66 Chapter 66

As the students' conditions gradually improved, Tong Shu understood that it was time to say goodbye.

While the teachers and students were fast asleep in the teaching building at night, Tong Shu and Wang Jie packed the things they had exchanged during this period into several burlap sacks, which were then hung high on a big tree next to the camp.

“I left them some medicine, as well as my textbooks from when I was in school.” Wang Jie’s gaze followed the sacks swaying in the air. “There are a few very talented kids who are particularly interested in medicine, but it seems they won’t be able to go to university now. I just hope these textbooks can help them.”

Tong Shu nodded. She also left some books and stationery. Since the teachers and students in this school didn't have to worry about food, she wanted to enrich their minds. When the natural disaster happened, they were still high school students working hard for the future. Since they had studied hard for so many years, it would be a pity to give up.

The first rays of morning sunlight pierced through the gaps in the leaves. Tong Songming started the car, and the dilapidated little vehicle slowly moved away from the land. Tong Shu glanced one last time at D County No. 1 Middle School through the rear window, silently bidding farewell to this place of hope.

After driving the RV for quite a distance, Tong Songming pressed the transformation button again. This was something his family had agreed upon: after stopping at a certain place, they would change the appearance of the RV before leaving, which would be safer.

"What's it like this time?" Tong Shu asked her father curiously.

“It’s probably a truck,” Tong Songming replied.

“That’s good, the truck can carry more stuff.” Wang Jie was quite happy: “In the last two days at school, when those students came to exchange things, I calculated the cargo capacity of the van and could only tell them that we were out. The truck is better; if we encounter a similar situation again, we can exchange more things to get out.”

“Only the cab of the truck can seat people. After we go outside, there can only be a maximum of four people,” Tong Shu said after thinking for a moment.

The others readily agreed.

The giant trees stop growing when they reach a certain height, leaving gaps between them to allow each other space to survive. This makes it easier for the RV to travel through the forest. However, there are also many shrubs and vines growing in the middle of the road. If they are not dense, the vehicle can just run over them. If they are too lush, the RV has to stop and get out with a shovel to clear them away.

They drove on and off for about half a month, and just when everyone was wondering why they hadn't made it into the mountains yet, one day, Wang Jie got out of the car to cut vines and suddenly shouted into the car, "Shushu! Uncle! Come and see!"

Tong Shu was startled, thinking something had happened to him. She hurriedly put on her mask and came out. When she walked to Wang Jie's spot, she was also shocked.

Looking out through that small gap, you can see the dense forest below, a vast expanse of green in varying shades.

"Are we... are we already on the mountain?" Tong Shu murmured. The scenery was so similar everywhere; she hadn't realized they'd already reached a mountain peak.

"My God, there are trees everywhere below, not a single house in sight." Shuli also got out of the car. She rarely gets out of the car, and when she saw the scene before her, she was so shocked that she couldn't speak.

You don't realize it when you're in it, but when you stand on high ground and look out, you truly realize the earth-shaking changes that have taken place in the world.

Wang Jie took out a map to compare with the map. Since leaving D County No. 1 Middle School, he had been silently memorizing the route the car had taken. Before long, he determined his current location.

“We’re roughly here now.” Wang Jie pointed to the map. “If we head towards the central region, we’ll have to cross these mountains. Depending on their elevation, once we reach the top of the last mountain, we can roughly see the situation in the plains.”

Indeed, they initially assumed that not many trees would grow on the plains, and that people could find some land not covered by trees. If the situation on the plains was different from what they had imagined, they could evacuate in time.

Shuli looked out at the scenery outside the mountain through the gap, her eyes revealing a hint of longing: "The sunshine outside is so nice. Look, the leaves on the tops of these trees are so green from the sun."

The sunlight in the forest always has a shape, in beams and patches, dappled and mottled, like art lights that appear at regular intervals. When Tong Shu and the others walked outside the car, they were all wearing protective suits, so even if the sunlight was shining on them, they couldn't really feel it, which made them feel a sense of regret that they hadn't been able to bask in the sun for a long time.

"Then we should go to the desert. No matter how many trees grow there, they won't be as many as they are now," Wang Jie joked.

Shuli rolled her eyes at him: "If you want to go, go by yourself. Desert, my foot! Why don't you go float on the sea?"

The mother and son bickered for a bit, which improved their mood. The group decided to rest on the mountaintop for a few nights. The few people who could drive had been driving for more than ten days in a row, and their bodies were starting to give out.

"Since we're not getting out of the car anyway, why don't I dig a trench around it and spray pesticide again?" Qin Jiaqiang got out of the car, walked around it, and asked.

“Okay, my brother-in-law and I will take turns watching the fire tonight. Everyone else, stay in the car and don’t get out,” Tong Songming nodded.

After discussing it, the three of them got to work. They were all quite skilled at this job, and they finished in less than an hour.

“Our island is quite interesting. Recently, a lot of mushrooms have grown by the trees. I picked some and made soup. What do you think of the taste?” Shu Hua, wearing heat-resistant gloves, brought a large pot of mushroom soup to the table.

"It smells so good!" Tong Shu was completely captivated by her mother's culinary skills and picked up a spoon to take a sip.

"Wait a minute!" Tong Songming stopped the impatient Tong Shu, looked carefully at the pot, and asked with some doubt, "Are these mushrooms really edible? Don't let them cause problems if we eat them later."

Shu Hua glanced at her husband and said irritably, "How could I not know this? I didn't touch any of those unfamiliar ones. I only picked varieties that we've eaten before, so you can rest assured."

Everyone else chuckled and crowded around, taking turns getting soup for themselves.

"Mmm!" Wang Jie took a sip and gave a thumbs up repeatedly: "Auntie, it's delicious!"

"It's even more delicious than chicken soup," Shuya remarked.

Shu Hua was praised and couldn't stop smiling. She kept serving soup to everyone. A big pot of soup with glistening rice was completely devoured.

"I'm full. I'll keep watch for the first half of the night. Brother-in-law, you can come down and relieve me later." Tong Songming patted his stomach, and after receiving Wang Jianye's response, he carefully put on his mask and got out of the car.

That night, Tong Shu and Wang Jie's family slept in the car, while Shu Hua accompanied Tong's grandparents back to the island to rest. Shu Ya's family also joined them.

The alarm clock rang, and Wang Jianye sat up from the bed. He glanced carefully at Shu Li, who was sleeping on the inside, and saw that she had only frowned and had not woken up. Reassured, he quietly got out of bed, dressed, and then quietly opened the car door, preparing to call Tong Songming to get in the car and rest.

As soon as he stepped out of the car, a strong odor forcefully penetrated his gas mask and rushed into his nostrils. Wang Jianye was caught off guard and felt dizzy for a moment, then felt a little lightheaded.

He realized something was wrong, quickly slapped himself a few times, and looked down to find Tong Songming.

Fortunately, Tong Songming had set up a chair next to the car. Right now, his head was drooping and his body was motionless, so he looked like he had fainted.

"Ah Jie! Ah Jie! Wake up! Something's happened!" Wang Jianye shouted into the car. Wang Jie wasn't sleeping very soundly either, but upon hearing the noise, he immediately sat up and rushed to the car door.

"Don't come out like this! Mask! Put it on quickly!" Wang Jianye, enduring his dizziness, struggled to drag Tong Songming towards the car door. Wang Jie, overwhelmed by the outside smell at the slightly ajar car door, immediately collapsed to the ground, his arms and legs giving way.

At this moment, Tong Shu had also woken up. After hearing a few words, she quickly put on her mask, gritted her teeth, dragged Wang Jie inside, and then opened the door to find Wang Jianye.

Wang Jianye had already dragged Tong Songming over. When Tong Shu saw that Tong Songming was not moving, her heart was about to jump out of her throat. She immediately disregarded everything else and, on a whim, sent Tong Songming back to the island.

"What happened? Old Tong? Old Tong?!" Shu Hua was woken up by Shu Li and rushed over. Seeing her unconscious husband, she was so anxious that tears streamed down her face.

Wang Jie, Wang Jianye, and Tong Songming lay side by side on hospital beds on the island. Fortunately, Bhutto had returned by then. He drew blood from the three of them and frowned as he looked at the analysis report.

"Bhuto, what happened to them?" Tong Shu also smelled a bit of the odor. She was also feeling unwell at the moment, and she asked while enduring her dizziness.

“According to the report, it appears to be poisoning,” Bhutto said.

"Poisoning? Did you eat the mushroom soup I made last night?" Shu Hua was trembling with fear, unaware of the specifics, and asked instinctively.

“That can’t be. We all ate it, how could only those of us outside get poisoned?” Shuya reassured them.

"Madam, are you using mushrooms from our island? There are no poisonous mushrooms on our island," Bhutto solemnly affirmed, reaffirming the authenticity of the mushrooms from the island.

“Mom, it’s outside. The smell outside is strange. Dad probably didn’t notice it while he was on night watch. When my uncle went to relieve me, the smell outside was already very strong. My cousin was knocked down at the door because he wasn’t wearing a mask,” Tong Shu explained, putting her arm around her mother.

"Then, can this poison be cured?" The only doctor had been poisoned, and Grandma Tong looked at the chubby little dog doctor with great anxiety.

"Of course, I'm the best doctor on the island!" Bhutto said confidently. "I'll put these people on IV drips first, and then I'll administer the antidote to them once I've prepared it."

Bhutto, clutching the report and sporting a slightly protruding belly, walked away confidently, leaving the Tong family members looking at each other in bewilderment.

"...It should be okay..." Tong Shu forced herself to respond to the glances from the others, secretly taking deep breaths while her eyes kept glancing at the monitor next to the hospital bed.