Huaicheng was bombed
If I had known what would happen later, I should have expressed my gratitude to Yu Zhongjian for "avenging" me on the way instead of falling asleep; if I had known what would happen later, I should have taken a shower and eaten a meal as soon as I returned to the veterans' camp instead of getting an X-ray first.
There's no such thing as knowing beforehand.
The trip to Tongcheng seemed to be a turning point in my fate. However, after just one trip, the seemingly improving situation of survival in the apocalypse suddenly turned in a direction that no one could have imagined.
Three days ago, in the afternoon, we returned safely to the veterans' home. My leg injury naturally caught my parents' attention. After an examination by Uncle Tang, it was found that I had a minor fracture of my femur, which required no treatment and would heal on its own with rest. Just as I was getting caught in a quagmire of questioning, blaming, and love, I heard a sudden explosion from an unknown source, which resounded through the sky.
At that moment, the tables and chairs shook violently, the building swayed noticeably, and a plastic ceiling light fell down, hitting me right on the head. I yelled that it was an earthquake, and ignoring my injured leg, I desperately pressed my parents under the desk. The three of us huddled under the desk for five minutes when Yu Zhongjian rushed in with binoculars and shouted, "The east side of the city has been bombed. People should evacuate immediately."
When I heard the bombing, my mind went blank, and I was thrown into a panic. My weakness—my inability to think calmly and react quickly when faced with an unpredictable and unprecedented crisis—was exposed.
But where is there time to ask more questions, talk more, or think more? The wings of the planes buzzed and circled above the city, sounding almost right next to my ears, while explosions rang out incessantly from all directions, like a death knell. Unlike the grenades or small cantaloupe shells I had used before, which made a sound but had limited power, those explosions were truly soul-crushing sounds. In an instant, my mind was filled with bombing scenes I had seen on the news, and I felt as if I would lose my life at any moment.
The planes landed over Huaicheng again, but instead of bringing good news of national aid, they indiscriminately dropped a barrage of bombs. First the east of the city, then minutes later the west. If we hadn't run fast...
Yu Zhongjian gave them two minutes to evacuate, and everyone's survival instinct kicked in. Binbin carried his dad on his back, my dad held me, and my mom was being dragged behind them; all three of them ran at breakneck speed. The courtyard was in chaos; every car that could start was crammed with people, and Liu Meili even sat on Xiao Hei's lap. I lay on the side of a large truck, desperately pulling people up, while Xiao Meng huddled in Sister Wei's arms, her eyes filled with terror.
The prisoners locked on the fourth floor couldn't open the door, so they jumped out of the windows onto the bushes. Whether they broke their legs or not is unknown, but none of them were left behind when the car was driven.
All the food, supplies, clothing, and other provisions were left with the veterans, except for the truckload of weapons we had just acquired—which hadn't even been moved into the warehouse yet; a driver just picked it up and drove off.
Unable to determine the bombing location, we didn't flee the city. Led by Yu Zhongjian, we temporarily settled in Xiaojiangshan. There were fewer zombies there, and air-raid shelters, so at least we were safe. We thought we could go back the next day, but just as we were about to leave, the roaring started again. More than a hundred people crowded into the air-raid shelter, silently listening to the sounds of their hometown being destroyed.
On the third day, the plane didn't return. Frightened and afraid to show their faces, they endured another day without food, water, beds, or blankets, everyone on the verge of collapse. Yu Zhongjian, under cover of night, led a group into the city and retrieved some food and water—not much, enough for over a hundred people for one meal. They also brought back devastating news: the veterans' hospital building had collapsed; the artificial lake, the back garden, the medical storage warehouse, and even the canteen were buried under the rubble. Or, to put it another way, the veterans were gone.
On the morning of the fourth day, I stood atop Xiaojiangshan Mountain, leaning on a thick tree branch, gazing at the city billowing with black smoke in the distance, my heart churning with emotion. I had thought the zombie horde would be the greatest crisis we could face, but I never imagined that an even more perilous predicament awaited us.
My dad sat under a tree not far away, muttering, "The home is gone, the Qi family is gone." My mom was beside him, stroking his back gently.
Looking out through the last remaining telescope, the eastern part of the city was a scene of ruins, and the direction where the Qi family lived was shrouded in thick smoke, making it easy to imagine that their fate was grim.
Yu Zhongjian, Gao Chen, Han Bo, Zhou Yi, Xiao Hei, Liu Meili, Ma Li, and others were all standing around me. A minute ago, Yu Zhongjian asked me to make a decision, and now they were all waiting for my answer.
We did communicate during the three days. During the day, we were on high alert, watching for planes to turn back. When it was quiet at night, we would get together for long meetings to analyze where the planes came from, their bombing intentions, the duration of the bombing, and how to respond.
Opinions reached a consensus on the bombing's intent: everyone agreed that it was an extreme purge initiated by the capital's top leadership, bombing areas deemed devoid of survivors or with very few survivors to eliminate large numbers of zombies and reduce the possibility of further virus transmission. However, opinions diverged on our response. The conservatives, represented by the middle-aged and elderly, felt that after the bombing, we could return to Huai City and rebuild our homes from scratch. The radicals, represented by Zhou Yi and Xiao Hei, believed that bombing the city without prior notice was a callous disregard for human life and the lives of ordinary people; we couldn't let it go like this and had to demand an explanation, especially compensation for the supplies we had painstakingly accumulated over the past six months.
Even now, I'm still in a daze. I keep asking myself, is it really gone? My home, my workplace, my city, just like that? It was so fast, so sudden, that for the past three days I haven't been able to believe it's real. I wanted to show off the weapons I got from Tongcheng, I wanted to take a hot bath, I wanted to eat hand-pulled noodles, I wanted to see water come out of Pit No. 3, I wanted to feed the rabbits!
Yes, little rabbits. They weren't taken with them when they ran away. The ones kept in the cafeteria must have been crushed into rabbit pancakes by now, right?
A surge of anger rose from my dantian, attacking my heart and mind, burning through my limbs and bones. All I could see were billowing black smoke and ruins, and all I could hear were my father's heartbroken and powerless murmurs. My hands, gripping the tree branch, trembled. I was filled with uncontrollable rage.
The struggle to survive has become a joke; the lives of ants are worthless.
That helicopter from so long ago might have truly been sent to search for survivors, but the pilot clearly treated the mission like a joke, going through the motions, perhaps not even considering survivors from a small town like us. Did he know that there were survivors hoping he would fly over again every day? Did he know that after the search and rescue would come bombing? I must find him and ask him what he thought in person.
“Observe for a few days, and make sure the bombing will stop,” I breathed a sigh of relief and calmed down, then said to everyone, “After that, we’ll go to the capital, demand an explanation, demand compensation, and demand that they return Huaicheng to us!”
Han Bo hesitated: "Should everyone go, or...?"
"Everyone go." Yu Zhongjian answered for me without any room for doubt. He took out a crumpled cigarette pack from his pocket, opened it, and found only one cigarette inside. He licked his chapped lips, took out the cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and said, "Huaicheng is ruined. There's no point in staying here."
Zhou Yi turned his head fiercely: "I originally wanted to steadily grow bigger and stronger, so that I would have the capital to negotiate with the higher-ups for a merger or something. But now the higher-ups want to wipe us out directly. If we don't rebel now, when will we?"
I glanced at him sideways: "All you want is an explanation and a way to live. What kind of rebellion is this, with over a hundred people? You haven't given up on your dream of becoming a king, have you?"
Zhou Yi sighed, "People always need to have aspirations, right? If we don't rebel, it's like we're just going to believe in... believe in what again?"
“We’re going to petition,” Xiao Hei replied. “They blew up our house for no reason, so we have a legitimate reason to petition.”
The word "petition" seems to possess a magical power. When I told the conservatives that I was going to the capital to seek justice from the bigwigs, they all advised me to forget it. They said that with planes and bombs, it must be a regular army we couldn't afford to mess with; it was like throwing an egg against a rock. But when I changed my approach and told them I was going to petition for compensation, the conservatives suddenly understood. "That's right!" they exclaimed. "The bombing of Huaicheng is the same as developers demolishing houses against the will of the people. The citizens are still here; what right do you have to bomb them? Going to the capital to complain to the leaders and demand compensation is perfectly justified!"
My dad was the first to change his mindset, turning from despondency to positivity: "Go to the capital to find your third uncle. He has to help us find a way to petition. The Qi family has been bombed to death. I don't believe he won't be angry!"
I don't know if my third uncle was angry, but I was absolutely furious, especially when I stood at the entrance of the veterans' compound and saw that pile of broken walls and rubble with my own eyes. Yu Zhongjian, probably to appease everyone, only mentioned the collapse of the inpatient department in a light-hearted manner, which left me with a sliver of hope that we could salvage some medical supplies from the outpatient department and that we could retrieve everyone's changes of clothes and hidden food from the administration building.
The truth is, the bombing triggered an explosion of ammunition in the warehouse, which in turn caused an explosion of oil tanks. Everything collapsed and was buried. The vegetable garden was gone, the well was gone, and the only way to find anything was to dig deep. Even the road in front of the veterans' quarters was blown to smithereens. I was only able to get in because Yu Zhongjian carried me there.
Zhang Yanhuang walked dejectedly from the ruins: "The company commander's travel bag is gone too. I only found a letter on the way, and everything else is gone."
Only those who have poured their heart and soul into this know the pain of having their efforts wasted. I was panting heavily, and my left leg, which I hadn't been able to rest properly, was becoming increasingly painful.
"I've dug up everything I could." Yu Zhongjian gently pressed against my waist from behind, letting me lean on him for support. "Let's collect more along the way to the capital. Don't be angry."
I looked around frantically, searching for someone: "Where's Wang Lianshan? We have to find a way to dig out the camera no matter what. We need to keep visual evidence. If we don't get a decent explanation, I'm really going to revolt!"
Unable to find a camera, Yuan Xikun ultimately provided his fully charged mobile phone, which he had used after arriving at the veterans' quarters, as a photographic tool. Starting from the veterans' quarters, he walked through many sections of Huaicheng, faithfully documenting the city's devastation. There were no people or zombies here; it had become a vast construction wasteland.
Four or five days have passed since the last bombing, and the sound of planes can still be faintly heard in the northeastern sky. The bombing continues to advance northward, but it is moving further away from Huaicheng, this deadly place.
After we left, this place truly became a dead zone.
Before setting off, the field team carried out one last mission, searching for usable supplies in the ruins as much as possible, at least enough to make it to Yangcheng—if it hadn't been destroyed, it would be our first resupply point.
The city roads were riddled with potholes and covered in cobblestones, making it impossible for vehicles to move. We could only wait on Jiangshan Avenue, which hadn't been bombed. As the team members gradually returned, we finally managed to gather some dry rations and water. Looking at the amount of supplies, I felt worried. After some deliberation, I decided to release the prisoners at the auto repair shop.
"You've been locked up for several months. You've done your part for the veterans. Let's leave this matter behind. You're free now. Go."
"No way! I have nowhere to go in this world!"
"Please take me with you, I don't need to eat much, I can still work."
"Take me with you, take me with you. I'm strong. Give me all the dirty and tiring work. I only need one meal a day."
The prisoners reacted strongly, pleading repeatedly as if they had lost their parents, and not one of them was willing to run for freedom.
I didn't talk about the food, but said, "We're leaving Huaicheng. There'll be nowhere to keep you here, and no one to discipline you. This whole family has old people, young children, and women. I don't trust your character."
The prisoners began to feign distress again, swearing oaths to heaven, earth, and their ancestors that they would not make the same mistake again. Some even came up with a way to monitor each other, promising that they would never form small gangs or cliques and that anyone who committed a crime would be reported immediately.
I said in bewilderment, “There are twenty of you. Your combined fighting strength is enough to survive. You could just find a car and go wherever you want. Why put up with my attitude? I’ll never forget what you did, and I’m sure you won’t give me a kind look.”
One of them said awkwardly, "I don't want to leave even if you don't give me a friendly look. You guys are all pretty strong. You can't beat the living, and you can't beat the zombies either. So, we're just looking for a strong leader, right? We'll do whatever you tell us to do from now on, okay?" The rest of the crowd agreed, and even Qian Shihui, the cousin who had been killed, nodded vigorously.
This is like chewing gum; once it's stuck, you can't shake it off. Seeing Yu Zhongjian carrying some things back along the side path, I beckoned to him with my finger and hopped onto the back of the car on one leg.
"We can't afford to support them, and they don't want to leave. What should we do?"
Yu Zhongjian said, "Do you know what an era of abundant resources is? It's before the end of the world. For at least five years, in all the areas we can reach, there will be no shortage of resources; what we will lack are people to find them."
I said thoughtfully, "Oh, cutting costs isn't the point; the point is increasing revenue."
"Yes, it would be unwise to release a group of young people who are capable of working now. You should think about how to use one piece of food to exchange for more food."
"But their criminal records are quite serious, and nobody is taking care of them."
"Let them manage themselves, reward those who contribute individually, and hold the whole team accountable if problems arise, understand?"
"Understand..." is similar to Liao Donghui's internal division; both are ruthless and cunning, and I am ashamed of my inferiority.
My initial aversion to prisoners was soothed by his few words. When I was able to set aside my reservations and look at him without prejudice, I realized that his help and guidance to me were invaluable, and his own abilities shone through even in his old combat uniform.
Remembering the apologies and gratitude I hadn't had a chance to express before, I paused for a moment and said with deep emotion, "Xiao Yu, when you're not having an episode, you're truly my mentor and friend. Please don't mind any disrespect I showed you before. When you're not having an episode, your abilities are undeniable. During this crisis, it was entirely thanks to your excellent leadership that we were all safe. When you're not having an episode, you're a blessing to the team. Thank you, and please continue to guide me in the future."
His lips twitched. "You're too kind. From now on, will you always add a 'not having an episode' prefix before you talk to me?"
I said sincerely, "As long as you don't have a relapse, we'll always be good friends."
A hint of disdain flashed in his eyes: "If I called you a lunatic, what would you say?"
Without hesitation, I replied, "You are."
He smiled coolly, pursing his lips.
In the golden autumn of October, under the scorching sun, 168 survivors from Huaicheng set off on a long journey to the capital to petition the government, carrying 18 cars and 3 trucks, along with a load of weapons and ammunition, a small amount of dry food and clean water.
After extensive research and analysis, we decided to follow the direction the bombers left, heading north. First, we'll reach Yangcheng, which borders Huaicheng, then head north through the provincial capital Fengcheng, past Baicheng, and into S province, resupplying in three cities along the way. Once we reach the S province border, we'll try to take the Yujing Expressway if possible; otherwise, we'll have to continue slowly navigating national and provincial highways. Reaching our destination before New Year's Day would be a blessing from heaven.
Before my bone injury had healed, I officially handed over command to Yu Zhongjian in front of everyone. My parents and I, along with Liu Meili, obediently became the subjects of management and rode in the Q8 driven by Han Bo, which had been tainted by Yuan Xikun's stench—the trunk was quite large, and we could take turns lying down for a while.
As the convoy started moving, my dad reluctantly leaned out of the car window to look back. The scene behind him was one of utter devastation and horrific destruction. After a moment of quiet observation, he said, "Which bastard gave the order to bomb? Doesn't he think we ordinary people's lives are worthless? Our perfectly good home, the demolition office and the zombies couldn't do anything about it, and now it's all been destroyed by him. If I ever see that guy, I'll beat him up. I don't care about his leadership position; it's outrageous!"
"Beat him, we have to beat him!" We've survived to this day thanks to our own abilities, with no one caring or asking about us. In the blink of an eye, his livelihood has been cut off. Who wouldn't be filled with hatred? I chimed in, "When the time comes, I'll catch him for you, and you can beat him up. After you're done, you'll have to make him pay. If he doesn't restore our home to its former state, we'll fight him to the end!"
My dad sighed worriedly: "I'm just afraid that we're outnumbered and can't beat them. The military in the capital is so strictly managed. Do you think you can challenge them? You might end up getting beaten up instead of the other way around."
“Dad, you’re silly. Do you think someone who’s going to challenge others has ‘challenge’ written on their face? We’re refugees. We’re going to the big base for refuge, not to challenge others.”
My dad sensed something was up: "So you're planning to take a roundabout route, huh? Tell me what your plan is?"
I put what I had just learned to use: "Xiao Yu just taught me this today. Warfare is based on deception. You can't just do it blindly if you want to take the head of a general from a million-strong army."
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