At dinner, Old Zhou from the militia came to check on them. With him was a tall, thin middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties, with a face full of fatigue.
Old Zhou carried three packs of instant noodles, a single sausage, and two vacuum-packed braised eggs.
After entering the tent, he first checked on Du He, then handed the food to Ke Bei.
He said, “You didn’t go out for lunch. You have to take care of the patient, but you still need to eat. I brought some food for you, if you really don’t want to go out, you can just heat it up in the tent.
Our supplies at the relief point aren’t much, so make do with what you have. Once the new replenishments arrive, everyone can get a little more.”
After speaking, he also showed Ke Bei where to get hot water, and told her that if they didn’t have eating utensils, they could claim three sets of disposable ones.
However, each person could only take one set, and once used, they had to be kept carefully for next time, no tossing them aside.
Seeming very accustomed to Old Zhou’s habit of rambling, the middle-aged man who came with him didn’t interrupt or rush him at all. He quietly listened, smiling, until Old Zhou finally finished, and then introduced himself.
He said, “My surname is Lao. I’m the Party Secretary of Yishui Town and the temporary person in charge of this relief station. I wasn’t home this morning and went into town, and when I came back I heard that a severely injured person had arrived, so I came to take a look.”
Hearing this, Cheng Qian and Ke Bei naturally exchanged some pleasantries and also explained Du He’s condition.
The tent was so small that no one could stand fully upright.
Seeing that these two still seemed to have more to say, the couple invited them to sit at the entrance.
Secretary Lao wasn’t a fussy person; he casually sat on the gravel ground of the courtyard with Cheng Qian and Old Zhou, giving the only small stool to Ke Bei.
He said, “Our relief station is quite small. It was set up rather hastily, and many supplies, especially medical equipment, weren’t brought here.
If Xiao Du still doesn’t wake up tomorrow, we’ll have the young people here help carry him to the town hospital for treatment.
You can’t go to the Yunshui hospital right now, and since you came from there, you must know the situation, things are completely out of control there now. The entire city has almost entirely been taken over by mutated plants.”
Secretary Lao sighed deeply at this point, his tone full of genuine concern.
It was clear he sincerely cared for Du He and their family.
Seeing this, the couple naturally thanked him again.
But both of them knew that if he came all this way at dinner time, it wasn’t just to offer simple greetings. After a few more casual remarks, Cheng Qian got straight to the point.
He spoke up, “Secretary Lao, is there something you want to discuss with us? Just say it straight.”
Hearing this, Secretary Lao immediately showed a slightly embarrassed expression, but at the same time seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
He said with a hint of emotion, “Ah, to be honest, you just arrived and haven’t even had a chance to rest yet, and here I am running over to ask for your help. I feel a bit bad about it.
But the situation is special. There are simply too few people available at this relief point, so we have no choice but to seek your assistance.”
He paused for a moment, then looked at the couple. “May I ask what your plans are next? Have you thought about staying here at the relief point long-term?”
The couple exchanged a glance. They didn’t answer immediately, but instead asked back, “Isn’t this relief point temporary? Are you seriously planning for people to stay here permanently?”
Secretary Lao had clearly anticipated this question and didn’t try to hide anything. He answered frankly, “I went into town today precisely for this matter. To be honest, when we first received the assignment, we all thought this point was just temporary.
But today, when I returned to the town to ask how the current disaster victims would be resettled, I learned that the higher-ups intend for them to stay put. Neither the town nor the county has the capacity to receive any more disaster victims now.”
At this, he let out a long sigh, and the wrinkles on his thin, dry face seemed even deeper.
Old Zhou beside him also wore a worried expression. “The higher-ups just say whatever comes to mind. They tell us to settle people in place, but is that something you can solve just by opening your mouth?
For example, what about food? The total rations we brought to this relief station are barely enough. Three days wouldn’t even be enough for these people!
And tomorrow we still have to rescue more people, how do we arrange for them once they’re brought back?
Then there’s Xin’an Village, we’ve already been there once! Those people hide and refuse to come out no matter how we call them or try to scare them.
I thought they were brave, that they’d really stick with the village through life and death, but now, just two days later, they’ve chickened out!
Oh, so the lives of a few old men matter, but the lives of us militia don’t?!
Back then, they refused to leave, why should we risk our lives to save them now?”
Hearing Old Zhou vent like this, Secretary Lao glared at him sharply. “Stop talking nonsense!”
Old Zhou smirked dismissively. “Isn’t what I said true? I’m not saying we’re unwilling to rescue them…
But our militia unit only has twenty-four people in total. You already took more than half of them to town today, leaving just the four of us here.
At this rate, there’s no way we can rescue anyone. Going out now is just asking to die. Yesterday, the people who helped at Xin’an Village came back and said it’s like Yuehe Village over there, the grass is taller than a person.
I went to Yuehe Village yesterday morning myself. Three people died in total, and two more days have passed since, no one knows what it’s like now.
If we insist on going back to Xin’an Village with just a few of us, isn’t that just a death wish?!”
Secretary Lao looked utterly helpless at Old Zhou’s words, yet he had no way to argue back.
It was clear that he understood Old Zhou wasn’t being unreasonable.
He remained silent for a long while, then let out a bitter sigh. “Even so, we can’t just not go! I’ll say something I probably shouldn’t, but if it were really only Old Liu and the others, I’d force my way through and not let you go. Even if he’s the father of a martyr, we can’t drag others into it just because of him.
But there’s a child involved.
Liu Jian is a martyr’s orphan!
His father died saving people, and he’s the only child in the family.
Now the kid has already sent out a distress message. No matter what, we have to go this time.”
The two of them went back and forth for a while. Cheng Qian and Ke Bei had long understood their meaning: they just wanted the couple to help with the rescue.
Given Du He’s current condition, even if they were in a hurry, they’d have to wait until tomorrow to see how things develop. They couldn’t just leave a child whose life was at stake, that would be heartless.
If they couldn’t leave, helping the relief point with a mission wouldn’t be a problem. After all, even in the future, if they wanted to stay at a base, they’d have to take on tasks for the base. And this was a rescue mission.
“A martyr’s orphan? How did a martyr’s orphan end up in the village? Secretary Lao, tell us the details,” Cheng Qian asked, clearly drawn to those few words.
“Liu Jian’s father was a police officer in our county. He was killed in action two years ago while apprehending criminals. His family only has his wife and child left, along with an elderly father.
Liu Jian usually lives with his mother in the county and doesn’t come back often, so Old Liu stayed alone in Xin’an Village.
Since it’s summer vacation now, Liu Jian’s mother sent him back to accompany his grandfather. Who would have thought this would happen?”
“If you already knew he was a martyr’s orphan, why didn’t you pay more attention when bringing him back yesterday?” Ke Bei asked.
“Old stubborn man, old stubborn man! Sometimes he can make you so mad you feel like dying!” Old Zhou slammed his hand down in frustration.
From Old Zhou’s account, Cheng Qian and Ke Bei learned that when the rescue team first arrived, the grass in Xin’an Village was already waist-high.
Because the village had developed specialized flower gardens and it was peak blooming season, in addition to the wild grass, many flowers and plants were also growing uncontrollably.
By the time the rescuers arrived, many villagers had been scratched by thorny plants, and some had even developed skin ulcers from pollen exposure.
So they were in a hurry to evacuate the villagers.
Yet, even under these circumstances, some of the elders in the village stubbornly refused to leave. They insisted on staying in their homes, saying they would rather die there than move. Old Liu was one of them.
“Our militia came back furious,” Old Zhou said. “They said they’d never seen anyone so stubborn. At the time, they had already dragged him out of his house, but as soon as no one was looking, he sneaked back with his grandson.
By the time the team realized they were missing, the rescue team had already almost cleared the village with the other villagers. There was no way to go back for them.
Tell me, isn’t that infuriating? He’s lived his life, but his grandson, he’s only seven! Seven years old! How could you bear to let your child die with you?!”
“Old Zhou!”
Seeing him go on like this, Secretary Lao hurriedly interrupted.
He then gave a wry smile and looked at the couple. “Xiao Cheng, Xiao Ke, this is the situation. I wouldn’t ask you for help if it weren’t really necessary. I know you still have a patient at home and a child with you…”
Cheng Qian waved his hand. “It’s fine. What time do we leave tomorrow? If my brother’s condition is stable, I’ll go along. My wife shouldn’t, she can stay. The child is too young, and Du He still needs care.”
Secretary Lao looked conflicted, clearly hoping that Ke Bei could participate. He must have already learned about their family situation before coming.
He exchanged a glance with Old Zhou. Old Zhou opened his mouth to speak, but Secretary Lao shook his head, signaling him to stay quiet.
Then he turned to Cheng Qian. “Alright then, see you tomorrow morning!”
At that moment, Xiao Tian, who had been quietly sitting next to his mother, suddenly spoke.
He looked at Ke Bei. “Mom, can we go with Dad tomorrow? I want to go save the little boy too.”
“No, it’s too dangerous,” Cheng Qian immediately said, cutting her off.
Xiao Tian pouted.
He shot a dissatisfied look at his father but ignored him, instead grabbing Ke Bei’s hand and shaking it while repeating, “Mom, let’s go together! I want to go too! I want to save the little boy!”
Ever since Xiao Tian had been hurt due to his own recklessness, Cheng Qian had been extremely protective of him.
Even walking through areas with lots of branches made him cautious, let alone taking him on such a dangerous mission.
He absolutely would not agree.
He took a deep breath, crouched down, turned Xiao Tian to face him, and said gently, “Xiao Tian, be a good boy. You stay with Mom tomorrow and take care of Brother Du He. Daddy will go help save the boy. I promise I’ll bring him back, okay?”
But usually obedient Xiao Tian stubbornly shook his head this time.
He looked at Cheng Qian seriously and said, “Dad, Mom and I have to go too. We have to protect you. What if those mutated dogs come again? You won’t be able to beat them by yourself.”
The child’s voice wasn’t loud, but everyone present heard him clearly.
Especially with Xiao Tian’s expression being so serious, everyone could see from the boy’s face that—
He truly believed it.
He genuinely didn’t trust his father’s ability and felt that Dad needed him to provide protection.
Cheng Qian felt like he was about to split in two!
He stared at Xiao Tian, seeing the seriousness and worry in his son’s eyes, and felt choked up, not knowing how to explain things to the child.
Secretary Lao and Old Zhou didn’t expect Xiao Tian to say something like that.
Although it was well-intentioned, it was really embarrassing for his father.
Both of them quickly turned their heads almost at the same time, not daring to let Cheng Qian see the smiles they were holding back.
Ke Bei also didn’t know what to say.
She knew, of course, that Xiao Tian wasn’t rejecting Cheng Qian at all.
The child was simply scared by everything that had happened over the past few days.
He genuinely thought his father couldn’t protect himself, so he wanted to come along to help safeguard him.
Ke Bei wasn’t worried about her husband’s abilities.
She knew that Cheng Qian was only lacking experience; he hadn’t fully adapted to this sudden apocalypse yet.
A few more experiences would fix that.
But facing her son’s pleading little eyes, she suddenly found herself unable to refuse.
Seeing the family staring at each other, the scene grew a little awkward. Secretary Lao and Old Zhou tactfully decided to take their leave.
At that moment, Ke Bei suddenly remembered something important and quickly spoke to stop them.
“Secretary Lao, wait a moment, I have something I still need to ask.”
“All right, go ahead and ask,” Secretary Lao said, stopping in his tracks.
“Earlier, Brother Zhou said that the militia had taken most of the people to the town. Did something happen in Yishui Town?”
Once Du He’s condition improved, they would have to leave, and Yishui Town was a necessary stop.
That’s why Ke Bei had paid attention when Old Zhou mentioned it earlier.
Hearing her question, Secretary Lao let out a sigh, a hint of disappointment flickering in his eyes.
Having lived in the area most of his life, he naturally knew the roads and local conditions far better than outsiders like Ke Bei and the others.
Whatever Ke Bei thought of, he could think of as well.
Now, hearing her inquire about the town, Secretary Lao immediately realized that there was no way to keep these two here.
But this was expected, so he didn’t dwell on it.
He then seriously explained to Ke Bei: “Xiao Ke, don’t worry. Nothing has happened in the town. The town government doesn’t need people for its own sake, it’s the county that’s short on manpower.
Our county’s militia has always been limited. Even for disaster relief, we don’t have enough hands, let alone to spare people to ensure the safety of those few experts invited by Yunhai Pharmaceuticals.
The county had no choice but to borrow manpower from below. Since the town itself is also short-staffed, each rescue station was asked to send people to assist.”
“Yunhai Pharmaceuticals?”
Ke Bei had heard the name before; in her impression, it was a very large company.
Before the apocalypse, many medicines were produced by this pharmaceutical group, and it was quite well-known.
But like many other large companies, it gradually declined after the apocalypse. If Secretary Lao hadn’t mentioned it, she might have forgotten the company still existed.
“Yes, Yunhai Pharmaceuticals. I heard they were holding some kind of new drug research conference in Tianshui and had invited many experts to attend, but who would have expected a natural disaster to strike.
I don’t know the details, but I know they originally planned to transfer the experts to Yancheng, which is their main base.
Who knew that on the highway they ran into an attack by mutated plants? That road was completely blocked, so they had no choice but to divert midway and end up in our county.
The expert group reportedly includes several top figures in their fields, national treasure-level people. Once they got to our county, we simply couldn’t let anything happen to them, so we had to find a way to protect them first.”
Hearing this, Ke Bei couldn’t help but smile; the heavy weight she had been carrying in her heart suddenly lifted.
She knew that the expert escort from Yunhai Pharmaceuticals Secretary Lao mentioned was exactly the convoy they had encountered on the highway before.
Chen Changyu was among them as well.
Now that they were forced to stay in the county, they had no chance to get to Anshuo, so naturally Chen Changyu couldn’t find Ah Lie any earlier than they could.
Thinking of this, Ke Bei found both Secretary Lao and Old Zhou more agreeable, and she even felt a little more eager about helping them rescue people tomorrow.
Cheng Qian was pleased too; the sense of frustration from being put in his son’s crossfire eased a bit.
He cupped his fist near his lips and cleared his throat softly, signaling Ke Bei not to show her happiness too openly, then got up to see Secretary Lao and Old Zhou off.
That night, the three of them held a serious family meeting inside the tent.
Cheng Qian, as usual, insisted on his opinion: he would not allow Ke Bei or Xiao Tian to go.
But when Xiao Tian said, “Mom, I want to level up too,” Ke Bei hesitated.
She thought for a moment, then sided with her son.
Cheng Qian was reluctant and still tried to persuade them.
More importantly, he wanted to reestablish his authority as a father in Xiao Tian’s mind.
But Ke Bei pulled him aside for a proper talk.
“I was wrong before,” she said first.
“I’ve been too cautious, to the point that I ignored what Xiao Tian truly needs.” Her tone carried a trace of self-blame.
In her previous life, ever since discovering that her son’s blood was extremely attractive to the powered, she and Cheng Qian had lived in constant worry.
Later, Cheng Qian went missing while trying to find Yunsi Grass for Xiao Tian, and likely could have lost his life doing so.
Masking the scent, making sure Xiao Tian didn’t get hurt, this had nearly become Ke Bei’s obsession.
On top of that, she and Xiao Tian were later captured by the research institute. As a mother, watching her child’s blood being drawn every day…
Ke Bei wished she could take his place herself.
Given a second chance at life, she naturally couldn’t bear to let her child suffer even a bit.
But deep down, she had always known that her approach was wrong, she couldn’t protect him forever.
Overprotection, in its own way, was another form of harm to Xiao Tian.
“This is my fault. I’m the one who didn’t dare to face it.
Actually, I know in my heart that although Xiao Tian is young, he is an Evolver.
For an Evolver to grow stronger and level up, the only way is through battle. They have to strengthen their bodies and enhance their abilities in combat.
If we keep sheltering him like this, we’re only wasting time, making Xiao Tian miss the best chance to strengthen his body.”
Ke Bei said this to Cheng Qian.
At the very beginning of the apocalypse, whether it’s the mutation of plants and animals or the emergence of human abilities, everything is still in its initial stage.
Compared to the power levels a few years later, the difference is huge.
At least for now, Ke Bei was confident that whether it was her, her husband, or even Xiao Tian himself, their abilities were stronger than most others around them.
This was the perfect opportunity for Xiao Tian to improve his strength, and with his parents watching closely, his safety was still reasonably ensured.
If they didn’t let him fight now, didn’t let him improve, he would fall behind again in the future and repeat the same old path.
Parents couldn’t protect him forever.
“Tomorrow we’ll go with you. Xiao Tian’s stamina has mostly recovered, and he won’t hold the team back,” Ke Bei said firmly, settling the matter.
Rationally, Cheng Qian knew every word his wife said was completely reasonable and irrefutable.
But thinking back to how their son had looked after being injured, his heart still tightened painfully.
He nodded in agreement, secretly resolving that tomorrow he wouldn’t let Xiao Tian out of his sight for a single step.
So early the next morning, Xiao Tian, like his parents, carried a big backpack on his back and arrived at the driving school gate to assemble.
Secretary Lao had other matters to handle and wouldn’t be going with them to rescue anyone today.
Seven people gathered, including three members of the militia company, Li Xin, the young man who had come out of Yuehe Village with them before, and a father and son pair.
When Old Zhou saw that Ke Bei and Xiao Tian had indeed come along, he was first surprised and then almost couldn’t hold back a laugh.
He sneaked a glance at Cheng Qian.
Although Cheng Qian’s expression remained blank, Old Zhou somehow could detect a trace of hidden awkwardness on his face.
This made him quietly chuckle to himself.
At the same time, he inexplicably felt a small sense of closeness toward Cheng Qian.
Not wanting Cheng Qian to feel embarrassed, Old Zhou quickly pretended he hadn’t noticed anything and introduced the people beside him, pointing to them: “Xiao Cheng, this is the village chief of Xin’an Village I mentioned to you yesterday, Liu Qingzhong. This kid here is his son, Liu Lin.”
Village Chief Liu looked to be nearly fifty, while Liu Lin appeared quite young, around seventeen or eighteen, probably still in high school, his eyes carrying a hint of innocence.
After the introduction, Village Chief Liu warmly greeted the couple and repeatedly thanked them for being willing to join in the rescue.
From his words, the couple realized that Village Chief Liu had some family connection to the martyr’s family; the child, Liu Jian, even had to call him “Uncle.”
It was also Village Chief Liu who had received the child’s distress message from the village.
“Ah, the signal here is so bad, you never know when it will suddenly work. If I had received the message earlier, I would have gone back to rescue Xiao Jian immediately. It’s my fault… I didn’t take proper care of the child,” Village Chief Liu said, his heart heavy, covering his face with his hands, momentarily unable to speak.
Liu Lin then took his phone from his pocket and pulled up a WeChat message for Cheng Qian and Ke Bei to see.
It was in a family group called “The Liu Family,” with about fifty or sixty members. Obviously, both father and son were part of the group.
The group had been active before, but gradually went quiet after the disaster began.
The last message in the group had been sent a day ago by a member named “Qingsong.” The message read: “Uncle, help! I don’t want to stay at home with Grandpa. I want to leave. I want to find Mom!”
From the way it was written and the name used, it was clear that Liu Jian had sent it using his grandfather’s phone.
Cheng Qian returned the phone to Village Chief Liu, fell silent for a moment, and then began asking about the situation in Xin’an Village.
While they were talking, Li Xin quietly walked up to Ke Bei and whispered to her, “Sister, that secretary came to our tent yesterday and asked a lot of questions, mainly trying to find out about you. But don’t worry, we didn’t say anything we shouldn’t have. Not a single word got out.”
As he spoke, Li Xin carefully observed Ke Bei’s expression, his gaze cautious and careful.
Ke Bei understood that Li Xin was trying to show goodwill, subtly letting her know that no one had spread the news about Zhao Yan being electrocuted.
She had no regrets about dealing with Zhao Yan. Since she had done it, she wasn’t afraid of anyone finding out.
But if it hadn’t spread and it caused less trouble for their family, she was naturally pleased.
She nodded and sincerely said to Li Xin, “Thank you.”
“No need!” Li Xin replied immediately, a happy smile spreading across his face.
At the same time, he visibly let out a sigh of relief.
Xin’an Village was much farther from the rescue point compared to Yuehe Village. Even though they had left very early, by the time the group arrived, the sun was already high in the sky.