Chapter 65
Chapter 65
Dawn had barely broken when Qingshui arrived at the garbage dump on the edge of the cement plant, where industrial waste lay mixed with household trash.
The stench was even sharper in the damp morning air, but her face remained expressionless as she carefully sifted through the refuse with a stick she’d picked up from the rubble.
Rotting woven sacks, tin cans, paper…
She pushed aside the top layer, revealing even more nauseating filth underneath. Qingshui carefully inspected every newly exposed corner, searching for anything useful.
Suddenly, something caught her eye. With a flick of her wrist, she hooked out several tangled lengths of fishing line. They were caked in grime, but still usable.
Nearby, a small handful of nails lay scattered among the trash.
Qingshui bent down and picked up the fishing line and nails, rubbing off most of the muck against the ground. The line was strong and thin, making it difficult to spot if used in a trap.
She searched a while longer and found a reasonably sturdy hemp rope. When it became clear there was nothing more valuable to be found, she gathered everything up and headed back to the building.
The others had already returned. Each of them had laid out what they had scavenged from different areas.
“I found some fishing line and a few nails.” Qingshui placed them in the open space between everyone.
“I found this.” Lin Hao pushed over a small toolbox. It was covered in dust, but had a complete set of tools inside. “Maybe… we can use it?”
An Xiaolin held up a flashlight and switched it on. “It still works.”
Ji Feifan shook his head. “Most of what I found was garbage. Nothing useful.”
“All right.”
Qingshui swept her gaze over the motley collection of supplies. “Hold on to the rest of it. You never know when something might come in handy.”
She set to work with the other three, improving their defenses.
The passage downstairs had already been blocked with heavy objects, but there were still several openings in the walls that connected to adjacent areas and needed to be secured.
Qingshui stretched the nearly invisible fishing line across those potential entry routes. At the entrances outside, she used the remaining lengths of line and several discarded steel pipes to rig more elaborate trip mechanisms.
Once everything was in place, they finally felt considerably safer.
Qingshui sat by the window with her back against the cold wall. A tiny pool of water rested in her palm.
She did not look at the others. Her gaze remained fixed outside the window.
Behind her, the four of them quietly discussed how they could reach the nearest shelter as quickly as possible. Their murmuring voices seemed to reach her through a layer of water.
Qingshui drew a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. Silently, she recited four names.
Li Wei’an. Fang Shuyao. Zhou Shaocheng. Gao Yizhou.
May you all be safe in your next lives.
She opened her hand. Droplets slipped between her fingers like silent tears.
When it was done, Qingshui lowered her hand, feeling strangely lost. It seemed as though she ought to say something, but no words would come.
All she felt was another layer of ice settling over her heart.
Just then, the conversation behind her grew slightly clearer and drifted into her ears.
“…So even if we find a vehicle, it needs plenty of ground clearance. Too many roads are wrecked…” It was Lin Hao’s voice.
Ji Feifan said, “And it has to withstand a collision.”
“A truck?”
“Ha…” Chen Yuhui forced a smile. “We’d really have to run into some incredible luck.”
An Xiaolin’s deadpan voice followed. “That was cold. And not funny.”
The scene before Qingshui suddenly blurred.
The mottled concrete walls became a swaying tent, with several figures in dark combat uniforms gathered around a fire.
“Captain, that was incredible! I really thought we were going to die back there!”
“You’ve still got a lot to learn! Pay attention!”
“Xiao Qingshui! What are you spacing out for? Get over here and eat! If you wait any longer, this pack of starving wolves will finish everything!”
Those voices had been so vibrant and noisy, carrying the smell of sweat and gunpowder, yet filled with incomparable warmth. Now, they seemed to sound right beside her ears.
Qingshui shuddered violently and squeezed her eyes shut.
When she opened her eyes again, the ruins were still before her. There was no campfire, no tent, and none of her familiar comrades.
What’s wrong with me?
A chill crept silently up her spine to the nape of her neck.
She lowered her head and looked at her hands. Compared to the scarred and battered pair buried deep in her memories, her palms looked far too “clean.”
Why… Why does this keep happening lately? I promised Captain that I would let go of those who were gone, that I would carry their share with me and keep moving forward…
Why am I remembering it all again? Is it because I’m tired? Because of the pressure? Or is it because…
I’ve grown weak?
The thought made her heart clench.
“Qingshui.” At some point, An Xiaolin had sat down beside her, her brows knitted tightly. “Are you okay?”
Qingshui snapped back to reality and met An Xiaolin’s clear, worried eyes. In them, she saw the reflection of her own distracted face.
“I…”
She opened her mouth, but her throat was dry.
“I’m fine. I was just thinking about… the shelter.”
Taking the opportunity to change the subject, she added, “I was wondering how we should get there.”
An Xiaolin followed her gaze toward the distant horizon beyond the window and sighed softly. “Yeah. Who knows how much farther we have to go, or what we’ll run into along the way…”
She trailed off, but everyone understood what she meant.
“Maybe we could find a truck or a bus,” Ji Feifan suggested as he joined the discussion. “It could carry our supplies, and if we run into a small group of Madmen, we could just plow through them. It’d be faster than walking, too.”
“Wouldn’t that draw too much attention?” Lin Hao frowned. “Besides, a lot of the smaller roads might be too narrow.”
“But it would be fast,” Qingshui said simply.
Chen Yuhui raised her hand. “One question first. Does anyone here know how to drive a truck?”
An Xiaolin blinked. “What’s the difference? They all have a steering wheel, a gas pedal, and brakes, don’t they?”
Chen Yuhui let out a laugh that turned into a cough. “An Xiaolin, your Class C1 driver’s license isn’t a master key. You need a Class B license to drive a truck. You think you can just climb in and drive off?”
“I can learn on the spot.”
Everyone fell silent for a moment, then dropped the subject.
The next two days passed in a peculiar rhythm. Aside from keeping the necessary watch, they spent most of their time resting.
Every now and then, Qingshui gave the others some basic instruction on how to conserve their strength while delivering effective thrusts.
“Don’t keep your wrist too stiff. Use the rotation of your body, like this…” She took hold of Ji Feifan’s wrist and guided the knife in his hand through a clean, decisive thrust. “Got it?”
Ji Feifan nodded seriously.
“Your turn, Ji Feifan.” Lin Hao rolled his shoulders and pointed toward the window. “Time to switch shifts.”
Ji Feifan sheathed his knife, picked up the length of rebar, and walked over to the window.
Lin Hao hurried back to Zhou Yaping’s side. He patted her head, then took the radio from his backpack and carefully turned the dial.
After the familiar hiss of static, the same calm female voice came through again. The message was identical to what they had heard several days ago, endlessly repeating the shelter’s coordinates and information about the airdrops. Even the date remained unchanged: “First airdrop: November 14.”
He sighed softly, though he wasn’t too disappointed. The fact that they could still receive a signal was already an enormous comfort.
“The broadcast is still running. At least that means the country is still standing,” he murmured, reassuring himself.
An Xiaolin and Chen Yuhui, who had gathered around, nodded as well.
They had discussed it more than once. To survivors, government airdrops were a ray of hope amid despair, but they would also attract the attention of the Madmen.
The Madmen might even lie in wait for survivors to show up.
“So even if we spot where an airdrop lands, we absolutely cannot rush over right away,” Qingshui concluded, reiterating the consensus they had reached. “Observe. Wait. Make sure we’re fully prepared.”
Everyone nodded solemnly.