Chapter 260

On the other side.

After the meal was prepared, Jiang Huai raised his water bottle toward the sky.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Before we eat, let’s all pay tribute to the brave brothers who sacrificed themselves today!"

His voice was heavy, his expression solemn.

The others either bowed their heads in silence or gazed up at the pitch-black night sky.

A somber atmosphere hung over the scene.

Although the number of their fallen comrades was minuscule compared to the nearly hundred thousand zombies they had killed, these were friends and brothers who had fought side by side with them.

Even if only a little over a hundred had died, it was still a devastating blow to them.

Everyone also realized that the mission to eradicate the zombies was no joke.

It was incredibly difficult…

And death could come at any moment.

After a brief mourning ceremony, everyone finally began to eat.

Once the meal was over, they gradually returned to their tents to rest.

Around five in the morning.

Yun Xiaoxiao and the others were deep in sleep when a sudden commotion erupted outside.

The argument was intense.

Yun Xiaoxiao and the others quickly got dressed and went out to investigate.

They saw a large crowd gathered not far away, and the heated voices were coming from within.

As they approached, the voices became clearer.

"Is it wrong for me to leave? You all have families in the base, fighting tooth and nail here to give them a better life, and you have something to look forward to. But I’m alone—no one depends on me. Why should I stay here and die?!"

A sharp shout rang out, filled with anger and resentment.

Another voice immediately retorted, "That’s just irresponsible. You joined voluntarily, swearing it was for the greater good of humanity. How is it now that you’re here to die?"

"That… that’s because I had no idea how brutal the reality of combat would be!"

The man’s voice trembled slightly.

"Do ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‍you know how terrifying it was when we were cornered today, and the zombies came charging at us?

Everyone around me was bitten to death! They’re all gone!

The agonizing screams keep echoing in my head every time I close my eyes.

I don’t want to die like them!"

"Stop being such a crybaby. We all fought today. People die every day in this apocalypse—it’s not like this is the only place where it happens."

A burly man spoke with disdain.

"I’m also alone, with no one depending on me. There are plenty of others like us.

Do you think we’re all idiots?

Didn’t we know that fighting zombies would mean death?

If we don’t eliminate the zombies, humanity will forever live in fear, hiding like cowards.

That’s why Base Commander Peng united the major bases to strike first, before the zombies grow too powerful to stop.

Sacrificing a few to save the many."

"I understand the logic, but why does it have to be me who’s sacrificed?!" the man roared in frustration.

"Once you’re dead, you’re gone. Why care about what happens to others?"

The burly man snorted, "If everyone thought like you, do you really think you’d survive on your own in the end?"

Humanity is on the brink of extinction, and the world is becoming overrun by zombies. How easy do you think it’ll be to live a good life then?

We’re risking our lives to fight the zombies now precisely to give ourselves a chance to live properly.

"It’s your business if you want to be heroes. I just want to survive. Is that wrong?!" the man shouted indignantly.

Hearing this, the burly man couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation.

He felt like he’d never been so dumbfounded in his life.

"Damn it, how did our base end up with such a coward like you?

Trying to desert before the battle even starts? Don’t want to die? Want to leave? Fine, I’ll beat you to death first!"

Wang Dahai stepped out from the back of the crowd, his face filled with rage, ready to pummel the man.

Jiang Huai appeared just in time to stop him.

"Brother Jiang Huai, why are you stopping me? This kind of coward who deserts before a battle only undermines morale. What’s the point of keeping him around?"

Wang Dahai glared furiously at the man.

But Jiang Huai held him back.

"If he wants to leave, let him go. This mission is voluntary—we’re not forcing anyone to stay."

He then scanned the others present.

"If anyone else feels the same way, you’re free to leave with him."

His expression then turned stern.

"This is your only chance. If you stay and then try to back out later, don’t blame us for being ruthless."

As a soldier, protecting the nation was a duty ingrained in his very being.

But he knew he could only demand this of himself and his fellow soldiers.

He had no right to impose such expectations on others.

Of course, he could let everyone make their own choice, but only once!

If anyone wavered after this, he wouldn’t hold back.

As soon as he finished speaking, murmurs broke out among the crowd.

In the end, over a dozen people expressed their desire to leave.

True to his word, Jiang Huai let them go.

Watching their retreating figures, the others were left with a lingering sense of unease.

"A bunch of cowards!"

"Honestly, I think their perspective is too narrow.

The more zombies we kill, the more evolution serum we can exchange.

Once our strength grows, it’ll be harder for the zombies to kill us.

But they only focus on the possibility of dying.

If their strength doesn’t improve while the zombies keep getting stronger, won’t they die anyway?

I really don’t understand their thinking."

"Forget it. Everyone has their own plans—you can’t force them."

"But it really affects everyone’s morale!"

"Look at it this way: people like that would only be a liability in the group, constantly wavering.

If there’s a critical moment when they’re needed, and they back out, that could be fatal.

So them leaving now might actually be a good thing—ridding the team of dead weight."

"That’s a fair point. Forget it, let’s not dwell on it.

I believe we’ve made the right choice, and that’s all that matters."

"Exactly. Death can be as light as a feather or as heavy as a mountain. Even if we die in the end, contributing to humanity’s survival would make it worth it."

"..."

After this incident, most of them couldn’t sleep.

They gathered around a fire to chat instead.

Jiang Huai also called a meeting with the leaders of the various bases to discuss the plan for the next day.

First, they would search the town for any remaining zombies.

Second, they would gather any usable supplies in the town.

Additionally, there were some houses on the nearby mountain that might be harboring zombies, so they’d need to send a team to investigate.

By the time they finished discussing, the first light of dawn was breaking on the horizon.