Chapter 0039: Grim Tidings, Caught in a Dilemma

"Di... Di Ge! Something... something big has happened!"

As soon as Fatty entered the room, he anxiously shouted loudly.

"What happened?"

Di Ping, who initially thought that Fatty's tendency for exaggeration would mean nothing too serious, immediately stood up in alarm when he heard the words "something big." He looked at Fatty and asked in a raised voice.

"Di Ge! There's a distress call on the radio!"

Fatty was panting heavily, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he spoke.

"Damn! You fat fool, is this the big event you're talking about?"

Di Ping was furious, nearly kicking Fatty out of the room. He had thought something catastrophic had occurred, but it turned out to be just a distress call on the radio. Was that really such a big deal?

"It's really a big deal, Di Ge!"

Fatty immediately began defending himself, his face turning red with frustration.

Di Ping, unperturbed, casually returned to his wicker chair. "Alright, tell me how a distress call on the radio is such a big deal. There are plenty of distress calls in this apocalypse; can I respond to every single one?" As he spoke, he half-lay back in his chair, sipping the tea he had just poured, glancing at Fatty, who was clearly flustered.

Fatty, seeing Di Ping so calm and seemingly thirsty, grabbed a cup and poured himself some tea, drinking it down in haste. After wiping his mouth, he proceeded to explain the situation in detail.

Here's what had happened: On most days, the three of them would often gather in the room to listen to the radio for updates. Today, after Fatty had showered and found himself bored, he went to visit Li Sheng, who was bedridden and unable to move due to his injuries. Cheng Chao had also arrived, so the three of them ended up playing cards together. Li Sheng, who spent his idle time with the radio on, was playing cards when a shocking broadcast interrupted them.

The broadcast threw the three of them into confusion, and they didn't know how to handle it at first. After a brief discussion, they decided the situation was too dire to ignore, and they urgently needed to tell Di Ping. Thus, Fatty, in his typical hasty manner, rushed to find Di Ping.

What exactly had the radio broadcast said?

The familiar female broadcaster's voice was quivering with fear, not reading the usual updates but instead issuing a call for help. The radio station operated a mobile broadcast vehicle equipped with a full communications system, capable of transmitting and receiving messages as long as there was fuel to power it. When the main group of survivors relocated, the vehicle had ended up with a smaller team that found refuge in an underground base, where it became their primary communication tool.

After the apocalypse began, many communication stations went down due to power outages, and signals weakened. However, some military or government backup communication systems still functioned, and the radio vehicle was still able to pick up some external transmissions. The station would then broadcast the information, helping to keep everyone informed. Di Ping had relied on these broadcasts for most of the external information he had received.

Normally, the radio would announce military base construction progress, report sightings of mutated animals, or share news about groups of people gathering in various locations. Sometimes it would offer smaller updates to raise morale. But in recent days, the tone had shifted. The female broadcaster's voice quivered with fear, and she repeatedly mentioned food shortages.

It wasn't hard to imagine that with so many people gathered in the small base, food consumption was high, and food sources had become increasingly scarce. The situation had worsened dramatically over the past few days.

Today, things had taken a turn for the worse. A search team, out looking for food, accidentally triggered an attack from a pack of mutated dogs—about fifty or sixty of them. The dogs followed the team's scent and almost managed to break into the underground base, killing or injuring thirty to forty people. They managed to block the entrance just in time, preventing the dogs from entering.

While most of the survivors had been spared, the problem now was that the mutated dogs refused to leave. It seemed they knew there were plenty of people below, so they decided to stay. Everyone had hoped that the dogs would eventually leave, but hours passed, and they showed no sign of retreating. The food supplies in the underground marketplace were already depleted, and with no way to send out a search party for more food, the situation was becoming dire. They could survive for a day or two, but after that, they would starve to death.

The only other option was to venture out, but that seemed like a death sentence. Despite the fact that there were over a thousand people, no one had the courage to face the pack of mutated dogs. Everyone feared being bitten and transformed into one of them. These people had already been terrified beyond reason.

The base's leaders had decided to request military assistance, but they were met with disappointment. The military was already stretched thin, defending their own bases against mutated animals, and was unable to spare any forces to help.

Desperate, the radio station began broadcasting distress calls continuously, hoping that someone, anyone, would hear and respond. Although everyone knew the chances of help were slim—if even the military couldn't assist, who else could?

After hearing Fatty's account, Di Ping fell silent. He didn't know what to do. While he had gained some strength in recent times, he knew that he was still too weak to face mutated creatures like those massive dogs. The underground base was over ten kilometers away, and the journey was fraught with unknown dangers. He wasn't sure he could make it, and he feared that by trying to save others, he might end up losing his own life.

But if he chose not to help…

The thought of over a thousand lives lost was too much to bear. Moreover, Fatty's earnest gaze made it difficult for Di Ping to simply refuse. If he refused to help, he would seem cold-blooded. And although Fatty was often playful and carefree, Di Ping knew he had a good heart. If Di Ping told him no, Fatty would be deeply hurt.

Truthfully, Di Ping had come to regard Fatty as a good friend. It was hard to disappoint him, and Di Ping found himself caught in a dilemma, unsure of what to do.

"Knock knock..."

Just then, the door was knocked on again, interrupting Di Ping's deep thoughts. He glanced at Fatty, signaling for him to open the door.