Everyone was talking at once, on the verge of arguing.
Bai Youwei discreetly observed the man with glasses. She noticed a hint of annoyance and disdain in his eyes. He must be feeling helpless, relying on this group of vulgar and selfish people for survival.
Bai Youwei glanced at Shen Mo, her eyes seeming to say: See, I told you this group wouldn't be reliable.
Shen Mo gave a faint smile, offering no comment.
The meeting, initially intended to discuss solutions, gradually changed its tone. It began with discussions but devolved into mutual accusations. If the man with glasses hadn't intervened from time to time to ease the tension, they might have really come to blows.
Suddenly, the room went dark!
The timid ones were the first to cry out.
Then someone cursed, "Shut up! It's just a power outage, don't scare yourselves!"
After a while, as their eyes adjusted to the darkness, everyone scrambled out of the dining hall. The man with glasses called for two people to check the circuit breaker.
Without electricity, everyone waited outside, idle and restless.
Bai Youwei looked up at the moon and stars in the sky. The vast expanse of the sky enveloped the earth, silent and boundless. Under the night sky, the people seemed exceptionally small.
The night seemed to hold a mysterious power. Staring into it for too long always made one's heart tremble.
The crowd grew restless.
The man with glasses returned and announced that the circuit breaker was fine. The entire service area had lost power. He warned that the water supply might be cut off soon too.
The atmosphere instantly turned gloomy and oppressive.
Bai Youwei felt that these people were hopeless. Except for the man with glasses, none of them seemed to have a plan.
"I say…" an old man in the crowd spoke hesitantly, "Should we… think of a way to leave?"
Someone beside him retorted, "Teacher Cheng, haven't we been trying to find a way to leave? What you said is pointless."
The old man, addressed as Teacher Cheng, was in his sixties. His temples were streaked with white, and his thin frame was clad in an old-fashioned coarse cloth shirt. His back was slightly hunched, making him appear quite unremarkable.
His old face flushed red after being mocked. He stammered, "What I meant was… not driving, just… walking. The reason we are trapped here is that the road is blocked, and cars can't get through, right?"
The old man gestured with his hand. "We can go in pairs, with one pair setting off every 10 minutes. This way, we can largely avoid turning into dolls…"
"Teacher Cheng, please don't add to the chaos. How can we walk without a car? There are so many of us, with families and so much luggage. You want us to walk all the way to Yangzhou?"
"That's right, your armchair theories won't work in reality."
Everyone chimed in, their complaints growing louder, as if they wanted to vent their frustration with the power outage on the old man.
The man with glasses remained silent amidst the crowd. When the old man looked at him pleadingly, he chose to ignore him. Perhaps he also thought the old man's words made sense, but at a time like this, what obligation did he have to bear the brunt of everyone's anger?
The pressure of survival had been building for a long time, and someone had to become the target of the group's outburst.
Bai Youwei didn't want to get involved. She mouthed silently to Shen Mo, "Let's go."
Shen Mo stood still.
She tugged at him gently again, but instead of moving away, he took two steps forward and addressed the complaining crowd, "Everyone, quiet down…"
Bai Youwei almost rolled her eyes!
Everyone turned to look at them.
She and Shen Mo suddenly became the center of attention, feeling like they were being stared at by a group of starving ghosts. It was terrifying.
But Shen Mo didn't even flinch.
He said calmly, "It sounds like a car is coming."
The people fell silent.
Once the chatter ceased, the various sounds in the air became exceptionally clear.
A faint rumble grew closer and closer. At first, it sounded like the wind, but as it drew near, the sound of tires crunching on the pavement became distinct and unmistakable.
Finally, a large vehicle drove into the service area in the darkness. Its bright headlights shone directly on the crowd—
The vehicle braked.
It came to a stop.
Several agile young men jumped out of the car. One of them whistled and said, "Hey, what's going on here? Why are you all standing outside?"