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Rotting Land: Survive-Chapter 400 - 398: All Set Except for Unlocking (Part 3)
A shadow was swaying back and forth within the visible distance.
The shadow was none other than Guo Xiaohua, who had an agreement today with Lin Junfu.
Seeing that the other party took action as promised, Lin Junfu’s heart, which had been on edge all day, finally eased a bit.
At least, from observing him during the day, apart from going to the restroom a few times, he hadn’t had contact with anyone else, nor had he gone to the player passage where Scar was.
This at least indicates that he had not reported today’s matters to them.
So, if that’s the case...
Lin Junfu waved his hand to Yan Hua behind him and was the first to step out of the tent.
A minute later, Yan Hua also dragged his sleepy steps and walked out groggily.
The two of them, one in front and one behind, without greeting or shouting, just walked on silently.
But if you observe closely, you’ll find that despite their weary-looking faces, their eyes are gazing around like radars.
What are they doing? They are observing.
They are observing the movements of the night guards because these people are directly related to the success or failure of their operation.
And to increase the odds of success and reduce the chance of being discovered by the enemy, Lin Junfu deliberately chose to act at the easiest time to be drowsy — two in the morning. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
The results proved his decision quite right because almost all guards were leaning against the wall, asleep in oblivion.
It seems like a "ragtag bunch" is still a "ragtag bunch"; no matter how strict the orders you give, it’s all futile.
After a simple meeting at the restroom, Lin Junfu proceeded to move out again.
But this time, his target was not the tent but the isolation ditch around the playground.
The autumn night was chilly, with gusts of autumn wind blowing across the ground, causing the weeds to rustle.
Lin Junfu walked naturally enough, but his heart was already churning with nervousness.
Finally, he successfully approached the isolation ditch. After confirming there was nothing unusual around, he decisively jumped down.
At the same time, on the other side of the ditch, another figure also leaped down without hesitation.
"What’s the next step?" After meeting up with Lin Junfu, Guo Xiaohua immediately voiced his concern since he still didn’t know what the other party was planning.
"Follow me!" Lin Junfu didn’t waste any words, and after gesturing, he walked directly toward the location he remembered.
"This is the place!" Reaching the destination, Lin Junfu made an "OK" gesture to Yan Hua, who was already waiting at the edge of the ditch.
The latter immediately pretended to tie his shoelaces and squatted down, conducting "sentry duty" for the two companions below.
"Time is tight. You only have one minute; see if you can open this thing?" Pointing to the padlock on the iron door, Lin Junfu instructed quickly.
"This~ give me ten seconds!"
Lin Junfu thought he misheard, and just as he was about to speak, he heard a "click."
"Open?"
"Opened!" Guo Xiaohua, taking the iron stick out of the keyhole used for fiddling, unemotionally removed the lock he had just opened and handed it to Lin Junfu: "Now can you tell me what’s going on?"
A bit surprised, Lin Junfu was clearly in awe of Guo Xiaohua’s skills.
He never expected that such a padlock could be "solved" by Guo Xiaohua in just ten minutes.
The saying goes, "In every profession, there is an expert!"
Rehanging the lock on the door, Lin Junfu still did not directly answer Guo Xiaohua’s question.
Frankly speaking, Guo Xiaohua’s utility value had already been fulfilled. If not for fearing Guo Xiaohua might expose their actions, he would have removed him from the team here.
However, Lin Junfu was not the type to "discard people when they were no longer needed." Though he might not be able to avenge Guo Xiaohua, he was confident that he could take this rather spirited man along on their escape.
"Let’s go in!" Having said that, Lin Junfu walked into the passage without looking back.
Seeing them leave, Yan Hua, who had been pretending to tie his shoelaces all along, also stood up and walked away.
Everything was proceeding smoothly according to plan, with the operation half-successfully completed through their collective effort.
Inside the passage, it was pitch black, with no light, practically nothing was visible.
Lin Junfu and Guo Xiaohua could only progress by feeling their way along the walls, moving slowly ahead.
After about five or six meters, they reached a corner where a thick round drainage grid blocked their way.
"Damn it! Why is this thing here?" Recalling the drainage pipe map provided by Tang Xiaoquan earlier, Lin Junfu did not remember a drainage block at that spot.
Guo Xiaohua noticed Lin Junfu’s hesitation and immediately asked, "What’s wrong? Is there a problem?"
Lin Junfu didn’t answer directly but tugged at the drainage grid embedded in the pipe.
Apparently, the grid was too tightly fixed to be moved by human strength unless using equipment.
After weighing the options, Lin Junfu decisively issued a retreat order.
After all, instead of wasting time here, it was better to head out first and strategize again.
Better this than to achieve nothing and alert the guards of the base to any anomaly, which would be far worse.
"What’s our next move?"
During the retreat, this was Guo Xiaohua’s most pressing concern.
However, before the final mission commenced, Lin Junfu still didn’t plan on revealing the truth to this youngster he’d only known for a few hours.
"Don’t worry, I’ll notify you when the next step is underway. In the meantime, keep your guard up but don’t act too abnormally to avoid drawing trouble."
With those words, Lin Junfu quickened his pace, evading further questions from Guo Xiaohua.
Exiting the passage, bathed in moonlight, Hu Xiaodong, who had been waiting above, reached out to pull up the ditch’s companions.
This was also part of the plan drafted earlier in the day: Yan Hua and Hu Xiaodong would take turns acting as sentries to minimize detection by the guards.
After leaving the ditch, the three parted ways to return to their tents, where Lin Junfu immediately communicated with Lao Hu and others about the situation inside the passage.
Undoubtedly, if this new complication couldn’t be resolved, Tang Xiaoquan’s task of investigation and verification couldn’t be completed.
This would directly affect the final rescue.
After some thought, everyone finally agreed that no matter how difficult it was, Wei Dazhuang had to find a way to get a crowbar.
Because only then might they be able to open the rusty iron grid. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)







