Chapter 259 Sandstorm
After enduring the initial excruciating pain, Yang Yicheng gradually adapted and was able to sit up on his own.
He lost several men on his way to retrieve oil, so there were fewer people on the vehicle. By avoiding anything that couldn't be discarded, everyone was able to lie down and rest in the carriage.
It was dawn, and everyone except the driver and the lookouts was resting.
The weather in March was not warm, and there were not enough sleeping bags. Everyone huddled together and covered themselves with clothes to keep warm, but he was covered with a good blanket to keep his body warm from excessive blood loss.
The first person to notice that Yang Yicheng had woken up was Li Shuyi. She glanced at Yang Yicheng, pursed her lips, and said nothing.
What should I say?
We weren't familiar with each other to begin with.
She didn't know how to comfort someone who had lost an arm. Besides, this person was always so strong-willed; what if they couldn't accept the reality and didn't need anyone's concern, or even got angry at being comforted?
Li Shuyi closed her eyes and continued to pretend to be asleep.
As the sky grew brighter, the drivers changed shifts, and everyone gradually woke up.
Lin Xi prepared a cup of water and salt for Yang Yicheng. The only food available in the car was compressed biscuits, dried meat, and chocolate. Yang Yicheng could only eat the compressed biscuits and the lightly salted water to recover.
The first-aid kit contained antibiotics that Lin Xi had prepared four years ago; although they were expired, they were still usable.
When everything was ready and handed over, Yang Yicheng neither took it nor moved it.
He looked at his empty right arm.
Lin Xi felt a sharp pain in her heart.
She had experienced this feeling before. Back then, she was shot and became disabled, just like Yang Yicheng now, losing the ability to use her right hand.
Her disability was caused by Yang Yicheng.
In her next life, when she had martial arts skills and a gun and met Yang Yicheng again, she thought: I'm going to smash his hands.
It has been achieved, but not as desired.
She didn't want it to be like this.
Like Li Shuyi, she didn't know how to talk to Yang Yicheng. After all, she knew how devastating it was to lose her right hand, especially for Yang Yicheng, who was extremely skilled in combat and marksmanship.
Lin Xi suddenly thought of something. She sat down not far from Yang Yicheng and was about to speak when Yang Yicheng spoke first.
His voice was hoarse: "There aren't many supplies, you keep them."
His words were concise yet conveyed his meaning:
My right hand is crippled and useless, so food and water are given priority to those who are able-bodied.
Lin Xi sighed softly: "You need to recover more."
Yang Yicheng turned his face: "Do you remember my answer when you asked whether women and children should be evacuated first in the face of a disaster?"
He said at the time that if a natural disaster were to occur and humanity were facing a desperate situation, the right to escape should be given priority to women and children, because they are the hope of the new generation.
In a zombie apocalypse, only the strong can change the living environment, and all resources should be prioritized for the strong.
Lin Xi: "You've only lost your right hand."
Yang Yicheng chuckled: "'But'... do you know what losing your right hand means?"
Lin Xi blinked at her, seemingly considering her words.
Lu Wei and Li Shuyi, standing nearby, simultaneously had the same thought:
It means you can no longer point guns at us.
Lin Xi said seriously, "After losing their right hand, a person can adapt to their left hand in two weeks. And with a foundation in martial arts and marksmanship, one month of training with the left hand is enough to participate in combat."
Yang Yicheng did not respond.
Lin Xi, however, sincerely shared her experience.
Seeing Yang Yicheng hesitate, Lin Xi suddenly mimicked his tone and said, "Just kill yourself."
Li Shuyi looked at Lin Xi in surprise: "?"
—Hey! Even if Yang Yicheng is... well, that doesn't mean you can tell him to commit suicide.
Yang Yicheng glanced at her.
Lin Xi continued, mimicking his previous cold mockery: "We went through so much trouble and used so many drugs to save you, and now you're saying you can't walk anymore and want to die?!"
Lu Wei turned his head and moved the corner of his mouth.
Li Shuyi also realized what was happening.
Just as Yang Yicheng was clinging to a sliver of hope and preparing to eat, the scout's voice came through: "We're still 30 kilometers from the Shaming Base, where there's a war going on. However, if we avoid Shaming City, the only road nearby is an abandoned tourist route, which might be buried in sand in the middle. Moreover, it's currently sandstorm season, and based on air and wind analysis, a sandstorm might be forming there. If we choose to take a detour, we'll need to travel an additional 900 kilometers to bypass this desert. Fuel... not enough."
He was soliciting opinions.
Yang Yicheng perked up: "Are there any gas stations nearby?"
The scout shook his head: "The only usable gas stations are all near Mingsha City. If we go there, we'll inevitably be caught in the crossfire."
However, the cities in the northwest are quite scattered, and it's unknown what dangers might lie in taking the extra 900 kilometers by detouring.
If we take that abandoned road, we don't know when we'll encounter new obstacles.
The Mingsha Desert is prone to sandstorms, and even before the apocalypse, it was often necessary to clear the roads by human hands. After the apocalypse, there was no one to manage it, and many sections of the road may have been buried by sand.
Just as everyone was hesitating, the scout suddenly said, "Captain Yang! There are three bombers heading towards us from the southwest."
Everyone's expression turned serious—
Whether they were dragged into the war near the Mingsha base or came to capture and kill Lin Xi and the vaccine after learning about them, the fact that the other side sent three bombers in this direction was definitely not a good deed.
However, unlike the area near the Watchtower, there are no mountains or forests to provide cover, making trucks easy targets for bombers.
Lu Wei glanced at the desert from afar: "A sandstorm is coming."
Yang Yicheng: "Drive, take the roads inside the desert."
Perhaps the road ahead is blocked, but at least we won't die under bombers right now.
The enemy's pursuit forced them to quickly choose a path.
Everyone strained to see the road ahead. Most of them had never seen a real sandstorm before, only its power in the news. With a sandstorm in front and bombers behind, the vehicles were once again in a life-or-death situation.
Yang Yicheng used his left hand to gather the things around him: "Now everyone pack up the necessities. If the bombers come first, we'll have to jump out of the car and scatter to take cover."
Lin Xi carried a refrigerator in one hand and survival supplies in the other. They didn't have much food and water left, so bringing everything wouldn't take up much space.
Everyone was ready, and the vehicles had entered the desert road, where a sandstorm was already taking shape.
Meanwhile, the roar of bombers circled overhead.
"Aircraft cannot approach there!"
Driving into the dust storm area is now the best way to avoid bombers. Although entering a dust storm is also deadly, it is better than being directly destroyed by bombs.
Choosing the lesser of two evils, the vehicle drove into the sandstorm's area.
The bombers relentlessly pursued the truck, blocking its path and dropping three bombs in quick succession. The truck swerved to avoid them, its driver unable to see the road beneath the swirling dust. He could only grit his teeth and avoid the sound of the bombers flying overhead.
The sandstorm had a greater impact on the aircraft, and after a while the bombers could no longer hold out and gradually withdrew.
Everyone gazed at the endless yellow sand and fell into deep thought.
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