The Shen family, bundled up in warm clothes, loaded all their food onto the largest SUV in the garage. They were preparing to leave City A.
Before departing, they visited the Jin family. The Jins were also planning to leave. Unlike the Shen family's complete household, the Jin family consisted only of Old Master Jin and Jin Wenye. Lin Wan and Jin Wenye were not yet officially married, but she was living there due to her pregnancy.
Old Master Jin, true to his word, paid great attention to the original host. Upon seeing Zhuo Yan return, he immediately went over. "Yan Yan, how have you been these past few days? Have you encountered any danger?"
"I'm fine," Zhuo Yan said, taking his hand. "And you?"
"I've been at home, what could happen?" The Old Master watched as people from the Shen family disembarked from their car and walked over to Father Shen. He expressed his gratitude very sincerely, making Father Shen feel somewhat overwhelmed.
"Old Master Jin, you're too kind. Truth be told, it was Miss Jin who first saved my son. If anyone should be thanking, it's us thanking you for raising such a wonderful granddaughter..."
The two engaged in a bout of polite flattery. Jin Wenye personally led his people in loading their belongings onto the car. He showed no particular reaction upon seeing Zhuo Yan.
However, Lin Wan came out carrying a box of biscuits. She offered Zhuo Yan an embarrassed smile upon seeing her.
She didn't remember saving Old Master Jin, and having heard that Old Master Jin had previously wanted to marry Jin Yan to Jin Wenye, she felt that she had taken her place. Therefore, she had felt guilty all along.
The saintly heroine was precisely like this; she would only turn dark after Jin Yan had harmed her child.
Zhuo Yan couldn't be bothered with her. After chatting with Old Master Jin for a while, Jin Wenye's group finished loading their items. Everyone was ready to leave.
Old Master Jin wanted Zhuo Yan to sit with him. Jin Wenye had a special assistant with him. Five people squeezed into the car. Jin Wenye drove, the assistant sat in the passenger seat, and the other three occupied the back row.
Given that Zhuo Yan and Lin Wan were not on good terms, this arrangement was rather awkward. However, Jin Wenye couldn't have his grandfather sit in the passenger seat. If the Old Master sat in the back, Zhuo Yan would have to sit in the back too. The front seats were not safe, and Lin Wan, being pregnant, found it inconvenient. The assistant also couldn't let his boss be the chauffeur, so he had to sit in the front.
This resulted in the current awkward situation.
Old Master Jin sat on the left, Zhuo Yan in the middle, and Lin Wan next to her.
In the past, Jin Yan would have been itching to get out and walk. However, now that she was Zhuo Yan, she couldn't be bothered to fuss.
In fact, she had wanted to drive one of the cars herself, preferably with her little darling. Unfortunately, they were not "familiar" with each other yet, and she had to be mindful of Old Master Jin, who was tied to fate. Thus, she had to sit here.
Knowing that the entire world was in disarray, they decided to follow 007's advice and head directly to City A. As the capital of the entire H country, it possessed the best military strength and other resources, making survival more likely. The two families tacitly agreed to travel together, thinking it would be good to have each other's support.
They hadn't considered that when everyone in the country rushed to City A, it wouldn't be able to accommodate so many people. However, they hadn't expected that this disaster would claim so many lives.
By the time they reached City A, it felt like a lifetime had passed.
— From Sudan Novel Network
Old Master Jin was advanced in age. He was fine when they first set off, but after a few hours, his spirits greatly declined. He sat drowsily, his complexion not looking good.
Lin Wan, on the other hand, was suffering severely from her pregnancy. She nearly vomited several times. Jin Wenye slowed down the car to accommodate her, and soon, they couldn't see the cars in front anymore.
Zhuo Yan looked at the people swaying beside her and, thinking of the Shen family's car already far ahead, felt a pang of irritation.
She took a bottle of water from her bag and handed it to Lin Wan, ignoring Lin Wan's surprised expression. She closed her eyes, dozing off.
After nearly another hour, Lin Wan couldn't hold it in any longer and vomited everything she had eaten and drunk before leaving. Her face turned pale, and she looked pitiful.
Jin Wenye looked at her from the rearview mirror, his heart aching intensely. He could only slow down the car to accommodate her, causing them to fall further behind those in front.
The system screen indicated they were already tens of kilometers apart.
"Ugh~"
Zhuo Yan finally couldn't bear it anymore. She forcefully patted the back of the front car seat and said, "Stop for a moment, I'll drive."
Jin Wenye, annoyed, slammed on the brakes. He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. He first helped Lin Wan out, then watched as Zhuo Yan, with an unperturbed expression, walked to the driver's seat. He then helped Lin Wan back into the car, letting her rest against him.
Jin Yan knew how to drive, so the others didn't think much of it. The special assistant did consider offering to drive, but seeing Zhuo Yan's displeased look, he was a little intimidated by her.
Furthermore, since the boss hadn't said anything, he didn't dare to "help her" and just sat there as if nothing had happened.
Zhuo Yan skillfully put the car in gear, released the handbrake, and with a press of the accelerator, sped off.
The passengers in the back were all pushed back against their seats. Jin Wenye frowned. "Slow down, it's too bumpy."
"It's bumpy because of poor skill, not the speed."
Perhaps Jin Wenye was not familiar with this road, or perhaps he had always had a dedicated driver. His driving skills could only be considered passable. He was fine on city roads, but on the highway, he had problems.
Moreover, everyone was fleeing the city, so there were many cars, and they inevitably had to stop and go. This made even those who didn't get carsick feel dizzy.
Jin Wenye was stunned by her retort. Seeing several cars ahead, he was too lazy to argue with her.
Zhuo Yan smoothly overtook those few cars. Seeing that there were no more cars ahead, she accelerated again, the speedometer quickly reaching 140. The scenery outside flashed by. Jin Wenye watched the person in front driving seriously, a little lost in thought.
After being away for a few days, she seemed to have changed.
If she hadn't caused trouble, Jin Wenye naturally wouldn't have treated her poorly. She was his grandfather's savior, and even if she did nothing, Jin Wenye would have been willing to support her for life.
However, she had repeatedly targeted Lin Wan and even tried to harm their child. Jin Wenye could not tolerate that.
Just as they were about to catch up to the Shen family's car, the car in front stopped. Zhuo Yan initially thought they might be looking for a place to rest. However, as they drove a little further, they saw a long line of vehicles.
The surrounding cities were all on plains. From a high vantage point, one could see the sheer number of vehicles ahead, stretching as far as the eye could see. A check on the navigation showed that the traffic jam extended for nearly a hundred kilometers.
The special assistant looked at his phone. "We can't move."
Even Zhuo Yan thought it was just a traffic jam caused by too many vehicles. However, upon asking the system, she discovered it wasn't.
"There are two large rivers between here and City A. The areas near the rivers are almost entirely occupied by异形 (yi xing). The military is trying to find a solution, but the rivers are so wide, and they are full of man-eating creatures. It will likely be difficult to cross in a short time."
He had already advised the drivers to take different routes to other cities, and the authorities would make arrangements. However, with so many cars, and more still arriving, they couldn't move for the time being.
This journey was destined to be anything but peaceful. With the cars stationary, people still held onto a sliver of hope that traffic would eventually resume. However, if they were stuck for a week without food, they would soon be forced to walk. If they encountered 异形 (yi xing) then, it would be a buffet for them.