Rotting Land: Survive-Chapter 474 - 469: Unusual Sounds in the Forest (Part 2)

The sound of Wang Qiang’s voice abruptly stopped, and the remaining survivors also immediately fell silent, each of them picking up their weapons vigilantly and looking towards the depths of the Mountain Forest.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle!" The sound of rustling appeared again, this time a few degrees clearer than before.

Hu Xiaodong slowly pulled out an arrow from his backpack, gently placing it on the Arrow Platform, then exerting effort to draw the bowstring, with the arrowhead pointing directly at the source of the noise.

As the sound grew closer, all the survivors’ hearts tightened correspondingly, each gripping their weapons tightly, ready to defend and face the enemy.

Finally, a Black Shadow burst out from the Mountain Forest, stopping in place five meters away from the survivors’ line of sight.

That was...

Hu Xiaodong moved his bow to shoot, but just as he was about to release the arrow after aiming, Wang Qiang’s sharp shout suddenly halted his actions: "Hold on! Brother Hu! Don’t kill him!"

Perhaps Hu Xiaodong couldn’t see clearly what the newcomer was from his position, but Wang Qiang could see it clearly.

It was a little dog, about the size of two palms, and through its bright black eyes, Wang Qiang could determine that the little dog hadn’t mutated.

After signaling Hu Xiaodong to release the bowstring, Wang Qiang waved his hand at the little dog, intending to invite it over.

However, the latter seemed quite afraid, only gazing warily at the tall humans in front of it, not moving an inch.

Faced with this, Wang Qiang appeared a bit helpless, but seeing the little dog’s skinny bones and body as dirty as a lump of coal, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of compassion.

He was a dog lover, having liked dogs since childhood, but due to family circumstances, he never fulfilled his wish to own a dog.

So now, with this little dog before him, and it truly in need of care, Wang Qiang instinctively felt it was fate from above and believed he must lend a hand to this little dog.

Taking a piece of ham sausage from his pocket, Wang Qiang broke it in half, lifted a piece high, then gently threw it out.

Perhaps suspecting hostility, as Wang Qiang lifted his hand and swung his arm, the little dog had already retreated in fright.

But it didn’t go far, soon its small head peeked out from the bushes again.

Ultimately, hunger overcame fear, and the little dog crawled towards the piece of ham sausage, stopping every few steps.

Reaching the piece of ham, the little dog sniffed a couple of times, seemingly unsure whether to start, it tentatively extended its tongue and licked it. Upon tasting the rich aroma merging into its tongue, the little dog completely "surrendered," almost instantly gobbling the ham down into its stomach.

Having finished the ham sausage on the ground, the little dog lifted its head again, its eyes fixated on Wang Qiang opposite, clearly remembering that there was still half left in the latter’s hand.

It was a gaze filled with hope; Wang Qiang could deeply sense the little dog’s yearning in its eyes and without hesitation, threw the piece of ham he held out.

Just as before, the little dog retreated a few steps, ensuring there was no danger, before stepping forward to devour the "delicacy."

"Who else has ham sausages?"

"No way, Qiang, are you planning to feed it?" Wu Chao, who questioned him, couldn’t quite understand why Wang Qiang would waste food on this animal.

Wang Qiang didn’t reply, only persistently asking the soldiers beside him: "Who else has ham sausages?"

"I have!" Li Xiaoxin pulled out half a piece of ham sausage from his pocket, which was left from Wei Yang’s survival pack during the last operation in the gymnasium. As he handed it over, Li Xiaoxin reminded: "You could try holding the ham sausage in your hand to lure it over."

Upon hearing this, Wang Qiang gratefully nodded, then following Li Xiaoxin’s advice, he held the ham sausage, slowly crouched down, and gently waved the "food" in his hand towards the little dog across him as calmly as possible.

Watching the delicious treat in the man’s hand, the little dog clearly hesitated, unable to decide.

In recent times, it had undoubtedly gone through a lot too unimaginable for ordinary people.

Frequent wandering, lacking food, constantly facing the risk of being preyed upon by other species.

Therefore, it had developed a habit of vigilance at a young age.

Wang Qiang patiently waited for the little dog to relax its guard, completely devoid of his previous impatience, a significant change that stunned Hu Xiaodong and others who underwent hardships together.

Perhaps sensing the man’s sincerity, the little dog, which had remained still, finally took a step forward.

Seeing the little dog move, Wang Qiang couldn’t contain his excitement, turning it into words, he kept cheerfully murmuring: "Yes, yes, yes! No need to fear! Brother won’t hurt you, come over and have some delicious food."

One minute later, Wang Qiang finally fulfilled his wish of reuniting with the little dog.

While the little one enjoyed the treat, Wang Qiang carefully placed a hand on its back, feeling a tightness in his chest again.

"What kind of hardships have you gone through to become this skinny! But don’t worry, from now on Brother Qiang will take care of you, I guarantee I’ll feed you to be plump and healthy," Wang Qiang lovingly petted the little dog, which thoroughly enjoyed the affection, completely letting go of its previous vigilance, as if having found its owner after being separated, quietly lying on the ground, savoring its owner’s caresses.

"Alright! Alright! Hey, Qiang, let’s focus on the main tasks, take this little guy to rest on the side, everyone else get back to work! We still have a lot to do once we get back!"

Checking his wristwatch, realizing they had delayed the group for over ten minutes with the little dog, Lei Tong didn’t wish to worry others at the base, thus interrupting the affectionate interaction between Wang Qiang and the dog.

On this, Wang Qiang had no objections, his entire attention already focused on the little dog, having no mind for anything else.

"Fine! Lei, it’s tough for you guys. I’ll go take care of it! Haha!" Grinning, Wang Qiang gently cradled the little dog in his arms, then found a big tree to sit down under, gently petting the little dog while watching Lei Tong and the others work.

Soon, under his careful soothing, the little dog closed its eyes, accompanied by smooth breathing, it enjoyed its first peaceful sleep since the apocalypse began.

Hu Xiaodong and Lei Tong worked hard, the sound of chopping and sawing echoing through the silent forest.

After about 15 minutes, two locust trees fell successively to the ground. To make them easier to transport, Lei Tong used a chainsaw to trim the branches as necessary. Once finished, the few of them worked together to lift the trees onto a town management truck parked at the foot of the mountain, securing them tightly, and together they drove off on their return journey. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)