As the last dense shade of the trees was left behind and the blinding sunlight poured down without any obstruction, everyone subconsciously squinted.
What lay before me was no longer a depressing jungle, but an endless, gray-yellow wasteland.
The official road meandered through the area, resembling a dried-up riverbed. In the distance, scattered low mounds and withered shrubs dotted the landscape.
The air was scorching and dry, and even breathing it into my lungs carried the smell of sand and dust.
Finally out! Jiang Chan stopped and let out a long, silent breath. The nightmare in the mountains was finally over.
She turned around, her gaze sweeping over the dozen or so tired, dirty faces behind her, yet filled with a sense of relief at surviving a disaster.
"alright."
Jiang Chan's voice was exceptionally clear in the empty wilderness, devoid of warmth: "We're out, we're safe. Let's part ways here."
The crowd fell silent instantly, their relief freezing on their faces, turning into bewilderment and panic.
"Fairy Maiden..."
The old woodcutter was the first to speak, his voice hoarse, "Don't...don't abandon us..."
Jiang Chan interrupted him, her tone resolute, "Before, we were all running for our lives, helping each other out. Now that we're out, we're going our separate ways! Don't follow me anymore!"
She pulled Xiao Tao along, gestured to Chen Yan and Zhou Shi, and turned to walk in one direction along the official road.
Thump! Thump! A series of dull thuds came from behind as knees slammed into the hard ground!
More than a dozen people all knelt down! Their foreheads slammed heavily against the hot, dry earth!
"Fairy, have mercy!" a woman cried out, her voice trembling with sobs. "We have nowhere to go! We can't survive without you!"
"Yes, fairy! Please have mercy on us! Take us with you! We'll serve you like cattle and horses!"
"We have nothing on us! Even our water bags are torn! If we walk on our own, we'll just starve and die of thirst!"
"Please! Give me a way to live!"
Cries of pleas and sobs mingled together, echoing across the desolate wasteland, filled with despair and humble supplication.
Jiang Chan stopped in her tracks. She didn't turn around, but her back was ramrod straight.
In the five years since the apocalypse, she had seen far too many people like this... She should have gotten used to it, should have ignored them, and simply walked away.
But… she looked down at Xiao Tao beside her. Xiao Tao looked up, her eyes filled with reluctance, but she didn’t say anything.
She thought again of the mountain of rice and meat piled up in the space... Annoyance! Immense annoyance grew wildly like weeds!
"Get up!" Jiang Chan turned around abruptly, her voice icy. "No kneeling allowed!!"
The cries from the crowd subsided somewhat, but no one got up.
They simply lowered their heads even further, expressing their silent perseverance through silent kneeling.
Chen Yan helped Zhou Shi stand aside, watching this scene. His lips moved, but he ultimately said nothing. He understood Jiang Chan's resolute decision and the despair of these people. He simply watched in silence.
Looking at the group of people kneeling on the ground, like shadows stuck to her feet that she couldn't shake off, Jiang Chan felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
Cursing? Useless. Chasing them away? They'll kneel on the ground, what can you do then?
Jiang Chan cursed under her breath, turned around abruptly, grabbed Xiao Tao, and strode forward, saying, "Follow me if you want! You have legs of your own!"
She stopped looking behind her and hurried along the official road. Xiao Tao had to jog to keep up, being pulled along by her.
Behind them, a rustling sound came. The kneeling people hurriedly got up, brushed the dust off their knees, and helped each other up, silently and stubbornly following behind.
They kept a distance of about ten steps, like a group of silent ghosts. Chen Yan sighed, supported Zhou Shi, and silently followed.
The roads in the wilderness are still difficult to travel.
The sun blazed overhead, not a breath of wind stirred. The ground beneath our feet was scorching hot, shimmering with twisting waves of heat. The scene along the official road was monotonous and oppressive, nothing but grayish-yellow, with the occasional dried animal skeleton visible.
Water became the biggest problem. Jiang Chan had plenty of bottled water in her space, but it was being consumed at an alarming rate.
A dozen or so people need to consume at least three water bags of water every day just to barely stay hydrated and avoid collapsing.
During the break, Jiang Chan, as usual, distributed water to everyone.
"Thank you, Fairy Maiden... Thank you, Miss, for bestowing water..."
They silently accepted the water pouches, sipping the water sparingly, their eyes gazing blankly into the distance.
It was as if Jiang Chan's ability to conjure water from her bundle was as natural as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west.
Even the old woodcutter silently accepted the water, no longer mentioning it as a "fairy spring".
Chen Yan took the water pouch, looked at the pure water inside, glanced at Jiang Chan's still deflated bundle with a complicated expression, and silently drank the water.
His doubts had piled up like a mountain, but now all that remained was a resigned silence. Just live on, that was all.
Jiang Chan also posted the food items as usual.
One meal a day: multigrain pancakes or a little meat porridge.
The crowd received the food in silence and ate it in silence, without any extra emotion.
Hunger whipped them, turning them into a herd of tamed livestock, who only knew how to follow the "master" who could conjure up food and water.
Another day has passed. The desolate landscape stretches as far as the eye can see.
The images transmitted by the probe were devastating: for dozens of miles ahead along the official road, there were only abandoned villages, dried-up riverbeds, and cracked earth. There was no sign of any flowing water!
Jiang Chan frowned as she watched the rapidly depleting water reserves in her space. At this rate, even with enough food and meat, they would die of thirst without water!
She stopped and looked at the group of silent "shadows" behind her.
"Does anyone know where there's a river or a well around here?" Her voice was a little hoarse in the hot, dry air.
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