Sister Hong avoided Xiaomei's gaze and said defensively, "We just want to ask for some food... You know, you are pregnant, you need more food..."
"So you let my husband take the risk?" Xiaomei's voice suddenly became sharp, and she pounced on Sister Hong, "You vicious woman! You killed Ah Hao!"
Li Xinhu and several other team members rushed forward and grabbed the furious Xiaomei.
"It's all your fault! It's all your fault!" Xiaomei pointed at Sister Hong and screamed even after being pulled away, "How could Ah Hao, such an honest man, do such a thing? It must have been you who instigated it!"
Sister Hong looked unhappy. She took a few steps back, a trace of resentment and grievance flashed in her eyes, and she suddenly sneered, "What? Li Xinhu, have you forgotten how my man died? Who did he stay away for? Now that Ah Hao is dead, you all want me to take the blame alone?"
Li Xinhu's face became even uglier. He clenched his fists tightly. The scene of Hong Jie's husband risking his life to save her flashed through his mind, making his throat tight and his voice hoarse: "Sister-in-law, I, Li Xinhu, have not forgotten your kindness and have been trying my best to take care of you. But Ah Hao's death is different from the situation back then..."
Xiaomei was stunned and looked at Li Xinhu in confusion: "What does she mean?"
Sister Hong sneered and continued, "Xiaomei, don't just cry."
She approached Li Xinhu step by step: "Li Xinhu, don't you agree? You promised my husband that you would take care of me forever!"
Li Xinhu's face became even uglier. He clenched his fists tightly, but was unable to refute.
"Now Ah Hao is dead, just like my husband back then." Sister Hong's voice was chilling, "Xin Hu, how are you going to take care of Xiao Mei this time?"
Xiaomei looked at Li Xinhu blankly, then at Sister Hong, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
"Ah Hao..." she murmured, and suddenly fell to her knees, hugged her husband's cold body, and burst into tears.
Li Xinhu stood there, caught in a dilemma, with deep pain and helplessness on his face.
Lu Shiyan stood quietly in the distance, watching this scene, without any fluctuation in his eyes. In the end times of survival, every team has its own entanglements and tragedies.
Xiao Han walked up to Lu Shiyan and whispered, "This gang is already starting to get in chaos. Let's leave early and avoid getting into trouble."
Lu Shiyan nodded slightly, turned and walked towards Su Wan: "Pack your things and get ready to go."
Su Wan glanced at Xiaomei who was still crying in the distance. Perhaps because of her pregnancy, she felt an inexplicable sympathy for Xiaomei.
"Let's go." She said softly, turning around and following Lu Shiyan.
The argument over Li Xinhu was still going on. Sister Hong's voice was piercing and sharp: "Li Xinhu, you promised! You said you would always take care of me! Now that Ah Hao is dead, do you also have to promise to take care of Xiaomei?"
Li Xinhu looked ashen, unable to refute. Xiaomei hugged her husband's body and burst into tears.
Li Xinhu seemed to be defeated, and all the strength in his body seemed to be drained away in an instant. Sister Hong's words were like a sharp knife, piercing his most vulnerable part accurately.
"I didn't..." He tried to defend himself, but his voice was so low that it was almost inaudible.
Several team members looked at each other, suddenly not knowing whose side to stand on.
Xiao Han looked back and said with a sigh: "Human nature, this is the thing that cannot stand the test in the end times."
Lu Shiyan looked indifferent, his eyes swept across the chaotic scene over there at Li Xinhu's place: "Have you checked the car?"
"No problem, we can set off at any time." Xiao Han patted the hood of the off-road vehicle.
"Get in the car." Lu Shiyan looked at Su Wan.
Su Wan nodded and was about to turn around when she suddenly heard a desperate scream behind her.
Seeing that Li Xinhu was under her control, Sister Hong became more confident and snorted at Xiaomei, "What's the point of crying? Blame those people for being too cruel. Ah Hao just wanted to find something to eat for everyone!"
When Xiaomei heard this, she raised her head abruptly, her bloodshot eyes fixed on Lu Shiyan and his group in the direction of the accommodation camp. They were calmly packing their things, as if the tragedy here had nothing to do with them. This indifference completely ignited the despair and madness in her heart.
"Yes...it's them!" she murmured in a hoarse voice, "It's all because of you!" Xiaomei stood up suddenly from the ground, her eyes red, and picked up the dagger dropped by Ah Hao from the ground in her hand. "If you hadn't come here, Ah Hao would not have died!" She rushed towards Lu Shiyan and the others like crazy.
Li Xinhu was shocked and rushed forward immediately: "Xiaomei! Stop!"
Xiao Han's eyes sharpened and his hand was already on the weapon, but he saw Lu Shiyan wave his hand lightly, and a faint electric current flashed across his fingertips.
Xiaomei rushed halfway when she was suddenly tripped by something and fell heavily to the ground. The dagger flew several meters away. She lay on the ground, crying heartbreakingly and could not get up again.
"Let's go." Lu Shiyan's voice was calm, as if everything that happened just now didn't exist.
Su Wan took a deep breath and got in the car. She glanced at Xiaomei who was still crying in the distance, feeling complicated. There are countless tragedies in the end times. Li Xinhu… What did he go through in the book to become that steadfast person? Now he seems to be in a more difficult situation than in the early days of the book.
Li Xinhu stood there in a daze, watching Lu Shiyan and their car slowly start up, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
"Boss..." a team member whispered, "What should we do?"
Li Xinhu looked at Xiaomei who was crying heart-wrenchingly, then looked at Sister Hong who had a livid face and was still trying to coerce him with old favors, and finally looked at Ah Hao's cold body.
Ah Hao was the brother who followed him out, but now he died in such an unclear manner, and made his wife so sad.
He thought of the original intention of forming the team. A strong sense of responsibility and unwillingness overwhelmed all the pain and confusion, and his eyes gradually became firm.
"Pack your things and we'll leave too."
"Xiaomei, I'm so sad. Ah Hao, we'll take you with us and find a safe place to bury you."
Sister Hong sneered: "Are you pretending to be a good person now?"
Li Xinhu ignored her and walked straight to Ah Hao's body. He squatted down, took off his coat, and gently covered Ah Hao's face with it.
"I'm sorry..." He muttered to himself, his voice almost inaudible.
The off-road vehicle drove out of the service area. Su Wan looked through the rearview mirror and watched Li Xinhu and his team gradually turn into small dots and finally disappear from sight.
"That Li Xinhu..." Xiao Han suddenly said, "He looks interesting."
Lu Shiyan still looked intently at the road ahead and did not respond.
Su Wan shook her head and said nothing more. She looked at the scenery that was rapidly receding outside the car window, and silently prayed in her heart that Li Xinhu could survive this crisis and become the person she knew in the book.
The car moved forward in silence, the sky outside the window gradually brightened, and a new day began.
"How far are we from the central base?"
"According to the current route, we can arrive this afternoon." Lu Shiyan replied calmly, "If everything goes well."
"Smoothly?" Xiao Han smiled. "The word smoothly doesn't seem to apply to the end times."
Su Wan looked forward and couldn't help but think of the description of the central base in the original book - it should be a relatively safe haven, but it also hides countless unknown secrets.
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