Chapter 29 Restoration
As evening fell, the massive convoy of vehicles, like a battered and bruised steel python, wearily pulled into a highway service area.
The main building of the service area had mostly shattered windows, and the walls were covered with dried blood and bullet holes, clearly indicating that it had long been abandoned and had just undergone another round of cleaning. The advance troops of the military had already cleared away the scattered zombies and were now on guard with guns, guiding vehicles to park orderly in the spacious parking lot.
As the engine noise gradually subsided, a brief silence was followed by a variety of sounds—suppressed sobs, painful groans, soldiers shouting orders, and the rustling of survivors getting out of their vehicles to stretch their muscles.
The air was thick with the smell of blood and gunpowder, as well as a sense of exhaustion and sorrow from surviving a catastrophe.
The military quickly began preliminary statistics, and the results were somber.
In the afternoon's skirmish, more than thirty soldiers were confirmed dead or missing, and more than two hundred civilian survivors. This does not include those who were lost in the chaos or trapped in abandoned vehicles, whose numbers cannot be counted.
Behind each number lies a broken family or a life cut short. An atmosphere of sorrow permeated the crowd, with many people huddled together, sobbing softly, or gazing blankly at the stars.
At least fifteen vehicles of various types were completely destroyed or abandoned in the fight against the zombie horde or the ensuing chaos, including three valuable military trucks.
Ammunition consumption was enormous, especially machine gun and rifle bullets. Fuel consumption also exceeded expectations due to the detour. Medical supplies were extremely scarce, and the accompanying medics were busy in the makeshift medical area, where groans of pain could be heard constantly.
Ruan Ning parked the car in a relatively secluded but open corner. The four of them quickly got out of the car.
Ruan Ning and Lin Yan immediately inspected the vehicle's condition. The reinforced front bumper was somewhat deformed and covered in blood and bits of flesh; the dent on the side door, caused by the mutant, was horrifying; the body was covered in scratches and impact marks. However, the overall structure was intact, and key components such as the tires and engine were undamaged.
Zhou Min, carrying a water bottle, strode towards the temporary water supply point set up by the military, queued up to receive her ration of drinking water, and inquired about the latest news.
The hooded woman disappeared silently into the shadows beside the car, keeping watch over the surroundings. Although the military had conducted a cleanup, no one could guarantee that no one had slipped through the net, or that there were any survivors with malicious intentions.
Zhou Min returned quickly, her face grim: "The losses are greater than we imagined. The military requires all ability users to take turns participating in forward guard and rear-guard missions starting tomorrow. I'm afraid we can't escape."
Lin Yan cursed and kicked the tire hard: "Damn it, I knew it wouldn't be anything good!"
Ruan Ning nodded silently; this was expected. Power means responsibility, and also greater risk.
She leaned against the cold car body, looking around at the scene that resembled a refugee camp—people sitting together, sharing meager amounts of food, their faces etched with exhaustion, sadness, and fear for the future.
A low chanting sound drifted on the night breeze; it was unclear who was performing a ritual for the deceased.
The night was as dark as ink, shrouding the service area in a deathly silence and unease.
Only a few emergency lights were placed in scattered spots, barely dispelling a small patch of darkness and illuminating people's tired and vigilant faces.
The military deployed soldiers to patrol and keep watch around the camp and on high ground, but after the devastating losses during the day, everyone knew that they could not completely entrust their safety to others.
Beside the off-road vehicle where Ruan Ning's team was located, the four men sat around for a moment, discussing in hushed tones.
“Take turns on night watch, two hours each.” Ruan Ning succinctly assigned tasks, “Lin Yan is on the first shift, Zhou Min on the second shift, I am on the third shift, and she…” Ruan Ning’s gaze swept over the hooded woman, “the fourth shift. Besides zombies, be careful of people.”
"Understood." Zhou Min pushed up her glasses, her eyes gleaming behind the lenses. "With such a huge loss today, someone must be eyeing it out. Our car is too conspicuous."
Lin Yan snorted coldly and placed the axe within easy reach: "Perfect! I've been holding back my anger for a while now. Anyone who dares to come near me, just try!"
The hooded woman nodded silently, which was taken as agreement.
Lin Yan leaned against the cold car door, motionless like a statue, only her sharp eyes, still gleaming in the darkness, constantly scanning the surrounding shadows. Her very presence was a deterrent.
Not far away, other survivor squads were also on night watch, maintaining a delicate distance from each other and being wary of one another.
The night was not quiet. In the distance, the faint roars of zombies could be heard, while nearby came suppressed coughs, children's cries, and some kind of... subtle, deliberately suppressed footsteps.
Lin Yan's ears twitched slightly, and she gripped the axe handle tighter.
She saw a dark figure flash past among the wreckage of vehicles not far away. She didn't make a sound, but lowered her center of gravity, like a cheetah poised to pounce. The dark figure seemed to sense her gaze, paused for a moment, and then quietly retreated into the deeper darkness.
Lin Yan's lips curled into a cold smile as she remained vigilant. This shift passed in a silent standoff.
Zhou Min replaced Lin Yan. She didn't have Lin Yan's imposing aura, but her enhanced perception made her exceptionally sensitive to her surroundings. She closed her eyes, concentrated, and listened intently to every unusual sound carried on the wind.
She "heard" more—not just the howls of zombies, but also the suppressed arguments in the survivors' tents over the dwindling food supplies.
She "heard" light, slow footsteps approaching the side and rear of their vehicle. Zhou Min suddenly opened her eyes, looked in that direction, and gently nudged Ruan Ning, who was pretending to be asleep inside the car, with her elbow.
Ruan Ning immediately snapped out of her daze and peered through the gaps in the steel mesh of the car window. In the moonlight, a small, thin figure was trying to approach the supplies tied to the back of their vehicle, seemingly holding a small knife and attempting to cut the ropes securing the cargo.
He was a teenager, pale and thin, with only a crazy craving for food in his eyes.
Ruan Ning's eyes turned slightly cold as she shook her head at Zhou Min. Zhou Min understood and remained silent, simply staring intently at the figure. Perhaps sensing the invisible pressure, the child ultimately didn't dare to make a move and ran away in a panic.
“Even the children…” Zhou Min sighed, her voice tinged with helplessness.
“In the apocalypse, there are no children, only people who want to survive.” Ruan Ning’s voice came from inside the car, calm to the point of being cold.
Ruan Ning took over the job when it was the deepest and coldest time of night.
Ruan Ning stood beside the car, feeling the cold night wind brush against her cheeks. She activated her water-based supernatural ability, and a barely perceptible wisp of water vapor slowly spread out from her center, not as an attack, but as an extension of her perception.
The objects that the moisture touches will give back extremely faint sensations, helping her to construct the outline of her surroundings.
She "saw" the blurry figures of soldiers moving back and forth on a military watchtower in the distance; she "saw" further away, there seemed to be swaying shadows wandering in the darkness, possibly scattered zombies attracted by the smell; she "saw" in several nearby tents, people tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
Suddenly, she sensed extremely faint, but definitely not zombie-like, breathing coming from under the chassis of an abandoned bus to her side! Someone was hiding there! Their purpose was unknown!
Ruan Ning didn't alert the enemy. She quietly took out a small pebble from her spatial storage and flicked it with her finger. The pebble, with a slight whooshing sound, struck the bus tire precisely with a soft "tap."
Breathing stopped instantly! A moment later, a dark figure, like a startled rabbit, quickly crawled out from the other side of the car and disappeared into the night without looking back.
The hooded woman took over from Ruan Ning. Her way of keeping watch was the most peculiar; she didn't stand still, but moved slowly and silently around their vehicle like a true shadow, perfectly blending into every shadowy corner.
She rarely even looked directly in any direction; it was more as if she was using her whole being to "feel" the darkness.
During her shift, there seemed to be a small commotion at the edge of the camp, accompanied by short shouts and a few muffled thuds, before it quickly subsided.
It was unclear whether the military had dealt with the zombies trying to sneak in, or... resolved an internal conflict. The hooded woman glanced in that direction but made no move, continuing her silent patrol.
She quietly returned to the car as dawn broke, gently knocking on the window to signal the end of her vigil.
One night passed.
The four men took turns keeping watch at night. Although they were exhausted, they ensured the safety of the team.
That night, no zombies breached the defenses, and no survivors actually dared to attack them. But this constant vigilance and the invisible standoff with their own kind took a toll on their mental energy even more than the daytime battles.
As the crimson of dawn once again painted the sky red, Ruan Ning knew that a new day of migration was about to begin.
The darkness and scheming hidden in everyone's hearts last night will not disappear with the sunrise; they will only intensify on this long road to survival.
Human nature has become something that needs to be guarded against even more than zombies.
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