Chapter 126 - 118: Wait!
The engine cut out, and the vehicles came to an abrupt halt.
The operating fuel tank truck's engine stopped turning, and suddenly, the sound of the cars driving disappeared.
The air suddenly quieted down, and the gloomy sky began drizzling down rainwater.
The world remained the same, the roadside trees still lush, but the spirit of all things, humanity, had undergone drastic changes.
The rain beat upon the roof of the cars, creating a pattering sound.
In this eerie and oppressive environment, no one knew why Li Yu had suddenly stopped the car.
1 minute later, drones flew over the cars, buzzing loudly.
Li Yu glanced at the surrounding roads, which had been moved aside after several trips to the County and the city for convenience, leaving a clear lane in the middle.
"You guys drive the cars back first, Tiezi, Dapao, come with me. Scruffy, Yuan Niang, Ding Jiu, drive back to the base," Li Yu broke the silence, speaking into the walkie-talkie.
Scruffy, who was sitting in the front, heard what Li Yu said, turned his head, and spoke to Li Yu, "I'll stay as well."
Li Yu shook his head with an indisputable tone, "You go back first. I need to wait here for a while."
Scruffy hesitated, wanting to say something, but seeing the determined look on Li Yu's face, he said no more.
Li Yuan understood very well that it was pointless to object to anything her big brother decided, so she obediently followed his orders, got out of the car, and then took over Zhao Dapao's vehicle.
Ding Jiu inside the fuel tank truck replied with an okay, then started the vehicle and slowly headed towards the base.
Li Yu, with Li Tie and Zhao Dapao, took their submachine guns and some prepared food.
Heading towards the former home by the side of the national highway, as raindrops fell on Li Yu and the others, he watched the cars behind them depart.
Once they had left, Li Yu observed how the rain had filled the pits and bumps on the country road, creating a little trench.
After Li Yuan and the others drove away, they splashed water, revealing the dirt and dust on the road.
The passage of the vehicles left behind tracks on the ground.
The rainwater flooded the areas the cars had just passed, turning them back into little trenches, roughly erasing the traces the cars had left.
It seemed impossible to tell that any cars had just passed through.
According to Li Yu's usual practice, every time he entered the base, he would disguise the ground to leave no traces.
But this time.
Li Yu looked at the ground, pondered for a moment, and considered. In the end, he chose not to clean up after all.
Leaving it might be useful.
Coming down from the national highway, he moved onto a side path next to it, stealthily behind the trees.
Zhao Dapao walked while observing the surroundings; after all, zombies become extremely agitated in the rain.
Li Tie and Zhao Dapao remained silent. They believed that Li Yu had his reasons for doing this and that when the time came, Li Yu would explain clearly what they were going to do.
Li Tie could vaguely guess what Li Yu was planning to do. From the time they returned to the base over the past few months, Li Tie was very clear about what mattered most in Li Yu's heart, and he knew well:
Big brother doesn't like the feeling of being watched, nor leaving problems unsolved.
Where they got out of the car was very close to their home by the passage.
Within a few minutes, Li Yu and the others had reached the ground floor.
Approaching from the adjacent stairs, Li Yu stood by the window of this three-story building and took out a telescope to look into the distance.
This building was perfectly situated on a slope, allowing a clear view of the area up to 100 meters away from both sides of the highway.
After watching for a while, Li Yu turned his head to Li Tie and Zhao Dapao beside him and said, "Earlier when we were at the gas station, the zombies didn't seem aware, and in this rainy weather, they definitely would have come out. Dapao also said, when he was on top of the tanker, he didn't see any zombies, but suddenly so many appeared just now. Therefore, I suspect someone is specifically targeting us. We'll wait here and see if they follow."
Zhao Dapao and Li Tie fell into deep thought, feeling that something was indeed amiss, but why would that group release the zombies only when they were about to leave?
They couldn't figure it out.
"Big brother, I don't understand, who exactly could it be? Those bastards we encountered earlier were all killed by the Salvation Army. And we saw the Salvation Army group leaving with our own eyes," said Li Tie, scratching his head in confusion.
"It doesn't matter, whoever is against us, we'll just take them down," Li Yu said with a deadly tone.
"You two keep watch here; I'm going to update Second Uncle and the others on the situation," Li Yu said.
Their location wasn't far from the base, so the walkie-talkies could be used to communicate directly.
He took out the walkie-talkie, spoke with Second Uncle, Uncle, and others about the incident they encountered and his suspicions.
Before Second Uncle could reply, Yang Tianlong, who was also on duty outside, immediately offered to come and help.
Li Yu declined, as they didn't know if those people would come or when they would come, fearing that those people might arrive right as Yang Tianlong does.
Second Uncle and the others were worried, with the passage of time, it was likely that many hidden people would emerge.
In this world of survival of the fittest, half a year since the apocalypse erupted, those who are still alive must be following survival rules or have their unique survival methods. After all, there are still many smart people in the world.
He turned off the walkie-talkie and walked to a spot on the road not visible from the highway where Li Yu lit a cigarette.
In front of this small building was the highway, behind it a farmland, and next to it, a plum orchard.
Nourished by the rain, the trees absorbed water desperately, now bursting with a different kind of vitality.
Amidst the swirling smoke, Li Yu felt a headache coming on; surviving in this apocalypse was tough enough, not to mention ensuring his family lived well, which was even harder.
Perhaps having more people would mean more restrictions, but there are many things that can't be done alone. Having trustworthy people to mutually support one another in this apocalypse is a tremendous help.
He shook his head, no longer dwelling on the matter.
He wasn't afraid of a thief stealing, just afraid of a thief lingering.
This situation, with the enemy hidden and himself exposed, was extremely troubling for Li Yu.
Not knowing where the enemy was, who the enemy was, how much the enemy knew about him, or whether they were lurking in the shadows, seeking the best opportunity to strike like a venomous snake.
He massaged his temples, wiped down his submachine gun briefly, and checked the ammunition.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Three hours later, dusk fell.
The rain did not cease, still drifting.
The three people atop the three-story building took turns observing the surroundings through the windows, especially the highway.
They all had something to eat, as everyone had set out early that day and remained on high alert.