Chapter 118
Chapter 118
By the time Qingshui caught up with the van, it had already come to a stop in the courtyard.
The fuel cans and miscellaneous supplies the search party had found had already been carried into the open area by the other survivors and stacked neatly.
Qingshui paid no attention to any of it.
Her gaze swept past the bustling crowd and settled on several familiar figures.
Meng Rui stood beside them.
The muscular woman was all smiles as she spoke to Wen Lianfeng. Unlike the Director’s gentle smile, hers was almost overly enthusiastic. Her eyes narrowed into slits, and there was something vaguely unsettling about it.
She and Wen Lianfeng were talking in low voices. Chu Jingchu stood beside them with little expression, merely nodding from time to time.
In the middle of speaking, Meng Rui suddenly turned her attention to the tall, powerfully built Wu Wujie.
Big Guy stood there without moving. Meng Rui studied his broad shoulders and muscular arms for a moment, then nodded in satisfaction.
“With that build,” Meng Rui said to the others with a smile, “he’s a capable fighter.”
The others nodded in agreement.
Wu Wujie offered no response. He merely looked away.
Song Yunqing stood behind him.
She lingered in Wu Wujie’s shadow, almost disappearing into it. Her head was bowed, her shoulders slightly hunched, and her entire body seemed ready to melt into the dim light.
Qingshui watched her from a short distance away.
It had only been a few days, but Song Yunqing seemed to have lost even more weight. Her clothes hung loosely from her body. Tangled hair covered most of her face, hiding her expression. All Qingshui could see was her pale chin and tightly pressed lips.
Qingshui started toward her. She had barely taken a step when she caught sight of Song Yunqing’s face.
The face hidden behind that curtain of hair suddenly lifted.
The last trace of color instantly drained from her already pale complexion, leaving her as white as paper. Her pupils contracted violently to pinpricks, her eyes churning with overwhelming terror and hatred. The corners of her mouth twitched uncontrollably, while veins bulged across her temples and neck, standing out grotesquely beneath her skin.
Her normally delicate features were now twisted into a terrifying expression, as though she had just seen something…
Qingshui frowned and immediately followed Song Yunqing’s locked gaze.
A group of people stood on the other side of the hall.
It was the group of middle-aged survivors.
There were six or seven of them, men and women alike, all around forty. They stood at the edge of the crowd.
Wen Lianfeng had mentioned that the woman leading them was named Zhou Sufen.
She was in her early forties and plain-looking, but her smile was so gentle that she immediately struck people as warm and approachable. Qingshui often exchanged greetings with her as well.
But now, there was not a trace of gentleness left on Zhou Sufen’s face. Her eyes were piercingly cold, like poisoned blades, and they remained fixed unblinkingly on Song Yunqing.
The expressions of the people around her were equally grim.
They knew each other?
Qingshui did not approach right away. Instead, she stayed hidden in a corner and observed them. She remembered Wen Lianfeng mentioning that this group had arrived only ten or so days before they had.
Could it be…
Wu Wujie seemed to sense something as well. Without drawing attention to himself, he shifted slightly to the side, using his broad back to completely shield Song Yunqing and cut off those stares.
“Why don’t I take them to get settled first?”
A voice broke the strange silence.
Xu Wenlie walked over, accompanied by the refined-looking young man, Li Chong. She looked at Meng Rui and gave a slight nod.
Meng Rui withdrew her gaze from Wu Wujie and replied evenly, “All right.”
Wu Wujie dipped his head to Meng Rui, then turned and followed Xu Wenlie away.
Qingshui hurriedly greeted Wen Lianfeng and Chu Jingchu, then quickly went after them.
Xu Wenlie glanced sideways at her, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “Oh? You know each other?”
Qingshui nodded.
“Then should I put you in rooms close to each other?”
Wu Wujie spoke in a low voice, a trace of gratitude hidden beneath it. “Thank you.”
“I’m Xu Wenlie. Normally, I’m supposed to take you to meet the Director first.” Xu Wenlie kept walking, her gaze sweeping over the visibly unwell Song Yunqing behind her. “But your friend looks awful. She should rest first. You can meet the Director once she’s recovered a little.”
Wu Wujie’s throat bobbed, his gratitude deepening. “I’m Wu Wujie. Her name is… Song Yunqing.”
Xu Wenlie looked at Song Yunqing’s deathly pale profile, then at the worry written all over Qingshui’s face. Softening her tone, she asked, “Do you want to stay with them? I can arrange a separate room for Wu Wujie nearby.”
Song Yunqing slowly raised her head. Her voice was dry and hoarse. “No. I want… to be alone.”
“All right.” Xu Wenlie didn’t press her.
She first took Wu Wujie to an empty room, then led Song Yunqing to a single room not far away.
Qingshui stood in the doorway, peering inside.
Song Yunqing sat alone on the edge of the bed, her head bowed low. Her long hair covered her entire face. She didn’t move, like a lifeless statue.
Qingshui stood there, watching her.
She wanted to go in. She wanted to say something, to do something. But her feet seemed nailed to the floor, and she couldn’t take a single step.
“Let’s go.”
A hand settled gently on her shoulder. It was Xu Wenlie. “Let her have some time alone.”
Li Chong, standing beside them, nodded as well, a complicated look on his refined face. “Sometimes, being alone is better than having company.”
Qingshui gave Song Yunqing one last look.
She was still sitting there, utterly motionless.
Qingshui looked away and left.
By the time Qingshui found Chu Jingchu, the low-ponytailed woman was crouched in a corner, drinking gruel from a bowl.
At the sight of Qingshui, Chu Jingchu lifted her chin, gesturing for her to look ahead.
Qingshui followed her gaze.
Wen Lianfeng was standing nearby with Ye Que and the Silent Man, Qi Zhi. The three of them were discussing something, and Wen Lianfeng looked focused. Ye Que occasionally chimed in, while Qi Zhi merely listened, nodding every so often.
Gathering information again.
Qingshui withdrew her gaze and quietly crouched beside Chu Jingchu.
Chu Jingchu ignored her and continued drinking her gruel.
After a few seconds of silence, Qingshui asked, “Did something happen to you?”
Chu Jingchu paused. She swallowed the food in her mouth, then let out a long breath.
“We went farther out to look for gasoline,” she said dully, exhaustion in her voice. “And then…”
She paused, seemingly trying to find the right words.
“Madmen chased us. Then Madmen chased us. And then more Madmen chased us.”
Qingshui was speechless.
Chu Jingchu took another sip of gruel, her tone turning a little lighter.
“Luckily, none of them followed us nonstop, and we didn’t run into any ambushes.” She glanced at Qingshui. “We also ran into Song Yunqing and Wu Wujie.”
Qingshui nodded.
She was about to ask something else when Wen Lianfeng came over.
“Let’s go,” she said. She sounded tired too, though she was still in decent spirits. “Let’s head back to our room and rest. I’m exhausted.”
She rubbed her shoulder and rolled her neck, her joints clicking softly.
Chu Jingchu drained the rest of her gruel in one go, stood up, and wiped her mouth.
“Let’s go, let’s go. I need to crash.”