Chapter 107: 107, A drop of kindness (First update)

When the off-road vehicles and the Qingshi Group's armored personnel carriers appeared in his sight, Ren Xiaosu suddenly thought that the wolf pack might not be in a hurry to hunt, and perhaps it was because of these people.

Ren Xiaosu was all too familiar with the Qingshi Group emblems on those vehicles—this was just a few days ago, wasn't it?

On the black car bodies, there was a white ginkgo leaf insignia. According to Mr. Zhang from the academy, this world had already undergone billions of years of change, yet among all plants in the world, only the ginkgo had remained unchanged after the Quaternary glaciers.

It was one of the oldest tree species, and also one of the most "genetically powerful" trees.

When Ren Xiaosu saw the Qingshi Group emblem in Jing Shan, he wondered—perhaps they chose the ginkgo leaf as their symbol to imply eternity and longevity?

The vehicles rumbled forward, but as they drew closer, Ren Xiaosu suddenly felt their numbers were too few, so few that he could tell at a glance there were only three off-road vehicles and two APCs.

Wasn't Xu Xiancu saying that the Qingshi Group's combat regiment in the Wall had a strength of 4,500? Why had only so few come out? A truck could carry at most fifty people, so in total, maybe just over a hundred had escaped?

What had happened?

In truth, Ren Xiaosu had underestimated the terror of this disaster. Because there were fewer brick and stone houses in the settlement, he hadn't immediately realized how catastrophic the collapse of such buildings—or even high-rises—could be. Almost all the houses in the Wall were brick and stone.

Perhaps this was also how poverty limited Ren Xiaosu's imagination.

In this earthquake, even the earth itself split open, the Wall was torn in two, and the river that once flowed through it was transformed into a waterfall.

This was the might of nature, something humanity could not resist.

After the brick and stone houses of the Wall collapsed, countless people were crushed beneath the rubble. The number of dead and wounded was immeasurable, and the Qingshi Group was no exception.

What was even more unlucky was that the barracks had been cleaved right along the fault line, split cleanly in two...

Luo Lan sat in the off-road vehicle, panting heavily. The most embarrassing part was that he was only wearing a pair of flowered underwear—he had been asleep when the earthquake struck. Fortunately, the barracks he lived in were exceptionally sturdy, and the floors were low, so his life was spared.

It was winter now. There was heating in the barracks and the off-road vehicles, but not out in the wilderness.

At this moment, Luo Lan's greatest concern was whether they would reach the 109th Wall before running out of fuel. If the vehicle stalled, he would have to walk to the 109th Wall!

Thinking of this, Luo Lan asked, "How much fuel do we have left?"

The soldier driving replied, "One-third. We can go about 130 kilometers."

"Can we make it to the 109th Wall?" Luo Lan asked.

The soldier hesitated, "We're still over 210 kilometers away from the 109th Wall. The fuel definitely won't be enough. Actually, we could ask the people in the following off-road vehicle to go to the truck so we can siphon fuel from it..."

"Oh," Luo Lan's eyes lit up, but he immediately sighed, "Forget it. The off-road vehicles are full of wounded, and the trucks are packed too."

The soldier fell silent for a moment before saying, "Sir, you and Commander Qing have been kind to us. Unlike the other big shots in the consortium, we don't mind suffering a little."

"Enough, don't mention it again," Luo Lan waved his hand irritably, "You make it sound like I'm some kind of good person. I'm not a good person—good people don't live long, you know?"

"Sir, there's a group of people running ahead," the soldier said, having spotted the fleeing refugees.

Luo Lan sneered, "We've got people running behind us too. What's so special about them? Let them eat dust!"

The refugees, seeing the speeding vehicles, felt envious—how wonderful it would be if they had such cars.

The quarry did have vehicles, but because of the sand transport, they had gone elsewhere. The remaining ones were mostly heavy machinery, which was slow and fuel-consuming!

At this moment, someone suddenly rushed out from the refugees: "Boss Luo, it's me, Wang Yihang, the quarry manager! Take me with you! We've met before!"

Luo Lan's driver asked, "Should we bring him along?"

"We're barely fitting the wounded as it is, why bring another one?" Luo Lan cursed, "Ignore him."

Wang Yihang watched the convoy grow farther away, his anger burning to the point of wanting to catch up and shoot that fat Luo with his own gun. But on one hand, he lacked the courage, and on the other, he couldn't catch up anyway...

...

Ren Xiaosu watched the convoy approaching from afar and instructed Wang Fuqiang and the others, "I estimate many people from the Wall fled this way. There's no need to worry too much. Naturally, some will draw the beasts' firepower for us. If a small number of beasts attack us, I'll handle it."

Wang Fuqiang was a shrewd man; he sensed an inexplicable confidence in Ren Xiaosu's words.

Ren Xiaosu must have been well aware of the danger behind them, yet he didn't seem particularly fearful. Wang Fuqiang wondered—could Ren Xiaosu... also be an extraordinary being?

Otherwise, Jing Shan had lost so many people, and only Ren Xiaosu had returned. And had Ren Xiaosu killed someone in Jing Shan? Otherwise, why had he not even blinked when killing someone at the academy gates?

"That Xiaosu, I don't know if it's appropriate to ask," Wang Fuqiang hesitated, "What exactly was in Jing Shan? What about the others?"

"When we went, there were twenty-one people," Ren Xiaosu thought for a moment, "Now, probably only four are left alive."

The four were Xu Xiancu, Yang Xiaojin, Ren Xiaosu, and Luo Xinyu.

"As for what was in Jing Shan, I can't explain clearly. There were man-eating insects, and humans whose intelligence had degenerated into experimental subjects," Ren Xiaosu sighed, "But this isn't even the most terrifying part."

The monster with claws extending from the volcanic crater had always been a shadow in Ren Xiaosu's heart. That creature was too massive, living in the magma.

By now, the Qingshi Group's convoy had passed by Ren Xiaosu and the others. Through the window, Ren Xiaosu saw the fat man inside—was this the legendary Boss Luo who had once sent him a miraculous banner of recovery?

"Anyway, this time, I really owe you one," Wang Fuqiang sighed beside him, "If you hadn't brought us out in time, I and Da Long might not have made it. I don't even know how to thank you."

At this moment, Ren Xiaosu looked at Wang Fuqiang and said seriously, "A drop of kindness deserves a spring of gratitude..."

Wang Fuqiang: "???"

Shouldn't we all be polite to each other or something?

But Ren Xiaosu didn't speak further. He found a high slope and gazed into the distance, checking how many people had escaped from behind.

"Find a sheltered spot to rest," Ren Xiaosu said, "The main force behind us seems to be several thousand. We're safe for now, and you might collapse if you don't rest."

It was already midnight. They had been fleeing since morning and were indeed on the verge of collapse. Ren Xiaosu felt they needed to rejoin the crowd, using those thousands as their cover.

A few hundred might be attacked by wolves, but with several thousand, even the wolves would have to think twice, right?

When danger came, he only needed to outrun those thousands with Yan Liuyuan and the others.

This thought might be cruel, but others probably thought the same.

Moreover, if they followed this crowd to the 109th Wall, was there a chance to pretend to be people from the 113th Wall and enter the 109th Wall?

He didn't know if the 109th Wall would agree to let them in.