The sky had completely darkened. To avoid worrying others, they found a car that still ran, procured some gasoline from elsewhere, and the three of them got in, following the navigation towards the highway.
The car's window glass was broken, and the wind howled in. Zhou Chuan drove, occasionally glancing in the rearview mirror at the two in the back, clinging to each other as intimately as a newlywed couple.
A strange, unfamiliar feeling arose within him, which he suppressed.
One of the car's headlights was out. Under the pitch-black night sky, driving on this bumpy road required his full attention. He quickly lost the capacity for idle thoughts.
When they had left, they were about thirty to forty kilometers behind the main group. The group kept moving forward, but they couldn't travel too far. They soon rejoined the highway and headed towards their planned route.
Before long, they caught up with the main convoy.
However, what they didn't expect was that the people who had left the small town several hours before them had still not returned.
Zhen Jie looked at Zhou Chuan and asked, "Why did you split up?"
Zhou Chuan briefly revealed Chong Yan's ability. Zhen Jie, surprised, immediately noticed Chong Yan with Zhuo Ni.
"This young man is good, very promising."
Zhou Chuan said, "I'll take people to look for them."
"Wait." Zhen Jie said, "It's too late now. You said they left hours ago. If something really happened, going now is useless. We'll go tomorrow morning." Su Dan Novel Network
If only a few people were lost, there would be no need to search. But there were at least a hundred people missing, so Zhen Jie couldn't just leave with his men.
After concluding this matter, he turned to Zhuo Ni. "Little comrade, how are you feeling now? Can you release some water for the people behind? Many are running out of water."
Zhuo Ni nodded. "Yes."
Zhen Jie called over seven or eight men, all radiating an imposing aura, and had them assist.
They weren't helping distribute water but rather stayed by Zhuo Ni's side, preventing anyone from pushing or shoving, and maintaining order.
Zhou Chuan volunteered to join them.
Zhuo Ni was with Chong Yan. Zhen Jie assumed they were a couple who hadn't seen each other for a long time and let them be.
A long queue formed behind them, stretching for over two kilometers. Hearing that water would be distributed, many became anxious. The soldiers shouted through megaphones to maintain order, telling them to prepare containers and queue up.
At first, it was indeed chaotic, but when someone announced that those who didn't queue would not get water, most people quieted down. Those who grumbled or tried to push forward, under the urging of others, also fell into line.
They placed large water tanks every few dozen meters. According to their initial calculations, Zhuo Ni couldn't release much water, no matter how capable she was. Therefore, each person was only allowed half a bottle.
Even so, most people in the back didn't hold much hope.
However, more than two hours passed, and Zhuo Ni was still releasing water.
About one-third of the people still hadn't received water, but her supply had shocked everyone. Zhen Jie, who had long been unable to sit still, had followed and watched her release water with a calm expression, growing more and more alarmed.
How could one person release so much water out of thin air?
Was this even human?
He recalled Zhou Chuan's words and became even more curious about the young couple.
This was too unbelievable.
Another hour passed, and they finally reached the end of the line. Everyone received water. Although it wasn't much, it would prevent them from dying of thirst in the short term.
A group of people began to walk back.
Zhen Jie couldn't help but ask, "Little comrade, how did you obtain this ability? To be able to release so much water."
"I don't know," Zhuo Ni feigned innocence. "It just feels like there's an ocean inside me. No matter how much I release, there's always water."
"An ocean, how big?"
"Very big."
This nonsensical conversation was certainly something.
However, it was enough to give Zhen Jie a deeper guess about her ability. Returning to the front, he specifically had some good food prepared and invited the two for dinner... or rather, a late-night meal.
After eating, Zhuo Ni took Chong Yan back. The Zhao family was waiting for her. Seeing her return with a young man, they were stunned.
"Xiao Ni, who is this?"
"I'm her boyfriend," Chong Yan eagerly declared his identity.
The other members of the Zhao family immediately became wary of him.
Zhuo Ni said, "He really is my boyfriend. We met online, and we even met in person. Before the apocalypse, I wanted to bring him home to meet you all, but I didn't expect..."
The Zhao family was already dazed by her first sentence and didn't pay much attention to the rest.
"When did you get a boyfriend?"
"What's his name? Where does he live? Is he reliable? Have you been deceived?"
"Dad," Zhuo Ni shone her flashlight on Chong Yan's fair, slightly soft and cute face. "Look at him, who could possibly deceive whom?"
The Zhao family members then scrutinized Chong Yan.
He was indeed a boy of eighteen or nineteen, very good-looking, even more so than many popular idols. His eyes were clear, and he appeared utterly innocent.
Judging by his appearance, he was more likely to be the one who was deceived.
"It's getting late. We can talk about this tomorrow."
They moved into a more spacious vehicle compartment, where they could now lie down to sleep at night.
Chong Yan was bound to sleep with her.
All the Zhao family members disapproved, but after much persuasion, the couple wouldn't listen. In the end, they could only let them have their way.
In this world, surviving until tomorrow was uncertain. There was no need to overthink things.
That night passed without any incidents, peacefully.
The next morning, Zhou Chuan took over a dozen people to search for the missing individuals, while the others continued forward.
Zhuo Ni slept through a large part of the morning and was jolted awake by the shaking. The two elderly Zhao family members were sitting by the side of the compartment. Her sister was still resting, while everyone else stared blankly outside.
They had already passed through several cities. When they left, they had intended to go to Sichuan. Now, after experiencing so much on the road, their hearts were filled with confusion and dread.
This was a global disaster. Could they really escape it?
Zhuo Ni and Chong Yan ate a little something and then went to the front together.
The vehicle's speed was not much faster than that of pedestrians, and they were not far apart. They soon met Zhen Jie.
He was in a meeting with several people.
The atmosphere in the "meeting room" was somber.
Their arrival temporarily interrupted the meeting. Zhen Jie then invited them to observe.
More than half an hour ago, they had received dire news from several coastal cities. Due to the constant emergence of abominations from the oceanic void and the ever-growing zombie hordes, almost everyone who had stayed behind had died. Only a portion of those who had awakened special abilities managed to escape with some people.
In the two most severely affected cities, the estimated survival rate was even as low as one percent.
Their superiors had instructed them to bring as many people as possible. Larger groups were less susceptible to attacks from abominations, and huddling together for warmth increased the chances of survival.