Chapter 120 Four Dogs

It wasn't without its surprises or dangers, but it really didn't take much effort, Gao Yuan ran for quite a while with at least a thousand zombies trailing behind him, until the zombies couldn't keep up with his pace and started to fall behind, it was then that he decided he could climb the mountain.

Of course, he couldn't lead a horde of zombies up the mountain. Gao Yuan only needed to speed up, and he could easily shake off the large number of zombies, effortlessly and carefree mountaineering.

The original plan was to enter the mountain before dawn and meet up with Wei Guo and the others, rest for a day in the mountains, and then leave the mountain with them after dark to return to Base No. 12.

But now, Gao Yuan had already reached the mountain, and it was still far from dawn.

When Gao Yuan caught up with the special forces team led by Zhang Deshuai, the team was still searching for traces of Wei Guo and the others on the mountain.

Panxin and Yu Shunzhou did not come out from their hiding spot; they discovered the special forces team, but to avoid being mistaken for zombies and shot on sight, they made their presence known vocally rather than coming out directly.

"Who's there? We're coming out."

"Stop advancing."

Zhang Deshuai raised his arm to signal the team to stop, and it was at this point that Gao Yuan came running from behind.

The three parties gathered here.

"Shunzhou, Brother Pan, is everyone okay? This is Captain Zhang Deshuai; he led a team to rendezvous with you," Gao Yuan said.

Hearing the name Gao Yuan mentioned, Panxin and Yu Shunzhou both turned to look at Zhang Deshuai.

It was too dark to see.

Panxin quickly whispered, "Captain Zhang, I'm Panxin..."

In the darkness, Panxin saluted Zhang Deshuai with a raised hand.

Zhang Deshuai quickly returned the salute, then he said urgently, "Panxin? You're still alive! Where are the others?"

"Just King Kong and me..."

They were old acquaintances.

Panxin and Zhang Deshuai's hands clasped together, but they quickly separated, then Panxin whispered, "Let's get back first. The two of us were on watch here to guard against zombies suddenly coming up; now that you're here, it's fine."

The group hurried toward the cabin on the mountain.

There was no light in the cabin; Wei Guo, Luo Xingyu, and Xinghe were inside.

At last, they met. Zhang Deshuai saluted Wei Guo and said in a low voice, "Chief, good to see you. I'm Major Zhang Deshuai from the Zhongyuan Battle Zone Special Forces Brigade. You've been through a lot, Chief."

Wei Guo returned Zhang Deshuai's salute and whispered, "You all too."

Just then, Luo Xingyu couldn't help but whisper, "Looks handsome?"

The pronunciation was slightly different.

The atmosphere became a bit awkward for a moment.

"Let's discuss the serious matters," Wei Guo whispered. "What's the plan?"

Zhang Deshuai said in a deep voice, "The original plan was to regroup for a day after our arrival and then evacuate after dark, but now we have two hours until dawn. I suggest we evacuate immediately. As long as we get past the dense zombie area at the foot of the mountain, the rest of the way is actually easy. As for how to proceed, I think we should let Gao Yuan decide; it depends on his condition."

Wei Guo looked at Gao Yuan and asked, "What do you think?"

"No problem, let's get off the mountain quickly. We can leave before it gets light."

Wei Guo then asked Xinghe, "So, do you think it's okay?"

In the darkness, Xinghe said, "I have no problems; it's up to your decision."

Wei Guo was not one to hesitate; he immediately said, "Then let's set off right away. King Kong, gather everyone; we're leaving now."

Just then, several barks of dogs could be heard.

Zhang Deshuai immediately whispered, "What's going on, are there dogs?"

Wei Guo nodded, "Yes, there are four dogs."

Zhang Deshuai was very surprised and asked, "How come there are still dogs? What about the dogs... How do we deal with them?"

Wei Guo whispered, "They're not our dogs, they belong to a... friend. This is his place, we're just using it, and we've even eaten his game."

Zhang Deshuai immediately whispered, "We really can't take these dogs with us! Not to mention Base No. 12 has rules that strictly forbid bringing pets like cats and dogs into the base. Even without the rules, we can't take them. Passing through the zombie blockade, if the dogs bark it would be too dangerous!"

Wei Guo sighed softly, "I've of course known about this issue for a while, but... never mind, I'll try to persuade him again."

After saying so, Wei Guo said to Panxin, "You go call Wei Dong over, let's try to persuade him one more time."

Gao Yuan whispered on the side, "What's going on?"

Luo Xingyu whispered back, "Jia Weidong refuses to give up his dogs."

"What?"

Gao Yuan was very surprised. Luo Xingyu continued, "Jia Weidong won't leave his dogs behind no matter what. He says if he leaves the dogs here, they'll be dead in no time, but if we take them with us, they might bark from time to time. And if they start barking and running around when we encounter zombies, they could lead the zombies right to us. So, Uncle Xiang says we can't take the dogs."

Gao Yuan frowned.

To protect Xinghe, we've already lost two shelters; we certainly can't now allow Xinghe to be put into unnecessary danger because of four dogs.

Jia Weidong came in, still with that calm and honest-looking face of his.

"Wei Dong, we really need to go now. You really can't bring these dogs. Look, can you leave them here, and maybe come back for them later?"

Jia Weidong hesitated for a while, but he still shook his head and whispered, "Forget it, you guys go ahead. I'll just stay here."

Panxin said anxiously, "There's no game left here; you'll starve sooner or later. I know these four dogs are your companions, your friends, but we can't let them bring us unnecessary risk... you can't just stay here to die!"

Jia Weidong seemed even more hesitant, and just then another bark was heard, followed by a defeated sigh from him.

"It's all gone, there's nothing left. Anyone I knew is gone. Now, I don't want to abandon them. You guys go ahead, I really won't go."

Li Jingang urgently whispered in a low voice, "Are you crazy? These dogs are... well, to put it harshly, they're just animals. Do you care nothing for your own life?"

Even Yu Shunzhou said lowly, "Jia Weidong! Can't you stop being so stubborn? So many people are waiting for you. What do you mean you don't have anyone you know left? Don't you recognize me? You even shot me once! Let's go, no more nonsense, everyone's waiting on you."

Jia Weidong shook his head with a helpless look on his face.

Gao Yuan whispered, "Can't we just tie their mouths shut so they won't bark, then we can take them. They don't have to be brought into the base - if you don't want to leave the dogs, then take them with you... somewhere else, to our camp!"

"It won't work. We've tried. His dogs are hunting dogs, they start to struggle desperately with muzzles on, and they can't be led away even with a leash. Without the muzzle is actually better, but in the end, dogs are dogs; no one can control it if they suddenly bark."

Wei Guo felt helpless and explained to Gao Yuan before whispering, "Wei Dong, we're out of time, are you really sure about this?"

Jia Weidong whistled softly, and soon, all four dogs came running in, wagging their tails and snuggling up to Jia Weidong.

"This one, called Da Dan, is a leader, a mixed breed with Du Gao; this one called Huzi, another leader, is a local mixed breed; this one, Hongyun, is from two years ago, still a leader. We certainly don't lack leaders. This one named Bazi, another local mixed breed, is from the Tough Gang, with a particularly fierce bite."

After petting each dog and naming them, Jia Weidong waved his hand, "You guys go ahead. I can't leave them behind, really, I'm not leaving, not even if it kills me."

Everyone let out long sighs.

With no time to waste and no point in persuading Jia Weidong any further, Wei Guo said utterly helplessly, "Leave more food for Wei Dong; we need to set off right away."