They didn’t rush to leave; instead, they waited for about another hour. After all, they needed to pretend they were handling supplies, and leaving too soon could easily lead to encountering acquaintances. 

Doudou looked out the car window and said, “I want to say goodbye to Brother Xiao Mu” 

Huo Yishen nodded, “Go ahead.” 

There were other children of the same age in the neighborhood, but Doudou was very discerning. Over the years, she had only grown close to Qin Mu. 

But getting along well might not always be a good thing. Emotional attachments formed during natural disasters could lead to sadness or even heartbreak upon separation or death. 

Doudou gave a painting to Qin Mu as a gift, “Brother Xiao Mu, I’m leaving. This is for you.” 

Qin Mu was a little overwhelmed and handed her a rag doll, “Doudou, I will find you when I grow up.” 

Doudou hesitated for a moment, then smiled, “Okay.” 

In the blink of an eye, both of them were no longer children. Doudou had grown as tall as Jiang Ning’s shoulder, while Qin Mu was just half a head shorter than his own father. 

In peacetime, they might still be considered half-grown children, but in the apocalypse, they were already adults. 

Qin Mu was well aware of the gap between himself and Doudou. He wasn’t even qualified to enter the military base yet, but someday he would be. 

As he turned to leave, Qin Mu suddenly grabbed her hand, looking both nervous and helpless, “Doudou, will you wait for me?” 

Doudou knew deep down that the military base was not the best choice for her brother and her sister-in-law. No one knew where they would end up in the future. 

But looking at Qin Mu’s eager eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to tell the truth. “Sure.” 

Entering the military base is the best choice. If he has this goal, it is not a bad thing for him. 
 

Qin Mu stood by the door, watching her leave. 

Qin Chuan put his arm around his son’s shoulder. “Let’s go. Don’t watch her leave. One day, when you’re strong enough, you’ll catch up with her.” 

Qin Mu looked in the direction where Doudou had disappeared, silently making up his mind. 

… 

They left the neighborhood and realized the world outside had already turned upside down—crying, wailing, looting, chaos beyond measure. 

How should they proceed? Oh God, please give us a way out! 

The quilt was torn, and the clothes were tattered. They were thin and numb. They didn’t even have a bit of food left. The shoes on their feet were so torn that there were holes showing their toes. 

If staying still means not surviving, migrating 500 kilometers to Jiacheng still feels hopeless. 

There’s a woman standing on the damaged rooftop. She lifts one foot and is about to step out… 

The man rushes up and firmly grabs her. The numb woman suddenly becomes hysterical, “Don’t mind me, I don’t want to live, let me die!” 

He hugs his frantic wife and cries, “If you die, what will I do? What about our child?” 

“The child is gone.” The woman pounds him forcefully, “All three of our children are dead.” 

“It will get better; everything will get better.” He pleads through tears, “I promised your parents I would take care of you for the rest of my life.” 

“It’s useless, I don’t want to hold on anymore, please don’t bother with me.” 

Downstairs, figures rushed back and forth, some alone while others were in groups. They were helping each other leave, and no one had time to deal with a suicide attempt. 

The vast majority want to live; it’s a human instinct, even if they seem like walking corpses, they never give up. 

500 kilometers, just walk as far as you can. 

The official assembly time is very short. Most people still travel in groups, from the same village or the same building. Only by sticking together can they possibly survive the natural and man-made disasters. 

Survivors at the bottom rely solely on their legs, while relevant units use trucks to transfer, taking the important supplies and personnel and setting off first to move to a safe place. 

People were bustling around, and cars couldn’t move fast at all, let alone dare to honk their horns. 

A lot of survivors had nothing left to lose. Restless and irritable, they were quick to resort to violence. Blocking others from passing was common, and some even threw stones at car windows. 

What was even more absurd was that, since the cars couldn’t move, they simply climbed onto the roofs. 

If you didn’t open your car door, they would stomp heavily on the roof. 

If you dared to step out of the car, another group would quickly rush over to steal it. 

Come on, life is worthless anyway! 

Even though there were military and police trying to maintain order, they were completely ineffective. People were so emotionally charged that they didn’t care about living anymore and were ready to do anything. 

Huo Yishen had experienced similar situations in his previous life, so he deliberately avoided the evacuation gathering points and took a detour out of the city. 

Even in bulletproof cars, neither of them dared to let their guard down. 

Ordinary people wanted to escape, and criminal forces also wanted to escape. Some even robbed while fleeing. Who knows when a grenade might be thrown? 

So, they took turns driving and staying alert. 

In the back seat, Doudou and Coke didn’t rest either; they were on high alert. 

The muddy roads were difficult to navigate, causing swaying along the way. Many survivors spontaneously formed teams and left before the main group. 

Along the way, several fights and robberies broke out, leaving people speechless at the harsh reality. 

For robbers, there’s nothing more satisfying than robbing the vulnerable. The Hummer became a prime target for many. 

The robbers and refugees on the team were very jealous. They made some gestures or exchanged looks with each other, wanting to get a piece of the money. 

Encountering this, Jiang Ning was never one to tolerate. 

Wearing a bulletproof vest and a helmet, she lowered the glass window, raised her hand, and prepared to shoot at those approaching with iron rods to cause trouble. 

Headshots, they fall down immediately. 

The crowd was shocked beyond measure and subconsciously stopped in their tracks. However, standing in the middle of the road, they showed no signs of moving aside. 

Jiang Ning shook a grenade at them, her smile was cold and menacing. 

Who dares to mess with me! 

The crowd was almost driven to tears, reluctantly stepping aside and allowing the Hummer to pass. 

Watching the vehicles disappear into the distance, someone sighed, “Big brother is gone, what do we do now?” 

What do we do? We can only make the best of it and choose another! 

Encountering several situations in a row, they had to stop after using up a few bullets. 

Not only were the residents of the two cities migrating, but also the cities near Shijin Mountain were anxious. Many knowledgeable and affluent people packed up and drove away. 

After leaving Fengcheng, the groups migrating on foot became fewer, but they occasionally encountered private cars fleeing the same way. 

After walking dozens of kilometers, it was around noon. Huo Yishen chose a place that was convenient for defense and not far from the road. 

Three people and a dog came down to stretch, but they couldn’t stray too far from solving their needs. 

Not far from the driveway, they didn’t dare to eat much at noon. They had steamed buns and boiled eggs, and the thermos was filled with hot water. 

They took turns eating, with the one who finished eating remaining vigilant of their surroundings. 

Just as they finished eating and were about to get back into the car, they suddenly felt the ground shake beneath them, and the car began to sway. 

There was a loud muffled sound, as if it had come from a distant place. 

Everyone thought it was an earthquake and instinctively wanted to find open ground for safety. 

Fortunately, the shaking didn’t last long and soon calmed down. 

“Quick, look over there!” someone shouted on the road, pointing into the distance. 

The direction she pointed happened to be the direction of Shijin Mountain. 

Jiang Ning took out a high-definition binoculars, and sure enough, something had happened at Shijin Mountain…