Translator: 549690339
Such a large supermarket, with almost eighty percent of all items gone, yet there was no hint of chaos and the shelves were still neat and tidy. Bai Youwei: “No need to think about it further. It must be an organized evacuation.”
After a pause, she continued: “Yangzhou has no puppet, but it does have the fog. The sudden evacuation might have something to do with it.”
There had to be a reason, otherwise, all these people couldn’t have just vanished without a cause.
Shen MO agreed with her view and pondered: “It’s too clean.”
No one spoke for a while.
Evacuating people is not a simple thing, especially when there’s a power and internet outage, there shouldn’t be no trace at all.
Just to give a simple example, if people are being notified to take refuge in a certain place, there should at least be a signboard, right? Large banners, eye-catching flags, notices plastered all over the walls… they didn’t see any of these things.
“There’s another possibility…” Bai Youwei’s gaze fell on Shen MO, “If the number of people has reduced to a certain extent, it is possible to evacuate without leaving any trace.”
If there are only a few dozen people left, one could evacuate swiftly just by yelling out.
Shen MO looked into the distance: “Let’s search some more.”
The off-road vehicle moved slowly along North Canal Road, somewhat aimlessly.
More than half of the city was shrouded in white fog, not only was Professor Cheng unable to return home, but Bai Youwei and Shen Mo couldn’t either.
— The Shen Family had a private garden residence in Yangzhou next to the Slender West Lake Scenic Area, which now also lain submerged within the fog, prohibiting any approach.
The silent road seemed to have no end.
When they were nearing Ank Road, two faint figures appeared on the road ahead.
As the car drew closer, they could make out two middle school students in uniforms, one was holding a large bag of goods, and the other had a sack of rice on his shoulder.
This was the first time they encountered any living being since entering Yangzhou City.
Shen MO slowed down the car, pulling up next to the two boys, and asked them, “Where did everyone in town go? Do you know?”
The two boys stopped in their tracks and cautiously sized them up, as well as their car.
Shen MO had a stern appearance and an indifferent expression, while their four-wheel drive was quite robust and covered in dust, just like its owner, it gave off an imposing aura.
The two boys exchanged glances but remained silent.
Professor Cheng stuck his head out of the rear car window and kindly asked, “We’ve come to Yangzhou to take refuge, it took us two days on the road, and when we finally found the place, we didn’t see a single person. Do you two know what’s going on?”
Whether it was due to the natural rapport between students and teachers, the boys’ expressions visibly eased.
The taller boy said, “You’ve taken the wrong route. Everyone sought refuge at
Yangzhou Port, and they can only leave when the next boat arrives.”
“Boat?!” Tan Xiao also stuck his head out, surprised, “Where are we going that we need to take a boat? What if I get seasick?”
They both flinched upon seeing Tan Xiao’s gray hair and shiny earring, once again their eyes filled with doubt, as if they suspected Shen MO and his companions of having ulterior motives.
“Tan Xiao, you scared the kids,” Bai Youwei, sitting in the passenger seat, responded coolly.
“Huh?” Tan Xiao was even more surprised, pointing at his own face, “Do I look that scary?”
“You don’t look scary, but it doesn’t change the fact that kids are easily frightened,” Bai Youwei replied in a calm and collected manner.
The two boys blushed a bit.
To prove his bravery, one of the boys quickly retorted, “You guys came too late! A massive fog has engulfed Yangzhou, and not a single person trapped in the fog has emerged, everyone else has evacuated by boat! Only the water surface is safe now, you better rush to Yangzhou Port, if you’re late there might not be any spots left on the boat!”