The last twisted alloy gate of the lower city slowly descended behind them, emitting a heavy, drawn-out metallic groan, like the sigh of a bygone era, finally and completely isolating the steel graveyard that had buried so much blood and tears. The scorching wasteland wind, carrying coarse sand and gravel, lashed at them like countless tiny knives, lashing the massive armor of the migrating vehicles with a dense, dull rustling sound.
Wen Shifei sat in the swaying passenger seat of the transport truck, glancing back through the scratched reinforced glass. The massive holographic billboard, once the sun-blocking skeletal structure, now twisted and deformed against the dimming skyline, like the dying bones of a giant beast. That was the place where they had fought, struggled, and finally said their goodbyes. An indescribable complex of emotions surged in his chest: relief at leaving the ruins, trepidation at venturing into the unknown, and a heavy mourning for the souls left behind, unable to walk alongside them.
She withdrew her gaze and looked ahead. The vast, silent convoy, like a long, steel dragon, slowly crawled across the boundless, ochre-colored wasteland, eroded into bizarre shapes by the wind. Leading the way were several modified exploration vehicles, heavily armored and equipped with detection antennas. Like the tentacles of a giant beast, they vigilantly scanned the death traps ahead. Behind them came large transport vehicles loaded with precision instruments, precious seed banks, and backup copies of the Lighthouse's core database. These were surrounded by layers of escort convoys. Finally, the armed convoy, responsible for rearguard and mobile support, was Li Shuo's signature heavy command vehicle, like a mobile fortress, anchoring the fleet like a stabilizing force. Billowing smoke and dust trailed the convoy's tail, forming a long, yellow dragon that merged into the leaden sky.
The cabin was silent, the only sounds being the roar of the engine and the clatter of the vehicle. The driver, a taciturn middle-aged man, stared intently at the horizon ahead, obscured by the wind and sand. Wen Shifei's portable terminal screen lit up, displaying a real-time terrain scan and radiation readings transmitted from the exploration vehicle. A green line, representing a safe path, snaked through the red and gray shadows representing high-radiation areas and unknown regions, like a fragile lifeline.
"Ten kilometers ahead, entering the edge of the 'Crying Canyon'. Radiation readings fluctuate, medium risk. Geological scans show signs of recent landslides, it is recommended to detour or pass through with caution at a low speed." The exploration vehicle's warning message sounded on the communication channel.
"Received. The convoy slows down and maintains distance. Exploration team, release the drone to confirm the specific situation at the landslide site." Li Shuo's steady and powerful voice came from the command channel.
Wen Shifei's fingers moved swiftly on the terminal, marking the warning information on the map and simultaneously pulling up the geological records of Weeping Canyon from the Lighthouse database. Old mines, faults, and long-term radiation erosion had left the area's geological structure extremely fragile. She frowned slightly, a sense of unease creeping into her heart.
At this moment, a suppressed, heart-wrenching cough came from the back compartment, breaking the silence in the car. The cough had a heart-pounding sticky feeling, as if it was going to cough out the lungs.
Wen Shifei's heart sank. It was the girl named Xiaoyun. Although the plague had been eradicated, the frail children and elderly were far less adaptable to the harsh environment of this wasteland than the average person. She immediately unbuckled her seatbelt and said to the driver, "I'll go check out the back."
She pushed open the sealed door to the rear compartment, and a wave of heat, a mixture of sweat, medicine, and the sour smell of vomit, hit her face. The rear compartment had been improvised into a rudimentary medical area, with a dozen or so crammed stretchers, housing the most seriously ill or frail migrants. Dr. Qin's graying hair, soaked with sweat, plastered to his forehead. He leaned over the bedside of a child coughing violently and with a cyanotic complexion, listening intently with a stethoscope, his bloodshot eyes filled with solemnity. Several volunteers in homemade protective suits hurried, their faces weary, between beds, replacing stained gauze and IV bottles.
Xiaoyun huddled on a stretcher in the corner, her small body huddled up in a ball from violent coughing fits, like a wounded animal. Beside her, the gray-haired old woman—her grandmother—clung tightly to her granddaughter's scalding hand, tears streaming silently as she murmured in despair, "What a sin... I just escaped from the gates of hell... This damn place... is going to take my child's life..."
"Dr. Qin, how is Xiaoyun?" Wen Shifei walked quickly to the bedside, squatted down, and gently held Xiaoyun's other cold hand. The child's palms were covered in cold sweat, and her pulse was frighteningly rapid.
Dr. Qin straightened up, removed his stethoscope, rubbed his brow wearily, and said in a hoarse voice, "Acute respiratory infection combined with mild radiation burns. The wasteland's dust and the ubiquitous low-dose radiation have caused more damage to the respiratory and immune systems than expected. Our antibiotics... are very limited in their effectiveness against this combined injury." He pointed to a half-empty medicine box nearby, his eyes filled with deep worry. "The reserves are depleting too quickly. Especially the special mitigating agent for radiation damage, it's almost gone. If this continues..."
He didn't say anything else, but a heavy feeling of despair weighed on everyone's heart like a cold stone. The migration had just begun, and the shadow of death, like a maggot on the tarsal bone, quietly loomed again.
Wen Shifei looked at Xiaoyun's pained face, the near-exhaustion in Dr. Qin's eyes, and a sense of powerlessness suddenly gripped her. She was a warrior, an explorer, but in the face of illness, her dagger and knowledge seemed so pale. She instinctively reached for her pocket, where she found the cold data storage device engraved with the neural totem, left by her brother Wen Yuan. It brought hope to the Ark, but it couldn't dispel the shadow of death before her eyes.
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