Chapter 87: Strike First

While the intruders were busy unlocking the first door, Jiang Yuan quickly opened the small side door, and the two of them took the opportunity to slip out.

Just two meters away on the left was a green belt, planted with round shrubs or possibly some kind of trees—they couldn’t quite tell what they were. Hiding behind them, all they had to do was squat.

“Yuan-jie, what should we do? Our supplies…”

Jiang Yuan felt stifled. They had already sorted everything out neatly—if it had been her, she would’ve just tossed everything into her space.

Now, those people must be puzzled: how could everything be packed so well unless someone had been there before?

“Don’t be scared, Mianmian. At this point, we either go all in or give it up. Are you afraid?”

She had already made up her mind: if Ye Mianmian couldn’t go through with it, they’d abandon everything.

They could still run away now—it was pitch black, and those people had zero chance of finding them in the dark.

“I’m not afraid, Yuan-jie. I’ll do whatever you say.”

“Good. There are six people. We’re not that strong in combat, so we’ll take them down one by one.”

“Okay!”

Jiang Yuan saw she agreed and pulled out a dagger from her space, handing it to her.

Ye Mianmian’s hand trembled as she swallowed nervously, but still took it.

Jiang Yuan took out her Tang sword—at this point, it couldn’t be helped if there was bloodshed.

Maybe those people were innocent—maybe they had families waiting for them back home—but Jiang Yuan had no choice.

This was the apocalypse. Everything had changed.

She was sorry, but she had to do this.

Sure enough, the people inside sensed something was off.

The fact that things were neatly packed was one thing, but even the gasoline had been moved—too strange to ignore.

Not to mention the chicken bones they hadn’t cleaned up, and possibly lingering body heat on the massage chairs.

The flashlight beams inside began sweeping erratically, clearly searching for signs of others.

When someone started moving toward them, Ye Mianmian gripped Jiang Yuan’s arm even tighter.

Jiang Yuan frowned. This girl didn’t have a strong enough mental fortitude—what if she lost it at the critical moment?

She didn’t dare speak, just patted Mianmian’s hand to comfort her.

The man walked toward the restroom—probably looking for someone.

A minute later, his flashlight beam pointed in their direction, and he muttered, “Huh, there’s another door here.”

He opened the door casually and stepped outside, shining the flashlight around.

Jiang Yuan’s heart leapt to her throat. If all six came out, the two of them couldn’t possibly take them all on.

Ye Mianmian clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle a scream.

Luckily, the man only looked around briefly and, seeing nothing, went back inside.

They could hear faint talking, but with the wind and rain, it was impossible to make out the words.

This was a real test of nerves.

The flashlight beams stopped wandering, and from their position, it was hard to see anyone clearly.

“I think they’re eating,” Ye Mianmian whispered near Jiang Yuan’s ear.

Then suddenly, all the lights in the building went out—raising the tension.

“Shhh!”

Clearly, those people weren’t dumb—they were probably waiting to ambush someone who walked in.

There might be more to come.

Still, since Jiang Yuan and Ye Mianmian were already in hiding, they held the advantage. Jiang Yuan wasn’t worried.

She was familiar with this highway rest area. She often passed through here when checking on construction sites in nearby districts.

Seeing that the situation was dragging on—and it was cold, raining, and they were getting the worst of it—Jiang Yuan tugged Ye Mianmian and signaled her to follow.

To the side of the restroom, a wall provided some shelter from the rain under the roof overhang.

Ye Mianmian understood immediately and followed, both of them crouching low and moving slowly.

It was only two or three meters away, but it took them a full minute to reach it.

Just then, flashlight beams turned on again from the other side.

Jiang Yuan kept observing. She remembered once taking Xiao Nuan to the bathroom here. The little girl had run off to the back—there was a narrow cement path around the entire area.

The rear path wasn’t very wide, maybe about a meter, with a guardrail. Beneath the rail was a large pit.

This whole rest stop was built on a hill, so where there’s high ground, there’s also low.

“Mianmian…”

Jiang Yuan tilted her head, signaling for Ye Mianmian to keep watch while she went to check out the back.

It had been raining hard for a long time—she needed to make sure things hadn’t changed too much. If needed, they could loop around the gas station from the back without being noticed.

She pulled out a flashlight and briefly shone it toward the rear—everything seemed normal.

As she hurried back, she saw Ye Mianmian slowly backing away from the door.

Jiang Yuan rushed forward, and Ye Mianmian grabbed her tightly, signaling her to retreat.

A flashlight beam shone toward them, followed by the sound of a door opening—someone was coming.

Jiang Yuan drew her Tang sword and assumed a ready stance.

The man looked around casually. Not seeing anything unusual, he turned to leave.

Jiang Yuan suddenly darted forward and struck with her sword—slicing the man across the back.

“Ahh!”

His scream pierced the quiet night.

With a weapon as sharp as a Tang sword, he was undoubtedly dead.

“Run!” Jiang Yuan pulled Ye Mianmian and dashed off with the flashlight.

The others inside heard the commotion and rushed out, seeing their companion lying on the ground.

They were clearly shocked—and frightened. A single fatal blow? That meant the attacker was dangerous.

“Who’s there?! Come out now, you coward!” one man roared, his voice trembling.

His angry outburst echoed through the area—they heard it clearly from the opposite side.

Soon, the group caught on. There had been movement from this side just moments ago.

“Search the whole area! We’re gonna find that little bastard tonight!”

The leader’s voice was loud and angry.

Jiang Yuan remained calm, quietly revealing the bracelet on her wrist—if it came down to it, she’d retreat into her space.

Of course, she’d take Ye Mianmian with her. This was a life-or-death moment—selfishness would only get you killed.

The remaining five men split up. If it looked hopeless, Jiang Yuan planned to take the road in front of the gas station and run.

That would put them on the highway. The area up ahead was more complex, offering more places to hide.

The key was not to be seen—otherwise, they had no chance.

Right now, neither of them dared to make a move.

One man, flashlight in hand, started heading toward the gas station.

The two quickly retreated to the back of the main hall. The building formed a right angle here, so they were out of sight.

But if the man came to rest or check the supply rooms, they’d be dangerously close.

As they were thinking about this, footsteps actually approached.