Chapter 116

The cold and dim tunnel was particularly lively today.

Some people were so excited to see the river snail rice noodles that they practically rushed to get a bowl and start cooking. Others, however, avoided the smell of the noodles, holding their food far away, but the distinctive aroma of the noodles spread throughout the tunnel and couldn’t be avoided.

Some had to stuff paper into their nostrils to block out the smell, while others, unable to resist, gave it a try and were amazed at the taste.

The Liu Shuang and Cheng Yu team also made river snail rice noodles, while Shu Fu took out her dehydrated vegetable pack from her backpack and made a pot of vegetable soup. She opened cans of each type of vegetable, then opened all the military ration bags that Cheng Yu had left for her and Shu Fu, and placed them all on the small team’s camping table. She said, “It’s New Year’s Eve today, everyone eat well. We’re on lookout duty and serving food.”

Except for Liu Shuang and Han Lan, the other team members all turned to look at Cheng Yu. They had all already been served a bowl of river snail rice noodles and thought the dinner was over, but now they were told it was just beginning.

Shu Fu had already filled Cheng Yu’s stainless steel lunch box with rice, placed vegetables on top, and set it in front of him. “Continue eating, finish everything. And don’t forget to drink the soup.”

Next came Liu Shuang and Han Lan’s lunch boxes, which she filled with food, and then she went to grab some stainless steel cups, pouring soup for each of them.

On the other side of the table, Yao Ruoyun was also serving food to Wen Rou and the others: “You have to finish everything, don’t think I don’t know you’ve been secretly soaking your compressed biscuits in water and feeding the injured members of the rescue team over there… Also, Wen Rou, is your shoulder healed yet? No? Then why aren’t you taking your medicine? You gave it to the injured people, didn’t you…”

As she spoke, she pulled out half a tablet of anti-inflammatory medicine from her pocket and placed it next to Wen Rou’s lunch box, saying she’d be watching her and reminding her to take the medicine after finishing her meal.

Wen Rou, who was being called out: …

“Eat, today’s special, everyone eat well. That’s an order,” Cheng Yu said as he picked up his spoon and lunch box. He glanced at Shu Fu and softened his voice, “You two sit down and eat too.”

Liu Shuang had already grabbed another stainless steel lunch box, filled it with rice and vegetables, and pulled Shu Fu to sit next to her. She handed her a spoon. “Come on, let’s eat together.”

Across from them, Yao Ruoyun also sat down, with Awen serving her rice and soup. Wen Rou used her left hand to push the meal and soup in front of her.

The camping table wasn’t large, and normally they would just stand around while eating a few bites of compressed biscuits and drinking water, but now, all twelve of them were gathered around the table, and it felt a bit crowded. Everyone tried to avoid making large movements, afraid of bumping into the person next to them.

But this meal, despite the cramped space, was the most joyous meal they’d had since being trapped in the tunnel.

Before midnight, some of the survivors turned on their phones, ignoring the dwindling battery, and set alarms, counting down with the people next to them.

By the campfire beside the armored vehicle, the team members also watched their watches, counting down the final minute of the year.

When the New Year arrived, the sound of several phone alarms echoed throughout the tunnel, blending together like the tolling of bells welcoming the new year.

Many people closed their eyes to the sound, silently making wishes for the new year: hoping to reunite with their families, hoping to reach a safe city, hoping to have a house that could shelter them from the wind and rain, hoping to have hot meals every day…

**

Perhaps because there were too many wishes, on the morning of the first day of the new year, after days of relentless rain, the storm finally began to ease, and the thunderstorms completely stopped.

Though the rain hadn’t stopped completely, the intensity was now light enough that walking wasn’t an issue. However, not everyone in the group had rain gear. Even if some of the injured and women were seated in the armored vehicle, half of the remaining people still didn’t have any rain protection.

Over the past few days, they had repeatedly studied the local map. This area was near the Yinsha River, in a remote location with narrow mountain roads. On one side was a steep, barren rock face, and on the other side was a cliff. Apart from Wei County, there were no nearby towns, and no rescue points were set up in the area.

After looking it over again, the closest rescue station was still the one they had planned earlier. To get there, they would have to cross a bridge. The nearest large bridge was 50 kilometers away, and it seemed to be more stable, likely unaffected by the previous disaster. However, it would require retracing their steps, and crossing the river would take them farther from the rescue station, requiring about 100 kilometers of walking.

Before the rain eased, everyone had assumed this route was the fastest way out, but now that the rain had lightened, they felt uneasy about walking such a long distance. They feared that the weather might turn bad again, and they wouldn’t have anywhere to shelter.

“Can’t we send a vehicle to scout the route? That way, we could call for help and maybe bring back supplies,” someone from the rescue team suggested.

“Fuel is running low. If the vehicle goes, it won’t be able to come back. Also, we still don’t know the situation at the rescue station. If they’re out of fuel and food…”

“Then, what about calling for drone assistance like before?”

“If it’s just a lack of fuel, given the current weather conditions, it’s certainly possible, but what we’re lacking now is the vehicles,” Han Lan sighed. They had also thought about calling for rescue.

But now, to solve their problems, drones alone weren’t enough—unless they sent several manned helicopters to evacuate everyone directly.

However, at this stage, even though Xizhou Province was facing its own difficulties, when they made the call via satellite phone, the other side made it clear that to dispatch a manned helicopter from Xizhou Province, they would have to wait at least half a month.

Given the current weather, drones for air-dropping supplies could be arranged. As long as the weather didn’t worsen, they could be deployed within 48 hours.

But 48 hours was too long. They were still in a canyon mountain road, with the Yinsha River nearby. Although the rain wouldn’t raise the water level high enough to submerge the mountain path, if the rain picked up again, it would become difficult to say…

The distance of more than 100 kilometers could be covered on foot in about 24 hours under normal conditions. But if they stayed in the tunnel waiting for the next 48 hours, and the weather worsened and drones couldn’t make it, after two days of waiting, they might be too hungry to even walk.

Now was different. They had just found some supplies yesterday and had a hearty meal, and the rain had lightened. It was the perfect time to start moving.

Moreover, there were places to take shelter along the way. The area was mountainous, and after a turn, they would pass through two shorter tunnels and a bridge tunnel that crossed the mountain road. These places could serve as rest points.

At a normal human walking speed of 5 kilometers per hour, if the weather didn’t worsen, they would reach the big bridge by nightfall. If they wanted to rest for the night, there were rest houses or power distribution rooms near the bridge where they could shelter from the rain.

By the next morning, after successfully crossing the river and reaching the southwest highlands, they would have completed half of the journey.

Additionally, they had checked earlier that the rocky cliffside of the mountain road didn’t pose a risk of mudslides, so they wouldn’t have to worry about a chain disaster during the walk.

The area on the opposite bank had a slightly higher elevation, and the terrain was flat and gentle. There were also other counties and villages near the rescue station, so once they reached the rescue station on the opposite bank, they would usually be able to find some supplies.

Even if there was nothing to eat, they could still find vehicles and fuel. They could send a car to a nearby county to search for supplies.

If there really was nothing, they could wait for an airdrop of supplies.

In any case, going there was better than staying in this mountain road tunnel with nothing.

One option was a definite outcome, while the other still held a 50% chance of success. For Cheng Yu’s team, no one would choose to wait passively.

“Captain, they’re right. Waiting here is too passive. Since we’re all still strong enough to walk, we should start immediately!” one of the female team members spoke up.

The voice sounded familiar, and Shu Fu and Yao Ruoyun both looked at her again, realizing she was the same person who had stayed behind in front of the clinic when everyone evacuated, calmly bandaging Wen Rou’s wounds.

She left a strong impression on Shu Fu—able to endure pain and shoot accurately, yet also calm enough to treat the injured while everyone else panicked and fled. She was both brave and strategic, smart, and impressive.

“Captain, Wen Yi is right. Even if we wait for a drone supply drop, we can wait at the rescue station on the other side. It’s a small town there, so at least we can find a place to stay. There should also be a clinic or hospital with equipment. Xiao Feng and the others can’t hold on much longer if they keep waiting…”

The teammate mentioned Xiao Feng, referring to the two people who were injured during the robbery of the supply warehouse.

The rescue team captain looked at his teammates, then glanced at the ambulance before nodding at Cheng Yu and his team. “Agreed, immediate relocation!”

“We agree!” The remaining four team members from the rescue station also nodded.

“Good, notify everyone in the team. We depart in 15 minutes!”

The survivors in the tunnel didn’t have much personal gear, so they packed quickly within minutes. Their current fuel supply mostly came from Cheng Yu’s team’s previous provisions, so who could get on the vehicles was not up to the survivors.

Without the usual distractions, Liu Shuang and Han Lan quickly and efficiently made arrangements within five minutes.

Out of the whole team, there were five people under 14 and over 60, two seriously injured and unconscious, one in recovery from a serious injury, and 11 recovering from minor injuries.

These people could fit in the back of the ambulance and the armored vehicle. As for Cheng Yu and Wen Rou, since their injuries weren’t fully healed, they would sit in the driver’s area where there were seats available, so they didn’t have to walk in the rain.

Wen Rou entered the back of the armored vehicle and helped maintain discipline inside the vehicle.

Awen and Cheng Yu entered the driver’s area. Awen’s leg injury was almost healed, and he was familiar with the vehicle, making him the best driver for the team.

The ambulance driver area was arranged by the other team’s members, leaving about 30 people who still needed to walk.

Altogether, they had about 20 pieces of rain gear, which was definitely not enough. However, Liu Shuang and Han Lan didn’t force the weaker individuals to give up their rain gear. It was all based on voluntary principles.

“If you have rain gear, put it on. If you’re willing to let someone else use it, you can; if not, then don’t.”

The same applied to the team members. It wasn’t because someone was a rescuer or part of the military that they had to make sacrifices. Everyone was stuck here, and everyone was a survivor. Their own lives mattered too. The priority was to save themselves first, so they could continue saving others.

Fortunately, the temperature had risen in the past few days. The current temperature outside was around 13 to 15 degrees Celsius. It was a little cold, but not bone-chillingly cold. Many people had waterproof clothing, and pulling up their hoods, they could tolerate it.

Shu Fu and Yao Ruoyun had the same plan. They had taken quite a few things out of their backpacks recently, so it wasn’t suitable to bring out the full set of rain gear anymore.

But the jackets and pants they were wearing were from Cheng Yu. They were large-sized, with big hoods, and the waterproof quality was excellent. Additionally, their ski goggles could block the rain, and snow gaiters, originally for snow protection, could also be used to protect against rain, covering from their boots up to their knees.

---

Fifteen minutes later, the two teams were ready to depart.

The ambulance drove at the front. If they successfully crossed the river, they would speed ahead to the rescue station in the county, first finding a hospital or clinic to settle the seriously injured.

The walkers were in the middle, and the armored vehicle brought up the rear.

Before the vehicles moved, Cheng Yu got out of the passenger seat and allowed Qi Kai to board the vehicle. Qi Kai was good with computers and had the weakest physical strength in the team. Cheng Yu, meanwhile, pulled up the hood of his jacket and walked two steps behind Shu Fu.

Further behind, Han Lan, who was walking next to Liu Shuang, clicked his tongue. “Why did he let Qi Kai sit on the vehicle? If he really cares, he should let that little girl get on the vehicle…”

Liu Shuang gave him a look that said “You don’t know anything,” and didn’t even bother to respond.

Shu Fu and Yao Ruoyun carried their waterproof backpacks in front of them, making it easier to quickly access things. Though the backpacks looked large, they didn’t carry anything too heavy, so they weren’t tiring to carry.

As the ambulance slowly moved out, everyone stepped out of the tunnel where they had been sheltering for the past few days. The world outside had changed dramatically after three days of heavy rain. When the survivors had arrived, the world had been a cold winter wonderland. Now, it had turned into a waterlogged world.

On the cliffside along the mountain road, several streams of water were rushing down, pouring down from the mountain ridges above, unable to drain in time. It was like a waterfall cascading down the bare rocks, flowing over the mountain road where they were and heading towards the cliff on the other side.

Below the cliff, the water level of the Yinsha River, which had originally been low, had risen by several meters. Even without sticking their heads out, they could see the surging water rushing from the northwest.

The sound of water and rushing currents filled the air, a constant din.

As they walked northward toward the upstream of the Yinsha River, the journey was long, and the rain hadn’t let up, making it difficult for everyone to walk.

But for Shu Fu, walking was much safer than riding in a vehicle.

The Yinsha River marked the boundary between three regions: Xizhou Province, Xiangzhou Province, and the Southwestern Plateau.

She didn’t know where her own boundary lay. She had been speculating about what form the final 5% of the progress bar would take.

During the days they had been trapped in the tunnel, spending time with Liu Shuang and Han Lan, she had seen the flicker of the white progress bars twice. The progress wasn’t fast—Liu Shuang still had a quarter to go, and Han Lan had a third left.

Shu Fu had analyzed the differences between them, including Yao Ruoyun, and felt that the white progress bars must relate to the trust they had in her.

After all, they were soldiers. Gaining their full trust wasn’t as simple as it had been with Chen Fa, Lu Zheng, and Yao Ruoyun.

Moreover, before they awakened and revealed their stance, she hadn’t been able to treat them without reservation. This hesitation might not have mattered to Lu Zheng, Chen Fa, or Yao Ruoyun, or they might not have noticed, but these soldiers were different. Their intuition was sharper.

So, having to hold back while also wanting to fill their white progress bars quickly was a paradox.

Fortunately, Shu Fu wasn’t anxious about this. She was very clear that the only important thing right now was to level up the raft to level 5. She had a feeling that once the raft reached level 5, everything would undergo a qualitative leap.

More than an hour later, as they trudged through the rain, they reached the fork leading to the provincial road and the direction of Wei County. They continued along the winding mountain road through the canyon. Shu Fu, using her backpack to shield it, glanced at the map. This fork was probably the only junction near the mountain road. The next closest junction was 50 kilometers away, at a bridge across the river.

Two hours later, they reached the first tunnel under a bridge. After a 20-minute rest, eating compressed biscuits and drinking water, they set off again.

The road in the afternoon became more difficult as the rain intensified, and the wind picked up. Waves of rain hit them, and while their bodies were soaked, it was their faces that suffered the most. They were walking into the wind, and the rain blurred their vision, pouring into their eyes, noses, and mouths, making it hard to see the road ahead.

An hour later, with the wind growing stronger, the shortest member of the team, Gao Shan, turned back to encourage everyone. The team members walking behind Cheng Yu’s team responded loudly.

In reality, both the Wei County rescue team members and the survivors knew that if it weren’t for them, even if the elite team had lost one vehicle, the remaining armored vehicle would still have been enough to carry all their team members and the two girls easily.

“If they don’t want to, they don’t have to care about this group of elderly, weak, and injured soldiers. The food was given to everyone by them, and the fuel was shared. Even though the female team leader, with a cold expression, repeatedly reminded everyone that all were survivors and no rescuer or military personnel was obligated to make sacrifices, everyone should save themselves first.”

But she didn’t get into the armored vehicle either. Instead, like the others, she gave her spot to the injured.

They knew very well that they were the burden on this small team, and the team was sacrificing themselves to save their lives.

“Thank you…” In the wind and rain, someone spoke with a choked voice.

Where there was one, there was soon another. The survivors’ voices grew louder. Some said thank you, and others encouraged each other.

Amid the encouraging voices, the group regained their determination and quickened their pace.

Shu Fu and Yao Ruoyun were also exhausted, but this was no longer the peaceful times of the past. Over the past year and more, both of them had experienced growth. They quickly adjusted their breathing and pace, aided by the encouragement of those around them.

“About another hour, we should reach the next resting point,” Cheng Yu, two steps behind Shu Fu, spoke.

Shu Fu glanced back at him. Since they set out, he rarely spoke to her, but he was always within her line of sight, as though he could lend a hand whenever she needed it.

Shu Fu pointed to his arm, “Is the injury okay?”

“It’s fine now,” he smiled.

Suddenly, the last armored vehicle stopped. Wen Rou got out of the vehicle and ushered the other team member at the back onto it. Soon, a few people, all injured, got off the vehicle. Among them were members of the rescue team as well as ordinary survivors. They gave up their spots for the survivors who were walking behind, struggling and exhausted, to board the vehicle.

“You guys—” The few survivors, panting heavily, were confused.

“Our injuries aren’t that severe. We’ll walk for a bit. After you rest, get off and take our place!”

Qi Kai and Ah Wen also got out of the vehicle, originally intending for Cheng Yu and Shu Fu to take the seats, but in the end, Cheng Yu urged Liu Shuang to drive, and Shu Fu had Yao Ruoyun sit in the passenger seat for a while.

“Senior—” Yao Ruoyun was unwilling.

Shu Fu directly pushed her onto the seat, “You sit, I can walk.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to ride, but she didn’t want to perform some kind of sudden disappearance in front of Liu Shuang and Cheng Yu. This canyon only had this one mountain road. If she were “ghosted” on the vehicle and suddenly appeared on the road behind the team, just imagining it was too awkward…

The ambulance ahead also stopped. The only lightly injured survivor in the back got off, and another lightly injured team member from the passenger seat also got off. They let two drenched survivors with pale faces take their seats.

These people, perhaps once strangers, or perhaps had exchanged mutual complaints and accusations during the disaster period, at least hadn’t crossed their own bottom lines in the midst of their struggles. They hadn’t gone down the same irreversible path as some others.

Along the way, they had all experienced freezing rain, blizzards, extreme cold, avalanches, hail, and had been trapped in buildings by several meters of snow. They had been trapped in tunnels by freezing rain and huge hailstorms. They had been attacked by bandits and faced food crises. They stumbled through it all together, relying on each other in times of hardship, and now, they had formed revolutionary bonds.

Because of these connections, they increasingly valued the people around them. They wanted all of them to safely make the transfer, not wanting anyone to be left behind.

More than an hour later, they reached the second resting point—a tunnel where one could see both ends. This time, they only rested for fifteen minutes before getting back on the road. It was already past 3 PM, and there were still about 20 kilometers ahead of them. If all went smoothly, they could reach their destination in four hours.

They wanted to reach their overnight stop before it got completely dark.

From then on, they continued to rotate between resting and riding, and with good coordination, they moved a bit faster than in the morning. However, they couldn’t outpace the coming nightfall.

On rainy days, the sky was gloomy, but by 5 or 6 PM, the surroundings had completely darkened. The rain grew heavier, and the noise of rushing water surrounded them, to the point that they could barely hear each other speaking.

The streetlights in the area had long since gone out. Whether it was due to a power outage or the lights themselves being broken, the mountain road was dim.

The ambulance and armored vehicle quickly turned on their headlights. The ambulance used high beams to help the walkers behind them see the road, while the armored vehicle only used basic headlights to avoid blinding those in front.

Even with the headlights on, the walking became more difficult. The rain was turning into a downpour. The rainwater on the mountain walls kept flowing down like numerous streams, falling beside them. Even the road they were walking on had formed puddles and streams, making it slippery everywhere.

Someone slipped, falling onto the mountain road and was swept a short distance by the rushing water. Fortunately, another team member caught them.

The others scrambled to help the person up. After standing, the person’s legs were still shaking, unsure whether it was from the fall or from fear. The mountain road wasn’t wide, and most of it didn’t have guardrails. If the person had been swept a bit further, they could have been carried off the cliffside.

“Below is the Yinsha River!”

Even though the water level is high now, he might not necessarily die from the fall. But his swimming skills are mediocre, and with the river’s swift current, if he falls in, he probably won’t make it.

A few people turned around to continue walking, trying to stay closer to the inner side of the mountain wall along the path. However, the female team member who had first grabbed hold of him took two steps in the opposite direction. She leaned out over the cliff to look at the river below, but her head was turned toward the direction they had come from.

The person who fell naturally recognized this female team member—her name was Wen Yi, from the rescue team. He asked her what was going on.

Wen Yi stayed in that position, motionless. After a moment, she even took off her jacket’s hood, as if trying to hear something more clearly. She quickly pulled out a flashlight and shone it toward the river.

The few people nearby had turned back and saw the beam of the flashlight on the water’s surface. They immediately gasped, “Oh my God! When did the water level rise this high?!”

Originally, the water level of the river was about twenty meters away from the mountain path on the cliff.

After several days of heavy rain, the water level had risen when they left this morning, but it was still about ten meters away at that time—roughly the height of three or four stories. But now, there was only a two or three-meter gap left, and the entire downward slope of the cliff was almost submerged.

The noise from their conversation quickly alerted the other walkers, and soon both vehicles also stopped.

Han Lan, being the closest, was the first to reach the edge of the cliff and noticed the water level issue as well.

However, Wen Yi, who had noticed something was wrong earlier, spoke up at this moment: “This river is strange!”

“Yeah, it’s strange. The water level is rising so fast!” someone nearby replied.

“No,” Han Lan reacted, “This is the Yinsha River. It should originally flow from the northwest to the southeast, in the opposite direction of our path, but now—”

“The river is flowing in the same direction as us… The river’s flow is reversed!”