The transport truck maneuvered around the mountain of accumulated corpses, crushing the bodies beneath its tires with a creaking and crunching sound that left the group of survivors watching in heavy silence.
The shock was so intense that for a time they couldn’t react; they even found it hard to articulate their feelings.
"Slow down," the dark-skinned man reminded.
Sun Xiang asked in confusion, "What’s wrong?"
"I just spotted some survivors nearby. Don’t rush—slow down."
From the start of their journey in He City to now, they had encountered many survivors, but very few had been taken in by them. The survivors they wanted were those who could be decisive and ruthless. Dedication wasn’t required in abundance; only vigilance and a bit of grit were necessary.
The survivors’ hiding spot.
"Look, that’s a survivor vehicle, so many people, and they all seem to have weapons. It’s a military transport truck; they are soldiers, we’ve been saved," exclaimed one of the survivors excitedly.
Though they had gathered some supplies, leaving with the military was the safest option.
Another survivor, peering through binoculars, furrowed his brow. "No, they’re not soldiers. Although they’re armed, many of them have tattoos."
"What’s wrong with tattoos?"
"Have you ever seen a soldier with tattoos?"
Indeed, they had never seen a soldier with tattoos.
"Better not provoke them; I think this group isn’t to be trifled with. The key issue is, there are no women among these people—that’s a very bad sign."
"What’s wrong with having no women? Isn’t that normal?"
"Just listen to me. These survivors might not be what we think; it’s best not to acknowledge them, let alone let them discover us, otherwise there might be trouble."
"Alright, I’ll listen to you."
The survivors hiding nearby were all observing cautiously. Their supplies were currently sufficient, so they didn’t have the same anxiety as before, allowing them to think more rationally.
They didn’t act as though they were desperate to join the large group of survivors they saw.
Someone once mentioned a principle, which seems quite reasonable.
In desperation, people’s rationality often goes into the negative. The moment they see a glimmer of hope, regardless of how flawed it may appear, they pretend not to see it.
When well-fed with no immediate worries, there’s a feeling of being full with nothing to do, and the mind becomes very active, able to analyze the current situation logically.
The two military transport trucks drove on slowly.
Sun Xiang said, "Brother, are you sure you’re not seeing things? I don’t feel like anyone’s watching us."
"Did you see that reflection over there? Someone’s using binoculars to observe us. These survivors are quite shrewd," the dark-skinned man said.
Sun Xiang looked toward the distance, and indeed, someone was watching them.
For the dark-skinned man, it was clear that there were more survivors in He City. They weren’t in a rush. Sometimes, things needed to be taken slowly.
Finding a good refuge in He City, they were determined to settle here, to make it their base camp. What attracted them even more was the Cha River that surrounded He City, with its many small islands.
These islands were one of their targets.
The river’s separation provided a greater sense of safety.
On the second floor of a shop, a man and a woman, both survivors, watched the slowly moving transportation truck below.
The man was Zhou Ting.
The woman was Yao Xue.
They were boyfriend and girlfriend, having been in a relationship since high school, attending different colleges in the same city and dating sweetly. They later remained in He City to strive for a better future together.
Zhou Ting was an orphan raised by his grandfather who earned a meager living by collecting scraps and working construction jobs to pay for his education. When Zhou Ting was in high school, his grandfather fell ill and passed away. He thought about dropping out, but after a local charity organization learned about his situation, a kind-hearted individual sponsored his education.
At school, he was reclusive and insecure, subsisting on simple meals of steamed buns and water. But in his senior year, Yao Xue appeared by his side, sharing meals with him and often claiming she was too full, leaving some food for Zhou Ting to finish. He knew she did this deliberately so he would have enough to eat.
Thus, their relationship grew closer with time, and eight years had passed since then.
"Ting, there are survivors below. Are we saved?" Yao Xue said, a glimmer of hope shining in her eyes as she saw the survivor vehicle downstairs.
Seeing the two military transport trucks, Zhou Ting also expressed hope, "Yes, they should be, these are military vehicles, they must be soldiers passing by."
They hadn’t benefitted from Lin Fan’s generosity and were unaware of Lin Fan’s feats in fighting zombies. When they had seen a horde of zombies charging, they were so frightened they trembled, worried the zombies would notice them.
Therefore, they had missed the chance to venture outside for supplies.
Surviving up to this point was already at their limit.
At the doorstep of the store, zombies noticed the transport truck charging past and were directly crushed under its wheels. The survivors aboard the truck remained expressionless, having long grown accustomed to such sights. With the low number of zombies, it was hard to make them feel tense; in fact, they were anticipating the crunching sound that would soon come under the wheels.
Gunshots were not fired at whim.
They were only used when facing danger.
They opened their windows and waved towards the transport truck.