Chapter Thirty-Three: The New Caravan

Chapter Thirty-Three

A convoy of over twenty vehicles moved steadily northward along the highway, carrying the group who had escaped from the Moonlight Base.

In the middle of the convoy, inside a box truck, Mo Chen and Ye Jingxuan took turns driving. Within the compartment, An Ziyou sat cross-legged on a bunk, cultivating his spiritual power. Lin Shaojie and Qu Wenyuan practiced their abilities on nearby seats, while Mei lay above An Ziyou, sleeping to regain her spent strength.

To outsiders, it seemed Mei had slept ever since leaving the base. Only Mo Chen and the other two knew that once the convoy set out, she had slipped back alone to the ruined Moonlight Base, collecting the crystals left behind by the zombies. Not every zombie had a crystal, but among the tens of thousands, she managed to gather nearly a thousand. Only then did she chase after the convoy. Luckily, its size meant it moved slowly and made several stops along the way, allowing her to catch up before nightfall. With the three covering for her, no one noticed her absence, not even Lin Shaojie and Qu Wenyuan sharing the same compartment.

The convoy advanced with great caution. Though the zombie horde had thinned their numbers on the road, this did not mean safety. In fact, mutated animals now posed a far greater threat than the undead.

Just the previous day, the group had encountered a mutated monkey—more agile than before, with sharper claws and a violent nature. It could even perform simple ability-based attacks. This single creature cost the already depleted base another quarter of its population.

Fortunately, mutated animals remained relatively few, and their meat was edible; otherwise, humanity’s prospects would be bleak indeed.

Come evening, the convoy met a small group—just three vehicles. One minibus carried over twenty people, including elders and children; the other two off-road vehicles held six men and a woman.

Yang Hao, seeing this, negotiated with their leader. Discovering both convoys aimed for the same destination and seeing their limited fighting strength, he invited them to travel together for mutual support.

As dusk fell, the convoy formed a circle, settling in for the night. People climbed out—some went on patrol, others gathered firewood, and some attended to their own needs. Each vehicle formed its own small group, dividing tasks with practiced order.

Compared to the Moonlight survivors, numbed by hardship and constant peril, the newcomers’ atmosphere was livelier. As soon as the minibus door opened, four children around eight years old bounded out, fascinated by the bustling camp. The elders, women, and three young men who followed, though travel-worn, appeared in good spirits.

Since the two groups traveled together but didn’t pool resources, each kept to their own for dinner. The base group, having slain a mutated monkey the day before, enjoyed monkey meat and vegetable soup with two dry buns apiece. There wasn’t much meat in the soup, but the aroma alone made the newcomers glance over, unable to hide their longing.

“Why do they get meat soup when all we have are crackers and water?” someone grumbled, eyeing their compressed biscuits and boiled water.

A few nodded in agreement, others ignored the complaint. Only a young woman looked guilty, as if their lack was her fault, and she began to speak but was stopped by a man who resembled her.

At the silent urging of their elders, the four children ran to Yang Hao’s side. Without a word, they stared hungrily at him and his companions, swallowing occasionally. Mo Chen and the others, sitting with Yang Hao, pretended not to notice and continued eating. Qu Wenyuan’s heart softened, but seeing her companions ignore the children, she bent her head and focused on her bowl.

After the zombie horde, Qu Wenyuan had come to realize this was a real world, not just a story she’d once assumed. No matter how detailed the narrative, it could never capture every event. She existed here as a living person, not a bystander. If she wanted to survive, she had to fight as fiercely as the others, not shelter behind them like some prophetic observer.

This change in mindset meant that when zombies besieged the city, she fought alongside the others—even if she killed few, she no longer cowered at the back, waiting for protection. Her courage in facing the undead directly led to her awakening a water ability at a critical moment. The others, recognizing her growth, permitted her to remain in their group rather than cast her out.

Yang Hao, unable to withstand the pleading gazes of the children, finally relented. He gave them his own bowl of soup but did not touch the communal pot, feeling those rations belonged to everyone. Even as their leader, he could not give away others’ share at will.

A child received the soup, grinning and thanking him before returning to his group. The others waited, but seeing there’d be no more, they all went back—though their disappointment showed plainly.

One bowl of soup, no matter how large, could not feed over thirty people. Aside from a few children and their relatives, the rest tasted none.

Xiao Kefeng watched his group complain and beg for food, irritation flickering in his eyes. He said nothing, but after finishing his biscuit, led his sister toward Yang Hao’s group leader.

“Lieutenant Yang, thank you for the soup,” Xiao Kefeng said, introducing his sister. “This is my sister, Xiao Keran.”

Hearing the name, Qu Wenyuan looked up abruptly, surprise clear in her expression, but she quickly lowered her head to hide it. Her reaction was not missed by Mo Chen and Ye Jingxuan, but the Xiao siblings noticed nothing. Xiao Kefeng focused on Mo Chen and Ye Jingxuan, while Xiao Keran’s attention was entirely on An Ziyou.

“Are you An Ziyou?” Xiao Keran asked, her eyes wide with excitement and astonishment.

An Ziyou merely offered a polite smile, nodded, and replied, “Hello,” then lost interest.

“Brother, it really is An Ziyou! The famous An Ziyou! He’s my idol!” Xiao Keran clutched her brother’s sleeve, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

Her voice carried, and nearly everyone nearby heard. The Moonlight Base survivors barely reacted, but among the newcomers, more than a few cast curious, subtle looks at An Ziyou.

With his refined features and gentle demeanor, An Ziyou hardly looked the part of a warrior. Seeing him among such capable companions and learning he was once a celebrity, some of the more unsavory minds immediately drew their own conclusions.

After what had happened with Huang Shiqi, An Ziyou had become sensitive to such glances. Hearing the girl’s words and feeling the eyes upon him, even though she meant no harm, he felt a surge of displeasure and his smile faded.

Yet Xiao Keran, oblivious to his discomfort, dug a photo and pen from her backpack, blushing as she asked for his autograph.

Chasing idols in the apocalypse?

Even An Ziyou found it incredible. Before the world had ended, carrying one’s favorite celebrity photo was nothing unusual. But now, with people fleeing for their lives, carrying little but weapons and food, to have someone carefully preserve his photo was bizarre.

How devoted must she be to remember her idol even when running for her life?

Though he wanted to reclaim the photo, An Ziyou restrained himself, signing his name with stiff fingers and handing it back.

Xiao Keran returned to her brother, clutching the autographed photo with a crimson face. Xiao Kefeng, seizing the opportunity to gather information, sat with her by the fire, chatting with Yang Hao.

Before the apocalypse, Xiao Kefeng had just graduated university and had taken his sister and a few friends on a road trip to celebrate. When disaster struck, they were in a small southern town and hurried to make their way back. The elders, women, and children in their group were those they’d rescued along the way, and with nowhere else to go, these survivors joined them in heading north for Changyang Base.

Whether by fortune or misfortune, they’d encountered neither survivor bases nor large teams along the way, leaving them largely ignorant of the current state of the world. Meeting Yang Hao, they took the chance to ask questions.

Yang Hao, holding nothing back that wasn’t confidential, readily shared what he knew.

They hadn’t spoken long when a stir broke out. The Xiao siblings turned to see a slender young girl in beige loungewear, long hair trailing, yawning and rubbing her eyes as she made her way over.

Many camp members greeted her warmly, some even calling out a friendly hello. The girl, still half-asleep, nodded in reply and kept walking.

Just as she neared, eyes barely open, she stumbled. Several people exclaimed in alarm and moved to help, but someone reached her first, catching her before she fell and carrying her back.

Watching this, Xiao Kefeng couldn’t help but wonder—just who was this girl, to draw so much concern from everyone?