Our vehicles were still at the exit where we had previously left the highway.
Suo Tian's convoy had zoomed off in a line of Land Rovers, but there was no way we were going to give up our cars so easily.
Not that the vehicles themselves were worth much now—after all, in the current world, even money is barely worth anything.
One of the biggest taboos while traveling on the road is having a vehicle break down, especially since we constantly traverse rural areas.
Those cars were far more reliable than most.
With Wang Jun and his group of eight people, plus all their luggage, the small car—which wasn't very big to begin with—was packed full.
In the past, this would definitely have drawn the attention of traffic police.
Suo Tian, the driver, probably would have faced detention for overloading.
Lili was wrapped in a thick blanket, and Wang Jun held the baby in his arms.
I glanced at them, truly unable to imagine how they would manage life with such a tiny infant.
With the baby crying and fussing, they couldn't stay in one place for long; otherwise, the walkers would inevitably find and surround them.
Sensing my gaze, Lili looked over at me, pressed her lips into a smile, then turned her attention around the car.
After a while, her expression grew curious again, and she waved at me.
I walked over and swapped seats with Sister Liu to sit beside her.
"How are you feeling?" I asked.
Lili shook her head without answering.
Her eyes scanned the car as if confirming something, and finally she hesitantly asked, "Where's Xiao Xue?"
It seemed that Lili had suspected something, which is why she specifically had me sit next to her.
Even asking about Xiao Xue, she lowered her voice to prevent Shen Feng from overhearing in case her guess was correct—it would hurt him.
I glanced at Shen Feng in the front, who was sitting with Xu Shu, quietly talking, then turned back to Lili and whispered, "Xiao Xue is gone."
It seemed Lili had been mentally prepared.
Upon hearing the news, her expression flickered, but she quickly regained control.
She didn't respond immediately; instead, she turned to look out the window for a long while before sniffing, turning back, and taking my hand.
She said softly, "It's alright… at least she's at peace. She was such a kind girl… to pass away alone, she's at peace now."
Lili's words made my nose sting, and I nearly cried.
My mind went back to the small dirt mound in front of the shelter.
How could she be at peace there?
If souls truly exist, how would Xiao Xue, someone so fastidious, face the decay and stench of her own body each day?
The car soon reached the area where we had entered before.
After a full day, the walkers still hadn't dispersed much.
Then I realized—I hadn't turned off the car lights that I had left on to attract the walkers.
They must have gathered here at night, following the light.
Fortunately, their numbers were manageable.
As before, Uncle Gazi stayed in the car with the children.
This time, Lili and her baby joined them.
Wang Jun had never gone out to fight the walkers when they stayed with us before, but after all this time and practice, he now wielded a kitchen knife with surprising skill and ferocity while we got out to fight the walkers.
However, Wang Jun's movements were a bit clumsy.
The whole way, Zhang Qicong and the others had to coordinate with him.
To be fair, they were pretty lucky—though Zhang Qicong's group wasn't particularly nimble, they were all adult men with strong physiques.
Just brute strength alone made them stronger than battle-hardened Xu Shu and me.
With many people and plenty of strength, the walkers were quickly cut down almost entirely.
Their numbers weren't huge to begin with, and since we were prepared, it didn't take long at all.
While the black-clad men loaded supplies onto the vehicles, Wang Jun and his group chose the truck where Uncle Gazi had previously hidden, the one with a cargo compartment.
After quickly tidying it up, they got Lili and the baby into the compartment first.
It was a smart choice—the compartment was well-sealed, so Lili and the baby wouldn't be exposed to the wind during the journey.
The baby's crying was also muffled enough that distant walker wouldn't notice.
As I was finishing up, my gaze accidentally fell under one of the cars, and I suddenly remembered a poor little thing I'd forgotten… Zheng Yiyi!
"Ah! I left Yiyi back at the hospital!" I shouted to Yangyang.
His expression instantly changed, and he opened his mouth as if to scold me.
At that moment, Han Lu walked over from the side, reaching into his pocket.
When he got beside me, he pulled out a large, furry bundle.
"Here, I brought him along," he said.
I looked closely—it was Zheng Yiyi, with his chubby little legs sticking out.
The little guy seemed a bit dazed from being stuck in a pocket for so long, looking completely listless.
No wonder I hadn't heard a sound from him in the car earlier.
Everything was soon packed.
We siphoned some extra fuel from other vehicles to top off a few of them and then set off on the road first.
Wang Jun's group was in the truck driven by Zhang Qicong, trailing at the end of our convoy.
Although Suo Tian hadn't opposed letting them leave the hospital, he had no intention of traveling with them.
His attitude was clear: "Follow if you want; I don't care."
Honestly, I felt the same.
Though I sympathized with Lili and the baby, I knew from experience that taking them along wasn't particularly helpful for us.
So I adopted a neutral attitude—just travel together for now.
For the moment, that would do.
An earthquake is no joke.
We had no idea how strong it would be or how wide its impact might extend.
Once we got on the road, Suo Tian drove personally.
We pushed almost full speed ahead.
Driving fast on a rain-soaked highway is risky, but compared to an earthquake, the danger to our lives was far greater.
Wang Jun's truck couldn't go very fast, but Zhang Qicong's driving skills were decent.
Although they fell behind for a while, whenever we eased up a bit, he could catch up.
He had previously been a truck driver with an A1 license, almost at the level of a driving instructor.
No wonder Wang Jun trusted him.
We drove continuously, barely stopping, until evening.
We pulled over at a spot to stretch our legs, and a few minutes later, we were on the road again, running nonstop until the next morning.
By noon the next day, Suo Tian signaled for a stop, and the convoy slowly parked on a stretch of road flanked by small hills on both sides.
While everyone was moving, resting, and eating, Suo Tian climbed over the guardrail to the small hill, stood at the top, and looked around for a while.
Then he walked in the opposite direction from the road, and within a few minutes, he disappeared from sight.
"Hey? Where's he going?" I hurried over to the big-bearded to ask.
Mouth full of sausage, he chewed with relish, glanced at me, and said, "How would I know? Maybe he's shy about going to the bathroom, so he went off somewhere."
I couldn't help rolling my eyes at him.
"I'm serious here," I said.
After quickly finishing off the sausages, the big-bearded man wiped his mouth and said, "He probably discovered something, or he already knew where to find something. The boss is always like that."
He glanced at me and added, "We've been traveling together for so long, and you still haven't figured out this little habit of his?"
No sooner had he spoken than Suo Tian appeared from the other side of the hill.
He was still scanning the surroundings but didn't stop long; he returned directly to the road and said to us, "Keep moving."
We had no choice but to get back in the car and continue forward.
We drove nonstop for two full days, hardly stopping at all.
Apart from brief detours into service areas for fuel and rest, all the time was spent on the road.
The road was flanked by continuous high mountains; I couldn't help but feel as if we had reached the area previously mentioned as home to the "hundred-thousand mountains."
By another morning, Suo Tian had been driving for twenty-four straight hours.
He finally switched with one of the black-clad men.
Yangyang sat in the front with Xiao Hu, giving Suo Tian room to rest in the back.
After resting his head on my lap, Suo Tian closed his eyes.
After observing for such a long time, I realized that Suo Tian, whether asleep or not, would basically remain completely still whenever he stayed in one place and stopped scanning the surroundings.
So as soon as he closed his eyes, his body remained motionless, and it was nearly impossible for anyone else to tell whether he was asleep.
I stared at Suo Tian for a while, my lips curling into a faint smile.
The walkie-talkie occasionally carried the playful chatter of Big-Beard and Uncle Gazi, which had been the most entertaining way to pass the time these past few days.
Listening to them joke and chat in different regional dialects sometimes had me laughing until I couldn't breathe.
But now Suo Tian was resting.
I hesitated for a moment, thinking about temporarily turning off the walkie-talkie, when the black-clad driver suddenly gasped sharply.
In the next second, he slammed on the brakes.
The screech of tires against asphalt filled the car as black marks streaked the road behind us.
The sudden stop caused Suo Tian to grab the front seat handle, springing upright from his seat, while his other hand grabbed me, steadying me against the jolt of inertia.
At the same time, I heard the rear vehicles screeching their brakes.
Before I could even process what was happening, Xiao Hu in the front started crying out in pain.
My heart skipped a beat as I rushed my gaze forward.
What I saw next… made my whole heart drop instantly.
— The end of the Chapter–