The father and daughter walked for half an hour before reaching the foot of the high wall.
The situation here looks worse than in the planting village.
Base guards are working hard to clear the collapsed buildings and walls, and dozens of machines are working simultaneously to speed up the repair of the walls.
The factory area in the distance was a ruin. Rescue workers were digging for survivors, and one by one, the survivors, covered in dust and shivering from the cold, were being taken into the city by ambulances.
The entire base was in a tense and busy atmosphere, with people and vehicles coming and going everywhere, and the cries of the wounded echoing constantly.
The staff were busy counting the number of casualties, the soldiers were busy cleaning up the mutated White Walkers after death, and the checkpoints in and out of the city were strictly guarded, for fear that any escapees would enter the city and bring new disasters to the people.
The survivors were both relieved and worried that the giant python would attack again. The entire outer city was filled with fear, and no one could see a smile anymore.
Shops in the outer city that weren't affected by the giant python remained open, their faces blank with indifference; life had to go on.
After going through layers of checks, Zhao Xiaoxiu and her father were delayed until almost noon before they were able to enter the city.
The death list was posted at the entrance, and everyone who went to see it would sigh, hoping that the base troops would launch a counterattack as soon as possible and kill the giant mutated python in advance, so that everyone would no longer have to live in fear.
A long queue had formed in the mission hall next to the supply depot, all members of the hunting party who had volunteered to exterminate the giant mutated python for the high reward.
After passing through the crowded main street, Zhao Xiaoxiu and her father arrived at the low-rent housing area located east of the high walls, under the curious gazes of passersby.
As soon as he stepped inside, Zhao Gang frowned, his unfriendly gaze always landing on his own cub.
He opened his coat and pulled the child into his arms, but those gazes didn't disappear; instead, they shifted to the backpack and blanket behind him.
In winter, the most scarce resources are food and warmth. A warm quilt is an essential item for getting through the winter.
The shoveled snow was piled high on both sides of the road, and the mud and melted snow water mixed together. The road was trampled into a muddy mess by the pedestrians coming and going, and not a single pair of shoes was clean.
Many people had various plastic films and broken foam tucked under their thin coats to keep warm. On top of Zhao Gang's backpack was a bright, soft, white cotton quilt, which made their eyes redden.
Even hidden under her father's coat, Zhao Xiaoxiu could feel the greed that almost materialized into hooks, ready to plunder.
The thought of Granny Meng and her family of three living in such a place made her heart skip a beat, and she felt even more eager to see them.
The outer city of Peach Blossom Base is like the shantytown of Hope Base in the past. Strength is the rule, and only the strong can have everything.
Two teams of guards walked by, making a show of stopping and reprimanding the ongoing robbery.
Once they left, the robbers swarmed after their "prey" like locusts.
A group of people followed Zhao Xiaoxiu and her father for about ten minutes, and rushed up as soon as the father and daughter entered the alley.
The use of firearms is strictly prohibited within the city limits; violators will be shot dead.
But as long as the gunshots are not detected, the ban does not exist.
A cold, hard gun barrel was pressed against Zhao Gang's temple. Three other men, their heads wrapped in towels with only their eyes showing, blocked the father and daughter's path, playing with weapons such as daggers, knives, and steel pipes. Without saying a word, they rushed forward and began to openly rob them.
They didn't even consider why the father and daughter hadn't taken the main road and had suddenly turned into this alley.
"Dad, don't kill anyone in the city," Zhao Xiaoxiu whispered.
Zhao Gang nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.
The moment they looked up, several thin, blood-red tendrils flew out simultaneously, instantly binding the hands of the three men holding weapons and tightening their grip!
The next instant, the painful cries of humans spread through the quiet alleyway along with the red mist in the snow.
Passersby at the alley entrance were startled and instinctively turned to look into the alley. They saw four people lying on the ground in a disheveled state, rolling and screaming while clutching their bleeding sleeves.
Beside him were severed limbs mixed in with the filthy mud, seemingly not yet realizing they had been severed from their bodies, the muscles in their fingertips trembling slightly.
The passerby's heart skipped a beat, and he gasped.
Looking hastily into the distance, a lone black figure gradually walked away and disappeared into the distance.
......
"Dad, are you sure Grandma Meng and the others live here?"
At the entrance to the basement of a low-rent apartment building, a girl's uncertain voice rang out.
"Yes, this is it."
The man responded and pushed aside the straw mat used to block the wind, revealing a narrow and crowded passageway where many people were lying or standing.
It was even colder and darker here than on the ground, with no warmth whatsoever.
Even the people lying or standing in the passageway exuded a chilling aura of death.
Zhao Xiaoxiu felt at first glance that this was not a place for a living person to stay.
But since her father was so certain, she could only suppress her bad feeling and follow him step by step.
The passageway was very long, and the further you went in, the worse the smell became—it was the smell of blood and decay.
There was also a lingering smell of stewed, rotten vegetable leaves wafting from deep within the passageway.
The wiring here is severely aged, and the old light bulbs flicker on and off, emitting a dim yellow light.
Zhao Xiaoxiu looked down at the people lying there; they were all seriously injured, barely breathing, and looked like they were about to die.
Those who were still standing looked a little better than those who were lying down; some of them were even taking care of the people lying next to them despite their injuries.
The walls, covered in graffiti, are plastered with all sorts of medical clinic advertisements, promoting miracle drugs that can cure all diseases and even overcome the SHASI virus.
Even a three-year-old like Zhao Xiaoxiu could tell from this that it was definitely a lie, absolutely false advertising.
But for desperate people, this is their last lifeline.
Humanity's fear of the SHASI virus reached its peak as they approached death.
Zhao Xiaoxiu realized that this was a private clinic.
Zhao Gang, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped.
“Found it,” he said.
Zhao Xiaoxiu was taken aback. She looked around and was about to say that she didn't see anyone from the Meng family when her gaze suddenly fixed on a piece of torn cloth curtain used for covering up against the wall on the left.
Inside the curtain, which wasn't completely concealed, an elderly man with gray hair, rapid breathing, and bluish lips lay on a moisture-proof mat.
Beside her, leaning against the wall, sat a young man with a stubble-covered face, messy hair, and blood-stained bandages wrapped around his legs, looking dazed and confused.
"Mom! Brother!" A man ran up excitedly from the front, carrying a bowl of something in his hands, shouting as he ran, "I've queued up and bought the miracle drug! I've bought the miracle drug!"
The man ran straight past Zhao Xiaoxiu and her father, lifted the curtain and rushed in, then suddenly stopped, as if he had discovered something, and hurriedly turned around to look back.
"Brother Gangzi? Xiaoxiu!"
Meng Er stared in disbelief at the two figures standing before him, one big and one small. When they nodded in response, tears welled up in her eyes.
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