Chapter 167: The Border of the Fallen Zone
They split into two groups. "You Zhengqing" drove the money transport vehicle out of the town and found a suitable hiding place on a high ground in the opposite direction of the back mountain. He parked the car and waited.
Youxi drove the military truck through the town again and parked the car near the back mountain. Then he used the radio on the military truck to contact the base. He reported the situation of the town and the back mountain in a panicked tone, added some guesses, pointed out the word "experiment", and said that he had taken photos and other evidence. Then he cut off the contact, abandoned the car and went straight to the money transport vehicle.
There was no one around. She ran at full speed along the dense vegetation area. Every tree in the dense forest was her eyes and ears. She hardly needed to look at the road, but she could accurately avoid the overhanging branches and thorny bushes every time, and quickly pass through the gaps between the plants.
She didn't know that her message caused a sensation on the other end of the radio.
Several management personnel were in a heated debate about this.
"I've never heard of the town of Meiman Hot Springs. Where is it?"
Someone nearby marked the location on the electronic map.
"Are there any vehicles going there on a mission today?"
"No, sir!"
"Did you hear that? There is no convoy going there on a mission at all. How could the other party accidentally discover something unusual during the mission? This is very likely a trap!"
"But it could also be true! You also know that in addition to the experiment maniacs of the Lanfei Group, there is also a high-level infected person who can talk and think and escaped. I was almost fooled by him at first. If these two parties meet... The situation outside is so chaotic now. What if this news is true! The situation will only get worse!"
"Let me think about it!"
"I know what you are thinking. We can investigate first. For safety reasons, we can send a helicopter to assist. It's still four hours before dark.
There's still time!" "Then what about Lincheng--"
"Let's not talk about it for now. They also have their own selfish motives. Let's take care of ourselves first--"
...
At the same moment, on a high ground some distance away from the town, Youxi quickly found the location of the money transport truck according to Tongzi's instructions in her mind and with the help of plants.
After she got on the car, she only said two words: "Wait."
Seeing her come back, Min Min's mother re-ignited the stove and started cooking noodles.
The pot was big enough. She put six packs of pork bone soup ramen according to the number of people, then added dehydrated vegetables, and took out a small frying pan to fry some sliced luncheon meat.
The domineering meat aroma soon spread in the car, and the others knew why Min Min's mother insisted on taking two large bottles of salad oil on the car when they were carrying instant noodles and canned food on the car just now.
Putting luncheon meat directly into noodles and frying luncheon meat with oil and then putting it on the cooked instant noodles are two completely different things.
"It's a pity that there are no eggs, otherwise it would be more fragrant if I fried a poached egg. Okay, Xiao Cong will serve the noodles to everyone."
Min Cong took out the disposable paper bowl and disposable chopsticks from the supermarket, filled the noodles and soup, put fried luncheon meat on it, and handed the first bowl to Youxi.
Although he was young, he was very smart and knew that Youxi was the most important leader in this team.
Youxi smiled and said thank you, took the bowl of noodles, and handed it to "You Zhengqing" first: "You haven't eaten well today, you eat first."
Minmin's mother's cooking skills are good. Although it is a simple instant noodle, the softness and water content of the noodles are just right, and the soup is not too bland. Paired with dehydrated vegetables and luncheon meat, everyone eats it very happily.
Youxi hasn't eaten instant noodles for a long time, and it's a rare occasion to eat it. It's particularly delicious. Even Tongzi, who always likes fruits, vegetables and vegetarians, finished the noodles.
But he still doesn't like meat very much, so he picked up all the luncheon meat in the bowl and gave it to her.
Youxi sighed, took out a washed apple, a small bag of medicine for today, and a bottle of water from his backpack (Star House Warehouse) and gave them to him: "Take the medicine first, then the apple."
After lunch, Minmin's mother put the disposable dishes into the garbage bag that Youxi handed to her, tied it tightly, and threw it into the covered plastic bucket in the corner of the car. The pot was wiped clean with a paper towel and put back into the toolbox.
The six people opened a large bag of chocolates and ate while waiting. Just when they were bored and almost started playing flying chess, the people from the base came.
From the high ground where they were, they could clearly see the convoy coming from the other end of the road. There were three cars in front and behind, all of which were armored vehicles. At the fork in the road, the car did not drive towards the town, but drove directly to the back of the mountain from another shortcut.
Youxi knew that ordinary people could not see it, so he took out two telescopes and handed them to the people in the back car. They opened the small window and observed nervously and vigilantly through the metal railings.
The armored vehicle did not seem to stop at the military truck, but continued to drive towards the back mountain and drove into the mountain.
Not long after, the sound of fighting came from the back mountain.
"Wow! This is too awesome, they started fighting without saying anything!" Min Cong raised the telescope and exclaimed in a low voice.
"The fight started so soon?" Fang Lei took the telescope from Min Min and went up to check. "Does this mean that whatever is in the back mountain has nothing to do with the authorities - at least, it has nothing to do with the base shelter?"
"Yes." You Xi also held up a telescope to check.
There were several forks and a small town between the high ground where the money transport truck was located and the back mountain. At this distance, with You Xi's current use of plant abilities, she couldn't use her supernatural powers to check the situation over there.
This was mainly related to the type of plant. If it was a mutated plant like the one in her native world, some plants with special functions might be able to do it. But the plants in this world had not mutated, so she couldn't do it at the moment.
Fortunately, with the help of a telescope, some information can be detected.
The sound of the robbery gradually became more intense, as if two groups of people were fighting each other. Halfway up the mountain, the noise became louder and louder, and explosions and black smoke rose from time to time.
A military helicopter gradually appeared in their field of vision. It was an armed helicopter with a heavy machine gun installed on one side. It flew straight to the back mountain and immediately joined the battle.
A huge and heavy roar soon came from the back mountain. The sound echoed throughout the valley, and several people on the money transport vehicle heard it.
They were all very familiar with the sound, and it felt like a nightmare was coming back.
"Is there really a laboratory in the back mountain?" Otherwise, how to explain the sudden appearance of inhuman roars in human battles?
"It doesn't matter if it's a laboratory or not, as long as it's not an official base." Youxi put away the telescope. She could understand that the managers of the Pianshan Refuge allowed researchers to use infected people for experiments in order to develop instruments and serum vaccines that could quickly determine whether someone was infected.
But she couldn't understand why they developed a larger, more lethal physical mutant in the laboratory. No matter how many high-sounding reasons they had, she couldn't understand it.
Fortunately, it seemed that the official people were not that crazy.
Several people observed the battle in the back mountain for a while. The official strength should not be underestimated. Probably in order to make a quick decision and not drag the battle until dark, they sent another military helicopter over. This aircraft was equipped with armor-piercing bullets. Under the double pressure of the helicopter and the armored vehicle, the tight battle was quickly decided.
Not long after, Youxi saw two more military trucks driving in. There were many troops sitting in the canopy. They drove directly into the town, parked and began to investigate the whole town.
She also served in the army and knew that this was a mopping-up tool. They wanted to sweep away all the relevant information nearby, because not all information was suitable for public disclosure, so they had to sweep it up and leave nothing behind.
But she guessed that the person they wanted to find more at this moment was her - the person who informed the base before. In order to make the other party pay attention to her, she revealed a lot of information in her words and said that she had taken photos. The other party must think that she has a lot of information in her hands, and they must find her.
"Okay, we should go. It will be dark in an hour. We have to find a suitable place to spend the night." After You Xi spoke, several people in the car quickly closed the glass windows.
Fang Lei rushed to the driving area and asked if he could drive. After all, he was a doctor and always worried about the health of his patients.
"I'll drive the car, you look at the map to show the way, and let your brother go to the sofa in the back to sleep for a while."
Before You Xi answered, the man who started the car had already spoken: "It's okay, I'll drive."
**
There are three routes from the hot spring town where they are to the non-fallen area.
The shortest and most convenient one is a highway connecting several cities. They can find a way to get on the highway from here, and then drive the whole way until they leave the fallen zone.
However, according to their previous experience when they left Zhoucheng, this road was the first road for people to evacuate the city. There were many vehicles on the road because many people entered the third stage of the mutation on the way. One infected person was enough to cause chaos in the surrounding area. Many people were stuck in traffic and abandoned their cars, completely blocking the highway.
The highway outside Zhoucheng is like this, and the situation in other cities is estimated to be similar.
The second route is to take the national highway. The national highway connects cities and towns, and it is like a spider web, but it is easy to get lost and take a detour. Moreover, the official traffic now uses the national highway. If they take this road, they are likely to meet troops.
The last route is the mountain road.
This route is relatively rugged, mostly narrow roads and mountain roads. Military trucks that are slightly larger cannot travel on such roads, and there are few towns along the way. It is a camping adventure route.
But at the same time, because it is far away from the town, You Xi guessed that some people who want to leave the fallen area will take this road.
In the end, everyone chose the third road. The first road will be congested and there will be infected people, and the second road will encounter troops. In comparison, it is better for other people who are difficult to escape.
"You Zhengqing" drove the car very fast all the way. Fortunately, the road was relatively flat and everyone did not get carsick.
Before the sun set, they stopped in a dense forest before entering the mountain road as planned.
The camouflaged car body is hidden among the plants, almost blending into the surrounding environment. The surrounding trees are Youxi's eyes and ears. If there are infected people or humans at night, she will know it at the first time.
This is also the reason why she advocates taking the mountain road. The mountains and forests are her home.
Everyone felt very tired after a busy day. At night, they simply ate some self-heating rice, got off the car and solved physiological problems nearby, then used the mint mouthwash provided by Youxi, and laid out four camp beds in the car.
One person can sleep on the sofa, and another person will be on duty.
Of course, the person on duty excluded the patient "You Zhengqing" and Min Min's mother.
Fang Lei originally wanted to exclude Youxi. After all, she was the main force of the team. He hoped that she could rest well at night so that she would have the energy to lead them forward during the day.
"It doesn't matter. I don't sleep much. Usually, five or six hours is enough. Now I have almost 12 hours. You take turns first, and I'll take over in the second half of the night." You Xi spoke, and the matter was settled.
Because of this car, they no longer had to find buildings to clean up and stay overnight along the way, saving a lot of time. One day later, they arrived at the edge of the submerged area. There were obviously more cars here. There was a third-tier small city nearby. It was not the concentrated outbreak site of the infected at first, but because of the incidents in other cities, a large number of people fled to this small city, which led to the spread of infection.
Now the people in the small city are continuing to flee to the northwest, but in order to curb the spread of infection, other cities have already cut off all highways and national roads entering the city, set up many warning barriers, and equipped with heavy weapons.
At the same time, they set up a large area of quarantine near the city in advance. There are several quarantine areas, divided into three different quarantine areas: dangerous, medium and low. They are surrounded by iron fences, and armored vehicles patrol nearby at night.
Various supplies such as drinking water, tents and daily necessities are dropped into the quarantine area by small drones. The intention of doing so is very obvious. They did not turn a blind eye to the people in the fallen areas, but in order to curb the spread of infection, the entrance to the city was closed, and the fleeing people could only stay in the quarantine area outside the city for the time being.
People who have been in the "dangerous" area for two days can go to the "medium" quarantine area, and then to the "low" quarantine area 24 hours later. After another 24 hours, if there is still no mutation, they can enter the cordon for a full-body check and continue to be quarantined for another 24 hours.
Finally, after the last 24 hours, they will be allowed to enter the city and their identity information will be registered.
Because the mutation period after infection is up to three days, the advantage of such multiple quarantines is that it can curb omissions caused by different physical constitutions and different lengths of illness.
However, such quarantine also has great disadvantages. Some uninfected people will inadvertently come into contact with infected but asymptomatic people. Occasionally, mutants suddenly appear in the quarantine area and attack and injure people, and casualties are inevitable.
After Youxi inquired about the situation, she returned to the money transport truck parked in a forest somewhere in the suburbs. After she told the other party the news, she asked him if he trusted her.
"Xiaoxi, without you, we would never get here. You said, no matter what, we will follow you and never regret it!" Min Min spoke first, and Min Cong and Min Min's mother nodded vigorously behind her.
Fang Lei patted her shoulder: "As long as you don't think we are useless, we will always follow you!"
"You Zhengqing" looked at the hand on Youxi's shoulder until the other party noticed and took his hand back, and then he looked away.
**
Half an hour later, a group of six people arrived at the quarantine area in an old car that Youxi had found temporarily.
Each of them only brought a backpack with the most basic drinking water. The old car was mixed in with other fleeing people's convoys and entered the quarantine area to accept the first wave of quarantine. The quarantine area was much more chaotic than the shelters they had stayed in before, and was basically in a state of no one managing it.
The people who stayed here were panic-stricken every night. Most people didn't dare to sleep at all, for fear that once they fell asleep, someone in a nearby tent would suddenly change, tear off his face, and use the blood on his hands to infect everyone around him.
Everyone is used to resting during the day, and will check every person they see to see if they have symptoms of itching and scratching, skin ulcers, coughing... Once there is a similar situation, it will be immediately made public, and someone nearby will immediately come and tie them up forcibly. If the other party's family resists, everyone will step forward together and tie them up.
At night, most people hide in their tents like frightened birds, alert to the surroundings, and endure the time bit by bit.
There are also strong people who will patrol around, and once they notice anyone showing abnormal behavior, they will immediately tie him up.
Anyone who dares to resist will become a target of public criticism.
For their own safety, everyone becomes a "messenger of justice."
After a simple inspection, the six people from Youxi received a red card for the "dangerous" quarantine area. They took back their backpacks, went to get the tent, and chose an open space to set up their own tent. They were given a six-person tent, and it would be safer for everyone to live together.
At night, they ate the water and biscuits they brought in their backpacks. No one complained, because everyone knew that they had to keep a low profile during the four days in the quarantine area.
After nightfall, Youxi zipped up the tent, took out two muffled pistols from her backpack and handed them to Fang Lei and Min Min.
No one asked her where she had hidden the pistols to avoid inspection, just like no one asked her why she put most of the supplies in the money transport truck, and why she drove away in the money transport truck and returned with two inconspicuous old cars just five minutes later.
There were some things that no one asked, because they knew that what Youxi needed was trust, not doubt.
Fang Lei and Min Min took the gun with serious faces, checked the bullets, and carried the gun close to their bodies.
The first night was safe and sound.
The second night, a newcomer in the tent across the street coughed a few times in the middle of the night. Someone heard it and raised the alarm. As a result, other people rushed into the tent and tied him and his family up. No matter how he shouted that he just had a cold and cough, it was useless. Instead, he was punched a few more times and all his belongings were "taken away" because the infected person did not need to eat.
On the third night, they entered the "medium" quarantine area. Someone in the "dangerous" quarantine area next to them suddenly mutated and bit several people who were patrolling spontaneously. Just one infected person caused great chaos. Finally, the troops rushed over and quelled the chaos with robbery. It
was cloudy on the fourth day. The clouds were thick and dense, blocking the sun.
Everyone looked at the gloomy sky and had a bad premonition.
Sure enough, that night, a large number of infected people came near the quarantine area.
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