some food."

Hearing his name called out, the high school student was stunned for a moment, but then stood up with his M4A1 in hand, declaring, "Finally, you've recognized my strength. I'm not afraid to die."

"Pleasure working with you, even though we're out of canned food," Tang Zheng extended his right hand, his attitude sincere.

"No worries." The high school student was deeply moved, gripping Tang Zheng's hand tightly. He saw this as a sign of recognition.

"Aren't you guys planning on bringing food back? Otherwise, why aren't you letting us follow you?" Cheng Chen brought up another tricky question, which caused everyone to freeze, their eyes trained on Tang Zheng immediately.

"Yes, Qin Yan, Hu Qiong, and Zeng Xue, what if the three of them change their minds? You guys won't be able to beat them, maybe you'll be XX-ed by them." Xu Lu chimed in, the color draining from Zeng Xue's pretty face. She had been so busy thinking about filling her stomach that she had forgotten about this.

The room fell silent again, everyone waiting for Tang Zheng's response.

"Why are those two flight attendants so annoying." The bald man wiped his mouth and turned to Tang Zheng. "Since they don't believe in you, why would you bother with them? With your intelligence and Lin and my combat power, are we afraid we won't survive these fifteen days?"

The bald man's words immediately put everyone on edge.

"I trust him." Qin Yan, in her authority as a senior flight attendant, scanned the room, then walked into the bedroom with a metal box. Her display of trust shamed the other flight attendants. Hu Qiong bit her lip and followed her in. The young woman, Li Xinlan, cast a hesitant glance at Zeng Xue, then also entered the bedroom.

"Don't think you can loaf around just because you're sweating a lot. I haven't said you could," Tang Zheng frowned. "I haven't even assigned you work yet. What's the rush?"

"What work?" Pang Meiqin's face was full of caution. "Don't think we'll do your dirty work."

"Can you clear this floor of zombies?" Tang Zheng gritted his teeth. This flight attendant was very irritating, all looks and no brains. "You surely do not want to live next to zombies. What if several of them evolve into special infected? That would be too dangerous, so we need to eliminate the threat in advance."

"How many are there? You might as well tell us to die. Besides, without a key, we can't open the doors." Xu Lu, quick-witted, immediately found an excuse.

"Didn't I leave Zhao Jingye behind in case you guys run into danger? Okay, I'll take a step back. You guys figure out which doors are locked. If they're not, lock them. Keep track of which rooms have zombies."

Everyone now understood why Tang Zheng hadn't selected Zhao Jingye, and this made Zhao Jingye's face blushed with a proud expression.

"If we can't get in, how do we know which room has zombies?" Xu Lu continued to argue. Seeing Tang Zheng trying his best to suppress his anger, she cheekily jutted out her full chest.

"Stupid, can't you hear? Surely you can knock on the door," Tang Zheng was fed up. He really felt like he was suffering in silence, doing hard work without any benefits. For what?

However, after this explanation, everyone accepted Tang Zheng's plan. About three minutes later, Qin Yan, Hu Qiong, and Li Xinlan came out dressed in tight black protective clothing. Their flawless figures were accentuated in these skin-tight clothes. Not to mention the seductive aura of Li Xinlan, their curves instantly caught the attention of the men in the room, making them unable to resist biting their lips.

Zhao Jingye's eyes were also filled with desire for possession. Although he was aware of Qin Yan being hailed as the most beautiful woman on Southern Airlines, he hadn't expected her figure to be so stunning. Seeing her smiling and talking to Tang Zheng humbly, Zhao Jingye was filled with jealousy and a profound sense of loss. While he was reluctant to admit it, it was undeniable that Tang Zheng was now the undisputed leader of the group.

"I won't give up. Just wait and see. But before that, let me relieve some of my pent-up desires with Xu Lu during the mission to clear the zombies. And while we're doing that, you guys should go and risk your lives to find some food for me," said Zhao Jingye, burning with desire after being aroused by the three beauties in tight protective clothing. He slyly pinched Xu Lu's bottom, and then, watching Tang Zheng and his crew head out. He couldn't help but sneer.

......

PS: The second update is here, more to come in the evening!