Last night, Sister Lan and her group successfully found the mountain path that Xu Anran had chosen. They waited until dawn before setting off, carrying the items from the car, and then climbed the mountain together.

As they continued along the mountain path, they soon discovered some obvious signs—someone had walked this way before.

This discovery led them to speculate that others might have chosen this route to leave the city before them. This gave them more confidence in escaping the mountains, and they supported each other, proceeding cautiously, hoping to leave the area as soon as possible.

After a long trek, they finally arrived at the place where Xu Anran had rested the day before, around 5 p.m.

They decided to set up tents there and prepare food to rest. Night was approaching, and to ensure their safety, they agreed to take turns keeping watch throughout the night.

Meanwhile, Xu Anran had already descended the mountain and was walking on a country road.

Despite being utterly exhausted, she persevered. She desperately needed a safe haven, but there was nothing around except some small villages.

Xu Anran did not want to contact others, fearing it would cause unnecessary trouble or expose her whereabouts.

She continued her journey, hoping to find an empty house nearby as temporary shelter. After searching, she finally found a row of villas beside a small river. These villas looked like they were for vacations, but now they appeared very desolate, the entire complex overgrown with weeds, clearly uninhabited.

Xu Anran chose a house located far from the village and on its edge. She climbed over the fence into the yard, used tools to pry open the door, and entered the abandoned villa. The house was empty, devoid of any belongings. She tied a safety rope to the door, then climbed to the second floor. After carefully checking every corner to ensure safety, she sat down on the ground to rest for a while.

Next, she set up the tent, took out the mattress and sleeping bag, and heated up two rice balls. After filling her stomach, she was so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open. So, she quickly crawled into the tent and fell asleep immediately.

The next morning, Xu Anran woke up from her sleep, but she felt extremely tired and didn't even want to move.

She lay quietly inside the tent, taking out her phone to check the messages in the group chat. Now, the group was receiving no more messages from the virus-affected area; everyone was trying to contact those trapped, but to no avail.

Clearly, those in the virus-affected areas have been blocked from the internet and are unable to contact the outside world. Xu Anran continued to browse the latest news reports and found very little information about the virus online. Previously released information had also been deleted, only emphasizing the current flu outbreak and advising everyone to avoid going out and to work from home and study online.

Another important piece of information caught Xu Anran's attention: last night, several fugitives fled from H province to Z city in the neighboring province, and photos of the fugitives were attached.

Xu Anran carefully examined the photos and suddenly spotted a familiar figure—Xu Liang!

It turns out he was one of the fugitives who had broken through a weak guard post in H province last night and escaped by car.

Xu Anran's heart tightened. If these fugitives escaped to Z City, the city's security and inspection efforts would definitely be greatly strengthened.

She realized she had to leave this place as soon as possible to avoid getting involved in unnecessary trouble. With that thought in mind, Xu Anran couldn't be lazy any longer. She quickly stood up, packed up the tent, and put it back in her spatial storage.

Breakfast was another simple sandwich, which Xu Anran ate quickly because she wanted to leave as soon as possible. After finishing breakfast, Xu Anran took a bicycle out of her spatial storage and began her journey.

She deliberately slowed down, pretending to be an ordinary cycling enthusiast, leisurely enjoying the surrounding scenery. This not only avoided arousing suspicion but also allowed her to better understand her surroundings.

As time passed, Xu Anran gradually left the suburbs and entered the city streets. Along the way, she remained vigilant, constantly watching for any suspicious vehicles or individuals. Although she appeared relaxed on the surface, she was inwardly filled with tension and unease.

Not long after Xu Anran left, Sister Lan and the others finally emerged from the mountains. Afterward, they searched for a place to stay and eventually found a safe spot. Exhausted, they sat down and checked their phones.

While in the mountains, they lost contact with the outside world due to poor signal, and their mobile phones were like kites with broken strings, unable to communicate. Now that they have left the mountains, their mobile phones have finally returned to normal.

The constant stream of pop-up messages on their screens made them tense, and they couldn't wait to open their phones and check the group chat.

The passengers who escaped the city shared their experiences and methods of escape. Some were shot and killed by the enemy due to carelessness; others are still missing due to communication disruptions; still others escaped with great difficulty but were seriously injured. Everyone was fighting for survival.

Lan Jie and her team members felt a surge of emotion. Compared to them, they were incredibly lucky. Despite the hardships along the way, they had finally left the mountains safely.

Lan called Xu Anran again, and the two shared their experiences and current situations.

Lan Jie told Xu Anran that she had successfully escaped the city, but hadn't yet found a safe place to live. Xu Anran also told her that she had fled the city as well. Hearing this, Lan Jie was happy for her and asked Xu Anran where she planned to settle down.

“I saw a few people in the group say they live in N province, which seems relatively safe and has a low population density,” Xu Anran said. “I’d like to go there and see. If possible, I’ll choose to take refuge there.”

After listening to Xu Anran's idea, Sister Lan thought it was a good one. "It sounds great! But I need to discuss it with my teammates first. After all, we all escaped together, and we need to make a decision together."

So the two ended the call.